BNZ Kauri Forest Initiative
A corporate case study video celebrating ten years of BNZ's kauri planting initiative. For every kauri bond deal, BNZ plants 100 kauri trees in the Coromandel. This video marked the anniversary with ceremony coverage and interviews filmed on location.
The project required fast turnaround and the ability to capture authentic moments while meeting corporate messaging requirements. Documentary approach, corporate efficiency.
The project
BNZ wanted to mark ten years of their kauri bond initiative with a video that captured both the scale of what they had achieved and the human connection to the land. The video needed to work for internal communications and external brand storytelling.
I traveled to the Coromandel to film the anniversary ceremony and conduct interviews with participants. The approach was documentary in style but efficient in execution, delivering a polished 90 second video within a week of filming.
Production approach
This project sat in the middle ground between pure documentary and traditional corporate video. The questions were practiced but not scripted. The message was approved by BNZ's communications team on set. But the moments captured were real, the ceremony was authentic, and the interviews had genuine emotion.
One-man-band production meant flexibility and speed. No large crew to coordinate, no complicated logistics. Just the ability to move quickly, capture what mattered, and deliver a finished product fast.
What this project shows
Corporate video does not have to feel corporate. When the story is real and the approach is documentary, even a 90 second brand video can have warmth and authenticity. The same skills that create compelling social impact content work just as well for organisations telling their own story.
Credits
- Director, Director of Photography, Editor, Post Production — Diego Opatowski
- Client — BNZ
- Location — Coromandel
- One 90 second video delivered
- One week turnaround from filming to delivery