A young adult from Northern Ireland has shared their story of recovery from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa through a powerful and emotional video in a bid to inspire others to seek help.
The CONNECT Eating Disorders team is an NHS service for adults hosted by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. In 2019 they teamed up with Deadline Digital to create short case study videos exploring how the service – which provides community and inpatient treatment and support for adults with an eating disorder – has positively influenced service users.
Familiar with the healthcare landscape after 15 years of creating video content for the NHS, the film crew worked together to plan and deliver a visually creative and emotionally detailed case study telling Jake’s story.
But the end result, a cinematic, raw and inspiring video went above and beyond expectations.
“The team have really created something so well put-together but very personal and emotionally honest.
“It felt like it got across what I wanted to say and who I am even better than I could have imagined.
“I’m blown away and incredibly thankful to them for how they’ve brought to life my story, I couldn’t have been in better hands!”
Jake
Planning the case study
The CONNECT Eating Disorder team and Deadline Digital have previously teamed up. In 2019, they created short case study videos exploring how the service – which provides community and inpatient treatment and support for adults with an eating disorder – has positively influenced service users.
Guided by Tom Johnstone, Head of Content at Deadline Digital, Clinical Lead, Beth Gripton and Team Manager, Lynn Chibage, wanted to create a patient-focused video.
“I had a rough idea of what I wanted the video to look like but I am not the most naturally creative person. Through explaining to Tom and the team what I wanted to achieve, they helped make it all happen and delivered a video better than I could have imagined.”
Beth Gripton
All parties agreed the interview needed to be individual, thought-provoking and honest. The content needed to reflect the intense emotions that come from having an eating disorder, to not shy away from the uncomfortable moments, to reveal the difficulty of a life dominated by anorexia. But most importantly, to tell a story of hope.
Jake, 25, from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, is a University of Leeds English literature graduate. They identify as non-binary and lived with undiagnosed Borderline personality disorder for a number of years.
“It feels important to me to use my voice to make the most of my lived experience.”
Jake
“I know how helpful and affirming it’s been for me to hear directly from people who’ve experienced an eating disorder, it makes you feel so much less alone and you realise that what you feel is normal and that others have been exactly where you are.
“Now that I’m on the other side, so far through recovery, I want to provide that for other people. I’ve realised my recovery and what I’ve been through have provided me with an immense resource to help others and this film is just one small way that I hope I can do that.”
Jake
Filming location
With the interviewee finalised, we needed a location to bring this idea to life; a film set that could reflect an atmosphere of personal struggle, somewhere diverse in environments, somewhere someone can truly be themselves – we needed a home.
The setting provided the ideal conditions to replicate Jake’s daily conflict with food, eating and their body. It was important for the nature of this film to steer away from clinical settings and sterile backgrounds.
Beth Gripton, didn’t expect her house to turn into a film studio.
“The team transformed my home into a film set and moved furniture in places I’d never have considered! They were really careful and respectful when they moved things and they put it all back together just as it was.”
Beth Gripton
Telling Jake’s story
Video Journalist, Chloe Neal, was tasked with covering Jake’s full story in the interview.
Prior to filming, the crew received a transcript detailing Jake’s journey to recovery. With this information, Chloe wrote interview questions covering the past 12 years of Jake’s life living with an eating disorder.
From early teenage struggles with body image, to days where Jake wouldn’t eat at all, to the moment they realised they needed help, to the therapy that changed their relationship with food.
Using a three camera set up, the crew created a moody, dark background, using creative lighting to illuminate Jake.
In an hour long interview, Jake spoke unashamedly, pausing for thought, reaching deep down to uncover the hidden truths about having a turbulent relationship with food.
Chloe listened, responded to impromptu narratives and coaxed out how anorexia had affected Jake’s life; the physical and mental toil, the denial, the need for control, the guilt, the fear, the acceptance and the hope.
“I was quite nervous about the interview especially, but Chloe has such a kind presence and set me at ease.
“Chloe is incredibly professional in how she organises all of the questions so the interview itself was easy. I never once felt uncomfortable, and through her very expert questions she was able to touch upon everything I had wanted to say and more.”
Jake
The visuals
Deadline Digital has filmed thousands of videos over the last 15 years.
The team has a breadth of experience across not just the healthcare sector, but events, education and local and national government. Videographer, Sam Johnston, was tasked with bringing a cinematic look to this three minute film.
“Sam’s an expert at setting up the scenes and it was really enjoyable seeing how he staged everything to set up his vision. But he always made sure I was okay with what was going on in any given b-roll.”
Jake
The filming crew spent one of the two filming days focusing on the visual side of this film. It was important to have scenes pre-visualised to capture sequences that would align with Jake’s story.
One of the main visual elements of this film was to create the sense of different time periods. In Jake’s interview, they spoke about their struggles which lasted over a decade. It was Sam’s job to create this look within a few hours.
“By using motivated lighting, I created distinct moods and time periods, ensuring each frame resonates with the audience. Controlled camera movements and static shots allow the rawness of Jake’s experience to shine through, while extreme close-ups capture the profound emotions etched on their face.”
Sam Johnston
“Sam completely understood what we were trying to get across and his ideas and creativity came to life through the filming and the final video.”
Beth Gripton
Deadline Digital’s animator, Hanna, created rotoscope for the opening and ending scene. Jake’s partner joined us for the filming in Temple Newsam park in Leeds.
Impact of Jake’s story
“Being able to help spotlight the invaluable service that CONNECT offer was a privilege in itself.”
Jake
CONNECT will use this case study for its website with the aim of helping people make the first step to asking for help. Deadline Digital also created two shorter videos for social media to engage with a wider audience.
The team at CONNECT were very please with the final edit. Beth Gripton said: “It shares a very powerful story which whilst is specific to Jake, is broad enough to be relatable to anyone struggling with disordered eating.”
“The final video that the team have produced is fantastic, it completely exceeded my expectations and is incredibly professional.”
Beth Gripton
After nearly a year out of therapy, Jake is looking at starting a PhD in English literature, focusing on trans/queer poetic adaptations of medieval culture. They are focusing on their writing and poetry and a few have been accepted for publication.
In their spare time, they volunteer for the Plus Importance Project – an LGBT+ charity, as a social media content creator.
“I’m so grateful to the staff at CONNECT, they helped me to save my life, they were so compassionate and their care was so thorough.
“I think it’s crucial for me to highlight how amazing CONNECT is, and hopefully help someone feel a bit less scared to reach out knowing that.”
Jake
