Patricia Aufderheide and Colleagues: How Do Documentary Filmmakers Actually Work with Participants?

Language: English with simultaneous interpretation.

Recent ethical controversies and manifestos have focused on how documentary filmmakers should treat the people in their films. But how do filmmakers work with participants today? And how do participants experience these relationships?

Drawing on surveys of almost 700 U.S. filmmakers and 200 documentary participants, Patricia Aufderheide and her colleagues will present findings from their research, including a new analysis identifying four distinct patterns in filmmakers’ approaches to working with participants. What shapes these different practices, and what do they reveal about the ethical choices filmmakers make? The presentation will be followed by a discussion of their implications for documentary filmmaking.