How The Gate Films Captured “Real People Telling Real Stories” on Screen For The National Lottery

Not many know that The National Lottery (TNL) gives away £30 million every week to over 660,000 causes across sport, art, heritage, community projects, wildlife conservation, and much more. The task for production company The Gate Films was to create a series of films to let the public know about TNL’s extensive good work and “to make people feel that scale in a personal, emotional way, to remind them that because of their ticket, real change is happening all around them,” says executive producer Rhiannon Lewis. “This really was one of those briefs that makes you light up. My first thought was just how refreshing it felt. A campaign that’s meaningful, funny and heartfelt all at once. You could feel from the start that this one had the potential to connect with people in a really genuine way.”

The films, presented by the one and only Claudia Winkleman, were filmed in multiple locations across the country in six days and made possible thanks to the meticulous planning and behind-the-scenes logistical magic from the team. Pre-production was focused on finding the right causes to spotlight while the Emmy award-winning director Leo McCrea was chosen for his experience working with real people and documentaries, guaranteeing that the footage captured was authentic and reflective of the positive influence that TNL’s funds made.

Social assets were produced concurrently to the films and the in-house team of editors and content creators treated them as their “own creative strand, not just an afterthought to the main films” shooting on phones and making each one feel platform-native.

LBB spoke to Rhiannon about the logistical task of making a shoot like this happen, the benefits of having the post workflow in-house, and why one particular cause made her shed more than a few tears.

LBB> The campaign was filmed across multiple UK locations in just six days with multiple crews. What were the key logistical challenges of coordinating such a tight schedule and diverse locations? How did the production team overcome them?

Rhiannon> It was definitely a challenge! Six days, multiple crews, and locations right across the UK meant every hour counted. Thankfully, we’ve got the best production team in the business. A proper logistical dream team who ran the whole thing with military precision and calm heads.

We travelled in a fleet of vehicles, criss-crossing the country to capture every story. And we made sure to schedule a strategic stop at Tebay Services, because priorities
(IYKYK). Our research team had already done the hard yards, speaking with hundreds of Good Causes before narrowing it down to the final seven, so when it came to shoot week, we were laser-focused. Leo [McCrea], our director, and Liv Johnson, our producer, had got to know all our Good Causes and players beforehand to make them feel at ease. Everyone knew their brief, every minute was planned, and the snacks flowed freely. It was the perfect mix of organisation, creativity and a lot of teamwork.

LBB> Working with real-life Good Causes and contributors, how did you balance authenticity with film production demands, likely ensuring participants felt comfortable and not staged?

Rhiannon> Authenticity was everything for this campaign, so we built the whole production around making people feel comfortable and seen. We had the brilliant Leo McCrea directing, and his experience with real people and documentary work made all the difference. He has such a natural way of putting contributors at ease, and that tone filtered through the whole crew.

Ahead of filming, Leo and the production team spoke to everyone involved so they knew exactly what to expect. It meant that by the time cameras rolled, it didn’t feel intimidating – more like having a chat with friends. Danielle Melia, our creative director, had already done incredible groundwork, really digging into the stories and finding those small, beautiful details that make each person’s experience unique. And our docu-style camera crews knew when to step forward and when to hang back, capturing real emotion without ever feeling intrusive. It was all about creating space for genuine moments to unfold naturally.

LBB> The director Leo McCrea mentions “weeks of prep and research” as critical. What did that prep entail and how did it shape the final narrative?

Rhiannon> The prep was absolutely crucial. It started with weeks of casting research, led brilliantly by Decky McGettigan and Martha Boggon, who spoke to hundreds of people from every corner of the UK. Their mission was to uncover stories that really captured the heart and range of what The National Lottery supports – from small, local initiatives to national projects making a
real difference.

Once the final seven causes were chosen, Dani, Leo and Liv hit the road for recces in
the weeks leading up to the Claudia shoots. They spent time meeting everyone in person, getting to know them properly, sharing a few cups of tea and plenty of laughs along the way. It was about building trust and friendship, so when the cameras eventually arrived, everyone already felt relaxed and part of the team. That groundwork shaped the whole tone of the campaign. Because of it, every story feels warm, genuine and full of heart. Real people, telling real stories, in their own way.

LBB> From a cinematography and production design perspective, how did you visually differentiate each Good Cause story while maintaining a cohesive campaign look and feel?

Rhiannon> Each story had its own personality, and we wanted that to shine through visually while still feeling part of one cohesive campaign. The creative challenge was to honour the individuality of each Good Cause without losing the sense that they all belonged to the same world.

Our Bloom Sheffield story, for instance, was set in a garden. Soft, natural, full of life and texture. In contrast, the North Wales wheelchair rugby story was loud, kinetic and full of energy, movement and a fair bit of shouting! We leaned into those contrasts through cinematography, letting each environment dictate its tone and pace. The music was also tailored to each story, reflecting its mood and energy so that every film had its own emotional rhythm.

We used beautiful lenses to give everything a cinematic feel, and our drone team captured stunning aerial shots to help root each story in its corner of the UK. That sense of place was really important. What tied everything together was the structure and storytelling. Each film followed the same rhythm – Claudia meeting a National Lottery player, visiting a Good Cause and closing with that simple but powerful line, “because of you”. Along with consistent graphics and titles, that format created a clear visual thread running through the whole campaign, even as each film had its own unique character and emotion.

LBB> With concurrent social-first assets being produced (for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok) alongside the main films, how did you approach production workflow?

Rhiannon> We treated the social-first content as its own creative strand, not just an afterthought to the main films. Alongside the 60, 30 and 15-second cut-downs, we produced a whole suite of assets that were shot entirely on phones, designed to feel native to each platform and jump on trends as they emerged. The idea was to make social feel spontaneous and alive – the kind of content that audiences would actually stop and watch. We knew Claudia’s popularity and natural warmth would be a huge draw, so we built plenty of fun, engaging moments around her, as well as pieces tailored to the individual Good Causes.

For example, at Bloom Sheffield we created gentle ASMR-style garden clips that felt calming and authentic, while at Cook for Good in London we filmed playful ‘this or that’ videos that showed off their personality and community spirit. By treating the social content as its own creative ecosystem. Agile, trend-aware and personality-driven. We could reach people in ways that felt fresh and genuine, while still connecting back to the heart of the wider campaign.

Because we’ve got our own in-house team of editors and content creators, we were able to run everything side by side. While the main unit was filming the hero films, our content team were out capturing social-first material at the same time – often in the same locations, sometimes just metres away. It meant the energy, tone and visual language stayed completely aligned across every platform.

Having the post workflow under one roof made a huge difference. The edits could move quickly, ideas could evolve in real time, and everything, from the cinematic hero films to the handheld TikToks, felt like part of the same family. It gave us real creative agility and made sure that no matter where someone encountered the campaign, it always felt unmistakably “Because of You”.

LBB> What was your highlight of working on the films?

Rhiannon> My highlight was definitely seeing everything come together. That moment when all the planning, all the travelling, all the late nights suddenly make sense. The clients put so much trust in us, and that created this lovely sense of collaboration where everyone felt part of the same team. Meeting the causes was genuinely special. Each story hit differently, and I’ll admit I did my fair share of crying along the way. There’s something about seeing kindness in action that just gets you. And honestly, just wait until you see the donkeys that visit care homes. Iconic.

LBB> Is there anything else you would like to share with LBB?

Rhiannon> A huge thank you to our clients for trusting us with such a meaningful campaign. It really did feel like a partnership from start to finish. And to Claudia, for throwing herself into it completely and falling in love with the causes just like we all did. It was one of those rare projects that reminded everyone why we do what we do – full of heart, laughter, and a real sense of purpose. We came away tired, proud and a bit teary, which is always a good sign.