Frequently Asked
Questions
Why? What? Who? How? When?
We've tried
to cover as much as we can on this website, but if you need to know more, here
are some useful questions - and some even more useful answers.
50 Pictures FAQs
Why does story work better than normal marketing?
Because people rarely remember messages. They remember experiences and feelings.
A good story gives people both, and it does it by giving them something to follow: a person, a problem, a change, a reason to care. That makes it far more useful than a list of claims, facts or brand lines and the slightly off feeling of being sold to.
What makes a story worth telling?
A good story needs a few simple things:
Without those, you may still have content but you probably don't have a story.
Because people rarely remember messages. They remember experiences and feelings.
A good story gives people both, and it does it by giving them something to follow: a person, a problem, a change, a reason to care. That makes it far more useful than a list of claims, facts or brand lines and the slightly off feeling of being sold to.
What makes a story worth telling?
A good story needs a few simple things:
- someone we care about
- a real problem or pressure
- a world we want to understand
- something at stake
- some kind of change
Without those, you may still have content but you probably don't have a story.
Is this a creative process or a structured one?
Both.
The structure gives us somewhere to look. The creativity comes from what we find.
That's why we work through three stages:
StorySTRATEGY — what problem are we trying to solve?
StoryFINDING — where is the authentic human story?
StoryTELLING — how should we tell it so people care?
This keeps the sometimes shapeless feel of creative work focused and disciplined.
What if we don't know what our story is?
That's normal.
Most organisations are too close to their own world to see what's interesting about it. The good stuff often hides in routines, tensions, odd details, beliefs and people quietly going about their daily lives.
That's where we look. The stories are there.
Do you only make videos?
Mostly, yes.
Video is almost always the strongest way to tell a story because it gives you people, place, voice, image and emotion all at once.
But the right story can also spin out into audio, short social edits, internal tools, pitch decks, printed pieces or other useful assets.
We start with the story. Then we choose the best form for the job.
Both.
The structure gives us somewhere to look. The creativity comes from what we find.
That's why we work through three stages:
StorySTRATEGY — what problem are we trying to solve?
StoryFINDING — where is the authentic human story?
StoryTELLING — how should we tell it so people care?
This keeps the sometimes shapeless feel of creative work focused and disciplined.
What if we don't know what our story is?
That's normal.
Most organisations are too close to their own world to see what's interesting about it. The good stuff often hides in routines, tensions, odd details, beliefs and people quietly going about their daily lives.
That's where we look. The stories are there.
Do you only make videos?
Mostly, yes.
Video is almost always the strongest way to tell a story because it gives you people, place, voice, image and emotion all at once.
But the right story can also spin out into audio, short social edits, internal tools, pitch decks, printed pieces or other useful assets.
We start with the story. Then we choose the best form for the job.
What's with the name 50 Pictures?
A good story stays with you in pictures.
Sometimes those pictures are on screen. Sometimes they're created through sound, words or memory.
The "50" also nods to a few things we like:
Mostly, it reminds us to make stories people can see in their heads and easily re-tell to others.
A good story stays with you in pictures.
Sometimes those pictures are on screen. Sometimes they're created through sound, words or memory.
The "50" also nods to a few things we like:
- 50 pictures (or frames) per second — slowing moments down so you notice what matters
- 50mm lens — close to how the human eye sees the world
- 50-minute calls — long enough to get somewhere, short enough for us all to stay focused
Mostly, it reminds us to make stories people can see in their heads and easily re-tell to others.
What makes 50 Pictures different from other video companies?
We don't rush to shoot or script. We start by finding out what's not working, who you need to reach, and what kind of story could actually shift something.
Then we bring the craft: research, interviews, scripting, filming, editing and delivery.
So yes, we make films. But the story is the starting point.
How do we start working together?
Usually with a free 50-minute What's The Problem? call. We use that to understand:
After that, we can suggest the right next step.
Do I need to be in the story?
No. You might be the right person. You might not.
Sometimes the strongest story comes from a founder. Sometimes it comes from a customer, colleague, partner, place, process, moment behind the scenes, or a mix of all these things.
We'll help work out where the real story lives.
How involved will our team need to be?
Enough to help us find the good stuff. Not so much that the project becomes another full-time job.
We'll need time with the right people at key stages: strategy, research, story detecting, feedback and sign-off.
We'll keep the process clear, calm and well managed.
Can you work with our existing brand or marketing team?
Yes.
We can work within brand guidelines, alongside agencies, or directly with your internal team.
We're not here to bulldoze what already exists. We're here to find the story that makes whatever you do now more effective.
We don't rush to shoot or script. We start by finding out what's not working, who you need to reach, and what kind of story could actually shift something.
Then we bring the craft: research, interviews, scripting, filming, editing and delivery.
So yes, we make films. But the story is the starting point.
How do we start working together?
Usually with a free 50-minute What's The Problem? call. We use that to understand:
- what you do
- what feels stuck
- who you need to reach
- what you want to change
- whether a story can help
After that, we can suggest the right next step.
Do I need to be in the story?
No. You might be the right person. You might not.
Sometimes the strongest story comes from a founder. Sometimes it comes from a customer, colleague, partner, place, process, moment behind the scenes, or a mix of all these things.
We'll help work out where the real story lives.
How involved will our team need to be?
Enough to help us find the good stuff. Not so much that the project becomes another full-time job.
We'll need time with the right people at key stages: strategy, research, story detecting, feedback and sign-off.
We'll keep the process clear, calm and well managed.
Can you work with our existing brand or marketing team?
Yes.
We can work within brand guidelines, alongside agencies, or directly with your internal team.
We're not here to bulldoze what already exists. We're here to find the story that makes whatever you do now more effective.
What kinds of organisations do you work with?
We work best with organisations that have something meaningful to say and need a more powerful way to say it.
That might mean winning trust, explaining complex work, attracting talent, shifting how people see you, or helping your own team understand what you stand for.
The common thread is simple: there's a message that matters, and ordinary content is not doing the job.
What sectors do you work in?
We're useful wherever human stories matter.
That can include business, technology, public sector, education, healthcare, sport, charities, craft, manufacturing and professional services.
But sector matters less than story potential.
If there are people, pressure, change and something at stake, we have something to work with.
We work best with organisations that have something meaningful to say and need a more powerful way to say it.
That might mean winning trust, explaining complex work, attracting talent, shifting how people see you, or helping your own team understand what you stand for.
The common thread is simple: there's a message that matters, and ordinary content is not doing the job.
What sectors do you work in?
We're useful wherever human stories matter.
That can include business, technology, public sector, education, healthcare, sport, charities, craft, manufacturing and professional services.
But sector matters less than story potential.
If there are people, pressure, change and something at stake, we have something to work with.
How do you price your work?
It depends on the job.
A short film with a simple shoot is not the same as a deeper story project with research, interviews, multiple edits and a wider set of assets.
Once we understand the problem, audience, story and likely scope, we'll shape a clear proposal.
No mystery menu. No bargain-bin content bundle. Just the right plan for the job.
Why don't you list fixed prices?
Because we're not selling set packages.
Two projects can both be "a video" and need totally different levels of thought, access, time and craft.
We'd rather price the work properly than pretend every story fits into the same box.
It depends on the job.
A short film with a simple shoot is not the same as a deeper story project with research, interviews, multiple edits and a wider set of assets.
Once we understand the problem, audience, story and likely scope, we'll shape a clear proposal.
No mystery menu. No bargain-bin content bundle. Just the right plan for the job.
Why don't you list fixed prices?
Because we're not selling set packages.
Two projects can both be "a video" and need totally different levels of thought, access, time and craft.
We'd rather price the work properly than pretend every story fits into the same box.
How long does a project take?
It depends on the scale.
Some focused films can move quickly. Bigger projects need more time for research, access, scripting, filming, editing and approvals.
At the start, we'll agree a clear timeline with proper milestones.
We work efficiently, but we're not the right fit for rushed content that should have been started six weeks ago.
What do we get at the end?
That depends on what the story needs to do.
Typical outputs might include:
The aim is not just to deliver files. It's to give you story assets you can actually use.
How do you measure success?
By whether the story does its job.
That might mean more people understand what you do. Better candidates apply. Customers trust you more. A team feels more aligned. A complex idea finally makes sense.
Where useful, we can look at views, watch time, engagement, leads, feedback and real-world response.
But the main question is always the same:
What changed because the story existed?
It depends on the scale.
Some focused films can move quickly. Bigger projects need more time for research, access, scripting, filming, editing and approvals.
At the start, we'll agree a clear timeline with proper milestones.
We work efficiently, but we're not the right fit for rushed content that should have been started six weeks ago.
What do we get at the end?
That depends on what the story needs to do.
Typical outputs might include:
- a main film
- shorter cutdowns
- social edits
- audio clips
- stills
- transcripts
- captions
- internal or sales assets
- a simple story toolkit for future use
The aim is not just to deliver files. It's to give you story assets you can actually use.
How do you measure success?
By whether the story does its job.
That might mean more people understand what you do. Better candidates apply. Customers trust you more. A team feels more aligned. A complex idea finally makes sense.
Where useful, we can look at views, watch time, engagement, leads, feedback and real-world response.
But the main question is always the same:
What changed because the story existed?
What should we do now?
Start with the problem.
Tell us what feels unclear, stuck, underused, misunderstood or harder to explain than it should be.
Then we'll see whether there's a story that can help fix it.
Start with the problem.
Tell us what feels unclear, stuck, underused, misunderstood or harder to explain than it should be.
Then we'll see whether there's a story that can help fix it.
"A
year from now, you'll wish you had started today."
-
Karen Lamb, author and motivational writer