The preceding chapters covered some significant background on communicating research as part of a documentary media community of practice, as well as aspects that are important in the pre-production of a documentary. These are significant elements of publicly engaged research that we believe should be introduced and practiced as part of undergraduate course curricula. Now we we will further explore the actual “doing” stages of research communication using digital media essays.

Full-time researchers have two options: DIY or hire a filmmaker/producer. It is strongly recommended that larger projects with more time and access to funding hire a professional filmmaker and producer. Your research is important and should see the light of day. Budget and plan from step 1 for knowledge mobilization. Don’t make this an afterthought. If done correctly, your community of practice will grow in significant ways to include: producer, film maker, broadcaster, film festivals, and further funding opportunities.

Students, and those whose goals are smaller, more time sensitive and not supported by additional funding: welcome to the cellphilm approach.

What is a cellphilm? A cellphilm is a video made with “‘everyday technologies’ such as mobile phones, tablets and other hand-held devices” that can be a useful “alternative to video work with large cameras that are costly, specialized, and less likely to already be available in the community” (Thompson et al., 2019, p. 27).

Components of the Cellphilm Approach include:

• Brainstorming
• Ethics
• Storyboarding
• Shooting/Recording
• Editing
• Sound
• Distribution
• Discussion

Each of these areas is discussed below.

Brainstorming

In order to create a cellphilm, you first need to determine what it will be about. One way of doing this is to identify the general topic of your cellphilm, “write down as many specific issues related to the topic as you can think of,” and then pick one of these issues to be the subject of your cellphilm (Thompson et al., p. 31).

Ethics

A crucial aspect of producing a cellphilm is adhering to ethical best practices. When creating a cellphilm, there are a number of considerations that are relevant for ensuring that the cellphilm was produced ethically. Lester (2018) notes five ethical factors relevant for visual communicators (p. 3):

• Victims of violence
  • If an image or video depicts someone who is deceased, some may object to its publication, and Lester (2018) notes a variety of arguments that have historically been proposed against and in favour of publishing such media (pp. 19-22). Sometimes, cultural norms may mean that a cellphilm cannot contain certain references to deceased individuals. For example, in many Indigenous Australian communities, “There is often sensitivity to seeing and hearing the name, image or voice of Indigenous people who have died,” such that “The naming and depiction of recently deceased people is often prohibited under customary law and the mourning period may last for weeks, months or years” (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2021).
• Rights to privacy
  • Another factor is that of an individual’s right to privacy. In Canada, the Tri-Council Policy Statement Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans governs the ethical policies that researchers and institutions must follow in order to receive funding from the government of Canada’s federal research agencies (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [CIHR et al.], 2018, p. 3), and these policies encompass the privacy rights of individuals. Specifically, it notes that “Individuals have privacy interests in relation to their bodies, personal information, expressed thoughts and opinions, personal communications with others, and spaces they occupy” and that “Privacy is respected if an individual has an opportunity to exercise control over personal information by consenting to, or withholding consent for, the collection, use and/or disclosure of information” (CIHR et al., 2018, p. 57). This means that in order “to empower individuals and communities to tell meaningful stories about their lives,” as is often the case “in participant-centred visual research projects” (Cox et al., 2014, p. 10) any individuals you wish to include in your cellphilm must provide consent to appearing in it.
• Subject and image manipulations
  • Scenes you include in your cellphilm should not provide a misleading picture of events or of your participants. Lester (2018) notes that the practice of “Stage-managing, the arrangement of objects and persons within a frame as if they were props for a theatrical presentation” is often criticized when done in the context of a documentary film, as it can result in a misrepresentation of the scene being depicted (p. 4). Even if one is not intentionally trying to manipulate a scene, Cooke (2016) notes that “the presence of a myriad of photographers with large cameras tends to encourage an exaggeration of normal behavior that lends the drama they seek.”
• Persuasion
  • Media is often persuasive in nature. As Lester (2018) notes, “Visual journalists often want their viewers to care for the sources of their stories. Motion picture and television producers want you to enjoy a picture or program so you will tell your friends to see the presentation” (p. 5). Similarly, documentary films are often meant to persuade the viewer into adopting a particular point of view. However, it is important not to let the desire to persuade your audience override ethical considerations.
• Stereotypes
  • Lester (2018) notes that it is important to ensure that visual media not promote “Stereotypical portrayals of ethnic, gender, physical characteristics, sexual orientation, and job-related cultural groups” (p. 5).

Storyboarding

Creating a documentary film will involve storyboarding, which “is the process of sketching out the progression of a marketing video, animation, or film. Each scene or shot is assigned a panel, and each panel includes a visual sketch or a photo of the concept” (Forsey, 2021). Essentially, a storyboard is a draft outline containing each scene that will be in your documentary.

A number of resources exist that provide advice for how to storyboard a film:

• A list of software that can be used to create storyboards can be found here
• This article delves into how to create a storyboard for a documentary film

On the other hand, as filmmaker Stephen McCaskell notes, “Documentaries are difficult to storyboard,” with the exact content of a scene varying depending on real-world conditions (McCaskell). However, while you may not know the exact imagery that will be in each scene, you can create a storyboard that has an outline of the general content of the scenes in your documentary. McCaskell suggests that “If you have the ability to scout out the locations before filming,” you should create “a rough storyboard and shot list” (McCaskell). (A shot list is a written outline of the scenes that will need to be shot. This article contains information about what a shot list is.)

Shooting/Recording

The production process for creating a documentary involves shooting footage or recording audio. If you are creating a cellphilm, then this will likely involve using the camera or voice recorder on a smartphone or other mobile device, or a webcam on a computer (if you are interviewing people remotely). The next chapter in this OER will go into more detail about how to do this.

Editing

Once you have your footage or audio, it needs to be edited together (in what is called the post-production process) to create the final film. This can be done using any of the many types of free or paid video and editing software that are available, and which are covered in the “Equipment and software” chapter in this OER.

Distribution

Nowadays, thanks to the internet, distributing media can be very easy, and there are a number of options that allow you to distribute your final documentary for free.

For example, platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion allow you to upload video files for free. If you are creating a series of podcast episodes, there are also podcast platforms you can use like Spotify, Anchor.fm, and Apple iTunes.

Beyond free online platforms, there are also other avenues, such as submitting your documentary to film festivals, film awards, or selling DVDs of your documentary. For example, the film festival Spotlight on Academics is devoted to “films that are suitable for use in post-secondary classrooms”.

Sources cited

Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (2021, November). Respecting Indigenous people and culture in ABC content. https://www.abc.net.au/edpols/respecting-indigenous-people-and-culture-in-abc-content/13633944

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. (2018, December). Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique_tcps2-eptc2_2018.html

Cooke, A. (2016, July 25). Fascinating video reveals the manufactured nature of some photo- journalism. Fstoppers. https://fstoppers.com/bts/fascinating-video-reveals-manufactured-nature-some-photojournalism-139573

Cox, S., Drew, S., Guillemin, M., Howell, C., Warr, D., & Waycott, J. (2014). Guidelines for ethical visual research methods. Parkville: Visual Research Collaboratory. https://socialequity.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1981392/Ethical-Visual-Research-Methods-WEB.pdf

Deguzman, K. (2022, May 1). How to Create a Documentary Storyboard — Free Template. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-create-a-documentary-storyboard/

Forsey, C. (2021, December 14). The 10 Best Storyboarding Software of 2022 for Any Budget. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/storyboard-software

Lester, P. M. (2018). Visual ethics: A guide for photographers, journalists, and filmmakers. Taylor & Francis.

MacEntee, K., Burkholder, C., & Schwab-Cartas, J. (Eds.). (2016). What’s a cellphilm?: Integrating mobile phone technology into participatory visual research and activism. Springer.

McCaskell, S. (n.d.) Guide to Documentary Filmmaking Pt.4: Pre-Production 1/2 Scriptwriting and Storyboarding. https://www.stephenmccaskell.com/blog/guide-to-documentary-filmmaking-pt4-pre-production-12-scriptwriting-and-storyboarding

Thompson, J., Mitchell, C., & Starr, L. (2019). Cellphilming: A Tool for Addressing Gender Equality—Facilitators’ Guide. Ottawa, ON: CODE. https://www.mcgill.ca/morethanwords/files/morethanwords/cellphilm_guidebook.final_.pdf