Nick Cornish’s Story: From hitting rock bottom to hitting the high notes transcript
Visual:
Quick scene montage of theatre lights turning on, sheet music flips, a conductor moves his hands and musicians play their instruments in an orchestra.
Scene changes to to a mountain biker riding on a hill, then to Nick Cornish being interviewed.
Transcript:
Nick: "I went down the track and I decided to go down a more difficult track that day."
Visual:
Dramatic music plays with more orchestral scenes. Montage then cuts to a mountain bike riding very fast down a narrow mountain gravel path.
Back to Nick talking to an interviewer off-screen.
Transcript:
Nick: "I approached the first hump and before I knew it I was elevated right in the air."
Visual:
Mountain biker hits a jump and is flying through the air in slow motion then cuts back to Nick being interviewed.
Transcript:
Nick: "And my body was going forwards over the handlebars..."
Visual:
Nick playing the oboe in the orchestra, then cuts back to Nick being interviewed.
Transcript:
Nick: "...and so my head hit the ground extremely hard."
Visual:
Point of view from a mountain biker losing control and crashing into the gravel track.
Transcript:
Nick: "It was a...it was a shocking experience."
Visual:
Mountain biker lying on the ground with bike wheel still spinning.
Transcript:
Nick: "My name is Nick."
Visual:
Nick is outside his home, looking directly at the camera.
Transcript:
Nick: "I am a professional musician and teacher - music teacher. I was a professionally trained oboe player, from the royal college of music.
Visual:
Images of Nick in hospital and x-rays of his injury.
Transcript:
Nick: "In 2015 I had a mountain biking accident and I broke my neck. I remember it pretty vividly, I was totally traumatised."
Visual:
Nick being interviewed
Transcript:
Nick: So when we got to the hospital, one of the doctors came in and told me I had broken my neck and that my neck was dislocated as well."
Visual:
Images of Nick in a neck brace on walks with his family.
Transcript:
Nick: "And I think probably the shock that resonates is more with the family than the individual. So I didn't have any choice but to sit there and let everybody do what they had to do to help me recover. I think the shock to the family is massive."
Visual:
Nick being interviewed, then cuts to him holding an oboe reed, then playing the oboe and back to being interviewed again.
Transcript:
Nick: "The first time I picked up my oboe I couldn't even hold it with my hand, it was just too heavy. I put my fingers on the keys and it was clear that that would be almost impossible for me to manipulate my fingers to play the notes that I wanted to."
Visual:
Close up of Nick playing the oboe
Transcript:
Nick: "And at that stage yeah, I was utterly crushed, I probably thought at that stage it was maybe the end of my oboe playing career."
Visual:
Close up of Nick playing the oboe, playing in an orchestra and talking to another musician.
Transcript:
Nick: "I pretty much broke down straight away realising I'd done something pretty awful to my fingers. I didn't know whether I was going to get that ability back."
Visual:
Nick being interviewed.
Transcript:
Nick: "There's a bit of a story with the glove I got given from ACC."
Visual:
Nick puts on the special glove, squeezes his hand closed then opens it again.
Words appear on-screen: 'Nick's injury limited the use of his right hand. A special glove helped to assist in regaining his mobility and strength.'
Transcript:
Nick: "Clearly it was going to help me because it was pulling my fingers back."
Visual:
Nick talking to an interviewer off-camera.
Transcript:
Nick: "But I was just absolutely stocked to be able to play again."
Visual:
Nick looking at his hand with the special glove on, closing and opening his fist, then talking to the interviewer off-camera again.
Transcript:
Nick: "It was encouraging me and I knew there was, sort of light at the end of the tunnel."
Visual:
Montage of scenes of Nick teaching oboe, servicing his mountain bike and playing in the orchestra.
Transcript:
Nick: "There was one wonderful doctor at Burwood who said to me: 'Never give up there is still hope that you can get your playing back.' He said: 'Be excited about every day. Feel excited about something.'
Visual:
More montage scenes of Nick making coffee, servicing his bike and teaching oboe.
Transcript:
Nick: "And that was just amazing to have someone say that when you are really low in your whole feeling and attitude to life and everything. Don't give up hope, never give up, always keep trying, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and work towards goals. Have set goals and work towards achieving those. You have to keep hoping and hoping against all the rational thoughts you may have."
Visual:
Nick is outside his house, smiling at the camera. Scenes changes to him playing the oboe in an orchestra.
Transcript:
Nick: "You just don't know what's going to happen. You just don't know."
Visual:
Nick playing his oboe with words appearing onscreen: "Nick no longer requires his glove to play the oboe. He's back playing with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, among other groups."
A shot looking into an orchestra playing, cutting to a close-up with Nick.
A theatre light shines amongst a black background.
Words appear onscreen: 'Over the last year, we supported 5,585 people in Aotearoa with serious injuries. And we invested in injury prevention programmes to help people stay safe.'
The theatre light turns off.
Words appear onscreen: 'Prevention. Care. Recovery.'
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