25: Your ethical documentary film manifesto - make it count for something

• Grasping ethical documentary filmmaking is difficult, for there are no standards, no code, nowhere to turn to. If you were studying cinematography you could go online and find out about lens, framing, the type of camera which will suit you; the same for audio, writing your treatment, finding funding. But when it comes to ethics, where do you go to?​

How does ethics affect documentary filmmaking?

• When we set out to work with someone to tell their story, we have a moral responsibility to honour that person with their story and to truthfully convey what they tell us.

Questions we need to consider are:

• How far is too far to go when filming another?
• How far is not far enough?
• How do we convey our point of view without distorting their story?

• No matter how difficult the subject matter, how sad, beautiful, engaging, it is about your subject's dignity
• When my dear friend Stanley Lewis was dying, he allowed me to film him for Dust, A Sculptor’s Journey, (his biopic)
• I filmed everything, but I did not use all the footage in the final work
• I wanted to leave Stan with vitality and beauty. To linger on those last moments made me feel uneasy

Think about your topic, your approach, and take it easy and film with respect. In my soon coming online course - How to Kickstart your first documentary EVER, the 22 steps - I cover in detail ethics and legalities...Read more here

Have a great week. Enjoy, and thank you for passing by

Jeanne 

​​Today, as I write - 2021 - there IS NO OFFICIAL Ethical Code and Standard for filmmakers to adhere to

• We need to create our own ethical standards and learn as much as we can
• We need to understand what ethics in filmmaking means​
• As documentarians, we need to know how to maintain established boundaries, which is never easy
• We need to ask questions, but not cross lines
• It is easy to take family and friends for granted when filming
• We need to respect and treat everyone with dignity
• We need to accept NO means NO. If our subject feels uncomfortable when being interviewed, we STOP
• Many documentary filmmakers allow their subjects to see the film before it is finished while it still has a chance to be changed
• I always show my subjects their part in the film and have removed certain details when they have objected
• Being open in the beginning with your subject builds trust and communication

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