Led by the Department of Social Services, we were given the opportunity to show the carers of Australia that support is available and ready for them, no matter what they need.
Many of Australia’s 2.65 million carers don’t see themselves as carers, because they are the children, parents, partners or friends of someone who needs care. Evidence shows carers are motivated by love, responsibility and concern — so often, when they seek help for themselves, it is when they are already in crisis.
Using real stories, our goal was to show Australia’s unpaid carers that seeking support early can help both them and their loved ones.
Initially, the Department of Social Services reached out to various Carer Gateway service providers, asking for volunteers eager to share their stories and experiences. With this group of volunteers, we conducted short, virtual discussions, from which we established a group who would represent the diversity of Australia’s unpaid carers.
By showing a broad range of people, other carers would be able to recognise themselves in these videos and realise there is help for the work they do.
Due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter and the fact we were working with real and unscripted stories meant pre-production, preparation and planning were crucial elements of the project.
Starting from our virtual pre-shoot conversations with families, we were able to explain the logistics of the shoot and learn from every subject their unique needs and considerations.
Upon arriving in the hometowns of each of our interviewees, the shoot team held meet-and-greets to create familiarity with the family in whose home they would be shooting and spending time.
Special considerations were taken for the carers’ loved ones who, for example, may have had a feeding apparatus permanently to-hand, were wary of strangers, or who were uncomfortable with change. Meeting the families ahead of filming mitigated the risk of disruption and established a rapport between the wider group, which was essential to authentic storytelling.
Over the course of one month, we travelled around Australia, gathering stories from families across eight locations including Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania, Sydney and the Central Coast. For each shoot, we had a team of two to three people.
To show what unites carers and to get an overview of how carer support is provided in all aspects by Carer Gateway, we asked questions that were tailored to each family — capturing responses specific to partners, parents, regional carers, young carers and First Nations carers.
When filming b-roll, it was important to portray the carers and those they were caring for in an authentic way. To do so, we adopted a non-invasive, documentary-style of filming, capturing the realities of their everyday lives.
“I must say the video was beautiful. The small window into our life was heartfelt. It brought tears to my eyes. I can’t thank you enough for how you pieced it together. My Ryan was very happy to see it. It brought a beautiful warm smile to his face. Thank you again from the Frith family. Please send a warm hello to the team who know us and all who helped put this together.”
“Working with the team from The Being Group was an absolute delight. Communication was clear and we felt considered and comfortable throughout the shoot. We were initially concerned about how the team may work with our son with a disability, but we were immediately put at ease. A sensitive, caring and fun team ensured the experience was positive for us all.”
