Cinema-grade craft belongs on a marketing schedule.
The cameras and the lenses and the crew you see on a feature set can deliver a :30 spot in a month if the process is disciplined. Discipline is our edge.
We make films
that mean
something.
Metaphor Pictures is a director-led video production company in Ridgewood, New Jersey. We make cinematic brand films, commercials, and documentaries for companies, agencies, and institutions who understand that a video is only worth making if audiences actually feel something when they watch it.
02 / Origin
Why we
Why we
started.
We started Metaphor Pictures because too much of what passes for corporate video is indistinguishable, the same stock-looking footage, the same generic voiceover, the same three pull quotes from employees who clearly don't want to be on camera. It's not that those videos are bad. It's that they're invisible.
Every film we make starts with the same question: what is this film actually about? Not what's the product, not what's the talking points, what's the meaning underneath? Once we know that, we can make something worth watching.
03 / How we work
Small on
Small on
purpose.
Most of our projects are led start-to-finish by the founder and director. That means you work with the person making the decisions about your film, not an account manager relaying messages to a team you never meet.
We're also full-service on purpose. Writers, cinematographers, producers, editors, motion designers, color and sound are all brought in by us, managed by us, and accountable to us. You get one invoice, one creative lead, one timeline.
04 / What we believe
Three things we're willing to argue about.
Documentary is the most powerful format in branded video right now.
And the hardest to do well. Real people on camera sound either transcendent or painful. There is no middle. We've spent a decade getting the transcendent version.
Video production is a service industry, not a commodity.
We answer within 24 hours, we send the treatment we promised on the day we promised it, and we tell you honestly when an idea isn't working.
05 / Founder
David Dessel.
David Dessel.
Director.
David Dessel is the founder of Metaphor Pictures, a video production company started in 2000. He has created award-winning commercials, branded content, documentaries, and television programming.
Clients include: AT&T, A&E, Viacom, BET, The History Channel, Google, US Army, Chevrolet, Ogilvy, Digitas, Burns Group, Della Femina, Verizon, Dell, Merck, HBO, Facebook, and countless others.
Past clients & partners
AT&T · A&E · Viacom · BET · The History Channel · Google · US Army · Chevrolet · Ogilvy · Digitas · Burns Group · Della Femina · Verizon · Dell · Merck · HBO · Facebook · Formula E · 50 Cent / Enthusiast Report · Catholic Guardians · Wardlaw+Hartridge · Nuataaq · Dean & DeLuca
06 / Capabilities
What we make.
Six services. One studio. One creative lead. One invoice.
-
01
Branded Content & Brand Films
Mini-documentaries and anthem pieces that make audiences feel something about your company. Our sweet spot.
-
02
Commercials & Spots
:15, :30, :60, and :90 spots for broadcast, OTT, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok. Scripted or documentary-style.
-
03
Documentaries & Docu-Series
Long-form storytelling for broadcasters, foundations, nonprofits, and brand publishers.
-
04
Corporate & Institutional Video
CEO films, investor videos, employee communications, recruitment, and training. Crafted, not cranked out.
-
05
Motion Graphics & Animation
2D, 3D, and hybrid motion design, in-house, integrated with live action. See: 50 Cent Enthusiast Report.
-
06
Education & Nonprofit
Schools, universities, foundations, and mission-driven organizations. Stories that raise money and move policy.
Services
What
What
we make.
Every project starts with a story and a director. The format follows from there.
Brand Films
Long-form brand stories that live on your website, at events, and in the minds of the people who watch them.
Learn More →
Commercials
:30 and :60 spots for broadcast, digital, and social. Concepts that respect the audience's intelligence.
Learn More →
Documentaries
Real people, real stakes. Short films to feature-length docs for brands, broadcasters, and nonprofits.
Learn More →
Corporate
Executive profiles, thought leadership, investor films, and culture content that doesn't feel like a deck.
Learn More →
Motion & Title Design
Title sequences, kinetic graphics, and AI-assisted animation that serves the story first.
Learn More →
Education & Nonprofit
Enrollment films, fundraising films, and mission storytelling that moves people to act.
Learn More →
Industries
Who
Who
we work with.
We have deep experience in specific industries — which means we speak the language before we set up a camera.
For Agencies
Agency producers:
Agency producers:
we're on your side of the brief.
We're a white-label production partner for creative and brand agencies that need a senior director-producer team who can run a shoot without pulling focus from the agency relationship.
Your strategy stays your strategy. Your creative stays your creative. Your client stays your client. We stay behind the brief, executing the film with cinematic craft, on budget, on schedule, and on your timeline.
Model 01
Turnkey
production.
Full production from treatment to final delivery. You hand off the approved script or board, we handle directing, producing, crew, locations, post, color, sound, and deliverables.
— Director & producer
— Full crew & gear
— Post, color, sound
— Final deliverables
Model 02
Component
crew.
Drop us into your existing production. Director only, DP only, producer only, or any combination. Useful when your in-house team is at capacity or needs a specific craft lead.
— Director-for-hire
— DP / camera team
— Line producer
— À la carte scope
Model 03
Post &
finishing.
Footage in hand, needs to ship. We take the rough cut through editorial, color, sound, graphics, and final deliverables to platform specs.
— Editorial & assembly
— Color grade
— Sound design & mix
— Motion & titles
-
01
White-label discretion.
No Metaphor Pictures watermark on anything. No credit card at the end of the film unless you want one. If the client asks, we'll happily stay in the background and let the agency carry the creative flag.
-
02
Fixed, line-itemized bids.
Bids are line-itemized so you can see exactly where the dollars go and mark up predictably. No surprise overages, no "miscellaneous" buckets. If the scope changes, the change order is documented and approved before we spend a dollar.
-
03
No end-client poaching. Ever.
Your client is your client. We will not solicit them, pitch them, email them, or accept work directly from them during or after the engagement. It's written into every agreement we sign.
-
04
Founder-level creative involvement.
The director who takes your call is the director who's on set, in the edit, and on the final review. You're not being handed off to a junior after the pitch.
-
05
Agency-producer-first communication.
The agency producer is our primary contact, not the client, not the strategist, not the creative director. You route information the way you need it routed.
If you have
a story worth telling,
...and an audience worth moving, we'd love to hear about it. The first call is 30 minutes, no obligation, and you'll be talking to the person who would make the film.