Collaboration and ethics in documentary filmmaking – a case study

Abstract

It is my experience that industrial constraints and pressures can impinge on a documentary maker's ability to behave ethically towards participants. How then would or should one behave if free of such constraints? My documentary Hope was made without broadcaster involvement and provided an opportunity to work collaboratively with its central participant and reflect on this process through a Masters by Research thesis. A collaborative approach gives participants space to take initiatives and share in the shaping and ownership of the film. The filmmaker has a responsibility to work transparently, right through to the final product, so that audiences can judge the film's ethical stance. Using H..