Client: The War Child Alliance, Ukraine response
Date: May 2026
Tools: Premiere Pro, Audition, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
Category: Video Production
Brief: Create a 10-15 minute film to tell the story of researching in wartime: an examination of the ethical and practical challenges of conducting research in a conflict zone.
Result: A moving 12-minute film to present to funding partners and for wider distribution
I'm really proud to work with organisations like War Child. It's incredibly rewarding to be able to help tell these stories.
There were several constraints to making this film. One was budget and deadline - we weren't able to hire a film crew on the ground, so I gave the research team some remote training in capturing footage and interviewing.
We also had to carefully consider safeguarding and parental consent when filming children - I kept closely in touch with the safeguarding team, and worked closely with colleagues in the field, and in the office. We obtained consent and assent, and kept the content under constant review.
Once the team had captured the footage, I had the idea to use the diaries they had kept as the skeleton of the story, and tell it as a 'day in the life'. Their diaries were already so beautifully-written that I simply placed them into the film, as if typed.
We went through 3 rounds of revisions to make sure the team was happy, and then I worked with colleagues in Ukraine to produce the translated version.
The real credit goes to the field research team in Ukraine and the investigators in War Child's research unit globally - for all their hard work.
And to the children of Ukraine - for their extraordinary strength and resilience.