Solo Documentary Filmmaking
How do you ask your recently diagnosed friend if you can document her cancer journey?
It was the elephant in the room and the balloon that had to be popped for this to happen. We were both fully aware that this was a journey into the unknown.
[Spoiler alert: Helene is thriving and living her best life.]
From the beginning, this documentary was always going to serve one of two roles: it was either going to become a film to support and uplift others navigating cancer, or a private keepsake for Helene’s family if things turned dark. Either way, we both agreed: it had to be real.
Directing Verité
During production, we’d find ourselves across medical areas to public places – there was no opportunity to call a break in the schedule and set up lighting, control sound or do a retake. What happened, happened.
That’s where verité filmmaking comes in – capturing life as it happens. It’s raw and. And that’s exactly what this documentary is.
I shot solo, often with just a camera and a wireless mic. I brought a tripod, but rarely used it. Most of this film was captured handheld, in whatever moment we found ourselves.
Filming Inside a Working Hospital
I’ve been told that one scene that resonated most with audiences shows Helene during radiation treatment. Her eyelashes are just visible through the green mesh mask that bolts her head to the table.
She’s trapped there, in that moment, in every sense.
Getting the green light to film inside this treatment room was a huge deal. While the staff were open to being filmed, I was still operating inside a working hospital – a space filled with real people facing very personal moments.
Filming any documentary takes care, but this environment demanded extra sensitivity – and rightly so.
Impact and Reach
We always intended this film to reach people who needed it. Onwards premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Doc Edge Film Festival around New Zealand, before being screened to support Cancer Society fundraisers. It’ll soon be available on YouTube – freely accessible for anyone navigating their own journey.