Documentary Australia Foundation

The Shine A Light Project - Conversations With Depression

About the film

“If depression is creeping up and must be faced, learn something about the nature of the beast: You may escape without a mauling.” R.W. Shepherd

Depression touches 1 in 3 people in Australia and yet it is still one of the last great taboo subjects in our community and the world. Sadly there is still a degree of shame associated with Depression and most people prefer not to admit to being sufferers. That stigma can only be removed by open and frank conversations about the topic and the time to start is now. The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression, aims to bring the subject out into the open and get people talking openly and honestly about their experiences with Depression.

Both Film makers have been touched by Depression either as sufferers or via friends and family who have experienced the illness and are passionate about getting the word out to the public at large that depression need not be associated with shame and fear.

The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression will talk directly to those who suffer from depression and find out their personal stories. Our Documentary will be a collection of individual and personal stories from real people about depression triggers, how depression impacts their lives, what happens to them during a depressive episode and how depression impacts their friends and families.

The aim of this Documentary is to demonstrate the true numbers of those in our community who have been touched by depressive illness. By bringing the truth into the open, we hope to remove the stigma and allow people to openly admit to being sufferers without judgement or shame. It will take a few brave souls to get the ball rolling and to achieve that end both film makers have agreed to tell their stories on camera.

The Shine A Light Project on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube aims to utilise Social Media to spread the word about the project. The aim is to attract and grow interest in the Documentary, to attract potential funding and to establish contact with sufferers, their families and friends. While Twitter and Facebook will start the conversation, we also plan to incorporate User-Generated-Content as added via The Shine A Light Project’s YouTube Channel. We want people to tell their stories about their dealings with depression on video and submit them for possible inclusion in the Documentary.

Funding amount Sought

100000

Total Project Budget

AUD $300000

Length of Production

90 minutes

Stage of Production

Development

How does the project meet the aims of a philanthropic foundation?

If Philanthropy is best defined as a way of improving the wellbeing of a community and its inhabitants, then The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression fits the bill. The central aim of this documentary project is to improve the lives and welfare of a significant portion of the Australian community who currently experience depressive illness is silence and shame. Our aim is to start a conversation about depression so that sufferers realise they are not alone and in turn to minimise the stigma and embarrassment associated with depression.

Depression can impact people from any socio-economic background. It does not discriminate between age, gender, religion or political affiliation. As such the philanthropic advantages of this project has the potential to reach the an community (be that in Australia or internationally).

The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression is aimed at community in its broadest sense. With one in three Australians being touched by depression, ‘shining a light’ in order to de-stigmatise the issue can only benefit the community at large. With so many suffering in silence, the aim is bring the topic out from behind closed doors and talk openly about an issue that impacts so many people.

What outcomes do you hope to achieve by making this film and how will you measure its impact?

While it may sound clichéd to say so, if The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression improves the life and wellbeing of just one person it will have achieved its aims. Of course the aim is to reach a much broader section of the community and to touch the life of the 1000’s who currently suffer from depression in silence. We hope to touch not only those who live permanently with depression but also those who suffer from depressive episodes periodically through their lives. These are the people who are often ashamed of what they experience as they are usually high achievers and perfectionists who prefer not to admit to these so called ‘flaws’ in their characters. What we want these people to realise is that they are not alone.

The measurement for success will be gradual. Like other ‘labels’ that have been de-stigmatised over the years, the measurement will be a shift in community attitudes towards those who suffer from depression. We simply hope to Shine A Light and start the conversation.

What is your education and outreach strategy

The Shine A Light Project – Conversations With Depression aims to use Social Media for a large part of both our outreach and education strategies.

During the Development phase of the project we believe Social Media can assist with (a) creating an awareness and spreading the word about the project, and (b) assisting with content via personal stories in the form user generated content posted on our YouTube Channel. Similarly, during the Marketing phase of the project, we plan to utilise Social Media to market the finished product via Multiplatform delivery of content using webisodes.

With regard to an education strategy we plan to recut a ‘G’ rated version of the documentary for distribution to high school age students and to prepare accompanying study notes. We also envisage the possibility of visiting schools to screen the film and potentially hold information / discussion sessions with students to talk generally about how depression impacts them.

Who are the filmmakers responsible for the project?

Kristy Copley is a former Producer with the ABC. With documentary, factual and web projects under her belt, she is experienced in all facets of TV and web production and is passionate about film and multiplatform delivery. Since leaving the ABC, Kristy has embraced her new role as a Freelance Content Provider. Projects worked on include, The Cook and the Chef, Feedback, The Tour Down Under and the ABC’s coverage of Adelaide International Three Day Event.

Sadie Michell is new to the industry but is full of enthusiasm, brilliant ideas and a willingnesss to learn. Having just completed a short course with AFTRS in Sydney on Shooting with HDSLR cameras, Sadie is excited about shooting portions of the content for this documentary. As a former Australian representative polo player she has proved she can take on a challenge and come out on top.

Together, Sadie and Kristy have formed Empire Eleven Media as the business vehicle for their projects. They have also established an online presence for The Shine A Light Project via Facebook and Twitter and plan to use Social Media as one of the tools to spread the word and gather User-Generated Content for the project.