THE PROBLEM

Great Rail Journeys challenged me to create two brand films for their website and social channels. They wanted to show off the beauty of rail travel and the intimate connection to place that you can only experience via rail. The challenge was to achieve this without creating a generic travel advert.

I was given the phrase 'Moments of Great Connection' as an anchor for the films. From there, I created two concepts; a brand film and a tour film.

CREATIVE STRATEGY

Using the phrase 'Moments of Great Connection' as a starting point, I developed a concept centred around Great Rail Journeys' Tour Managers. More than guides, they are the people who connect travellers with destinations, cultures and experiences, making every journey unique.

Authenticity was key to the campaign. To capture the trip from the travellers' perspective, we combined cinematic documentary filmmaking with customer-generated imagery, including photos taken on disposable cameras distributed throughout the tour. The result was a film that felt both polished and personal.

THE IDEA

As part of his treatment, I provided a script with accompanying Voice Over for Great Rail Journeys to fully understand the vision and how the films would play out and how they would solve their problem.

VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

On every project, I go the extra mile to help my team and the client visualise what we will be making together. It's a collaborative process where we iron out all of the details and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Here are some of the detailed storyboards from the Great Rail Journeys brand film. It was essential to figure out the exact moments of connection we would be capturing while leaving room for authentic moments that took place while out in Switzerland. 

PRODUCTION

Once the storyboards were signed off and all the logistics were sorted, I led the shoot as producer and director. 

For this project, I worked with long time collaborator, Duncan Yeldham to produce, direct, shoot and edit the films. We also worked with various other freelancers at the top of their game to push the films over the finish line. Here is a little behind the scenes look at the shoot in Switzerland. 

THE FINAL FILMS 

The project resulted in two films. The first is a brand film designed to introduce audiences to Great Rail Journeys and communicate the values that sit at the heart of the company. The second offers a more detailed look at the specific Swiss tour featured in the shoot. Across both films, people remained at the centre of the storytelling, reflecting the connections that make these journeys unique.