Can A Controversial Boarding Campus Help Lift Lower-income Students Out Of Poverty? - Free Websites, Share News And Posts Publicly

Hi,

Fly-on-the-wall is my favourite documentary genre. But it sure can be painful.

On the production of Dare To Dream, a series about a new controversial boarding campus exclusively for children from lower-income families, the crew and I spent over a year showing up on location without a script, constantly searching for scenes that would unfold to tell a meaningful story.

The camera rolled continuously for hours, even days, to capture a single key moment. For instance, 14-year-old introvert Rayyan had been battling low self-esteem for years. Months into our shoot, we could sense he was finally opening up – and it was extremely rewarding when we captured him laughing with his new friends for the first time on camera.

It was awkward thrusting ourselves into intimate settings when our characters were experiencing grief, shame, rage or confusion. Nick, 14, had several heated run-ins with authority figures, which were uncomfortable to witness. Estee, a programme officer, broke down after being overwhelmed by the weight of her responsibilities.

What kept us going was believing that the resulting story would be authentic, engaging and impactful, made up of profound real-life moments: Children discussing their struggles with body shaming, bullying, racism and gangs. Staff supporting each other through the demands and sacrifices of working in social services.

We spent over 500 hours capturing their stories. This was one of the most challenging and rewarding productions I’ve worked on, as we had to not only earn the trust of the children and their parents, but also win over the staff and board members of =DREAMS

I’m grateful to all of them for their courage and belief in us to share their stories with the world.

Mak CK

Director, Editor & Producer, Dare To Dream

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