people's poet
award-winning documentary, animation and narrative film storytelling from within the mental health community and beyond
award-winning documentary, animation and narrative film storytelling from within the mental health community and beyond
people's poet is mostly me, Tim Mercier, an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for nurturing and delivering excellent film storytelling from within the mental health community.
I bring years of experience as a successful film and television director and my lived-experience of mental health challenges and engagement with mental health services too.
I believe in the power of personal film storytelling as a component of healing and recovery for people living with mental distress.
Listening is at the heart of all I do as a filmmaker. It's how I discover an authentic and unique voice with which to tell someone's story, or find compelling solutions to a client's communication needs.
My films are distinctive and made with impact in mind. They create context and opportunity for public conversations that challenge attitudes, break down stigma and build understanding.
My films engage and inspire the people who deliver mental health services too, through staff screenings and workshops that help shape better practice, service-user experience and improve health outcomes.
If you think a community-based film storytelling project might be of value to your community, service-users, or even your staff, I’d be delighted to talk things through with you.
I can help you design and deliver powerful and authentic 'service-user co-production' through pragmatic, safe and effective film storytelling projects.
I can work with you and your clients to create impactful short form screen content for social media – it’s where most people go now for support and advice on mental health.
If you have other film communication needs on mental health matters, I’d be delighted to work with you to bring your screen content ideas to life.
I can work with you and your clients to design workshops/materials that ensure your film and its messages find and connect with their intended audiences.
I offer smartphone storytelling workshops wherein participants discover film production tools for their smartphone and learn how to craft their own screen stories.
A long term community based mental health film storytelling project that had a remarkable and lasting impact on its participants' lives, their community, and upon mental health services locally and is used in both clinical and nursing staff 'trauma-informed' training settings.
A volunteer recruitment film commissioned by a charity that offers counselling services for survivors of childhood sexual abuse in rural Scotland
Tim's multiple award winning short documentary about his own experience of childhood trauma and its impact on his adult life - it has been used frequently as a teaching aid in psychologist training in trauma informed practice.
A uniquely up-close and personal story of a service-users journey through an NHS clinical trial of 'Peer-supported Open Dialogue' - a radical approach to the organisation and delivery of mental health services. This is a short taster of a feature film currently in production.
For inquiries into my work or my availability, please use the form to contact me. I thank you for your interest, and I will do my best to get back to you soon!
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