Your City Your Centre

Project: Social media brand documentary
Format: Social media campaign
Role: Cinematographer
Director: James Copson
Agencies: Refinery & Anattic
Client: M&G Real Estate / The Arndale Centre
Camera: RED Scarlet-W + Cooke S4/i
Director: James Copson

This campaign set out to reflect the true spirit of Manchester, spotlighting everyday people who live, work, and pass through the Arndale Centre. None of the participants were professional models or actors—just real locals sharing their presence on camera.

To honour that authenticity, we leaned heavily into an analogue street photography aesthetic, mixing candid city moments with staged portraiture. The result is a textured, honest visual diary of modern-day Mancunians in one of the city’s most recognisable spaces.

Behind the Scenes

We developed two distinct camera presets:

• 16mm mode: Cropped the sensor to mimic a 16mm film frame, shot at 18fps with a wider shutter angle for added motion blur and texture.

• S35mm mode: Cropped for Super 35, with a cleaner visual tone, shot under a film print LUT with minimal grain or damage added.

In post, the 16mm footage was layered with actual scanned film textures, incorporating real-world film damage, framing, and grain overlays to create a fully analogue-inspired look. The S35mm footage, while more polished, retained the warmth and tone of a classic filmic image.

Keeping with the street-style ethos, the crew was intentionally small and agile. Most scenes were shot handheld, embracing natural imperfections and responding in real-time to shifting weather and lighting conditions—from brilliant sunlight to the inevitable Manchester rain. Lighting was minimal, often just diffused harshness or bounced available light to retain an organic, street-level feel.