Trust is a fundamental building block for any relationship—whether that’s between friends, family, partners, neighbors, or coworkers. When there is mutual trust among all parties, everyone is free to be authentic, vulnerable, and open. From those spaces, greatness can flourish.
Our industry is the same. In filmmaking and video marketing, trust is integral to every step of the process.
It starts with our team. It was easy for us at Render to build trust between one another because we know we share the same values.
Our core values lead us to work diligently in creating exactly what our client needs while staying within their resources. We do extensive research, revise outlines and scripts, meticulously schedule shoot days, and perfect camera angles, lighting, and audio quality to ensure we get the piece done right. We take pride in every project we do. Our clients know they can trust us with their message because our core values define the way we do business, and we make sure that's transparent.
In instances where we interview participants who are not our client, there’s another step to build trust there. After all, how can a director get to the emotional core of a story when the on-camera participant is a stranger?
We always try to speak to the participants prior to the day of filming so we can get to know them before they’re staring into our camera. The participant must trust us to tell their story with authenticity. We are transparent and honest with our motivation for wanting to tell their story so they feel comfortable letting us in. It’s not ethical to do harm to your subjects in the process of asking them for their truths, and you cannot take what is not yours—so we don’t. If there is a line they don’t want to cross, we respect it. But that line shouldn’t exist because of a lack of trust in the film crew. Taking the time to get to know each other, explaining the impact of their story, and making sure they’re comfortable is the best way to work with participants.
Trust also extends into the editing process. There is a saying in filmmaking that “every cut is a lie,” but we don’t agree with that. Editing is a powerful craft that should preserve essential truths of a story. We believe you should be able to trust the editor to tell the story while maintaining the promises made to the client and participants—in terms of message and project specifications, but also in honoring the participant’s truth.
Lastly—and it cannot be overstated to our clients—we need to trust the audience. Trust the audience to make emotional and intellectual leaps and go along for the ride with us. Deliver the message in a way that, where there are gaps, the audience fills them in with meaning that is personal to their experience. This creates an emotional connection to the message.
It takes time to build these relationships with foundations of trust, so it’s easy to overlook. The difference between a good partner and a great partner is knowing the importance of trust to a project.
It takes intentionality to build a trusting relationship; it takes emotional energy, discipline, and putting the good of the whole over your own self-interests. Does it create a better experience and a better outcome? We’ll let you answer that.