FAQ.

Answers to the questions we get asked most.

General

Our work is structured around our Seed, Form and Flow approach, so investment depends on the level of clarity and creative output you need.

Strategy begins from £1,750 + VAT.

Hero films and animation projects typically range from £6,000 + VAT to £7,500 + VAT.

Larger scale productions start from £20,000 + VAT.

For ongoing support, our Flow retainers begin at £1,050 per month.

Every project is scoped with care, so you always know what you’re investing in and what impact it’s designed to create. If you have a figure in mind, we’re happy to explore what’s possible within it.
Most projects take around six to eight weeks from initial briefing to final delivery, although this varies depending on the scope, feedback process and number of people involved.
Larger productions may require more time for planning, filming and approvals, while simpler projects can sometimes move considerably faster. If you’re working towards a specific deadline, let us know early and we’ll build a realistic schedule around it.
We work with organisations of different sizes across a wide range of sectors, including businesses, agencies, charities and public-sector teams.
The common thread is usually that they have something important to communicate and value a thoughtful, collaborative approach. We’re particularly drawn to work with a positive social, environmental or organisational purpose, but ultimately it comes down to the people, the brief and whether we’re the right fit for one another.
We recommend getting in touch at least four to six weeks before you would like production to begin. Larger projects may need longer, particularly when they involve multiple filming days, locations, specialist crew or several stakeholders.
We can sometimes accommodate shorter lead times, so it’s always worth asking if you’re working towards a tighter deadline. The earlier we speak, the more flexibility we’ll have around planning, availability and delivery.
Yard B is an anagram of our founder Lewis Darby’s surname. The name was suggested by his sister, who has since assumed the entirely unofficial position of Honorary President of Yard B.
A few things, although hopefully you’re not planning to ask for any of them.
We want to make good work for good people. We won’t take on projects that are misleading, harmful or fundamentally at odds with our values. If we don’t feel that an organisation or brief aligns with our ethos - or could compromise the trust of our existing clients - we’ll be open about it.

Film

For Form Story productions, interviews are usually conducted by Lewis, Yard B’s founder and director, who has extensive experience interviewing senior leaders, subject specialists and people sharing personal stories.
His approach is relaxed and conversational, helping contributors feel comfortable and speak naturally. Where a subject requires particularly specialist knowledge, we may recommend involving someone from your organisation in shaping or asking the questions.
For Form Story, we want interviews to feel natural, sincere and conversational, so we recommend preparing key points rather than complete answers.
We’ll agree the subjects we want to cover beforehand, giving interviewees time to think about useful examples, stories or messages. Brief notes can be helpful, but we advise against writing a script or memorising responses. People generally communicate more naturally when they focus on the question and answer in their own words.
The crew is shaped around the needs of each production.
Our core Form productions typically use a two-person senior crew, allowing one person to concentrate on the technical capture while the other directs the content and contributors. Simpler productions may use a solo senior operator, while larger projects can involve additional camera operators, sound recordists, assistants, hair and make-up artists or other specialists.
We’ll set out the recommended crew clearly before the project begins.
The equipment we use is selected around the needs of the production rather than applying the same setup to every shoot.
Our standard kit includes professional cameras, lenses, lighting and sound equipment, with additional equipment brought in when the creative approach requires it. This might include camera movement, specialist lenses, additional lighting or dedicated sound recording.
We’ll recommend the right setup during planning, balancing creative ambition, practical requirements and budget.
Wear something that feels natural for you and appropriate for the audience you’re speaking to. A useful guide is to consider what you would wear when delivering the same message at an important meeting or event.
Bringing a second option can be helpful, particularly if several people are being filmed. We generally recommend avoiding fine stripes, tight checks or very small patterns, as these can interfere with the camera. Strong colours often work well and can help create contrast between contributors.
For a typical Form Story interview, five to ten well-considered questions is usually enough.
Most interviews last around 30–45 minutes, giving us time to explore the important subjects without making the conversation feel repetitive or tiring. We’ll help shape the questions during planning and may ask additional follow-up questions on the day when an answer opens up an interesting part of the story.
Form Story is interview-led. It combines conversations with considered supporting footage to uncover the people, ideas and experiences behind an organisation or subject.
Form Life is visually led. It uses crafted imagery, movement, music and atmosphere to capture how a place, event or experience feels, without relying on interviews to tell the story.
Both are complete film production offers designed to deliver a strong hero film alongside cutdowns, stills and additional assets that can continue working after launch.

Animation

We specialise in motion graphics and illustrated 2D animation, from working with existing brand assets to creating a distinctive visual style from scratch.
Depending on the brief, we can also incorporate 3D animation, hand-drawn techniques, character animation or stop motion. We’ll recommend the approach that communicates your idea most effectively while working within the available budget and timescale.
We have two defined animation offers, giving most projects a clear starting scope and investment.
Form Move starts from £6,000 + VAT and works within your existing brand style, using elements such as key messages, data, photography and footage.
Form Explain starts from £7,500 + VAT and includes the development of a fully illustrated visual style created around your brand and story.
The final cost can be affected by the film’s duration, design and animation complexity, voiceover or sound requirements, and any additional versions or outputs. We’ll recommend the most appropriate starting point and make any changes to the scope clear before production begins.
Absolutely. Script development, visual planning and storyboarding are included within both Form Move and Form Explain.
We’ll work with you to shape the key messages, structure and tone before translating the agreed script into a detailed visual plan. If you already have a script or established creative direction, we can pick up from there, refine what’s needed and build the animation around it.
Yes. Custom character design can form part of our Form Explain offer, with characters developed around your brand, audience and story.
Character animation can range from simple, graphic movement to more detailed expressions and performances. We’ll recommend a level of complexity that delivers the right personality and impact without adding unnecessary production time or cost.
We begin with the elements that make your brand recognisable, including its colours, typography, imagery, tone and graphic style.
With Form Move, we work within your existing visual identity and bring those elements together through motion. With Form Explain, we can develop a broader illustrated world around your brand, creating new characters, environments and graphic assets that complement it without losing what makes it distinctive.
The bespoke design assets created for the animation are also supplied for use across other marketing materials.
Most of our animated films are around two to three minutes long, although the right duration depends on the audience, subject and where the film will be used.
A short campaign film may only need 45–90 seconds, while a product, service or strategy explanation may benefit from more time - particularly when the audience is already interested and wants to understand the subject properly.
We’ll shape the script around what needs to be communicated and recommend the shortest duration that allows the message to land clearly.
Yes. We work with a trusted network of professional voiceover artists covering a wide range of voices, accents, languages and delivery styles.
Where narration is needed, we’ll recommend a shortlist suited to your audience, tone and budget. We can arrange script samples where appropriate and manage the recording process, ensuring the final performance works naturally with the music, sound and animation.
Voiceover requirements and costs will be agreed as part of the project scope.
Form Move works with the visual ingredients you already have, such as your brand identity, key messages, data, photography and footage. We bring those elements together through motion to create one clear, cohesive story.
Form Explain is fully illustrated and built from scratch. It creates a distinctive visual world around your brand and is particularly suited to complex, abstract or not yet real ideas that are difficult to communicate using existing assets.
Both are complete animation production offers, including planning, design, storyboarding and animation, with additional cutdowns, stills and design assets supplied alongside the hero film.