Baring It All
Documentary on breast cancer survivors and their scars.
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A documentary titled *Baring It All* follows fashion photographer David Jay and his work on The SCAR Project, which consists of photographic portraits of young women at different points in their battles with breast cancer and other hormone-related cancers. Patricia Zagarella of Lost In Vision Entertainment directed the film. The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) acquired it for their "Style Exposed" documentary series after obtaining the rights, and it premiered on the network on July 9, 2011. The documentary examines Jay’s reasons for starting this project, which marked a shift from his usual fashion photography, and profiles four women who agreed to be part of The SCAR Project. These subjects posed nude, revealing scars from mastectomies, reconstructive surgery, and other cancer-related procedures.
The film addresses themes of body image after cancer, aiming to present "a story of acceptance, a journey of rediscovery and a celebration of life." Jay launched The SCAR Project after photographing a friend who had a mastectomy; he was surprised to find that the experience also helped her. Many other women who were photographed reported similar feelings, gaining a sense of pride and strength from the portrait sessions. The documentary also examines the physical and emotional scars that cancer leaves behind. The SCAR Project’s name is an acronym for "Surviving Cancer. Absolute Reality," and its promotional materials often carry the tagline "Breast cancer is not a pink ribbon." According to OWN’s summary, the film explores the lives of these young women and their new reality, showing how cancer has affected them and their loved ones, and what motivates them to be photographed at their most vulnerable.
Zagarella learned about The SCAR Project through a mutual acquaintance and, alongside co-producer Nicola Bates, began work on the documentary. For much of the production, the working title was *Don’t Look Away*. As the film was being finalized for OWN, network producers suggested a title change to something they felt better reflected the subject matter. During the photo shoots featured in the film, only female crew members were present to help the portrait subjects feel more at ease. Mia Barker and Ben Wolf served as cinematographers.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Patricia Zagarella
- Starring
- David Jay / Marcy Emmons / Michaela Klose / Sylvia Soo / Vanessa Tiemeier
- Music
- Don DiNicola
- Cinematography
- Ben Wolf / Mia Barker
- Editing
- Oliver Lief
- Studio
- Lost In Vision Entertainment
- Released
- 9 July 2011
- Runtime
- 47 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Baring It All deals with themes of body image post-cancer, striving to be "a story of acceptance, a journey of rediscovery and a celebration of life." Jay began The SCAR Project with a portrait of a friend who had undergone a mastectomy and was surprised to learn that the subject also found the photo shoot beneficial. Many of the women photographed reported similar responses, finding pride and strength through the process of portraiture. The film also explores the reality of cancer and its aftermath of physical and emotional scars. The SCAR Project's name itself is an acronym for "Surviving Cancer.
Reader's Guide
Zagarella learned of The SCAR Project through a mutual friend and, with co-producer Nicola Bates, soon began work on the project. During much of the filming and production the film's working title was Don't Look Away. Later, when the film was being finalized through Style, the network producers suggested changing it to what they felt was more representative of the subject matter. During filming of the women's photo shoots, only female crew members were used in order to keep the portrait subjects more comfortable. Cinematographers were Mia Barker and Ben Wolf. In post-production, Baring It All was edited by Oliver Lief with sound by Peter Ring and music by Don DiNicola, incorporating several songs from recording artist Christina Blust. The film has been screened at several film festivals, including the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and Toronto's Breast Fest Film Festival. In 2012 Baring It All received a Daytime Emmy Award.
Did You Know?
- Only female crew members were used during filming of the women's photo shoots.
- The SCAR Project acronym stands for 'Surviving Cancer. Absolute Reality.'
- The film received a Daytime Emmy Award in 2012.
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