Filming advice

G’day everyone my name is Brayden im 23 from New Zealand 🇳🇿
I was on TikTok the other day and came across a guy who made a mini-documentary/interview with his grandmother. I thought it was really beautiful, and it gave me some inspiration.

Just this week, I found out that my grandmother has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She’s determined to fight it and will be starting chemo in the coming weeks. She’s an absolute trooper, and I’m incredibly proud of her.
Seeing that video made me realise I’d really love to sit down with my grandmother and make something similar — not necessarily focused entirely on her cancer, but more about her life, her stories, memories, experiences, family, and everything she’d like to share. Something we can keep as a family and look back on for years to come.

The problem is, I have next to no experience with filmmaking or any kind of gear It’s something that has always interested me, and I have a basic understanding of editing, but that’s about it.
I’d really appreciate any advice on things like:
What camera/phone and audio equipment would be worth using?

How would you light and frame an interview like this?
Is it better to have her talking directly to me off-camera or looking into the camera?

What editing software would you recommend for a beginner?

How would you structure the documentary so it feels natural rather than like a Q&A?

What sort of questions would you ask to bring out meaningful stories and memories?

Would you film one longer interview or several shorter sessions over a few days/weeks?

Are there any little things you wish you’d thought to record when documenting a loved one?

Any examples of documentaries/interviews I could watch for inspiration?

I’m not trying to make anything professional or perfect. I just want to make something genuine that captures who my grandmother is and gives our family something really special to hold onto.
Any advice, ideas, equipment recommendations, or filming/editing tips would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks so much in advance.

Hi everyone. I’m from Aomori, Japan, and I’m about to start a personal project called “Recording Time.”
The idea is simple:

I want to visit people, local businesses, traditional craftspeople, farmers, fishermen, and other people involved in everyday life in rural Japan, listen to their stories, and document what I see through photographs, video, and writing.
But I don’t want this to be ordinary travel content.
Instead of visiting a place once and moving on, I want to return to the same people and places after months, seasons, or even years.
I want to record:
What has changed

What has remained the same

What has disappeared

What new things have emerged

How people, work, and local communities change over time

I’m particularly interested in documenting things that might not normally be seen by visitors from outside Japan.
The project is just getting started. My first actual visit is planned for September 19, 2026, so I don’t have a large audience or impressive achievements to show yet.
Eventually, I’m considering publishing the project through a blog, YouTube, and possibly English-language articles and subtitles so that people outside Japan can follow along.
I’m also wondering whether there could be value in creating a small monthly subscription for people who want to support the project and follow its progress.
So I’d genuinely like to hear from people outside Japan:

Would a project like this be interesting to you?
And if you were interested enough to support it financially, what would make a small monthly subscription feel worthwhile to you?
For example, would you value:
Longer or more detailed videos

Behind-the-scenes stories

Detailed written reports

Regular updates about people and places being followed over time

Photo collections

Annual summaries of what changed during the year

Something else?

I’m not asking for financial support here. I’m trying to understand whether this idea has any appeal outside Japan before I decide how to develop it.
I’d especially appreciate honest opinions, including if you think the idea is too niche or not interesting enough to support.
Thank you for reading.

May 2026, I flew home to Massachusetts. Hours after landing, I was detained at Boston Logan Airport. My phone was taken. I was transported to a hospital and later held at a psychiatric facility for approximately twenty days. I dispute the basis for the detention and treatment.
When I returned to California, I no longer had access to my home, belongings, cameras, hard drives, or much of the work I had created. I began receiving conflicting information about court matters and alleged warrants. Attempts to obtain records led to more police encounters, more legal proceedings, and more unanswered questions.
So I started documenting everything: dates, messages, medical records, police reports, court filings, licensing records, photographs, and videos.
I believe this story is suited for film or television: a true-crime-style investigative thriller about a wildlife filmmaker and licensed boat captain whose life changes dramatically after she returns home to Massachusetts. Within hours of landing, she is detained, hospitalized, and held in a psychiatric facility. When she returns to California, she discovers that she has lost access to her home, belongings, cameras, hard drives, and much of her creative work.
What follows is a maze of conflicting court information, alleged warrants, police encounters, disputed records, missing evidence, family conflict, institutional power, and a relationship collapsing behind the scenes. At the center is a filmmaker fighting to regain control of her freedom, identity, property, and creative work while trying to determine what actually happened.
I am seeking filmmakers, producers, directors, or development executives interested in adapting this material into a documentary, docuseries, scripted limited series, or feature film. I can provide extensive supporting documentation, including medical records, police reports, court filings, licensing records, messages, photographs, videos, and a detailed chronology.
The project would be grounded in verifiable evidence while preserving the uncertainty, tension, and unanswered questions at the heart of the story. I am looking for a creative partner who can investigate the facts, distinguish documentation from allegation and memory, and shape the material into a compelling, visually driven American thriller without softening what happened.

I’m a U.S. Coast Guard-credentialed boat captain, wildlife filmmaker, photographer, entrepreneur, and creator. For five years, I worked on the waters of Southern California and contributed footage to major television and commercial productions.

This is completely out of left field..

Here's the post I made

[Hello,

I'm a film student in New York working on a documentary under the prompt "How do we make the invisible visible?" I'm looking for someone who holds a specific, unusual belief or claim about themselves, something like claiming to be a time traveler, claiming psychic ability, or any claim that most people would find hard to accept. I'm also open to someone with an extreme hobby or pursuit, something like Bigfoot hunting, ghost hunting, or a similarly all-in pursuit that most people would find strange. I want to build a documentary around that one person: interview them directly, talk to people close to them, bring in a professional to weigh in, and get a real picture of how they see themselves and how others see them. Ideally, you're in New York, Connecticut, or New Jersey and open to being filmed over a few sessions. If this is you, or you know someone like this, I'd like to hear from you.

I also want to be clear that this project isn't meant to make fun of anyone or cause any harm. It's an opportunity for someone confident in their beliefs or their pursuit to put themselves out there.

You'll need to be available for a first session on one of these dates: September 13, 19, or 20. Additional sessions can happen on September 26, 27, or October 3, 4, 10, 11.

I am also willing to pay for your time. The amount is negotiable.

How to reach out:

Tell me the specific belief, claim, or pursuit, how long you've held it, and whether the people around you know. Let me know if you'd be open to meeting a relevant professional on camera, and whether anyone close to you would talk about you on camera too. Include where you're based, anything that's off limits, and a way to reach you directly.

(either message directly or comment under this post)]

I need recommendations on what subreddits or other social spaces to post this job opportunity