When the Olympic Committee contacts you to produce a short documentary based on the life and trials of a world class athlete, it’s not the sort of thing you turn down. That why director Ned Donohoe, alongside battle-hardened documentary cinematographer Levin Mundinger, led the charge on our latest film campaign for the world’s greatest sporting institution, covering everything from mental health to chicken pesto pasta.
For snowboarder Belle Brockhoff, Olympian in question, it’s not a matter of how much you train, but simply how. At the time of writing Melbourne remains gripped in unremitting lockdown, and can proudly (or perhaps dejectedly) say that it takes the world title for the longest period spent in the existential loop de loop that is our day to day lives.
But while it’s easy for us to complain about the extensions on the extensions (we are filmmakers, after all), a huge dollop of respect must be afforded to athletes like Belle, who despite her hard work in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, must also compete against hardcore restrictions, social distancing protocols, and curfews which prematurely button the evenings of this formidable city.
“Belle was an open book, and just as passionate about telling her story as we were.We dealt with some pretty dark topics in Belle’s story such as her serious battles with depression and anxiety. If they don’t want to go there, I respect that and move on. In Belle’s case, she is deeply passionate about spreading mental health awareness, so we were privileged to capture her opening up.”
“As a director, one also has to be honest and ask themselves if this delicate information is even serving the story. I think in modern documentary and journalism there can be an ethos of ‘darker and more vulnerable is better’ which isn’t always necessarily the case –– each story should be assumed as unique and treated accordingly.
Being our third documentary campaign together, Levin and I now have a great understanding of each other’s styles and what we can both bring to a project.
Despite a large majority of the shooting being handheld and vérité, Levin and I performed a recce to explore how we could elevate the cinematic potential of the activities we’d be capturing through more considered and constructed B-Roll –– work that was well worth exercising.”
After the first time I worked with Levin, we had an instant rapport. He’s very skilled, but also brings a calming and respectful energy on set –– a quality that shouldn’t be underestimated.Being our third documentary campaign together, Levin and I now have a great understanding of each other’s styles and what we can both bring to a project.
Getting back to shooting after a lockdown imposed hiatus reminded us why we love to tell stories, and in the way that we do.
Belle’s journey is still in its infancy but already rich in narrative. She has the makings of someone quite special: who’s been dealt a frankly unfair hand
but despite the setbacks has managed to keep an unconditionally positive attitude, not to mention a ferocity in her approach to training, life, and relationships.
Belle is a winner. Five seconds on interview footage is enough to tell you that. A winner in life, and generosity of spirit.
We won’t be surprised to see her mount a podium.
