Sponsor a film

How do you sponsor a sport documentary?

A brand sponsors a sport documentary by funding some or all of the film in return for a presenting credit, a genuine place in the story and the right to use the film. With Quiet Eye Productions, a headline sponsor typically funds a short film outright, from around £10,000. Supporting partners join from £2,000.

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A mountain biker catches air in an autumn wood, with a coffee brand cafetiere, bag and mug staged in the foreground.

What does a headline sponsor receive?

Ten things, every film
  1. 01

    The presenting credit

    "Your brand presents" on the title card, in the film's description and in every listing and festival programme.

  2. 02

    End credits

    Your mark on the end credits of the film.

  3. 03

    A genuine place in the film

    Where your product is something the day actually needs, it is used on camera because it is needed. Never placed for the sake of it.

  4. 04

    A short film of your own

    A piece cut for your channels from the same shoot, so the sponsorship works beyond the main film.

  5. 05

    Short versions and stills

    A set number of vertical cuts, a trailer and graded stills, agreed before we film.

  6. 06

    The right to use it

    The film and every short version on your own channels, website and screens for an agreed term.

  7. 07

    A premiere you host

    A screening for your staff, customers or partners, with a question and answer session from Stefan and Harry.

  8. 08

    Category exclusivity

    No other sponsor from your category on the same film or series.

  9. 09

    A report after release

    How people watched the film: how much of it they saw, how many stayed past the first thirty seconds, which screens they watched on and where the views came from.

  10. 10

    First refusal on what comes next

    The first option to sponsor the next film or series in the same line of work, before anyone else is asked.

What are the ways to sponsor a film?

Three tiers

  • Headline sponsor

    From around £10,000

    One brand per film, usually funding the whole of a short film, and receiving everything above. For a series or a podcast the same role is the title sponsor.

  • Supporting partner

    From £2,000

    A "with support from" credit, a short version for your own channels, a set of stills and an invitation to the premiere.

  • Supplier

    Kit, travel or services in place of cash

    The ferry, the bike, a place to stay on the shoot. An end credit and stills of your product in use, with the value counted towards the film's budget.

Extras such as paid advertising use, a longer licence, a festival run or a talk for your team on performing under pressure are priced separately, and set out in the sponsor pack.

Who keeps editorial control?

We do, and we say so in the first conversation rather than the contract. You see the film before release and can correct anything factually wrong about your own brand. You do not direct the story, the edit or what anyone in it says. Sport audiences discount anything that looks like advertising within seconds. A film they believe is the one worth putting a name to.

We came to film from performance sport. Stefan worked as a performance analyst on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit, and Harry spent ten years managing athletes. See what that looks like in Chasing Light and Balance.

Harry Whiteley stands over a putt by head torch at dusk on the green at Durness, the sea behind him.
Still from Chasing Light

Which films can I sponsor?

Partner roles open

Two films already being made, and 14 ideas at the earliest stage. Choose one and we will send its outline.

How do I get the sponsor pack?

Ask for it. Tell us which film interests you, or that you want to see them all, and we will send the outline for that project and the full package: what each tier receives, the fees, the licence terms and how our films hold an audience. Stefan and Harry read every request themselves.

Request the sponsor pack

Sponsorship, answered

5 answered
How much does it cost to sponsor a sport documentary?

With Quiet Eye Productions, a headline sponsor typically funds the whole of a short documentary, from around £10,000, and receives the presenting credit, a film of its own from the same shoot and the right to use both. Supporting partners join from £2,000. Larger films and series are priced against their budget.

Does the sponsor have editorial control over the film?

No. Editorial control stays with Quiet Eye Productions. A sponsor sees the film before release and can correct factual errors about its own brand, but it does not direct the story, the edit or what contributors say. That independence is what makes an audience believe the film, which is what a sponsor is paying for.

Is a sponsored documentary labelled as advertising?

Yes. Every sponsored film carries a clear sponsorship credit on its title card and in its description, and YouTube's paid promotion setting is switched on, in line with the CAP Code and Advertising Standards Authority guidance. A sponsor is named openly, never hidden.

Can our product appear in the film?

Where it genuinely belongs, yes. If the film needs a bike, clothing for a December day on the hill, light in the dark or coffee at six in the morning, a sponsor's product can be the one used on camera. If nothing fits naturally, the credit stands alone. We do not place products for the sake of it.

Which brands do you not work with?

We do not take sponsorship from gambling or betting companies, at any level. Alcohol brands are considered only after we have checked that the film's audience meets the advertising rules on age. Every other brand is judged on whether it fits the film.