Sort Of...Films

What Sort Of...Films does

Sort Of...Films Ltd is a Sheffield-based, privately-held film and video production agency founded in 2003 by Ed Cartledge, operating with a small core team (1–10 employees) supplemented by freelance crew. The company specialises in co-creating short documentary films, videos, and animated content for universities, charities, public-sector bodies, and commercial clients, with a stated emphasis on long-term client relationships and on translating complex or sensitive subject matter into coherent visual narratives. Its core offering is project-based professional services priced between approximately £1,500 and £15,000+ VAT per project, with the majority of individual films falling in the £2,000–£5,000 range, billed on 50/50 payment terms (half on commencement, half on delivery).

Technically, the company relies on conventional production tooling rather than proprietary platforms: Canon cinema cameras (C500mkii, C300mkiii, C50, R5) for capture, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, and Audition for post-production, and A2CofC-licensed drone capability for aerial footage. Around this core it bundles add-on services including strategy and consultancy, stills photography, animation and motion graphics, video archive management, event videography, copywriting, subtitling, and media training, with specialist animators contracted when needed. Crew size scales from 2–3 people on small jobs to larger freelance-led productions.

The business model is direct, sales-led, and bootstrapped: a quote-request form on the website, direct email/phone contact, and a free one-hour consultation in Sheffield lead to project engagements. Customer segments are vertical-led — primarily higher education and charities, with secondary presence in healthcare/NHS, government, and private enterprise. Named clients include University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, NHS England, British Heart Foundation, Shelter, Sheffield City Council, John Lewis, Royal Mail, Siemens, and Autodesk. The company is privately held by Ed Cartledge with no external institutional investors, no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no public revenue figures.

Name

Sort Of...Films

Legal name

Sort Of...Films Ltd

Website

https://sortoffilms.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sort Of...Films is a Sheffield-based, bootstrapped documentary and video production agency founded in 2003 that produces short films for universities, charities, public sector bodies, and commercial clients across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video and Film Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Issue & Advocacy Documentaries (MPADADAG)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Corporate video production
• Drone aerial filming
• Animation motion graphics
• Video post-production

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Film and Video Production Services: Project-based professional services for creating short films, videos and documentaries. Services include concept development, scripting, production, editing, motion graphics, animation, aerial footage, and post-production. Price range typically £1,500-£15,000+ VAT per project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sort Of...Films produces documentary, video, and animation content services for education, charities, public sector, and commercial clients. The core focus is the co-creation of compelling short films using documentary filmmaking and storytelling techniques, with a complete peripheral service package covering strategy, stills photography, aerial/drone footage, animation and motion graphics, subtitling, copywriting, event videography, and media training.

Product overview

Sort Of...Films is a film and video production service provider offering a comprehensive suite of production and post-production services. Their core offering centers on co-creation of compelling short films using documentary filmmaking and storytelling techniques. The company provides an end-to-end service that includes strategy and consultancy, stills photography, aerial/drone footage, animation and motion graphics, video archive production and management, event videography, copywriting, subtitling, and media/video production training. Services can be tailored as complete packages or provided individually based on client needs. Ed Cartledge serves as Managing Director and Principal Filmmaker, with operations based in Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film and Video Production Services End-to-end short-form documentary, narrative, and promotional film production for universities, charities, healthcare, public sector, and commercial clients. Includes concept development, scripting, filming, and post-production.
• Aerial/Drone Footage Licensed drone/aerial video capture provided as part of or alongside production projects, with full insurance cover.
• Animation and Motion Graphics Animated film production and motion graphics creation, including fully animated films, with soundtracks edited and produced in-house.
• Strategy and Consultancy Pre-production advisory covering brief interrogation, audience research, competitor analysis, and storytelling strategy to maximise the reach and impact of resulting films.
• Stills Photography Professional stills photography services delivered by Ed Cartledge, available alongside video projects or independently.
• Event Videography Videography capture and editing for live events, conferences, and proceedings, producing event-related video content.
• Subtitling and Translation Subtitle creation for films, provided either burned-in or as .srt files, with translation services for non-English languages.
• Media and Video Production Training Training services in media and video production delivered to client teams and other interested parties.
• Copywriting Professional copywriting for video projects and related client materials.
• Video Archive Production and Management Production and management of video archives, with raw footage and project files retained for at least seven years for client access.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client satisfaction through multi-round feedback process ensuring films match initial briefs and signed-off scripts

Named customers25 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Endemol Shine Group: Global production group producing entertainment, factual and branded content. Comparable only at the broadest category level (UK-based nonfiction and documentary production); not a direct competitor for Sort Of...Films' niche SME/charity briefs.
• Twofour Group: UK-based independent production group producing factual, documentary and branded content for broadcasters and corporates. Comparable in documentary content production and cross-sector client base, though significantly larger and broadcaster-anchored.
• BBC Studios: UK-based major broadcaster and global production house producing documentaries, factual and entertainment content. Comparable because it operates in documentary/nonfiction production and serves similar institutional clients, though at vastly larger scale and with broadcast distribution.

Direct peers

• Casual Films: UK-based video production agency producing corporate, brand, and internal communications films for global enterprises. Comparable because it operates in the same UK mid-market video production segment with a similar co-creation, story-led methodology and end-to-end service offering.
• The Edge Picture Company: UK video production agency serving charities, corporates and public-sector clients with branded documentary content. Comparable in client mix and documentary-led approach, though operating at a larger scale.
• Ricochet: UK production company producing documentary, branded content and impact films for charities, broadcasters and corporates. Highly comparable given shared documentary storytelling approach and third-sector client base.
• Big Stories: Specialist UK video production company focused on charity, NGO and social-impact storytelling. Highly comparable to Sort Of...Films given its nearly identical positioning around documentary-style storytelling for the third sector and public-good clients.
• Greenhouse Films: UK-based production agency producing documentary and promotional films for charities and social enterprises. Comparable in mission-aligned client focus and storytelling-led methodology, though operating at a larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sortoffilms
• Facebookfacebook.com/sortoffilms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sort Of...Films