Case Study: Finding The Way Home (HBO)

Filming the Unspeakable with Sensitivity and Speed.

  • Project: Finding The Way Home
  • Format: Feature Documentary
  • Client: HBO / DCTV (New York)
  • Role: Location Producer (India) / Fixer
  • Location: Goa, India
  • Directors: Jon Alpert & Matthew O'Neill (Academy Award Nominees)
  • Inspiration: J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Foundation

Orphan Livya and foster mother Maria filming in Goa for HBO documentary Finding The Way Home.

The Challenge: High Stakes, Fragile Subjects

When HBO and J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Foundation set out to expose the painful realities of the eight million children living in orphanages globally, the brief for the India leg was delicate. The story focused on Livya, a young orphan, and Maria, her foster mother, in Goa.

This wasn't a shoot where you could arrive with a circus of trucks and lights. We were dealing with:

  • Vulnerable Subjects: Filming minors in state care requires navigating a minefield of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) permissions and ethical protocols. One misstep could traumatize the child or shut down the production.
  • The "Hollywood" Factor: With J.K. Rowling attached and narration by Eddie Redmayne, the production value had to be cinematic, yet the footprint had to be invisible. The Directors, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, are verifiable legends in the documentary world; they needed a partner who could match their pace, not a tour guide.
  • The Research Gap: The story wasn't fully formed. The client needed a partner on the ground to find the narrative thread before the cameras even rolled.

The Solution: The "Journalistic" Producer

We didn't just fix this shoot; we researched it. We operated less like Fixers and more like investigative journalists.

  1. Editorial Development

Long before the US team landed, we were on the ground in Goa conducting independent research. We recced orphanages, interviewed social workers, and pre-interviewed the subjects. We shaped the India segment's narrative, ensuring that when the Directors arrived, they weren't searching for the story—they were capturing it.

  1. The "Invisible" Infrastructure

To protect the emotional integrity of the scene, we stripped the production logistics to the bone. We utilized a low-profile, highly skilled local crew that understood the nuance of "fly-on-the-wall" filming. We managed the logistics—transport, accommodation, catering—flawlessly so that they became invisible, allowing the Directors to focus entirely on the emotional connection between Livya and Maria.

  1. Bureaucratic Navigation

Securing access to film inside care homes and with foster families in India is notoriously difficult. We managed the government relations with local authorities, ensuring all "Child Rights" protocols were met. We provided a shield of compliance that allowed HBO to operate legally and ethically in a high-risk environment.

The Outcome

Finding The Way Home premiered at Hudson Yards in New York to critical acclaim, shining a global spotlight on the institutionalization of children. The India segment was praised for its intimacy and hope.

We proved that we can handle the most sensitive of subjects with the highest level of care. We delivered a shoot that required the empathy of a social worker and the logistics of a studio producer.

What The Client Said

"Still so grateful for your work with us in Goa - and it was so fun!"

- Larissa Bills, Senior Producer | DCTV / HBO

The Official HBO Trailer...

 

Services Provided

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