The journey of creating a documentary often mirrors its subject matter. You start with a plan, but the real story—the light—is found in the moments you don’t expect. This was certainly true for my latest project, “How The Light Gets In.”
Born from a personal need for an anchor after the COVID pandemic, this documentary series combines slow-motion video portraits with revealing commentary from people about how they find light, love, and joy in their lives.
I began with a clear vision—who I would film, what it would look and sound like—but the deeper I got, the more I realized I was navigating without a map.
I’ve never been one for scripts. My process is more organic: I research, I create lists of questions and shots, but I let the narrative reveal itself in the editing room. For this project, I captured plenty of ideas that I scribbled in my notebook, but I still felt I needed a more tangible guide.
That’s when I discovered the potential of a mood board. It sounds like a marketing buzzword, but it turned out to be a powerful way to visualize the project – a collection of photos, videos, sounds, and colours that serve as a constant reminder of the film I wanted to create.
For example, I developed these colour palettes to be used across my social media channels for “How The Light Gets In”.
Perhaps the most influential element of my “mood map” is this video sketch I created about a formative time in my youth. It’s a personal story, but I believe the emotions it evokes are universal.
The first episode of “How the Light Gets In” called Love and Money launches on October 29.
To get you in the mood, here’s a peek inside my mind.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to my website or YouTube channel to receive notifications when new episodes are released.
Visually Speaking 