The United Nations: Zakat Explainer Video
Agency: We Are Friday
Role: Pre-Production Blueprinting & Full Post-Production
The Ambition & The Reality: Advertising in the humanitarian sector often leans on cinematic metaphor, but this brief demanded radical transparency. The United Nations needed a functional, evidence-based film showing exactly how cash assistance supports the daily lives of Palestine Refugees. The goal was an observational documentary focused entirely on the dignity of choice. The challenge was structural. We were engineering an omnichannel campaign to be filmed entirely by an internal NGO team operating directly within Gaza. They were working under extreme duress in an active war zone.
The Craft & The Workflow: Before a single camera rolled, we built a comprehensive production blueprint to guide the team on the ground. We introduced practical hacks, like taping square safe zones on monitors to guarantee the footage would work across all formats. To capture the subject matter with the respect it deserved, we established clear visual protocols.
We recommended smooth gimbal work for a calm perspective and specified using natural window light to shape faces with dignity. We also instituted a density rule, requiring layers of visual depth in every shot to focus on community resilience rather than trauma. To guarantee usable audio in a highly unpredictable environment, we advised a dual-capture strategy. The crew ran location lapel mics alongside a shotgun backup, providing us with the necessary raw data to clean and isolate the dialogue in the final mix.
Once the rushes arrived, the reality of filming in a crisis zone meant we had to apply heavy post-production pragmatism. The raw footage dictated the edit. Strict safety protocols meant we had to edit the material in non-standard ways to protect identities on screen. Rather than dropping the strongest takes, we used advanced audio blending and strategic B-roll placement to maintain absolute visual continuity. The initial script was also heavily packed with messaging. To hit the strict 60-second limit for social placements without the film feeling rushed, we had to take a firm editorial stance. We carefully trimmed redundant dialogue to ensure the script communicated the exact same message with fewer words. This bought back vital frames for visual breathing room, allowing the subject to speak with a natural, unhurried cadence. By locking the edit to a centre-safe framing strategy, we ensured the core narrative of choice remained front and centre across every screen size.
The Outcome: The final film translated raw, unpredictable location footage into an effective, evidence-based piece of communication. We delivered an honest campaign asset that hit every rigid delivery metric without sacrificing the humanity of the subject matter. It proved that a structured technical pipeline can comfortably bridge the gap between a strict brief and a highly challenging physical production.
Deliverables:
Production blueprint and technical capture guidelines
Omnichannel campaign hero film (16:9 and 9:16)
Audio cleanup and compliance editing
60-second social assets
