A group of cancer patients from across Yorkshire were given the red carpet treatment at Cineworld Leeds for the launch of a powerful set of films.
The films, produced by Deadline Digital for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, helps people live with and beyond cancer by breaking down barriers around subjects considered sensitive as well as challenging perceptions.
The crux of these films is to shine a positive light on the help that cancer support groups can offer to patients and to encourage others to look for peer support.
Keeley Clawson, Macmillian Leader Cancer Nurse at the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said:
“This screening was a true representation of inspirational people sharing their lived experience. It was wonderful to hear and see this shared with the community. It is an invaluable resource for those patients living with and beyond treatment for breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer and is a great method of offering advice to anyone living with and beyond cancer, irrespective of where they live.”
Keeley Clawson
The video production company produced seven case study focused films interviewing survivors of cancer and telling their stories.
Supplementing these interviews, Clinical Nurse Specialists from across West Yorkshire delivered scripted pieces to camera offering advice and guidance to support someone who has just finished or is having long term cancer treatment.
The set of films premiered at the Cineworld at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds on 22nd February 2023. The audience included the interviewees and their families as well as clinicians, the Yorkshire Cancer Community charity and members of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance.
The brief:
Deadline Digital specialise in creating videos for healthcare organisations and are experts in storytelling. With years of experience behind them, it was clear to the team how to approach such a sensitive subject matter to produce visually impressive films, whilst retaining the emotion of the topic.
The video journalists interviewed nine cancer survivors each with their own story to tell. The interviews explored what it was like to live with cancer and all the difficult emotions that come with it.
Head of Content, Tom Johnstone, managed the project. He said:
“As a team, we really enjoyed working on this project, the stories we told were so varied and everyone brought something different to the project. Working with Lucy from the Cancer Alliance and the contributors so closely was a privilege. We spent a lot of time with the contributors, hearing about their experiences and getting to know them, so to be able to tell their stories on the big screen was a special moment.”
Tom Johnstone
Services delivered:
- Pre-production planning meetings
- Seven, 5-10 minute videos, including interviews and autocue
- Seven, 1-2 minute social media cutdown edits
- Licensed music
- Incorporation of client logos and branding
- Two rounds of amends for each video and password protected supply of draft versions
- Videos supplied as YouTube ready HD MP4
- Post-handover support
Video journalist, Chloe Neal, interviewed the cancer survivors. She said:
“It was a really powerful moment, sitting down and talking to someone who has survived cancer and who is now using that experience to help others through their cancer journey.
It was moving to hear first hand testimony of the emotional turmoil a cancer diagnosis can create. But what inspired me most was the positivity each of the survivors expressed about living with and living beyond cancer. It is projects like this that you remember in years to come.”
Chloe Neal
All the videos are available to watch in full on the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership YouTube channel.
