“Bigger Than Life” | An Adoption Story | Short Doc

This video was one of the most heartfelt pieces I had the opportunity to film and edit last year.

Watch the adoption story below:

The Process:

Pre-Production

Before Brad passed away, we had discussed documenting Issy's foster care journey and eventual adoption (watch the foster care story here ). Even after his passing, I felt a burden to continue documenting their journey. Sarah was very vocal and transparent about her life after Brad on social media, so I approached her with the idea of documenting Issy's adoption journey. She was more than willing to tell her story.

To prepare for the interview, I read through every one of Sarah's Facebook posts and came up with a list of questions. I wanted to make the interview conversational and had no specific agenda, as I did not want to use her story to promote any particular cause.

Production (3 Days)

*Cameras Used: C70 (18-35mm) for wide, C100 Mkii (70-200mm) to closeup.*

Day 1: Interview Shoot

During the interview, which lasted about an hour, I asked Sarah about the day of Brad's passing, how it changed her life, the challenges of being a single mom, and more. I showed her a screenshot of one of her Facebook posts to help her reflect on her emotions. It was an emotional interview, and I found myself crying behind the camera.
After the interview, I grabbed some b-rolls of her hands, looking down, looking at her phone, etc. These are always helpful in cutting to the interview scene.

*I love these wide, simple shots on a monopod and let the characters drive the action.*

Day 2: B-roll/Verite moments of Issy’s Birthday

There were about 10 days from the interview to the first B-roll shoot. That gave me enough time to edit the interview and know what kind of b-rolls I would need.
For the B-roll, I wanted to capture natural, verite moments of Sarah’s everyday life as a single mother, so I shot mostly handheld or on a monopod with a 24-70mm lens. I arrived early in the morning and ended the day around 6 pm. The children were used to being filmed (since I filmed them before), so they were natural around the camera.

Day 3: B-roll/Verite moments of Issy’s Adoption Day

By this time, I already had the video all edited already because I had to show the video to the church for Orphan Sunday. So I approached this day with intentionally shooting footages that I will use.
I wanted to start and end the video with footage from the adoption day. But later changed my mind. :)

Post Production

*FYI - C70 files are pain to work with especially when using Adobe Premiere.*

There are edits that just flow through very naturally. This was one of them. Another reminder that story trumps all.
I edited the video in five steps: transcribing the interview, making the backbone using the interview transcripts, adding B-roll, finding background tracks (the longest part of editing… used 4 songs licensed from Musicbed), and using verite moments with diegetic sound as transition points. I color-corrected the footage and mixed the audio.
Initially, I had planned to end the video with footages from the adoption day. However, based on feedback from the first version of the video, I changed the ending to include Brad's unseen interview footage. Sarah said it was her favorite part because Brad's words were prophetic and became his charge and last message to her and her kids.

Final Remarks

In conclusion, I am grateful for the opportunity to witness firsthand the testimony of those who have experienced God's goodness and faithfulness in their lives. I am thankful to people like Sarah who are willing to be vulnerable and share their stories with the world.