Shooting a video production in a hospital during lockdown wasn’t something that we thought we’d be doing, but that’s what the brief we received from Portsmouth NHS Trust required.
It called for a production to raise awareness of hidden and visible disabilities within the trust to help increase staff declaration rates. Often hidden disabilities go undeclared but it is important that employers know so they can help staff achieve their full potential.
Shot across 3 days in Portsmouth, this short film talks to 9 people across the trust ranging from management to volunteers, in order to raise awareness that not every disability is visible. The production also aimed to highlight visible disabilities within the trust and how working conditions can be improved.
One employee summed up her experience, “I often feel living with this condition that people don’t believe me”. The production tells her story and explains how while she may be smiling, she can in fact be living with pain and discomfort on a daily basis.
The production was shot in 4K and was provided to the client as a 10 minute film both with and without subtitles as well as a number of social media edits.
Particular challenges during production included not having as wide selection of locations as you usually would, meaning all but one interviewee were recorded in the same room. Cutaway shots of people doing their daily jobs were also limited in scope. As we were shooting in a hospital building, consideration also had to be given to not showing members of the public on the estate itself. We worked hard to try and ensure these limitations aren’t too evident in the final production.
Overall this was an interesting and challenging production to work on and we hope this will make a difference to the disability declaration rates within the trust.
Portsmouth NHS Trust
Visible And Hidden Disabilities For Portsmouth NHS Trust.
