The Thorn - A Documentary Video About My Health Problem

Published 2020-12-13
This documentary short film explores my struggle with the invisible illness of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for twenty eight (28) years. The title and framework of the film is based on an original song by me, the filmmaker, titled "The Thorn" which covers the stages and feelings that one goes through when dealing with a chronic and incurable illness.

This is the first time I have ever tried to make a documentary film and I have had no formal training in this sort of thing and didn't know much at all about film making. I have been an amateur photographer for about 3-4 years now but haven't done much in the way of video. After watching a documentary film put together by a family member I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. It took me about a week to put it together. It was definitely a learning experience but most of all was a lot of fun actually.

This was a "bare-bones" effort, with me doing everything by myself (filming, audio, titles, music search, editing, ...). I used the following equipment to put this together and was equipment I already had:

Camera: Canon EOS M-50
Lens: Canon EF-M 22mm f/2
Mic: Rode Video Micro
Audio Software: Audacity
Gimbal: Zhiyun Crane M-2
Tripod: Dolica Proline Aluminum - AX620B100
Light: Neewer Light Stand and Softbox

Video Processing Software: Adobe Premiere Elements 14

Practice your listening comprehension while watching this short film and use the subtitles if you need to.

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All Comments (6)
  • @pinkycocoon1457
    This was aesthetically done. I appreciate what you did. This documentary is full of valuable feelings and sagacity words. You have been through a lot, and i sure know it is strenuous to accept what happens to us in life. So, finding peace and tranquility in an unpretentious things is actually a blessing, like smelling roses and flowers, reading books, enjoy the fresh breeze of air and learning new things. most people are after money and fame, some of them are causing wars and many of them are sick inside with their hideous thoughts and their souls full of hatred. So, congratulations in finding harmony and amity in small and tiny things because with this way of thinking i can guarantee you that you will own the whole world in the palm of your hand. Please, take care and stay always with peace, even though it is tough we keep on trying and living.
  • Hola, amigo! Your Colombian follower is here again! I find your story quite inspiring. The way you share your condition and the developed resilience capacity is admirable. We are not always guilty about what happens to us, but we are always responsible for how we react to problems that involve our lives. I feel identified with your story because I have been struggling with my knees where one acute condition has passed to be a chronic condition. I used to have a dynamic life and do a lot of exercise, but I began to have pain in one of my knees and unfortunately last month I misstepped on my right leg and my healthy knee was affected. Complaining and questioning why these kinds of situations happen to us is natural. But it actually doesn't solve anything. This situation led me to learn how to just stop and smell the roses. Gradually I started to appreciate the most simple things in life and I noticed how filling they are. I reached the point that one morning walk is all that I need. Receiving sun rays, breathing fresh air, being grounded with earth, hearing the birds chirping. All these lead me to be quiet and energetic and enhance my productivity, and allow me to be connected with my own nature and the nature where I came from. I take advantage of this situation to learn and grow in other aspects in my life. For instance, I have been more committed with my English learning, and I recently began to learn programming. On the other hand, as a biologist who is quite interested in the relationship between microbiota and human health, your situation is very interesting to me and it is an important research area. I don’t know if you already know that gut microbiota play a key role in the development of this condition. Gut microbiota is quite important to our health. They don’t only regulate our gastrointestinal health and promote healthy immunity but recently there is a lot of growing scientific evidence claiming that gut microbiota could regulate our nervous and metabolic processes in several ways. Bacteria that live in our gut is conditioned by several factors, where nutrition is one of the most important. For instance, fibre is one of the macro-nutrient (if it is not the most important) that promotes a healthy gut microbiota composition. Nowadays, there is a worldwide deficiency in fibre daily intake. An average American takes 15 g/day, and according to USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, we should consume between 25 - 38 g/day. There are different kinds of fibre, but one of these types is called resistant starch. This is a sort of fibre that is not digested by us, but microbiota does. Once bacteria digests this fibre, they release several kinds of metabolic products (secondary metabolites). For instance, Short-Chain Fatty Acids can cross the blood barrier and travel through our body regulating the way our cells behave. Anyway, here I attach some scientific papers that I find interesting and that can attract your attention. Irritable bowel syndrome and gut microbiota https://sci-hub.se/10.1097/MED.0000000000000523 Dietary fiber in irritable bowel syndrome (Review) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5548066/pdf/ijmm-40-03-0607.pdf Gut microbiota-derived metabolites as key actors in inflammatory bowel disease https://sci-hub.se/10.1038/s41575-019-0258-z Un abrazo y espero que actualmente te encuentres mucho mejor. Gracias por este espacio.
  • @monjezentaito
    I know you feel better than before right now. By the way, I see you're practicing Yang style of tai chi. We share the same hobby, Gary. I do Chen style too. Please, take care and thanks for sharing. Greeting from Madrid.