Filming in progress at HOpe Centre for documentary on mental health

Regular visitors to the HOpe Centre on the Lions Gate Hospital campus may have seen a film crew on site last week.

Producer Melanie Wood and her small crew have started filming for a documentary series called Living In HOpe. Aimed at giving an intimate and compassionate look into the world of mental health, producer Melanie and her team from Stranger Productions will spend the next year capturing the daily life of patients and those who support them.

Albeit different in topic and intensity, the series and digital media project will be similar in style to the hugely successful documentary series Emergency Room: Life + Death at VGH, which aired its second season on the Knowledge Network last year. (Living in HOpe will also air on the Knowledge Network when it is completed.)

Privacy is a top priority and proper consent will be obtained before any footage of staff or patients is used in the film. Signage will also be placed around the HOpe Centre to ensure people are aware of the filming. Contact Tanis Evans, Interim Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, Coastal (tanis.evans@vch.ca) with any questions or comments.

Inspiration for the documentary

Melanie was partly motivated to create the documentary by a friend of her daughter’s. In the above photo taken in 1992, Melanie’s daughter is celebrating her fourth birthday. She’s the one in light blue with the big grin on her face.

“As they dance around, we can see her dark-haired friend in the pink flowers,” explains Melanie. “Two little girls from similar backgrounds playing ring around the roses. Twenty-three years later my daughter has a good job and is getting married. Her friend had her first psychotic episode in her teens and has spent much of her 20s in psychiatric institutions.”

Through the stories of patients, their families, friends and frontline staff and physicians, Melanie hopes to provide audiences with a compelling and empathetic peek into the world of a psychiatric in-patient facility.

Just a week into filming and Melanie says all is going well.

“Our first day of filming for the production went very well. I love being at HOpe,” says Melanie. “The patients are great to be around and somehow remind me how to enjoy the joyful moments. My small crew fell completely in love with the project on that first day of filming. The staff and doctors have been very welcoming and I look forward to spending more time at HOpe Centre and visiting all its community programs.”

For more information on the documentary, contact Melanie Wood at mwood@strangerproductions.ca.