NATIONAL DISABILITY SERVICES AUSTRALIA
For this project I designed, storyboarded and directed a 25 minute documentary for the National Disability Services of Australia, commissioned by Maitree House. Leading a wonderful team of artists and animators, I worked to create 5 films exploring the role and importance of Trauma Informed Support.
Set in a variety of areas across Australia (from the coast, to the outback, to inner cities), the film aimed to push representation and diversity in both location and people. Working in collaboration with Maitree House, the NDS, and focus groups representing those in the disabled community and their carers, I sensitively explored these topics whilst using the medium of animation to communicate complex feelings and concepts through abstract imagery.
The above shows one the of the final films - introducing Trauma Informed Support and its impact on the body and brain.
I developed this style specifically for these documentaries - focusing on warmth and colour to create a supportive atmosphere in most scenes, but using cooler purples, greens and blues to identify more traumatic moments. This complemented the way I portrayed trauma as a physical presence, allowing us to better explore its impacts. Everything was set against backgrounds based on plenty of research into the variety of Australian landscapes.
Storyboarding was a big part of this process. With a short time frame to deliver 25 minutes of animation, and with multiple end clients and focus groups inputting feedback, I wanted to ensure the storyboard could be changed and developed quickly, whilst still reflecting the final film as accurately as possible so everyone was clear on what the end product would look like.
This enabled us to incorporate feedback and treat the subject matter as sensitively as possible, ensuring we were doing justice to the research and contributing positively to the disabled community and their carers.
