DEBITAM
Debitam approached McGill Productions in 2021 with a clear challenge: create fintech ad video production content that could explain its annual tax filing service in a way that felt engaging, entertaining, and easy to understand. As an online accounting and tax filing business partnered with brands including Lloyds Banking Group, Stripe, and QuickBooks, Debitam needed a video production partner who could turn a stressful business problem into a clearer, more commercially useful campaign.
BRIEF
The goal was simple: show small business owners that filing company accounts does not need to be painful. Debitam wanted a 60-second advert that could play at the opening night of a magician's West End show and later be used for YouTube ads, so the campaign needed to work for a live audience and for digital rollout afterwards.
This was not just about listing service features. The brief was to create something entertaining enough to hold attention while still making Debitam's offer clear: less stress, less distraction, and more time for business owners to focus on what matters.
01 // PRE-PRODUCTION
McGill Productions started in pre-production by working through detailed calls with the Debitam team to understand the brand, the problem it solves, and the audience it needed to reach. From there, the team developed narrative-led concepts designed to communicate Debitam's key selling points through a more engaging advert structure rather than a straightforward explainer. Scripts and storyboards were then used to shape the tone, sets, props, actors, and locations needed for the shoot. Pre-production took around two weeks.
What made the project distinct was the creative framing. Debitam wanted an advert that would entertain as well as inform, which meant the campaign had to carry humour and energy without losing clarity. McGill Productions used narrative storytelling to show the stress and distraction around annual filings, then position Debitam as the easier alternative.
Production took place over two days across four locations in Lancaster, with each setup chosen to support the narrative shift from stress to relief that sat at the heart of the advert.
The film was shot in 5K on RED Scarlet-W cameras at 48fps, giving the team both slow-motion quality and flexibility in the edit. A consistent hazy look was used across locations to add depth and keep the visual language coherent from scene to scene.
In post-production, McGill Productions edited, mixed, and graded the campaign in-house. Voiceover casting, music selection, sound mix, visual polish, subtitling, and final amendments were all handled as part of the delivery. Because the advert used a tongue-in-cheek tone, the post-production work had to keep the humour working for the story rather than distracting from the message.
The final campaign gave Debitam a clearer and more engaging way to present its service, turning a dry accounting message into something more watchable and commercially useful. The main advert was built for a live West End screening and later supported wider YouTube advertising, while the shorter cutdowns gave Debitam a paid social asset bank designed for digital rollout.
The structure of the campaign also gave the content a longer life than a one-off launch film. Debitam was still using campaign assets on Instagram in 2024, three years after the original production. That shows the work held value well beyond the initial release window.
If you are looking for fintech ad video production that can turn a complicated service into clear, entertaining campaign content, get in touch with the team at McGill Productions today.
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