How Amanda Makes Films

Creative Collaboration

Amanda believes that creating a film is a partnership. A film is not only a creative tool to raise awareness, but a strategic opportunity to build relationships. Amanda's own lived experience going through the mental health care system drives her passion and values connecting with people and systems. On every film project, Amanda works closely with the client, interviewees, and her network of relevant organizations to explore opportunities.

Production steps include:

Kick-off: discuss vision, goals, audience, timeline, budget
Pre-production: storyboards, interviews prep, onsite logistics
Production: conduct interviews, onsite audio-visual recording
Post-production: editing and client review rounds
Promotion: activate distribution & promotion plan

Empathy Produced

Amanda is mindful that interviewees are often sharing vulnerable stories, or educating on important mental health subjects. She coaches and supports interviewees throughout the production process, helping them to feel comfortable with their story and style of expression. Amanda has been on both sides of the camera, so she gets it. As an editor, she is mindful of how what is said in the interview translates in post-production.

Practices include:

Consent
Strategic sharing
Trauma-informed
Identity driven

Connection is Key

Amanda takes pride in 'The How' films are made. Building trust and connection is key to conducting interviews and capturing vulnerability in safe and effective manners. This not only produces more powerful and authentic films, but also offers meaningful experiences for clients and film subjects. Filmmaking has the power to bring together people, community, and foster partnerships on a larger scales.

Theory to Practice

As both a filmmaker and researcher, Amanda considers social psychology and creative ways to deliver prosocial health messages to positively influencing awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors. Examples include:

Entertainment Education
- A type of narrative messaging intervention that emotionally involves the viewer in the storyline and aims to effect social change (individual, community, or societal)
Transportation Theory (Green & Brock)
- The extent that individuals are absorbed into a story (identification)
The Identification Scale (Cohen)
- The extent to which viewers identify with a character
Entertainment Overcoming Resistance Model (Moyer-Guse).
- The narrative format increases absorption in the story, reducing resistance to the messaging.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty, Cacioppo, Shrum)
- Immersive engagement making it easier to influence beliefs, attitudes, and behavior.
Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura)
- The most commonly applied theory in the area of entertainment-education

Film Ambassador

As a professional public speaker and mental health leader, Amanda goes beyond her role as a filmmaker - serving as a passionate ambassador of her projects and the causes they represent. She leverages her connections and platform to raise awareness on larger scales.

How Amanda Makes Films

A short film series

Mental Health & Storytelling

Filmmaker | Social Entrepreneur | Speaker

Creative Collaboration

Production steps include:

Empathy Produced

Practices include:

Connection is Key

Theory to Practice

Film Ambassador

Film Gallery

Technology & Adolescent Mental Wellness

Youth Psychosis & Schizophrenia

Art & Recreation Therapy

Blogs

When We Listen and Engage, We Begin to See Change

America’s Fractured Mental Healthcare System Amidst the New Norm

How it started: Rebuilding Butte Short Documentary

Drew’s Story With Schizophrenia

Mental Health Innovation