Level Films

LEVEL FILMS

ORIGINAL STORYTELLERS SINCE 2005

We are filmmakers.

Obsessed with the origins of things.

Who tell stories like no one else (and have an award or two to prove it).

Check out our showreel, then let us tell your story.

info@levelfilms.co.uk

 

It’s never been more important to be original

Video is the most powerful storytelling and marketing tool in the box. This is a good thing. This also means everyone is doing it. Herein lies the challenge.

The growing trend for harnessing the power of film means that for brands and consumers it has never been noisier out there. Brands want to standout and consumers have the luxury and curse of massive choice.

That’s why we believe it’s never been more important to be original. In two senses of the word; to know where you’ve come from and therefore why you exist; and to tell those unique stories in a real, authentic, fresh way.

We exist to explore and tell these stories and we use original storytelling to help brands rise above the noise. It’s no accident to us that ‘original’ stems from the Latin ‘oriri’. To rise.

Let us tell your story

Your Story

We get to the heart of why brands and movements exist and why that matters. And we tell those stories like no one else.

By doing this we give brands the power to captivate existing audiences by making the familiar new, and help them to pull in new audiences by offering a perspective that makes the new accessible.

We tell your story in two ways –

  • Feature Film Production
  • Brand Film Production

(click right to find out more)

Feature Film Production

We make feature films that explore the origins of cultural movements and we give brand stories a breath of fresh air against these unique and previously uncharted backdrops. Because brands and the people who listen to their stories can’t be untangled from the cultures they help to shape and are shaped by. They are intrinsically linked and it’s at this intersection that we believe the best brand stories are told.

See what we mean HERE.

Brand Film Production

We also make shorter brand films, telling those brands’ stories more directly. That may involve tracing their journey from their origins. Or it may pick up that journey further down the line. But we always make it our business to get to the root of what that brand is about, the challenge it is trying to solve, and to communicate that with a freshness and authenticity that you won’t find anywhere else.

See what we mean HERE.

So being original is an uncompromising promise

Whether we’re telling your story in the context of a bigger movement, from the very start of your journey or from a heartbeat moment along the way, be that a product launch, a repositioning or something else unique to you.

Let us tell your story – info@levelfilms.co.uk

Our Story

We’re going to level with you, our origin was a bit of an accident.  But then many great things are born out of accidents – like penicillin, cornflakes and the mighty teabag! 

We are Matt Crocker and James Dean.  Two guys who grew up on a heady mix of West Country air; relatively insular childhoods (to which we trace back our hunger for adventure); obscure roles in school plays and starring roles in our imagined productions which ultimately led to an increasing sense of home in that magical space behind the camera, where we’ve stayed ever since.  Bound by an early love of film, we met by chance at a media centre in a town famed for it’s stink (true story), pitched for a film job together, which we won, and the rest is history.

Together we are Level Films from Bristol.  But we don’t do it alone.  For each project we take on, we’ll pull in talented minds, different perspectives and other influences to make sure we keep things fresh.  Sometimes they’ll be experts in our subject matter and sometimes we’ll take talent from an entirely different place, because combining people and things that don’t obviously go together makes some of the most original work happen.

Our Films

The Endless Winter

Award winning feature film series. Theatrical, TV and online production.

It may be called Endless but this documentary was a love affair with origins from the get go. Endless is an exploration of how and why the British and European surf scene came to be. It’s told by those who pioneered Europe’s waves and shown through the eyes of two guys (us) who weren’t part of the cultural movement but were captivated by it’s magic. 

Our sponsor, Ford Motors were an intrinsic part of the story. They came on the journey with us and were able to showcase their brand and product in a way that was real and believable. They saw an 11% lift in associated sales proving that you don’t have to be salesy to drive value. The industry said the same and we’ve collected a few badges of honour to prove it.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

PLAY FILM or BUY FILM

Merrell Heritage

Brand origins film.

“A true story of motivation, mountaineering, moustaches and the drive to make the best boots in the world.”

Merrell came to us because they had an important story to tell. They made the best boots in the world but needed people to believe it. Recognising that people buy from people, we told the extraordinary tale of the remarkable people who founded their brand. What resulted was a true, very human story of what happens when you bring an engineer/athlete and a craftsman together. Two very different people with the same, unrelenting, vision.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

PLAY FILM

IBIZA

Forthcoming feature documentary and series about the evolution of Ibiza’s iconic music scene.

The untold story of how and why Ibiza became a musical Mecca, long before British clubbers ‘discovered’ the island in the 1980s.

Featuring:
Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, Jose Padilla, DJ Pippi, DJ Alfredo, DJ Pierre, Boy George, Eric-Jan Harmsen, Pepe Rosello, Andy McKay, Mike & Claire McKay, Tony Pike, DJ Chicago, Willie Graff.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol. For more information and to see the teaser, drop us a message at info@levelfilms.co.uk

The Woolf Within

Charity origins film.

Every movement stems from unique and often life changing origins. We traced the origins of The Restorative Justice Council back to a pivotal meeting between two of it’s greatest advocates, a career criminal and one of his many victims.

Peter Woolf was a prolific offender, who committed about 20,000 crimes. Then he burgled a house, fought with his victim and ended up in prison yet again. This time though it was different. Peter met with his victim, Will, in a restorative justice session. The meeting changed both their lives for ever. Peter and Will tell their story in this powerful short film that has been used as a teaching aid in schools and prisons internationally.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

PLAY FILM

The Birth of surf fashion

Brand origins film.

“Walter Hoffman was a groundbreaker, he was a pioneers. He was the guy that rode the biggest waves, still is.”

Meet the Hoffman’s; big wave surf pioneers, trendsetters, icons of surf fashion history. Promotional documentary exploring the lives of surf fashions first family and their latest venture with Cushe Footwear.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

PLAY FILM

AllOut

High performance product films.

International TV, print and online campaign for Merrell footwear. Pro athletes Alex Winslow and Fizz Hood explore Iceland’s incredible coastline on foot, at speed, AllOut!

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

Part of a four part Icelandic adventure, check them all out here:

AllOut

The Great (Icelandic) Escape

The Volcano Climb – CAPRA

Glacial Hike

The Cider Hunters

Online series about international cider culture.

Englishmen Pete Brown and Bill Bradshaw are two of the planet’s greatest cider experts and two men on a ‘grueling’ hunt for the world’s best pint of cider. Their mission starts in the ‘The New World’.

A Level Films production, made in Bristol.

PLAY FILM

 

 

 

Freelance Crew

Over the past 13 years, we’ve built a network of exceptionally talented and trusted individuals, each offering different tools to help craft every project.

While we love to work as a team, our crew are also available as freelance technicians. Our team includes –

Writers  – Camera operators (including in-water, aerial and time-lapse specialists) – Still photographers – Musicians / composers – Sound recordists  – Graphics designers / Motion graphics designers  – Offline editors – Online editors – Colourists. 

So if you see something specific in our films you like, drop us a line and find out how our crew members can enhance your production.

Contact

All good things start with a conversation – over the phone, over coffee, over Twitter – we don’t mind. We’d simply love to hear from you if you have a story to tell, a challenge that you suspect film could help to answer or stuff you want to mull over with two guys who know a thing or two about making movies that matter.

Drop us a line directly, pick up the phone, call in to see us in Bristol, or get social.

james@levelfilms.co.uk – matt@levelfilms.co.uk

+44 (0) 1173292330

STUDIO 5, 31 BERKELEY SQUARE, BRISTOL, BS8 1HP