McDermid Paper | From Roll to Customer
McDermid Paper Converters, one of Canada's largest paper roll manufacturers, was shifting from B2B distribution to direct-to-consumer sales. They needed video content that showed their 50+ year manufacturing process and positioned their brand for a new audience.
Brand Film
Production Stills
Case Study
The Brief
McDermid Paper Converters has been manufacturing paper roll products in Ontario for over 50 years, supplying distributors across Canada. They were making a strategic pivot: going direct-to-consumer for the first time. They needed content that told their story to a new audience while honoring their manufacturing heritage.
The creative concept: follow a single roll of paper from its raw state as a massive jumbo roll, through the cutting and converting process, into packaging, and finally into the hands of a customer. One continuous journey, from factory floor to front door.
The Concept
Instead of a typical corporate talking-head video, we built the entire narrative around the product itself. The paper roll is the protagonist. The camera follows it through every stage of the process, turning industrial machinery into cinematic moments. No voiceover needed to explain what McDermid does. You see it.
- Jumbo roll mounted on the winding machine (the origin)
- Converting line: cutting, trimming, wrapping into smaller rolls
- Packaging: rolls boxed and sealed
- The handoff: a branded box picked up and delivered to the customer
Production
1. Location Scout & Pre-Production
Walked the full 125,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Markham to map the paper's journey from raw material to finished product. Identified the key visual beats and planned camera positions around active machinery.
2. Production
Shot during live production so the machines were running and workers were in their real environment. Cinematic camera movement through the facility, shallow depth of field to isolate details against the industrial backdrop. Mixed ambient facility light with portable lighting to balance exposures.
3. Dual Format Delivery
Delivered a horizontal brand film (1:16) for website, presentations, and trade shows, plus a vertical cut (0:30) optimized for social media and mobile-first audiences entering the DTC funnel.