By Jesse Graham
IN the hope of helping others, a Healesville man has told the story of his experience with depression and anxiety via a smartphone film featured at a festival in Sydney.
Adrian Jeffs documented his lifelong experience with mental illness in a short film, A Good Day to Die, which he shot completely on his iPhone 6 Plus.
The film features scenes from the Yarra Valley and around the state, while Mr Jeffs narrates his story of how living with depression and anxiety impacted his relationships and his life.
The aim of the film, Mr Jeffs said, was to reduce the stigma of talking about mental illness, to raise awareness and to help with suicide prevention.
“Every suicide has a tragic effect on family and friends,” are words that appear on the screen at the end of the film, along with statistics about suicide.
The film was featured over the weekend at SF3 (SmartFone Flick Fest) in Sydney, and though Mr Jeffs didn’t walk away with an award, he said he was pleased to have his film featured and to spread his message.
“I kind of put myself out there to be ridiculed, but it was about the message,” he said.
But the response to the video, he said, had been “amazing”.
“It was really interesting, from friends from back in the fun times, (they) never had any idea – so it shows how well it can be hidden,” Mr Jeffs said.
He urged people who might be experiencing symptoms of mental illness, or who need someone to talk to, to seek help in their friends, their family, and organisations such as beyondblue.
“They say suicide is a long-term solution to a short-term problem – you never know what the next stage is going to bring,” Mr Jeffs said.
SF3 is a festival dedicated to films shot entirely on smartphones, but Mr Jeffs said the method was a “whole new world of filmmaking” and that he used a grip, a microphone and a lens attached to his phone to create high-quality films from the device.
He said he was inspired by the “pocket filmmaking” movement and the work of Jason van Genderen.
“This is kind of my thank you to him – it’s come out better than I thought,” Mr Jeffs said.
To view Mr Jeffs’ film, visit youtu.be/hl_0_iRA43M.
Lifeline provides a 24-hour crisis support hotline on 13 11 14.
For more information about mental health support, visit www.beyondblue.org.au.
