// Fundraising Doc
09:55 min
This is a story that honours an unsung hero and reminds us of the transformative power of a smile.
The sombre tone of this piece was set by the subject matter, but I had to make sure that it didn’t feel too grim – time of year and overcast days helped with that. I kept the contrast low and used a pro mist filter and the softening it added to make the footage feel intimate. That balances the tone of the subject.
I opted to forgo the talking-head interview and followed a more vérité approach. We also hired a child actor to play the role of her son Jessie.
RYAN VARGA 