[Branded Documentary - Invisalign] After missing bronze by 1/100th of a second at the 2016 Paralympic games, Austin-based swimmer Lizzi Smith shares an intimate story of how changing her self-perception didn’t just bring her back to the pool - it’s bringing hope to the next generation.
Full film available on request x karl@karlstelter.com
Awards
— Gold Clio: Diversity in Storytelling
— Gold Clio: Branded Content - Film
— Silver Clio: Athlete Storytelling
— Shortlisted Clio: Film 5min and Over, Directing
— Austin Film Festival 2024
Featuring: Lizzi Smith
Para Swimmer, 3x Paralympian
Director: Karl Stelter
Client: Invisalign
Production Company: Journeymen Studios, TFA Group
Executive Producers: Karl Stelter, Jay Snyder, Joe Simon
Production
Producers: Karl Stelter, Jay Snyder, TFA Group
Cinematography: Joe Simon
1st AC: Kelly Wourms
2nd AC: Kyle Decker
Gaffer: Daniel Leonard
Production Sound: Taylor Juarez
Production Assistant: Tony Stolfa
Post-Production
Editor: Karl Stelter
Music: Christy Carew Marshall
Sound Design: Colton Jackson
Color: Arianna Shining Star
VFX: Danny Shepherd
Directors Statement
Lizzi had done films before, but through early conversations she shared that she’d never felt like she got to tell the story she wanted to - it was always through someone else’s point of view. So that became our north star for the film. We would not be interviewing family, coaches, partners, or anyone else.
This would be focused exclusively on Lizzi.
Our next question was asking what she wanted to say with the film - and she shared that more than anything, she wanted kids, specifically young women in sports, to come away from the film believing in themselves. Something she had worked her whole life to uncover, that is still a process for her - and she wanted to share that too. That it was OK to be on a journey.
From here we decided to put the audience in Lizzi’s head using every tool available - visually, aurally, and musically, we would immerse the audience in her perspective so they could go on Lizzi’s journey with her. They could feel what it was like to lose at Rio through a surreal memory sequence. They could hope to medal - and then realize that’s not what they were chasing. And they could emerge from the water, a place Lizzi had used to hide her arm as a child, and share their story on a world stage.
And we knew the ending needed to talk to that little girl who felt so lost and alone, one-on-one, because that little girl was Lizzi.
Lizzi’s entire journey is a story of learning to believe in yourself, to have confidence in who you are and your story - and through a very light touch with the brand (Invisalign), we experience Lizzi going from a girl who was scared to smile - to a woman who is proud to smile on both a podium, and in front of a crowd of kids.
