When I start talking about story, inevitably the topic turns to one of the characters I’ve met or places I’ve been. I’m fascinated by the way two creatures from opposite sides of our twirling rock can exhibit such emotional warmth and openness, even when our time together is brief.

Think about it: if you were in a southeast Asian jungle and smiled at an approaching elephant or tiger, would you expect it to smile back? (Answer: not unless the tiger was grinning in anticipation of a forthcoming snack.) Yet, when I travel—like on a recent filming trip to India—we exchange smiles, and more. As people we share many of the same hopes, fears and “human” attributes with barely an introduction. This is the beauty of human contact.

While my trip to India wasn’t specifically web-related, it was about sharing a human story—which is our passion here at Domain7. I was there for two reasons: to direct a documentary that will help two children’s homes in the area, and to share what I know with a crew of fledgling filmmakers. Our subject was the journey of a girl—now a successful fashion stylist in Delhi—finding her way home to her 90 “brothers and sisters” at the orphanage where she grew up. It’s a story about the figurative and literal things that make up home: the places, people, and relationships—the fragile fabric that holds us together.

We had an amazing journey full of twists and turns and unexpected setbacks… the start of a great story. Here’s a taste of the footage we filmed along the way.