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17: Documentary Film Ethics - how is your relationship  with your character?

4/6/2021

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Workshop #17: Documentary Film Ethics - building the relationship and trust with your character
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Respect for your subjects, for your work, for your audience

It can't be stressed enough. Sadly it is NOT stressed enough. Ethical practice in documentary filmmaking is paramount.

Unfortunately as there is no regulation and no guidelines we need to set our own standards. As DIY filmmakers, nothing is stopping us from doing what we want and portraying our subjects in the way we want. Ethics are individual, what means one thing to one person means something else to another.
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Over the next few weeks, I will be looking more closely at how we can film ethically, as it is a subject close to my heart having worked on two full length documentaries with characters who have mental health issues.

We do have a responsibility to our subjects. Yet, the dilemma remains: How to be honest yet tell a story with a great narrative?


Here are some ethical points for us to think about when we are preparing to film our documentary
  • Do our subjects have their voice or are we editing the story and "putting words into their mouths." 
  • Are we misrepresenting what is being said?
  • Are we manipulating the truth or sensationalising segments or moments in the documentary to make it better?
  • Are we being honest with our audience?
  • If our subject/s are from vulnerable groups how are we showing their life?

I asked my friend and fellow filmmaker Tao Gu, who made the award-winning Chinese documentary Taming the Horse, which I had the honour to work on, to speak to me about working with Dong his friend and the main protagonist from his documentary. 

DOCUMENTARY TIP #1

The importance of the relationship between filmmaker and character
Thank you for passing by. Have a great week

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    Jeanne Pope

    Filmmaker, teacher, traveler and storyteller

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    Links to the Workshops
    1. How to find your documentary idea
    ​2. How to find your documentary approach
    3. Understanding the documentary genre
    4. Creating hybrid documentaries
    5. Understanding narrative storytelling
    ​6. How to film an unscripted documentary
    7. Tips and techniques for interviewing
    8.Why you need a release form
    9. How to use free public domain archives 
    10. Why write a documentary synopsis?
    11. Find funding for your documentary film 
    12. What documentary film equipment do you need? 
    13. Camera shots and techniques
    14. The Long Shot
    15. The Long Take
    16. Why you should use your cellphone
    17. Documentary film ethics
    18. Ways to fund your documentary
    ​19. Research or No research ?
    20. Digital storytelling Part 1
    ​21. Don't-overthink-your-documentary
    22. Ten tips to fine-tune your documentary
    23. Don't let your idea slip slide away 
    24. Give us more creativity for 2022
    25. Ethical code for documentaries
    26. Why a Pitch Deck is essential 
    27. Scrapbooking your memory
    28. Scrapbooking podcast 
    29. Digital-Storytelling Part 2
    30. The Paper Edit
    31. Location Scouting
    32. Genealogy and Documentary
    33. Reflecting on why we want to make documentaries
    34. How to make your documentary journey exciting 
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    Tips to help you find funding, grants and great film festivals
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Thank you dear Jeanne. It is an honour to have your creative thoughts which are printed in this film. With your love energy, passion and creative thoughts and encouragement this film can have its own soul finally. Thank you so much". ​Tao Gu - Taming the Horse
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"Jeannette taught me the tools I needed, never having made a documentary before. She gave so much time, patience to show me, guide me and share her creativity and skills with me."  Dr. Zou Qialing, Beijing Film Academy, Qingdao Campus
Free online streaming: English
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Jeannette helped me find a path and create energy with my material which I first found so difficult to handle. With her help to become interesting and wonderful. She is interesting in class, lively in class, often in communication with students, very popular with students. Jeannette is a very conscientious documentary teacher." TianHui Li,  award winning filmmaker, Beijing Film Academy graduate. Concordia University graduate




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