Documentaries

Great stories deserve to be told with honesty, depth, and care. At Tidal Film, we specialise in documentary video production that brings real voices and experiences to life. Whether you’re a brand, charity, or organisation looking to share a meaningful narrative, our team works with you to uncover the heart of the story and present it with cinematic impact. From short-form brand docs to long-form social issues, we create films that connect with your audience and inspire action - across Essex, London and throughout the UK.

Our Work

Sika Product Films Campaign

Creating a set of how-to product videos with cutdowns for social advertising

foster parents helping child with homework

Capstone Foster Care

Creating a powerful TV ad for their campaign ‘You could make a difference’

World Athletics

Creating an international animation campaign for promoting safeguarding in sport

Southend’s City Status

Creating a film promoting Southend’s exciting change from being a town to a city

Foster carers together smiling at a lake

Excel Fostering

Creating a promotional social video campaign through personal fostering stories

college of optometry graduation ceremony

The College of Optometry

Filming and creating a video for the college’s graduation event

Southchurch Business Expo

Creating an event wrap up film for Business on Sea’s first business exhibition in Southchurch

IMS - Part of the community

Creating a documentary style film to promote how IMS responds to corporate social responsibility

Excel Fostering

Creating a documentary style TV Advert from interview content with real foster carers

Action for Children

Creating promotional video campaigns encapsulating foster carer experiences

Levi Roots at the Festival of Business in Essex

Essex Chambers of Commerce

Creating an event wrap up film for the Festival of Business held at Hyland’s House in Chelmsford, Essex

Industrial Metal Services

Creating a product film for IMS’ coping machine, showcasing their extended services

BM Steel

Creating a promotional video campaign for the national steel company’s 3 sites across the UK

The Lightpainter

Creating a documentary focusing on one man’s passion for temporary art

KPMG Reimagine Challenge

Creating an event film for KPMG’s innovative pitching scheme

woman smiling at KPMG's Big Tent Ideas Festival

At the Big Ideas tent with KPMG

Creating an event wrap up film for KPMG sharing their perspectives on social and political life in the UK.

FCUK Transform a life

Using practical effects to create a social campaign film for Foster care UK

One Love Soup Kitchen

Creating a short documentary on the work One Love do for Southend’s homeless community

Annual Supporters Event

Creating an event film for charity Anti-Slavery International’s annual supporters function

The Open University

Creating a 2D animation exploring the migration for inclusive african growth

UNICEF Animations

Creating a set of training animations for safeguarding in sport.

charity staff chatting in community garden

Trust Links Growing Together

Creating a promotional film for a Southend based charity

A Better Start Southend

Creating a social media video campaign for the ‘Let’s Talk’ initiative, giving top tips on early years communication

Southampton Hospitals Charity

Creating a charity film to promote Southampton Hospitals Charity’s fundraising art trail

Ipeco Holdings

How we created a brand film that tells a story

animation of nurse in the emergency department

University of Birmingham

Creating a clear animation for a new way of working

Make a Wish Foundation

Documenting Ellie’s Christmas Wonderland in East London with a charity film

Ziegler Logistics

Showcasing excellence in supply chain with drone, timelapse and a storyline.

Brighter Futures Campaign

Creating an animation for Capstone foster care in celebration of foster care fortnight

Southend City Council

Creating a video campaign for promoting recruitment in Children’s Services

behind shot of IMS worker wearing hi vis

Industrial Metal Services

Showcasing IMS’ latest million pound investment with a product and service film

5th May international midwives day poster

Royal College of Midwives

Creating a graphic driven archive film promoting the year of the midwife

Essex Chambers of Commerce

Creating a video campaign of domestic abuse awareness materials for businesses

big balloon heart surrounded by ASI supporters

Anti-Slavery International

Creating yearly wrap up charity animations for the oldest international human rights organisation

Construction Course Films

Creating a series of films for The Open University’s T-Level courses in construction

A New Local Plan

Creating a promotional film for Southend City Council’s new local plan, encouraging young people’s voices.

Southend Halloween Parade

Creating a quick turnaround event film for Southend City Council

Sponsors of charity art trail pointing at branding

Havens Hospices Art Trail

Creating a charity video campaign for the fundraising Herd in the City art trail

The College of Optometrists

Creating piece to camera films introducing their placement programme to employers

pregnant woman in hospital bed with 2 midwives taking temperature

Every Baby Counts

Creating a video campaign for the The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Capstone Foster Care

Creating a social media video campaign that reaches targeted audiences

A Better Start Southend

Creating films to document and promote the vital services of the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team

Southend City Jam

Creating an event wrap up film for the largest street art festival in Europe

Capstone Empty Nest Campaign

Creating a promotional social video campaign based on Capstone’s ‘empty nester’ target audience.

Forensic Psychology Course

Creating video content for The Open University’s Forensic Psychology courses

Meeting Need Across Southend

Creating a charity film for Southend’s St Vincent de Paul Society charity

Clairol Nice’n Easy

Post Production for user testimonial style TV ad and social media video campaign

Southend Museums

Creating a promotional video for Southend’s Museums

Pink Hygiene’s P-Corp Initiative

Creating a promotional film to encourage a new approach to corporate responsibility

Chris and Lynne chatting about their fostering journey on a walk in the country

Excel Fostering

End to end video production for Chris and Lynne’s foster care story

The Open University Open Qualification

Creating a hand-drawn style animation to promote ‘The Open Qualification’.

Why you're here

Do you have a powerful story to tell? Whether you're a charity, brand, organisation or individual, a documentary film can bring truth, emotion and depth to the screen. It's a way to engage your audience with something real, lasting and meaningful.

Producer stands behind camera in community garden

Chris and Lynne, foster carers, on a dog walk

Our Approach

At Tidal Film, our documentary production process begins with listening. We take the time to understand your story, your subject, and the message you want to share. Then we develop a strategy to tell it visually — combining interviews, real-world footage and cinematic storytelling to create an honest, human narrative that resonates. We’re sensitive to the nuances of real-life stories and committed to telling them with respect and care.

Camera operator is filming archived items in Southend Museum

We deliver

We create compelling documentary films across Essex, London and the UK, from short-form brand documentaries to longer social impact pieces. Our end-to-end service includes research, development, filming, editing, and post-production. Whether your documentary is destined for social media, internal use, TV or film festivals, we make sure it’s crafted with purpose and polish and most importantly, that it connects.

Frequently Asked Questions

We produce a wide range of documentaries including brand documentaries, charity stories, social impact films, case studies, and human-interest pieces. Whether it's short-form or long-form, we tailor each project to your goals and audience.

Yes - we work with clients across Essex, London, and throughout the UK. Wherever your story is based, we’re ready to travel to capture it with care and creativity.

The timeline varies depending on the length and complexity of the project. Typically, a short-form documentary takes 4–8 weeks from planning to delivery. Longer or more in-depth pieces may require more time for research, filming, and editing.

Absolutely. Our team works with you from the earliest stages to identify the core message, narrative arc, and key contributors. We help you shape the story so it’s clear, compelling, and emotionally engaging.

Pricing depends on factors like duration, filming locations, number of shoot days, and post-production needs. We offer customised quotes to suit a range of budgets while ensuring a professional, high-quality outcome. Usually prices for a documentary style film can start from around £3,500.

We work with charities, NGOs, businesses, educational institutions, and individuals. From grassroots causes to global brands, we tell stories that matter -no matter the size or sector of the organisation.

Content creation with purpose.

Tidal Film is a creative video production company based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, producing story-led video content for brands, charities and organisations across the UK. Our in-house team manages the full video production process, from concept and filming to editing and post-production, creating high-quality films that connect audiences to your purpose - including TV adverts, social media videos, documentaries, drone footage and animation. Every project is collaborative, carefully crafted and shaped around you and your audience.

What Our Customers Say

From the outset, the Main Media team understood our aim to add storytelling to the project experience. The team went over and above for Havens Hospices. They took time to understand the cause and why it matters to our community, which shone through the final films.

Amy Dearing / Director of Fundraising & Marketing

The entire process, from start to finish, was seamless, thanks to the efforts of the whole Main Media team. What stood out most was how well they understood our brand and how they made the families involved in filming feel at ease.

Alicia Bannister / Marketing and Communications

The team was incredibly friendly, and I had complete confidence in their ability to deliver the vision we had in mind. They fully understood Ipeco and it was clear they connected with our brand, which made the entire process smooth and enjoyable. We couldn’t be happier with the final result.

Jenna Starr / Marketing Manager

The whole team are professional and friendly, their approach helps even the most nervous people feel at ease and they produce heartfelt authentic results.

Sarah Carter / Marketing Manager

From the outset, the team demonstrated a real understanding of our vision. They brought a high level of creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail, consistently offering valuable ideas and suggestions throughout the process.

Greg Rawles / Marketing Manager

Simply, they know exactly what they are doing. Give them the brief and they do the rest. No fuss and the end result is always professional and well executed.

Denise Rossiter / CEO

The team are brilliant. They are creative and so easy to work with. They find solutions to problems and ill thought out filming areas (Science Museum flashback!). They turn things around really quickly, are very high quality, provide creative input and are really cost competitive. They are also adept at working with people at all levels and making even the most nervous interviewee feel comfortable

Jillian Murphy / Marketing and Communications

Trusted By Brands, Made For People

We've worked for companies across the UK - but it's the individuals behind the brands that matter most. Every video we create is a collaboration, crafted to connect with real people and spark real impact.

Let’s Make Waves Together - Powerful Video Starts Here

Powerful stories don’t just blend in, they stand out through impactful video production. At Tidal Film, we specialise in creating films that connect with your audience, spark conversations, and leave a lasting impression across the UK.