Steven’s Story (2025) is a short film created with Catalyst Support to raise awareness of cuckooing in Surrey, combining poetic narration with live-action scenes to highlight the human impact of county lines exploitation.
Steven's Story 2025
Client
Catalyst Support
Client
Catalyst Support
Client
Catalyst Support
Date
January 3, 2025
Date
January 3, 2025
Date
January 3, 2025
Style
Short Film
Style
Short Film
Style
Short Film
Focus
Cuckooing
Focus
Cuckooing
Focus
Cuckooing
Project Overview
Steven’s Story (2025) is a short film created for Catalyst Support to raise awareness of cuckooing – a growing and deeply harmful issue linked to county lines exploitation in Surrey. What began as a request for a poem evolved into a collaborative decision to tell the story through film, blending poetic narration with live-action scenes to capture the emotional and human impact of cuckooing. The project was developed closely with the Catalyst Support team to ensure the film remained truthful, sensitive, and grounded in the lived realities they encounter every day.
Cinematography & Techniques
The film combines cinematic visuals with a poetry-driven narrative, allowing the story to land on both emotional and educational levels. Using intentional framing, movement, and natural light, each scene was created to reflect the vulnerability, tension, and fear experienced by those affected by cuckooing.
The cinematography was designed to feel intimate yet restrained – revealing just enough to communicate the severity of the situation without sensationalising it. Working in a run-and-gun style allowed us to stay flexible and responsive to the environment, ensuring each shot supported the tone and message of the film.
Visual Storytelling
At the heart of the film is Steven’s perspective, expressed through a spoken-word poem that threads the narrative together. The poetic narration acts as the emotional spine, while the live-action acting visualises the reality of how quickly someone’s home – and life – can be taken over.
The film explores themes of coercion, isolation, loss of control, and the ripple effects of county lines activity. By blending performance, poetry, and cinematic pacing, the story communicates not only the facts of cuckooing, but the human impact that often goes unseen.
The Final Result
The finished piece is a powerful awareness film designed to support Catalyst Support’s ongoing work in Surrey, offering a compelling tool to educate communities, professionals and the public about cuckooing and its consequences.
It stands as both a creative project and a piece of social advocacy – a collaborative effort to ensure stories like Steven’s are seen, heard, and understood.
Project Overview
Steven’s Story (2025) is a short film created for Catalyst Support to raise awareness of cuckooing – a growing and deeply harmful issue linked to county lines exploitation in Surrey. What began as a request for a poem evolved into a collaborative decision to tell the story through film, blending poetic narration with live-action scenes to capture the emotional and human impact of cuckooing. The project was developed closely with the Catalyst Support team to ensure the film remained truthful, sensitive, and grounded in the lived realities they encounter every day.
Cinematography & Techniques
The film combines cinematic visuals with a poetry-driven narrative, allowing the story to land on both emotional and educational levels. Using intentional framing, movement, and natural light, each scene was created to reflect the vulnerability, tension, and fear experienced by those affected by cuckooing.
The cinematography was designed to feel intimate yet restrained – revealing just enough to communicate the severity of the situation without sensationalising it. Working in a run-and-gun style allowed us to stay flexible and responsive to the environment, ensuring each shot supported the tone and message of the film.
Visual Storytelling
At the heart of the film is Steven’s perspective, expressed through a spoken-word poem that threads the narrative together. The poetic narration acts as the emotional spine, while the live-action acting visualises the reality of how quickly someone’s home – and life – can be taken over.
The film explores themes of coercion, isolation, loss of control, and the ripple effects of county lines activity. By blending performance, poetry, and cinematic pacing, the story communicates not only the facts of cuckooing, but the human impact that often goes unseen.
The Final Result
The finished piece is a powerful awareness film designed to support Catalyst Support’s ongoing work in Surrey, offering a compelling tool to educate communities, professionals and the public about cuckooing and its consequences.
It stands as both a creative project and a piece of social advocacy – a collaborative effort to ensure stories like Steven’s are seen, heard, and understood.
