Compassion in World Farming commissioned this series with one brief: record the voices of the movement before they fade. Founded in 1967, CIWF is one of the oldest farm animal welfare organisations in the world. The scientists, advocates, and campaigners who built it carry histories that exist nowhere in writing — this series exists to change that.
The approach
Each film is a single-camera portrait. Soft, directional light. Minimal set dressing. Nothing competing with the face. The intention is that these feel archival rather than branded — the kind of documentary treatment you'd find in a national collection, not a charity's content calendar.
Every production decision follows from that principle:
- Single camera, fixed position — the subject is the edit, not the cutting
- Practical location lighting, adjusted per contributor
- Vertical 9:16 format — social-native without sacrificing full-screen quality
- Minimal grade — the footage holds its own without a heavy look imposed on it
- No lower-thirds or motion graphics — identity comes from the content, not the packaging
Why vertical?
Shooting vertically gives the series a natural home in the feeds where CIWF's audience already lives — Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn mobile. Each piece is framed and graded to hold equally well at full screen. The aspect ratio is a distribution decision, not an aesthetic compromise.
Ongoing work
The series is open-ended. We return to CIWF as new contributors become available — retired staff, current campaign leads, partner organisations. Each film stands alone, but the collection builds into something cumulative: a record of a movement, told by the people who were inside it.
What is the Compassion in World Farming oral history series?
An ongoing documentary strand capturing first-person testimony from scientists, advocates, and campaigners who have spent careers inside the animal welfare movement. Each film is directed and shot by Andrew Davies in vertical format for CIWF.
Why shoot oral history films in vertical format?
Vertical (9:16) puts the films directly into the social feeds where CIWF's audience already watches — without sacrificing quality. Each piece is framed and graded to hold at full screen too. The aspect ratio is a distribution decision, not an aesthetic one.
Who directed and filmed this series?
Andrew Davies, London-based director and DOP, sole principal of Campaign Film Ltd. He directed, shot, and edited the series on location for Compassion in World Farming.