The ask
Rays of Sunshine is a national charity that brightens the lives of seriously ill young people and their families by granting magical wishes and providing ongoing support in hospitals and within the community.
The charity asked us to produce a showcase video of one of their Wish Days for their social platforms and to use the content to present to new clients and stakeholders. It would also act as a wonderful memento for the family to always remember this magical day.
We were offered the chance to meet young Thomas, the little hero who dreams of one day becoming a police officer.
We immediately said yes, grabbed our kit and went to film his special day at the Thames Valley police station where he got to become a police officer for the day.
A wish means children get a moment to think about nothing else in the world but their happiness. It’s a chance to spread some sunshine (and a little bit of magic!) for young people, and the Nicely Done team were happy to help.
Our approach
Our objective was to film and edit a video that showcased the unique experience of a wish day and showed the work of the Rays of Sunshine team.
Thomas had great fun playing cops and robbers, he got to arrest someone, bashed in doors, rode in the police van and was then presented with a special commendation.
With a mix of talking head interviews, action shots, family photos and B-Roll, we were able to package up a positive, feel-good video for the charity.
The outcome
Rays of Sunshine was delighted to receive a high-quality video for the charity’s YouTube page, and we were happy to be part of Thomas’ special day.
“It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of Thomas’ special day and help the team capture this moment for family and charity. We wanted to keep our kit light, nimble and simple so we could stay out of the way as much as possible and let Thomas enjoy the day without our intrusion, but still be able to capture the magic.
Luke and I made the decision to act as a 2-man camera crew and only take 2 mics and 2 lightweight cameras so we could easily be as involved or have as little involvement as needed in the moment. That ended up with me running around with Thomas as we were hiding from the officers together in the car park (at his request). Very exhausting… but it really made the whole thing so much more fun. Having the option to go handheld and be able to dive in and out of the action was essential.”
– John Bird ‘Director’
Thank you to Thomas’ family for having us and to Rays if Sunshine for all the work you do.
The Nicely Done team were awesome, they really threw themselves into it and were just brilliant with Thomas, his family, Georgia – everyone! They are a joy to work with and really get what its all about. The NDP crew keep everyone relaxed and make it fun which is the way it should be and what Rays of Sunshine is all about. Jack Wilson - Senior Communication Manager
