Manchester Pride approached McGill Productions with a clear challenge: create campaign content that could speak honestly about rising LGBTQ+ hate crime while still reflecting the pride, joy, and sense of community at the heart of the festival. In McGill Productions' sixth year collaborating with Manchester Pride, the brief sat within the wider I Choose Kindness anti-hate crime campaign and the 2023 festival theme, Queerly Beloved, which marked ten years since the Marriage Equality Act. They needed a video production partner who could handle sensitive lived experiences with care, while also creating content that could drive awareness, strengthen community connection, and support future festival promotion.
▶ Watch the I Choose Kindness film
The goal was simple: create a campaign film and supporting social content that showed both the reality of LGBTQ+ hate crime and the role Manchester Pride plays in challenging it. The work needed to capture the voices of people affected, reflect the positive impact of the charity, and create a longer-form piece that could live beyond the festival itself.
This was not a standard festival aftermovie. The campaign had to balance two things at once: the seriousness of the issue and the joy, resilience, and solidarity of the community. At the same time, Manchester Pride was leaning into user-generated, mobile-first content to match how its audience consumed video, while still recognising the need for a more cinematic film that could promote the 2024 festival and resonate more widely.
McGill Productions started in pre-production by working closely with Manchester Pride to shape an interview-led storytelling approach around real experiences of hate crime and resilience. Because of the sensitivity of the subject, preparation focused heavily on the interview process itself, including outreach to contributors, discussion ahead of filming, and question development that would allow people to share their experiences comfortably and authentically.
What made the project distinct was the balance it required. The film needed to acknowledge fear, abuse, and discrimination without losing sight of pride, joy, and collective strength. McGill Productions built the story around that tension, making space for emotionally honest testimony while also capturing the scale and spirit of Manchester Pride across the city.
Production took place in two parts. On 5 September 2023, McGill Productions filmed studio interviews at The Photocove using a minimal setup that prioritised privacy, comfort, and focus on the contributors' words. During the festival itself, the team created mobile-first vertical content in a user-generated style for real-time social use, alongside vox pop interviews on the streets of Manchester and wider festival coverage across spaces including the Alan Turing Stage, Youth Pride, and the parade. Photography was captured with anamorphic lenses to give the event a more cinematic feel.
In post-production, McGill Productions structured the film around a three-part narrative: The Struggle, The Solution, and The Success. That framework allowed the final piece to move from the reality of hate crime, to Manchester Pride's role in responding to it, to the visible power of community at the festival itself. Music was selected to support that emotional shift, and the final film was delivered in widescreen for a cinematic premiere.
The final campaign gave Manchester Pride a stronger way to connect its anti-hate crime messaging with the lived reality and energy of the festival. The long-form film created a more lasting campaign asset, while the social cutdowns and live event content helped the organisation stay present in real time across its digital channels.
The social-first content reached 181,354 views and generated 6,701 likes. The film also received strong feedback when it was screened publicly, before going live on Manchester Pride's YouTube channel and website. It generated early press coverage and led to BBC Radio Manchester interest in the campaign.
“I Choose Kindness is a powerful tool in our fight against hate crime, as it emphasises the importance of community, solidarity, and allyship.”
— Mark Fletcher, CEO, Manchester Pride
If you are looking for campaign video production that can handle sensitive subject matter without losing emotional impact or audience reach, get in touch with the team at McGill Productions today.
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