Introduction

Produced by Farsight alongside Laura Main of Call the Midwife, this documentary explores the history of Aberdeen Arts Centre and its lasting role in the city’s creative and cultural life.

Created to capture the Centre’s story with care and respect, the film reflects on its heritage, its contribution to theatre and performance, and the importance of spaces that continue to support artists, audiences, and the wider community in Aberdeen, Scotland

Objectives

The film was designed to do more than simply document dates and milestones. It needed to reflect the Centre’s wider cultural importance to Aberdeen, highlight its contribution to the local arts scene, and create a piece that could help audiences better understand the value of the venue and the role it continues to play in the community.

The project also aimed to produce a strong heritage-led film that could support the Centre’s wider visibility, strengthen emotional connection with existing supporters, and help new audiences appreciate the importance of its story.

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Strategy & Solution

Our approach was to create a documentary that balanced history, human connection, and cultural relevance.

Rather than treating the piece as a factual overview alone, the strategy focused on storytelling. The aim was to give the audience a clearer sense of why Aberdeen Arts Centre matters, not just what it is.

To do that, the film combined atmospheric visuals, and carefully considered editing to create a tone that felt reflective, respectful, and rooted in the Centre’s identity. Working alongside Laura Main, the project also benefited from a recognisable voice and presence that helped strengthen the film’s emotional and public-facing appeal.

The solution was a documentary that presented the Centre’s history in a way that felt accessible and meaningful, while also creating a high-quality visual asset that could continue to support the organisation beyond the initial release.

Campaign Execution

The documentary was produced through a collaborative filming and post-production process designed to capture the Centre with both authenticity and cinematic quality.

Filming focused on interviews, location visuals, supporting footage, and environmental detail that would help bring the story of Aberdeen Arts Centre to life on screen.

The production team included:

• Producer & Director: Michael Silva
• Videographers: Faustas Talacka, Callum Simpson
• Editors: Callum Simpson, Michael Silva

Each stage of the project was approached with care to ensure the final film reflected the tone, heritage, and significance of the Centre. From production planning through to the final edit, the goal was to create a documentary that felt professional, emotionally grounded, and true to the story being told.

Results

The result was a documentary that captures an important part of Aberdeen’s cultural history while giving Aberdeen Arts Centre a lasting piece of content it can use to support awareness, engagement, and future storytelling.

The film gives the Centre:

• a strong heritage-led documentary piece
• a visual record of its story and significance
• a meaningful asset to share with supporters, audiences, and future visitors
• a piece of content that helps communicate the Centre’s value beyond written history alone

It also reinforces the role of documentary storytelling in helping organisations present their identity, purpose, and legacy in a more memorable and emotionally engaging way.

Conclusion

This project was about more than creating a film.

It was about helping preserve and communicate the story of a venue that has played an important role in the creative life of Aberdeen.

By combining documentary storytelling, thoughtful production, and a strong creative team, the final piece gives Aberdeen Arts Centre something that is both historically valuable and publicly useful - a film that honours its past while helping support its presence into the future.