We scheduled a full day shoot to capture the five interviews with the participants, giving us plenty of time to have an introductory chat with them and build a little bit of trust before jumping into the interviewing process. We wanted everyone to feel at ease and it also gave us time to really get into the detail of each of their stories. It was so inspiring to hear the different and difficult trials faced by each participant, and how they had chosen not to be beaten by these, but to use them as a force for good. Each of them had reflected on their own needs during these tough experiences, and each of them felt motivated to provide solutions as a result of that, so that others don't have to walk through similar circumstances alone. And that’s one of the many reasons why they’re total superheroes.

There were so many instances during the shoot where we thought “this NEEDS to go in the film!” so the pressure was definitely on to ensure we could cut down these hour long interviews into a five minute film that captured the heart of what everyone had shared.

It’s also worth noting that this film was built on pieces to camera alone, so it was all about the words. This added to the films strength though, as all of the stories were massively empowering and delivered so so well. It actually made cutting sections out the hardest part of the edit, as everything felt important to share. We were able to get creative with piecing together everyone’s Lived Experience into one narrative, highlighting the importance of togetherness, but also showing that no journey is the same, and we all have our own experiences. 

We love that the film shines a light on the amazing individuals behind the organisations too, their work literally changes lives and should be recognised. This wasn’t about creating something flashy, this was about uniting people through Lived Experience and the power of human connection, whilst celebrating the incredible work in our area.

It’s never nice to hear that someone has gone through so much hardship. And this something that challenges us in the work that we do because on a professional level, you want to do their story justice, whilst remaining sensitive. But there’s also the personal level. Before we are filmmakers, we are human, and the stories that we heard during this shoot were ones that resonated with us and we could relate to in some ways ourselves. We’ve gained so much from being able to be present and listen to those stories in person, so it was a huge honour to be involved and trusted to deliver this film.