Last night I attended an event called The Goodpitch at Amnesty’s very cool offices in New Inn Yard – just around the corner from beautiful world.

Goodpitch is an inspired idea to bring together what they describe as ‘social-purpose film projects’ (i.e. documentaries) with charities or other organisations whose interests lie in the same area as those explored by each film.

It’s a partnership between Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program in collaboration with Working Films UK.

During the course of the evening, we witnessed a number of case studies including the recent documentary End Of The Line, which has been spectacularly successful in drawing people’s attention to the plight of Bluefin tuna.  The filmmakers had found support, both financial and in kind, from WWF, Greenpeace, and Waitrose among others.

It is a wonderful example of the persuasive power of film. It has spawned a campaign that urges responsible fishing. It posits the serious possibility of an ocean without fish. Why? Because if we don’t take care, we will simply have eaten them all. The film is still in the early days of its release, but it has already prompted Pret a Manger and a number of supermarkets, and restaurants (with the notable exception of Nobu) to completely revise their fish-buying policies in favour of sustainable species.  It has also attracted the attention of political leaders across the world.

The charities that went out on a limb to support the film in its early days of pre-production, at the same time resisting the temptation to try and stamp their polices all over it, deserve huge congratulations for their far-sightedness.  It looks as though it’s already paying off.

At beautiful world we need no convincing that film (and video) can be a hugely effective way to get your message across.  It’s why we consider it an essential part of our offering.  It is no longer prohibitively expensive.  It’s also something I love.  Indeed I’ve been making films and commercials for longer than I’d like to admit (Fancy a 10 minute break? Have a look at my award-winning short: The Mood.)

There is something visceral about the documentary format. It touches people on a deeply emotional level. To borrow a quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

If you want to change the world, maybe you should consider making a film about it first – or rather finding someone who already has and riding on the back of that. Or if you’re interested in using video to engage with supporters – give me a call on 0207 739 6136.

Tags: Amnesty, bluefin tuna, Britdoc, Channel 4, documentry, End Of The Line, film, Goodpitch, Greenpeace, Maya Angelou, Nobu, Pret a manger, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, sustainable fishing, The Mood, Waitrose, Working Films UK, WWF