Some of the strongest documentary stories begin by understanding why someone is doing something, not simply documenting what they’re doing.
When Kelly Mazzarella decided to return to the Boston Marathon years after running it twice in memory of her mother, Chaze Films helped uncover and tell the personal story behind that decision.
From pre-production and story development through the interview, b-roll production and post-production editing, we created a mini-documentary connecting Kelly’s experience with her mother, her own journey into motherhood and her decision to run once again.
The finished documentary also supported Kelly’s fundraising campaign for Dana-Farber, helping her successfully surpass her fundraising goal.
Finding the Story Behind the Runner
Before filming, one of the most important parts of the process was understanding Kelly’s story and what returning to the Boston Marathon meant to her.
She had run the marathon twice before, at ages 21 and 23, after losing her mother. Both times, she raised money for Dana-Farber, where her mother had received treatment.
At that point in Kelly’s life, running gave her something tangible she could do with her grief.
But years later, her reason for returning had changed.
Kelly was now a mother of four herself.
Becoming a parent gave her an entirely different perspective on what her own mother must have experienced while undergoing treatment and facing the possibility of not being there to watch her children grow up.
That realization became the emotional center of the documentary.
Building the Story Around Her “Why”
The Boston Marathon provided the setting for the story, but the documentary wasn’t really about running 26.2 miles.
It was about why Kelly was running them.
Her mother’s treatment had given their family additional time together. Now Kelly saw her fundraising as an opportunity to potentially help another family receive that same gift.
As she asks toward the end of the story:
“Can we give them more time in their own lives?”
That idea allowed the story to move beyond one runner, one marathon or even one fundraising campaign.
It became a story about family, loss, perspective and how our understanding of our parents can change as we move through different stages of our own lives.
Combining Documentary Interviews With B-Roll
Once we understood the story we wanted to tell, production included an in-depth interview with Kelly along with b-roll that could visually support her journey.
Training and running footage established the physical commitment behind preparing for the Boston Marathon, while the interview carried the emotional narrative.
During post-production, we brought those elements together into a concise mini-documentary that allowed Kelly’s story to unfold naturally.
The fundraising message became part of that story rather than the entire story itself.
Documentary Storytelling With a Purpose
Documentary video production doesn’t always require a feature-length film or a large production crew.
Sometimes a compelling short documentary begins with one person, one experience and the right questions to uncover why their story matters.
For Kelly, the Boston Marathon provided a powerful backdrop. But the heart of the story was the connection between losing her mother, becoming a mother herself and wanting to help other families have more time together.
The finished film gave her a way to share that story while simultaneously supporting her fundraising efforts for Dana-Farber.
And ultimately, those efforts helped Kelly surpass her fundraising goal.
For Chaze Films, the project demonstrates how thoughtful pre-production, interviewing, b-roll and editing can transform someone’s personal experience into a short documentary designed not only to tell a story, but to give that story a purpose.
