Samaritans

Shot on a busy street in Brighton, East Sussex, the film was anchored by Dan Crowder, an actor and Samaritans volunteer of 12 years. Casting a volunteer wasn’t symbolic, it was practical. The words came from someone who has sat with callers in their darkest moments, and that reality carried through on screen.

Director Tom Staniford, Creative Director at Gusto Film and a former Samaritans listening volunteer of five years at the Brighton branch, shared that background. That common ground allowed rehearsals to go deeper than performance notes, drawing on shared experiences of listening, silence and urgency, and shaping a delivery that felt honest rather than performed.

Production was ambitious for a one-day shoot in a live public space. We coordinated 20+ extras, many of whom had volunteered or worked at Samaritans themselves, adding a quiet solidarity to the set. The shoot involved complex logistics including crowd control, vehicle drive-bys, a rooftop camera position and dressing the square, all while navigating unpredictable weather.

Visually, the approach stayed stripped back. Natural light, minimal intervention and a constantly moving environment kept the focus on the message and reinforced the idea that these conversations happen in plain sight, whether we choose to notice them or not.

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Released on 24 July (24/7), the campaign reinforced Samaritans’ promise to be there around the clock. More than awareness, the film acted as a direct fundraising appeal, helping address the misconception that Samaritans is fully funded.

By focusing on real voices, real locations and lived experience, Tomorrow’s Too Late delivered a message that felt urgent, human and difficult to ignore.

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