At Dancing Pixel, we walk clients through each phase. We start by uncovering real stories that match both what your brand needs and what feels genuine on camera.

Step 1: Finding Your Story

Pre-production takes up about 40-50% of the timeline. Why? Because finding the right story determines everything else. We’ve developed a three-stage process that uncovers stories other production companies often miss:

1. Getting to Know You (1-2 weeks)

We talk with everyone – your team, your customers, even people who just interact with your brand occasionally. “What stories grab you when customers talk about your product?” we might ask. “When was the last time someone was genuinely surprised by what you offer?”

2. Choosing Who to Feature** (Week 3)

We look for real personalities over polished presenters. Remember: The slightly nervous customer who lights up when talking about how your service changed their work day? They’re often more convincing than any professional actor.

3. Creating a Flexible Plan** (Week 4)

We don’t write scripts. We create conversation guides. We might plan to ask, “What was happening in your business before you found this solution?” rather than “Tell us how great this product is.”

Step 2: Capturing Real Moments

The right equipment and approach makes all the difference in documentary-style shoots: Equipment That Gets Real Results:

• Cameras that don’t intimidate subjects RED Komodo
• Lighting that enhances rather than changes reality
• Audio equipment that captures natural

How We Ask Questions:

the difference between standard commercial interviews and documentary approaches is night and day:

Standard Commercial: “Tell us why you love our product” (fishing for a specific answer)

Documentary Approach: “Walk me through your typical day and how our product fits in” (letting natural stories emerge)

What makes people comfortable on camera? Meeting them before filming day. Having casual conversations about everyday topics first. Creating physical spaces that feel like normal rooms, not intimidating studios.

Real Success Stories From Different Industries

Technology Sector: Meridian Tech Solutions B2B Campaign

The Problem: Meridian needed to stand out in a sea of identical-looking software ads.

What They Did: Instead of talking about features, they spent three days filming actual clients solving real business problems with their software.

The Results Were Dramatic:

• 342% more qualified leads
• People shared their content 6.7x more often on social media
• B2B Marketing Magazine featured their campaign
• Their sales cycle shortened by 27% because prospects came in already convinced

What made this work? Meridian took documentary techniques from journalism and applied them to B2B marketing—bringing a fresh approach to tech advertising.

At Dancing Pixel, we specialize in finding these cross-industry opportunities. We bring storytelling approaches from documentary filmmaking, journalism, and research into commercial production. This turns ordinary brand messages into stories that people actually connect with emotionally.

Why This Matters Now

Documentary-style commercials are a direct response to changing viewer expectations. Modern audiences want content that respects their intelligence while still telling engaging stories.

The numbers tell the story: higher engagement, better recall, more sharing, and stronger conversion rates. This isn’t just a creative choice—it’s a business strategy that delivers measurable results.

At Dancing Pixel, we’ve seen how cinema-quality documentary techniques create emotional connections that standard commercials simply can’t match. When viewers care about the story, they remember your brand.

Take a look at some of our work!