Charity, Online Content, Documentary Thom Wood Charity, Online Content, Documentary Thom Wood

Social Work England / The Real Story

If you think you know what a social worker looks like, you’re probably wrong. That’s the point. In this film, foster carer and novelist Beth Moran sets off in search of the truth behind a profession more often feared than understood. What she discovers are moments that rarely make headlines: trust built slowly, support offered quietly, lives turning in unexpected ways.

Director / Ruth Sewell

Producer / Elliot Janks

Director of Photography / Jack Worrall

Edit & Sound Design / Ben Harding

If you think you know what a social worker looks like, you’re probably wrong. That’s the point. In this film, foster carer and novelist Beth Moran sets off in search of the truth behind a profession more often feared than understood. What she discovers are moments that rarely make headlines: trust built slowly, support offered quietly, lives turning in unexpected ways.

Working with creative agency Kindred, we produced this short documentary for Social Work England’s “Change the Script” campaign - part of a wider initiative to challenge the public perception of social work and give people a more accurate, human understanding of the profession.

Films like this hinge on rapport. Not just between contributors and camera, but across the whole process - from planning to post. With just two shoot days and no room for second takes, we devised a production that could hold uncertainty: small crews, natural light, and a pace shaped by real conversation. We weren’t chasing performances. We were shaping spaces for something honest to emerge.

Shot during Social Work Week, we delivered a behind-the-scenes teaser in under 24 hours to capitalise on early momentum. The final hero film, along with three individual contributor edits (featuring Clair, Ken, and Lilly), was released soon after as part of a national campaign toolkit - helping organisations, educators, and advocates across the UK share a fuller, more human story of social work. The response from the profession - and from Social Work England’s leadership - was one of quiet recognition: this is what it really looks like.

Watch the BTS below!

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Charity, Online Commercial, Animation Thom Wood Charity, Online Commercial, Animation Thom Wood

Mencap / #DontMissOut

Client / Mencap

Co-Director / Ruth Sewell

Editor & Sound Design / Sam Woodcock

Animation Director / Peter Baynton - Radish Pictures

Whether it's the last of the milk, the last night-bus home, or something more serious like help with healthcare - missing out sucks. That’s why Mencap want everyone with a learning disability to know about all of the additional medical support available to them.

Created with this very specific target audience in mind, we worked with animator Peter Baynton (The Tiger Who Came to Tea), to maximise accessibility through easy to understand scenes, featuring distinctive characters and a vivid colour palette.

Designed to be an evergreen explainer animation, this has been used since 2017 as a key asset in Mencap's #dontmissout campaign, encouraging sign-ups to the Learning Disability Register.

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