Project Recap: Face It TOGETHER
We always enjoy an opportunity to work with clients on multiple projects—particularly when there’s still more of a great story to share. We first collaborated with Face It TOGETHER (FIT) through a Bush Prize for Community Innovation micro-documentary in 2014. Needless to say, when FIT approached us about helping them with a new project—this time on a national level—we were excited to work with them again.
Although the purpose was slightly different this time around, the stories were no less powerful.
The Project
Face It TOGETHER treats addiction differently. They offer free, non-clinical, peer-to-peer addiction management support. Basically, it’s a collaborative, community-based approach to helping people with drug and alcohol addiction get well.
Of course, to really understand what Face It TOGETHER does, you need to hear the stories of the people whose lives have been changed by the program. Our goal: to help them tell those stories—focusing on the impact of FIT’s Workplace Initiative—through a 4-6 minute short film.
The project needed to highlight how a corporate culture that supports addiction treatment benefits everyone involved—employee, employer, and the organization as a whole.
The Look and the Gear
We didn’t just want to talk to our subjects in front of a camera. We wanted to capture them in their real lives—both at work and outside of work. By presenting the subjects both in work environments and engaging in their personal interests, we were able to humanize the usual stereotypes that come with the stigma of addiction.
Visually, we paired vintage lenses with the RED Epic—a digital cinema-grade camera. This combination helped reduce some of the harsh digital edge often associated with the RED, providing a more natural and tactile feel. We split the action between locked down and handheld shots as a way to provide different visual contexts in and out of the workplace.
We also gave each subject his or her own chapter. This was a way to communicate that each person's journey to wellness is important and unique.
The Outcome
This piece plainly lays out the opportunity Face It TOGETHER presents for businesses and employers. Demonstrating how FIT not only helped the subjects overcome addiction but also helped them become more valuable employees was a key goal.
In this case, it was more than just sharing each person’s path to recovery—it was clearly demonstrating just how important that success is for everyone involved.
The People
Erika, Julie, and the rest of the team at Face It TOGETHER were wonderful to work with. Their passion for providing avenues of recovery to those suffering with addiction made the path for this story more accessible. To put it simply, the work they do—addressing each person’s immediate needs as well as debunking larger social stigmas and misconceptions about addiction—is nothing short of true innovation.
Wrapping Up
We want to thank Face It TOGETHER for the opportunity to help share just a small facet of their work and their passion. There’s nothing more satisfying than working with clients whose mission truly makes a difference for the community, and this was no exception.