🎬 Documentary filmmaking has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the accessibility of technology and the desire for true-to-life storytelling. However, ethical concerns surrounding the genre have been raised, ranging from issues of consent and representation to manipulation of reality for dramatic effect. In this blog, we’ll explore the controversies and perspectives on ethics in documentary filmmaking from industry experts.

👥 One of the most significant controversies in documentary filmmaking surrounds the ethical treatment of the content’s subjects. Documentary filmmakers embark on a journey of storytelling, often featuring real people and real-life stories. While a filmmaker’s desire to tell a compelling story that resonates with the audience is understandable, the use of real subjects requires a higher level of responsibility.

📜 A filmmaker must gain informed consent from the subjects, ensuring that they fully understand the implications of agreeing to be featured in the documentary. This includes being transparent about how the footage will be used and the filmmaker’s intentions. The subject has the right to know what they are consenting to, what content is being captured and how the footage will be distributed after the documentary is completed.

🕵️ Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the documentary filmmaker to represent the subject accurately and ethically. This involves avoiding depictions that are offensive, derogatory or invasive. Filmmakers must avoid manipulating the narrative or relying on unethical methods of obtaining footage to portray their subjects in a manner that is not representative of reality.

📷 A filmmaker conversing with the subjects of their documentary

The Ethical Dilemma of Manipulation

🎭 Documentary filmmakers have a responsibility to present the truth to their audience, but this is not always a straightforward process. Filmmakers have to make choices about how best to present the information they have gathered. It is often necessary to condense a vast amount of data into a digestible format. In some situations, they may have to manipulate the narrative to make it more accessible to the audience.

🎞️ This is where the ethical grey area exists, critics argue that when documentary filmmakers manipulate reality to create a more appealing storyline, they are no longer working within the principles of ethical documentary filmmaking. This phenomenon is also referred to as “docudramas.” To create emotional truths, filmmakers use various techniques such as editing, narration and music that can be misleading.

🤔 However, some experts say that there is not a bright line between a documentary and a docudrama, filmmakers are storytellers, and like any other storytellers, they have leeway to be creative. As long as the manipulation does not alter the underlying premise of the story or introduce deceit, they can mix the line between what is real and what is fiction.

📽️ Two, documentary filmmakers, analyzing footage in the editing room

The Responsibility of the Filmmaker

🎥 Filmmakers have the potential to shape public opinion, influence culture and impact policy-making. This is why the ethical considerations in documentary filmmaking go beyond individual documentaries. The documentary filmmaker is held to ethical standards that go beyond making good films.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 They have a responsibility to their subjects, their audience and society as a whole. If a documentary is not made ethically, it can harm the subjects, misinform the audience and perpetuate social injustice. The impact that a documentary has on its subjects and society can be profound, and therefore the ethical dilemmas and tensions that a filmmaker grapples with cannot be understated.

🌎 A documentary team filming on location in a foreign country

Conclusion

🎬 Documentary filmmaking presents significant ethical dilemmas, but also the opportunity for filmmakers to make a real impact on individuals and society. Ethical considerations surrounding documentary filmmaking should not be taken lightly, and there is a need for filmmakers to be held accountable for the consequences of their works.

🕵️ Having ethical guidelines is vital in ensuring the responsible practice of documentary filmmaking. Aspiring filmmakers must understand the ethics and responsibilities that come with documentary filmmaking, to create works that have a positive impact on society while also being fascinating and compelling. As documentary filmmaking continues to evolve, so to does the need for filmmakers to embody ethical standards that work towards making the genre, the most respectable, and ethical choice of storytelling.

📷 A shot from a documentary, featuring a young girl from a rural community in Kenya