Call / text Email us
Call Text Email

Our process · How we work

From first idea to final cut.

See the steps Watch the work

The steps

The Thrill Wave treatment.

Anyone can rent a cinema camera. What you're really hiring is a way of working. Nothing changes anyone unless they feel something real, and nothing real comes out unless someone goes and gets it, so most of the work happens before we film. The first three steps are where we find the true thing, and the camera comes last. We call it the Thrill Wave treatment. Every project moves through the same five steps, from an aftermovie to a docuseries, and the same crew carries it from the first conversation to the final frame. Here's the whole thing at a glance:

  1. 01Idea

    Bring us a brief, a hunch or a blank page, and we'll read it for what it's really asking.

  2. 02Discovery

    We find the heart of the story, the people who carry it and the best way to express it.

  3. 03SITREP

    We research your world, then bring you a point of view: a pitch, a treatment or a script.

    Zoom in

  4. 04Production

    The camera comes last. By the time we roll, we know every scene and who is in it.

  5. 05Completion

    We protect what's real in the edit, then make cuts for every place the film will play.

What happens in each step

Each step has its own work and its own decisions for you to weigh in on. This is what goes on inside each one:

  1. 01

    Idea

    It starts with a call, and this is where the real work begins. Bring us a brief, a hunch or a blank page, and we'll read it for what it's really asking, which isn't always what it says on paper. We talk it through until we both know what the film has to do.

  2. 02

    Discovery

    We find the heart of the story, the people who carry it and the best way to express it, whether that's someone telling their story in their own words or a script we shape together. You come away with a clear plan, a schedule and a budget.

  3. 03

    SITREP

    SITREP is our research, and it's where going and getting the true thing starts. We dig into your craft, your peers, your industry and the wider sector, like an outside R&D department that cares about your story as much as you do, because you can't ask the hard question without knowing the world. Then we bring you a point of view on the version of the film worth making, as a pitch, a treatment or a script, and we tell you why.

  4. 04

    Production

    The camera comes last. By the time we roll, we know who we're filming and what each scene needs, so the shoot is about patience and craft: whether we're asking the hard questions or directing a scene, we never force what should be felt. Our crew shoots with cinema cameras, lighting and sound, on location or in the studio.

  5. 05

    Completion

    The edit takes nerve: we protect what's real, even when it's uncomfortable, and cut anything that tells people what to feel. We color and mix the film, then make cuts for every place it needs to play, from vertical cuts to 30-second cuts. We make it to hold up for years, not just for launch week.

SITREP

We do our homework first.

SITREP is our research. Before we film anything, we dig into your craft, your peers, your industry and the wider field you work in, and we come back with a point of view on the story worth telling. It works a lot like having your own research team that cares about the story as much as you do. Here's how it runs:

  1. Dig in

    We study your craft, your peers, your industry and the sector around it.

  2. Find the story

    We bring you a point of view on what's worth saying and why people will care.

  3. Make it

    We film that story with real people and plan where it will be seen.

See how it works

Timeline

As fast as a day. As long as a year.

Some films come together in a day, and some take months of research, writing, shooting and editing. Name your deadline and we'll plan backward from it. Before we start, you'll get the plan, the schedule and the budget in writing, and we'll keep you posted all the way through, so there are no surprises. Here's the range we work in:

  • 1 dayOur fastest turnarounds, shoot to delivery
  • 1 yearLong-form series, research to final edit
  • 1 crewFrom the first call to the final cut

We like to lead: we guide the creative, keep the schedule moving and go to bat for you when something gets in the way. We also like to listen, because the best films come from real partnership, with both sides working toward the same finish line. And we shape every cut for the place it will actually be watched, whether that's a lobby screen, a phone or a conference stage. If you're wondering about cost too, start with this one:

“How much does a film cost?”See all FAQs
See pricing

Start a project

We'd love to hear your story.

Tell us what you're working on, even if it's only a hunch so far. We'll find out whose story it really is, and then we'll help you tell it. The easiest way to start is to write to us here:

Write to us