Follow the Patient - documentary film

Total raised £12,591

raised so far

150

supporters

A documentary film about recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - exploring the realities and diversity of a healing brain.

We're still collecting donations

On the 2nd January 2023 we'd raised £10,100 with 125 supporters in 54 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.

 New stretch target

Amazing...we reached our basic target early in 2023! 
Now we need to raise extra funds for crucial post-production elements, and marketing and distribution expertise for the finished film. 

  • Hurrah, we achieved our basic target with the fantastic support of 137 lovely people. This enabled us to procure essential equipment  and to make a start on location-based filming commenced in April 2023, preceded by an essential planning phase, funds being used for all logistics surrounding this, ie travel & transport, accommodation, sustenance, etc, plus myriad sundries that come with filming.

  • The initial target also factored in a nominal amount to pay experienced editors, and composers. Producers have taken a hit in making this project happen for pure love and commitment to producing this awareness-creating film.

  • We kept the fund open and have continued to receive a trickle of very welcome support. 

  • As at March 2024 we have one final star interview to film, and we are now in the early stages of preparing an assemblage of footage for a first rough cut. 

  • We are seeking a dynamic experienced documentary editor to put the final cut together to bring our documentary to life. Exciting. 

  • To ensure our finished film is fully disability-inclusive further funds are needed for closed-caption subtitling and audio-description. These will be outsourced to a specialist professional studio.

  • We originally allocated a modest budget for global film festival entries. In order to reach the right people, we now know that this modest budget needs to be raised and it's likely that we will need marketing and distribution expertise.

  • We're aiming to raise an extra 10k for the above requirements.
    If we get to pay our producers a little bit, that would be a dream! Film production is an intensive, focused, lengthy, and occasionally hair-tearing undertaking, and let's face it, they deserve it! 


FOLLOW THE PATIENT

An inspirational film exploring the realities of healing after Traumatic Brain Injury

We started this crowdfunder in November of 2022, and were thrilled to (over) achieve our basic target of 10K in January 2023 with the support of 137 fantastic people. This enabled us to make a start on location-based filming in April 2023. We learned that a skeleton crew was much easier to coordinate and better for our budget...and a great workout to boot!

As at the end of May 2024, just over a year later, we had completed principal filming, with funds being used for all logistics surrounding this, eg, travel & transport around the country, accommodation, sustenance, etc, plus myriad sundries that come with filmmaking.

Funds have continued to trickle in both via private donation and crowdfunder and we are immensely grateful to all those who believe in this important project.

Now we need further funds for the post-production phase – this was always the plan. First, set an achievable target to enable us to begin and complete the pre and production phases, then to regroup and ascertain our precise requirements for post-production. 

Please help us complete this film to create awareness of the chronic condition within society that is Brain Injury. 


BACKGROUND
Co-Producer Ben Clench suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in 2010. The difficulties he faced in acceptance from wider society were a significant problem in his recovery. He also faced severe personal challenges in his own development. A better focus to enable his recovery came about through being open about the situation he was in. As a therapeutic tool he went on to write a book about the troubles he faced in resuming life; he did a second Masters, and a highly successful Tedx talk before Covid. This has led to where we are now…


THE STORY
One person in the UK has a brain injury every 90 seconds, this is a ridiculously high number, it’s not common knowledge; an unseen issue occurring in society.

A brain injured person might not look differently to the next person; it’s not something you can necessarily tell from passing someone in the street or meeting them for the first time.

Those with a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) could be the ones you think are drunk, or not acting in a way you think people should act; angry, ‘too friendly’, outspoken. However, each person has a personal story that is utterly unique.

Every story is different.

Brain Injury might be severe, or less so. But a brain injury is permanent, and 'recovery' is a life-long process. We are making a documentary looking at the different stages people have got to, where they are going, where they hope to be.

We have met with other survivors around the country who’ve shared frank and honest accounts of their recovery process, and shared how they have negotiated life since their injury. Have they resumed their original trajectory, or have they taken a hairpin turn? Or have they not done so well, and why?

The brain is not entirely understood by doctors through brain scans. An individual’s outcome just can’t be judged by such means alone. We’ve spoken to experts specialising in brain trauma - scientists and medics from Imperial College and Great Ormond Street London, who explain the mechanisms of the brain, give their input on what they do know, and how behaviours are affected.

We have visited both traditional and unique rehabilitation centres, and they vary greatly.

We’ve learned that the sooner a survivor gets into rehab, the better their outcome, but the offerings are not the same for everyone and socio-economic factors come into play.

Brain injury and criminality is another important aspect we have covered, with experts speaking to this; from researching the vulnerabilities of young survivors and what happens when they don’t get the right support, on to the high number of adults involved in the criminal justice system in the UK – with immense overcrowding in prisons and the number of those with brain injury being 45-60%, this could be mitigated with the right treatment.

Brain Injury is a chronic condition. It has left some people with an invisible disability; a hidden and unknown aspect within society – affecting 1 in 10 people in the UK, it’s more prevalent in the population than anyone realises, with no campaigns on TV or on the backs of buses.

We want this documentary to change that.


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If you’ve gotten this far, you know that we’re reaching out to you for funding in order that we can complete this documentary in 2024. We're still open for business, folks!

1663113034_ben_screengrab-1-frame.jpgBen Clench - co-Producer.

Ben suffered a TBI in 2010. The difficulties he faced in acceptance from wider society were a significant problem in his recovery. The TBI also posed severe challenges to his personal development. He has since gone on to write a book about the troubles he faced in resuming life, complete a second Master’s degree, and do a highly successful Tedx Brighton talk in 2018.
Ben will also be cooking when necessary because he's really good at it.

1663113340_sini-crowdfunder_pic-frame.jpg

Sini Manner - Producer.

Experienced in production across broad media, Sini produced & presented radio shows in alternative and commercial formats, worked in film and event production, as well as advertising and promotions. She has worked for large music and film companies as well as in corporate environments. Sini is a photographer and works with sound regularly. A whizz at multitasking, to keep the crew small on a tight budget, Sini has also both filmed and operated sound for this project.

1711216665_mt_la_image-frame.jpgMark Tierney - Executive Producer.

Mark is on board to help us get all the pieces of the puzzle glued together to culminate in the best story. He is contributing expert knowledge (and equipment for filming), and is involved in post-production elements.
Mark is a DGA (Director's Guild of America) documentary-maker based in LA.

1711215555_oli_harris_headshot-frame.jpegOliver Harris - Composer.

Oliver Harris is a composer and music producer based in London, UK. He brings an intimate, experimental and immersive approach to his scoring projects and releases his own music under the name OHMSAN.


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Rewards.

Check out our rewards - we've got a really cool original graphic art t-shirt for you, designed by the fabulous artist and printmaker Patrick Edgeley (www.antigraphic.biz). The print is white and we have a range of t-shirt colours available. We kinda like the orange. It is actually Ben's own brain scan featured.
We wear ours everywhere. You should get one, too!

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We're also offering an apron, because let's face it, you want to be stylish and practical in the kitchen, right? The apron is available in black and bottle green, featuring the same cool "Where's Your Head At? #TBI" graphic. 

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For reference:

During Covid-19 lockdown in early 2021, a short documentary film 'Ben Again' was made of co-Producer Ben Clench’s own journey as a TBI survivor; being the genesis for this new documentary. You can see the trailer for this here:


Ben's TedxBrighton talk from 2018:

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Rewards

This project offered rewards

£60 or more

60 Reward

60 quid, awesome. You get a very cool 'Brain scan "Where's Your Head At #TBI" graphic t-shirt, designed by Patrick Edgeley, plus your name will feature in the film credits, with many thanks!

£5 or more

£5 Reward

We thank you so much and may all your journeys be safe.

£10 or more

£10, £20, £30 Reward

We thank you so much, may all your journeys be safe, and may you dance with all the unicorns!

£50 or more

£50 Reward

There will no doubt already be unicorns in your life, and your name will appear in the film credits.

£80 or more

£80 Reward

How about a post-festivities visit to Brighton? Go coastal for some sea air & lovely walks along the beach; perhaps take a winter dip! We have a couple of Christmas prezzie special rewards for you in the form of an overnight stay for two (or 1, if you want to get away from it all!) in one of four lovely Brighton boutique hotels. www.innitrooms.com This stay is to the value of £70, plus an extra tenner gets you our cool reward t-shirt!

£100 or more

£100 Reward

100 quid, wow. You get the very cool 'Brain scan’ graphic t-shirt OR apron, because you want to look stylish in the kitchen, right? The apron is in black, and there's a selection of colours in the t-shirt. Your name will appear larger in the film credits.

£250 or more

£250 Reward

Your individual or company name gets 'Special Thanks' mention in BOLD in the credits, plus the cool graphic-art brain scan t-shirt/apron, too.

£500 or more

£500 Reward

We really do love you. Your company logo will appear in the credits, plus you get the cool 'Brain scan’ graphic t-shirt/apron, and the dancing unicorns, too!

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