Tara Troy is an award-winning filmmaker, but on December 3, 2021, she heard the words, “You have cancer,” for the second time in her life. This diagnosis led to a colon resection, a partial hysterectomy, and 12 rounds of chemotherapy.
What does this have to do with filmmaking? Actually, a lot.
One of the scariest things about cancer was this: When Tara thought of her future, it was blank. Everything she read about chemotherapy suggested she would never be the same. She was no longer just scared of death; she was scared of living.
Then she remembered a script she had been working on. It became her “why” to get through chemotherapy and live again.
It took a year after treatment to wrap production on “A Moment in Time,” her second short film and directorial debut.
Why did it take so long? Let’s talk about filmmaking and how it relates to Tara’s top 5 lessons that she learned through her cancer journey.
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
If she had to go through cancer treatment again (something she fervently hopes never to face), Tara would hire an assistant to coordinate everything: food, medicine, antibiotics, laundry, work—the list goes on and on. She had to anticipate her every need and want after treatment.
The same goes for pre-production – to the best of your ability, PLAN AHEAD. Tara wrote and produced “A Moment in Time”. Therefore, her pre-production included crowdfunding, cast and crew hiring, and location scouting while she was still revising and finalizing the script. Tara suggests putting a solid plan in place before hiring crew, but always have Plan B through Z in your back pocket. The beauty of filmmaking is that YOU are making it happen. The terror of filmmaking is YOU are making it happen, so plan, plan and plan some more.
GET THE RIGHT TEAM
On the afternoon of her colorectal cancer diagnosis, Tara’s gastroenterologist, whom Tara considers an angel, called to introduce Tara to the finest team of surgeons her doctor could secure. Tara’s doctor didn’t take away her agency; it was Tara’s choice to follow the recommendations.
Tara chose each member of her medical team because they had the expertise she didn’t have and were willing and patient enough to answer all of Tara’s questions (which were many) and collaborate with Tara to get her healthy.
The right team can make or break a film shoot. When Tara interviewed potential department heads for her film—and they interviewed her as well, as it should be—Tara didn’t hide the fact that this was her directorial debut. Like her doctors, she wanted a team that possessed the expertise she didn’t have and the willingness and patience to make “A Moment in Time” a reality.
HAVE A CLEAR VISION AND FIGHT FOR IT
When Tara felt sick, too tired to even stand in the shower, or couldn’t exercise, taking “A Moment in Time” from paper to film got Tara through. She didn’t have a vague vision of life after treatment; she had a fully detailed vision of her life after treatment. Armed with that, she fought to become the person she envisioned—someone healthy enough to make “A Moment in Time” and make it well. Despite setbacks and uncertainties in her treatment and recovery, Tara never stopped fighting for the vision she held in her heart and her mind.
Days before the scheduled shoot, Tara still didn’t have her main location. She found a spot that fit the budget; the cinematographer said it could work and it was available when needed. But it just didn’t feel right for the vision she had in her head. With days left before shooting, she said no and was left without a main shooting location.
She went back to the beginning, back to the foundation, started from scratch, and found the perfect location at an even better price.
RIDE THE ROLLER COASTER
Nothing could prepare Tara for the strange side effects of treatment:
- The mouth pain upon taking her first bite of food
- The random bone and body aches
- The numbness in her fingers and toes
Her oncologist adjusted her medication, but most of the time, she had to ride the ride and wait for it to stop.
Yes, Tara had found the perfect main shooting location, but it came with one caveat – limited shooting time. Tara reorganized the script to shoot as many scenes consecutively as possible to conserve time between shooting setups. But before she knew it, lunchtime had hit, and her shot list didn’t look much shorter. After freaking out for about 5 minutes (we are all entitled), she rallied her team, reviewed the shot list and made a final decision of what shots were critical to grab before breaking for the day.
Sometimes, you plan and plan, secure an excellent collaborative team, fight for the vision in your head, and things still fall apart.
Take your moment, come up with Plan AA, and trust your gut!
KEEP THE FAITH
Tara only surrounds herself with people who hold and can hold her vision with her. She did what she needed to do to be who she needed to be. Anyone who didn’t believe in what she believed in was removed from her circle. Tara fought to hold onto her faith as she fought to hold onto her vision.
There were days when she felt lost. This applies to both cancer treatment and filmmaking.
Tara was still short of her crowdfunding goal at midnight, just 8 hours before the campaign ended. She had emailed, called, and texted everyone at least four times for donations. She didn’t know what else to do and didn’t know what to do at midnight.
She fought the feelings of failure and chose faith.
During the night, a friend from LA and Shanghai, who she had heard nothing from during the crowdfunding campaign, contributed the final funds. By 8 a.m., the goal was surpassed. Faith wins again!
Where is Life Now?
Tara has been in remission for two years and feels great. Life is better now than before the cancer diagnosis. She not only survived. She thrived.
Post-production for “A Moment in Time” is complete and the film will be on the international film festival circuit in 2025. She prays to have it on a film screen somewhere near you soon. Since shooting “A Moment in Time”, she has written a feature film and a pilot.
To stay in touch with Tara and receive updates on the film, visit “A Moment in Time” website.
Published By: Aize Perez
