Excellence
The Brief
Make a corporate value feel like something worth striving for
Barclays runs Being Barclays onboarding events globally to immerse new joiners in the bank’s values and purpose. But corporate values films risk being generic and forgettable. The firm needed content for the value of Excellence that would inspire new colleagues to pursue it — not just hear about it. A talking-head interview wouldn’t cut it.
The Solution
Find a real colleague. Film a real mountain.
Rise: a cinematic, ad-quality film following a Barclays colleague and serious cyclist as she tackles the switchbacks of Furka Pass in the Swiss Alps — 8,000 feet of ascent juxtaposed with her preparation for a major presentation at Barclays Private Bank in Geneva. No actors. No scripts read to camera. Just real dedication, real altitude, and a real person who embodies what excellence actually looks like.
Values films are easy to make. Making people feel a value is the hard part.
For a global brand, aligning diverse functions across locations and cultures around shared values is a persistent challenge. Barclays holds regular Being Barclays onboarding events worldwide, with the aim of immersing new joiners in what it means to be a Barclays colleague.
Tilt had previously created films around the value of Integrity to pose dilemmas and act as discussion points at these events. Following that success, Barclays asked for a film exploring the value of Excellence — one that would inspire new colleagues to pursue it in their careers.
The brief called for an interview film. We saw an opportunity to do something bolder — a scripted, cinematic piece that would show the effort and struggle behind achieving excellence, not just talk about it.
Barclays — Excellence
Our Approach
Turn the brief on its head. Show excellence, don’t explain it
Concerned that a talking-head format would fall flat at a live event, we pitched a scripted, ad-style piece. We broke the journey to excellence into simple, impactful words and went looking for a real Barclays colleague who embodied that drive.
Anne Peden — based at Barclays Private Bank in Geneva and a serious cyclist — told us about Furka Pass: an insane series of switchbacks rising to 8,000 feet in Valais, Switzerland. We used a DJI Inspire 2 drone for aerial shots and close-ups, capturing the scale of the climb alongside tactile visuals of tree canopies, blurred shadows, and sunlight flares.
To ground the film in its workplace context, we juxtaposed Anne’s ascent with her preparing a major presentation. The physical challenge and the professional one became the same story — dedication, focus, and the refusal to stop climbing.
The Journey
Key Project Assets
Rise — Cinematic Values Film
An ad-quality film following a real Barclays colleague up an 8,000-foot Swiss mountain pass — making the value of Excellence visceral, personal, and unforgettable.
Dual-Narrative Structure
A parallel story cutting between alpine ascent and boardroom preparation — linking physical and professional excellence through a single real person.
Drone-Captured Alpine Cinematography
DJI Inspire 2 aerial footage of Furka Pass providing the scale and spectacle that made the film feel like a brand advert, not an internal training asset.
Impact
Rise delivered something rare for an internal values film: genuine cinematic quality that made a corporate value feel like a personal pursuit worth the effort.
The Journey
Project Insights
From talking head to mountain pass
The brief asked for an interview. We delivered a mountain. When you show a real colleague pushing through 8,000 feet of switchbacks and then cut to her preparing a boardroom presentation with the same focus and determination, you don’t need to explain what excellence means. You’ve already shown it.
A colleague in Geneva, a drone, a Swiss mountain, and the courage to ignore the brief. Sometimes the best way to bring a value to life is to take it literally.
Working with the Tilt was an amazing experience and one I shall not forget. Everyone was so enthusiastic, dedicated to producing a quality product and super professional throughout.
Anne Peden, Head of Risk, Control & Governance — Barclays
