The brief.
Weber Shandwick needed a case study film for the campaign, one that could carry a hard statistic: 151,630 children in England living in temporary accommodation. The campaign dressed IKEA's FLISAT dolls' houses to reflect the real conditions families face, and put them on show in IKEA stores.
My job was to make the miniatures read as rooms, not toys. The film only worked if, for a moment, you forgot you were looking at a doll's house.
How I shot it.
- Macro cinematography on a probe lens to put the camera inside the miniature spaces
- Lighting scaled to the set: small fixtures, practicals, and window light at doll's-house size
- Slow, considered moves to let detail register
The probe lens does the heavy lifting: it puts the eye inside the room rather than over it. Add careful light, and the scale reads true.
Delivery.
I delivered the rushes, and Weber cut the case study film from them. On an earlier day, in November 2024, I filmed visitors' reactions to the dolls' houses at IKEA Wembley.
Recognition.
The campaign went on to win two golds at the PRmoment Awards North and two awards at the Purpose Awards EMEA, and was shortlisted for a PR Lion at Cannes. The awards belong to Weber Shandwick, IKEA and Shelter.
More on case study films.
