Department of Health: Real Stories of Quitting Smoking
Use this as a referenceThe Brief: Hearing from People with Lived Experience
The Department of Health’s Stories of Ex-Smokers series gives personal accounts a place alongside public health information. Darkroom Studio was commissioned to find and record participants discussing smoking, illness and the impact on their lives and families. The films centre on their own experiences.
The Approach: Listening Closely to Difficult Experiences
The series covers four subjects, using direct documentary interviews to record the participants’ experiences:
Living with Physical Changes: In the laryngeal cancer film, Mr Tong speaks using an electronic voice aid after surgery. The camera gives him time to communicate and records the changes that he describes in his everyday life. In the In the bladder cancer film, Mr Cheung shows his urostomy bag and speaks about living with the lasting effects of treatment.
Attention to Personal Feelings: The second-hand smoke film follows a young mother reflecting on her baby’s asthma and exposure to smoke. Her account brings the effect on family members into the campaign through a personal perspective. The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease film follows an older participant describing breathlessness during everyday activity and its effect on his quality of life.
A Measured Visual Approach: Subdued colours and steady interview framing keep attention on the participants. The edit avoids unnecessary visual flourishes, allowing pauses, expressions and individual words to carry the stories.
The Finished Series: Personal Stories for Public Health Communication
The short films provide personal testimony for the Department of Health’s smoking-cessation communication. They invite viewers to reflect on smoking and seek support through stories told by people with direct experience.
About the Department of Health’s Stories of Ex-Smokers Films
Year: 2021
Q&A
How does the series approach public health communication through personal stories?+
The series places participants at the centre, using real-life testimony in short documentary films. Darkroom Studio’s interviews allow people to reflect on illness, family relationships and changes in their lives. Accounts of support and recovery can provide a constructive perspective alongside discussion of the difficulties the participants have faced.
How did Darkroom Studio approach interviews with people who were not professional performers?+
The production sought to create a relaxed interview setting and used a naturalistic approach to reduce the pressure of being on camera. Soft lighting and a shallow depth of field keep attention on facial expressions, allowing small reactions to family support, difficult memories and personal achievements to remain visible.
What can personal storytelling contribute to a public health campaign?+
Stories place information in a recognisable human context. The series uses empathy to connect with viewers through different experiences, including concern for family and hopes of returning to valued activities. Hearing other people reflect on change can provide an approachable starting point for considering one’s own situation and seeking support.
- Client
- Department of Health / Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office
- Project
- Stories of Ex-Smokers campaign
- Services
- Documentary production, interviews and public health campaign films
- Date
- 2022-05-30
