ABOUT

St Ives Shopping Village is a one-stop retail destination for style, dining and services.
More than a shopping centre, the Village aims to provide customers with a proud sense of community.

In the lead up to the end of financial year, St Ives Shopping Village requested assistance with a video campaign production. The project was to provide the Village with a video and photo library for extended use over six months, while developing an aspirational aesthetic for the Village identity.
Here’s how we promoted the Village’s key pillars of fashion, food and homewares through a lifestyle-centric production.

Pre-production
Commencing with a strategic workshop, we met with key stakeholders to assess existing physical and digital advertising, analyse competing centre marketing, review the established It Takes a Village campaign, and discuss possible evolutions of the slogan. Outcomes of the workshop cemented the vision for the video, which included an intergenerational family and lifestyle focus, and a mix of landscape and portrait ratios.

With the brief to create a warm, affecting mood, we brainstormed typical scenarios that would evoke feelings of nostalgia — incorporating moments and traditions from our own family histories. These ideas formed the basis of the screenplay, which tells the story of a birthday over the course of one weekend. While the “hero” screenplay features scenes that promote each pillar, they are less product-focused — woven into the emotional beats of the narrative instead.

It Takes a Village is adapted to Our Village, inviting the viewer to join the centre’s community. Pillar cutdowns tell an individual tale about varied retail offerings; Our Style centres on fashion, Our Table promotes food, and Our Home celebrates décor.

Casting was crucial to capturing authenticity. Refining a list of over 100 applicants to a group of nine, we created several family trees to determine which actors were most aligned with the centre’s local demographics and main market of young families. Talent was selected on the basis of acting ability and modelling experience, with a blend of both required.

Prior to the shoot, our videographers scouted the location to conduct a lens test and find unique shooting opportunities. This recce was also beneficial to the screenplay, resulting in additions such as the piano, egg hunting and bonfire scenes.
Reference images were included in a scene-by-scene breakdown, outlining the scene number, story, location, talent, props and styling for each moment. This breakdown helped shape the mud map and two-day production schedules for cast and crew, outlining location and arrival information, call times, hair and make-up, wardrobe, set-up, filming and pack down for all roles on set.

Production was supported by a large cast and crew, with nine actors, seven videographers and photographers, three home and fashion stylists, one food stylist, two hair and make-up artists, and one animal handler. Team roles included director, assistant director, camera operator, lighting, audio, Reels lead, Reels support, photography lead and photography support.

To capture “genuine” moments, direction was conducted in a looser style than a conventional shoot. Blocking was often developed in collaboration with actors, and guidance was provided in a conversational style — pass the plate around, laugh at Pop’s joke, tell everyone a story.

Trans-seasonal fashion and homeware pieces were deliberately selected to extend the longevity of content. Hair, make-up, wardrobe and set styling focus on elegant, neutral tones, with small pops of colour. The effect of this styling is aspirational yet attainable for the target audience.

With a wealth of production footage available, content was edited into the 90-second hero video and unique 30-second pillar cutdowns. Overlaid with professional voice over, videos fulfil the desired vision of intergenerational connection, local community and a comfortable home atmosphere.

Portrait videos are used for both organic and paid Reels, promoting an engaging range of optimised content across fashion styling, home styling and recipes.

While the overall effect of production is editorial, imagery retains the warmth and authenticity of the centre. All deliverables position St Ives Shopping Village as a modern, welcoming retail destination.

Testimonial
“Thanks to the whole team for delivering a fantastic asset for St Ives Shopping Village. What a new standard we have set for the business with regards to marketing. Exciting times. It really does take a Village and this Village is ours.”
Amy Edwards
Centre Manager, St Ives Shopping Village