Case histories

How to read a case film

A case film is a short argument with pictures. It is edited to a length that hides time. The useful habit is to keep a few questions in hand and notice when the film does not answer them.

First, what problem is stated, and in whose words? A film that opens on a social issue and then shows a product demonstration may be asking the issue to do work the product line never did. Write down the problem as the film states it, then see whether the work shown addresses that problem or a narrower commercial one.

Second, what actually ran? A film can cut together tests, unused ideas, and the finished spot. Look for a clear statement of the medium, the length, and the flight. If the film never says where the work appeared, you are watching a making-of, not a case.

Third, what evidence is offered, and over what period? "Sales went up" is not evidence until the film names a baseline, a window, and a source. Be cautious when a large percentage appears on screen with no denominator. Be equally cautious when a cultural claim ("everyone was talking about it") stands in for a measure the team could have obtained.

Time compression is normal. A year of work becomes ninety seconds. That is not, by itself, a fault. The fault is when compression is used to hide a missing baseline or to present a coincidence as a result. Pause on the result cards. If you cannot restate them in a sentence with a source and a date, the film has not yet given you a case history.