I am a great filmmaker and storyteller.  But the stories that I am telling are not mine. 

They are the stories of data generated from research, the knowledge of clinicians, the lived experiences of patients and families.  To make sure that I honour these stories, collaboration with key stakeholders and target audience members is crucial. 

From a knowledge translation perspective:

Matching key messages with audience learning needs is the basis for effective dissemination (Graham).  Obtaining viewpoints from a range of stakeholders and audience members helps me to understand the different terminology that different groups use, what information is important to them, and what is likely to make the target audience want to listen to the message.  It is the key to creating a final product that is fit for purpose. 

From a filmmaking perspective:

This requires the confidence to relinquish some control that would normally be under the purview as director.  The idea of collaboration within documentary filmmaking is not new. Many filmmakers have “critiqued [the] auteurism” of the classic director and instead recognized the value of engagement of communities and social and political issue films (Zimmerman & DeMichiel).  Different collaborative filmmakers have different approaches to this. I, a former research Project Manager, favour the view of Gaudenzi who views the filmmaker as “ruling as a benevolent dictator” to orchestrate the actions of various collaborators.  In my process, collaborators are engaged to provide me with a wealth of information that I use to create the story, piece by piece.

So where does collaboration come into my process?

Pre-production

 Once you commission me to create a film, I will request an initial hour meeting with the commissioning collaborator/s.  During this meeting I will work to understand:

• The overall aim of the film.

• The audience being targeted.

• The key messages from your perspective as researchers/clinicians.

I will also ask you to put me in contact with a range of stakeholders and target audience members to complete further pre-production research (interviews, questionnaires or focus groups as appropriate) to further define the key messages.  The key stakeholders will depend on your project but may include clinicians, scientists, academics, policymakers, charities, and of course, patients.

I will synthesize all the information to create a list of key messages and return to the commissioning collaborator/s to confirm and finely tune these messages.  These key messages will inform the approach to the film, the interview questions that I ask, and the covering shots (b-roll) that I shoot, therefore buy-in is super important.

 Filming

Filming, with the lights and cameras pointing at you, can be a daunting experience for anyone, particularly patients and family members who are being vulnerable in sharing their personal experiences.  It is my job to make the person being interviewed feel as comfortable as possible in the circumstances.  Sometimes this may mean sitting in a particular chair in their house that makes them feel at ease, or a preference to the backdrop of their interview displaying items that are important to them or conversely not showing certain items that may be in their homes.  Sometimes, it may be as simple as how tight they are in the frame and how they look on screen.  Perhaps they decide to re-apply their make-up or change their shirt.  I always work with the person to understand how they want to be represented, and show them how they will appear on screen, so they have an opportunity to adjust anything that they are not happy with.

Many of the people who agree to participate in my films do so as they have a story they want to share, information they want to give to others. However, this may still be an emotional and vulnerable experience for the person. I am clear that if they are not comfortable with a particular question then we can skip it, we can return to a topic later in the session if they want time to think about it, we can take a break, or we can stop all together.  I reassure them that it is their story that I am interested in, and there is no script as to what they should or shouldn’t say.  Not only does this help to build trust and relax the person in the moment, but they are also more likely to give a more genuine narrative.

I always check whether there was anything that they expected to be asked that I hadn’t asked them.  This helps make sure that their voice is heard and some of the most insightful comments, stories or anecdotes can come from this “free for all” question.

I include the person in the planning of covering shots.  Perhaps they want to show a particular hobby that represents them, or there is something about their healthcare process that is fundamentally important to them to depict.

Post-production

Editing is where the real craft of creating the story, piece by piece, begins.  You can read more on my process here. From a collaboration perspective I will engage with stakeholders at key timepoints.  I will ask the commissioning collaborator/s and any people who appear in the film to view the initial cut, second cut and fine cut to check that:

• The key messages are included.

• If there is anything missing.

• If there is anything included that they don’t want to be.

• The information conveyed is accurate. 

I will also engage with the wider stakeholder group to obtain feedback at either the second cut or fine cut stage.

It is imperative importance to me that I have accurately represented and honoured someone’s personal story.  Interviews may be up to an hour and half long but the individual’s testimony in the film is just a few minutes in length.  Obviously, in such a short timeframe there is a limit to the depth and scope of the story told, but I always check with onscreen participants that I have accurately and warmly captured the essence of their story and experience.  Participants can choose how engaged they are in the feedback and editing process.  Some are happy to leave it to me as filmmaker.  For some it may just be covering a certain bit of interview where they don’t like the expression on their face or want a section removing where they fumbled their words.  For others, they want to ensure a particular photograph that is very meaningful for them is included, or a certain story that they have told is in the film.  This may be a general discussion or recommendation or requesting to see the whole transcript from their interview and selecting certain phrases that they want to ensure is included. 

Bringing it all together

Managing the requests of various stakeholders can be a bit of a process of negotiation particularly when different factors such as the length of the film, the rhythm and narrative arc of the story, and preference for content.  This is where my experience as a filmmaker really comes into play.  We have open discussions about why I think changing an aspect of the film will or won’t work, and we can play around with different edits to see what they will look like. 

Through this process, the final piece fulfils the key aims of the project and should be something that all the stakeholders are happy with.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s collaborate! Contact Clare here