Participatory video

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Participatory video (PV) is a form of participatory media in which a group or community creates their own film. The idea behind this is that making a video is easy and accessible, and is a great way of bringing people together to explore issues, voice concerns or simply to be creative and tell stories[ citation needed ]. It is therefore primarily about process, though high quality and accessible films (products) can be created using these methods if that is a desired outcome. This process can be very empowering, enabling a group or community to take their own action to solve their own problems, and also to communicate their needs and ideas to decision-makers and/or other groups and communities. As such, PV can be a highly effective tool to engage and mobilise marginalised people, and to help them to implement their own forms of sustainable development based on local needs.

Contents

Process

Comparison to documentary filmmaking

Whilst there are forms of documentary filmmaking that are able to sensitively represent the realities of their subjects' lives and even to voice their concerns, documentary films very much remain the authored products of a documentary filmmaker. As such, the subjects of documentaries rarely have any say (or sometimes have some limited say) in how they will ultimately be represented. By contrast, in PV the subjects make their own film in which they can shape issues according to their own sense of what is important, and they can also control how they will be represented. Additionally, documentary films are often expected to meet stringent aesthetic standards and are usually made with a large audience in mind. The PV process, on the other hand, is less concerned with appearance than with content, and the films are usually made with particular audiences and objectives in mind.

Ethical Frameworks in Participatory Video

Participatory video (PV) operates on ethical principles that set it apart from traditional documentary filmmaking. These principles emphasize collaboration, authenticity, and participant empowerment:

These principles underscore PV’s potential as a method for fostering inclusive storytelling. For instance, communities in Papua have used PV to document traditional weaving techniques, ensuring authenticity while preserving their cultural heritage. By placing narrative control in the hands of participants, PV equips communities with tools for advocacy, education, and self-expression.

Origins

The first experiments in PV were the work of Don Snowden, a Canadian who pioneered the idea of using media to enable a people-centered community development approach. Then Director of the Extension Department at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Snowden worked with filmmaker Colin Low and the National Film Board of Canada's Challenge for Change program to apply his ideas in Fogo Island, Newfoundland, a small fishing community. [4] By watching each other’s films, the different villagers on the island came to realise that they shared many of the same problems and that by working together they could solve some of them. the films were also shown to politicians who lived too far away and were too busy to actually visit the island. As a result of this dialogue, government policies and actions were changed. The techniques developed by Snowden became known as the Fogo process. [5] Snowden went on to apply the Fogo process all over the world until his death in India in 1984.

The first community-made video in Canada was the 1969 Challenge for Change video VTR St-Jacques , filmed in a poor Montreal neighbourhood. [6] In order to make VTR St-Jacques, directors Dorothy Henault and Bonnie Sherr Klein trained community members in video to represent their struggle for affordable and accessible medical care. VTR St-Jacques was shown across Canada and the U.S., inspiring other projects. [4]

There has been no uniform movement to promote and practise PV but different individuals and groups have set up pockets of PV work, usually molding it to their particular needs and situations. PV has also grown with the increasing accessibility of home video equipment.

An early and significant book on participatory video was published in the UK in 1997 by Clive Robertson and Jackie Shaw, Directors of Real Time Video, and has informed many subsequent books and articles, including the book this article has drawn from. Real Time are an educational charity that pioneered many of the techniques and methodologies still used today, and have been working in the participatory video field since 1984.

Applications

Participatory video (PV), in combination with methodologies such as Participatory Learning in Action (PLA) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), has been successfully applied to:

Case Study: Participatory Video for Cultural Preservation

Participatory video has been instrumental in preserving traditional arts such as wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) and gamelan music. By actively involving communities in the production process, PV empowers participants to document and retain ownership over their cultural narratives. This approach fosters cultural pride and strengthens community resilience against cultural homogenization.

Empowerment through Participatory Video

Participatory video serves as a vital medium for empowering marginalized communities by providing a platform to voice their stories and preserve cultural heritage:

This dual capacity to empower and educate makes PV an invaluable tool for promoting equity and cultural preservation.

Digital and Interactive Techniques in Participatory Video

The integration of digital tools has revolutionized participatory video practices, broadening its adaptability and reach. Two notable advancements include:

By leveraging these digital advancements, PV expands its potential to amplify marginalized voices and engage broader audiences. This evolution underscores the synergy between traditional participatory methods and modern media innovations.

Examples

See also

Related Research Articles

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Participatory design is an approach to design attempting to actively involve all stakeholders in the design process to help ensure the result meets their needs and is usable. Participatory design is an approach which is focused on processes and procedures of design and is not a design style. The term is used in a variety of fields e.g. software design, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, product design, sustainability, graphic design, industrial design, planning, and health services development as a way of creating environments that are more responsive and appropriate to their inhabitants' and users' cultural, emotional, spiritual and practical needs. It is also one approach to placemaking.

The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens, and professionals to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient local communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Jenkins</span> American media scholar

Henry Guy Jenkins III is an American media scholar and Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, a joint professorship at the University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He also has a joint faculty appointment with the USC Rossier School of Education. Previously, Jenkins was the Peter de Florez Professor of Humanities as well as co-founder and co-director of the Comparative Media Studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has also served on the technical advisory board at ZeniMax Media, parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks. In 2013, he was appointed to the board that selects the prestigious Peabody Award winners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Participatory action research</span> Approach to research in social sciences

Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to action research emphasizing participation and action by members of communities affected by that research. It seeks to understand the world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following reflection. PAR emphasizes collective inquiry and experimentation grounded in experience and social history. Within a PAR process, "communities of inquiry and action evolve and address questions and issues that are significant for those who participate as co-researchers". PAR contrasts with mainstream research methods, which emphasize controlled experimentation, statistical analysis, and reproducibility of findings.

Participatory management is the practice of empowering members of a group, such as employees of a company or citizens of a community, to participate in organizational decision making. It is used as an alternative to traditional vertical management structures, which has shown to be less effective as participants are growing less interested in their leader's expectations due to a lack of recognition of the participant's effort or opinion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen media</span> Journalistic content produced by private citizens who are not professional journalists

Citizen media is content produced by private citizens who are not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.

Theatre for development (TfD) is a type of community-based or interactive theatre practice that aims to promote civic dialogue and engagement.

Photovoice is a qualitative research method used in community-based participatory research that gathers participant-taken photographs and narratives to translate experience into actionable knowledge. Photovoice is commonly used in the fields of community development, international development, public health, and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Participatory rural appraisal</span> Process in international development

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communication for Development</span> Communication model

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Challenge for Change was a participatory film and video project created by the National Film Board of Canada in 1967, the Canadian Centennial. Active until 1980, Challenge for Change used film and video production to illuminate the social concerns of various communities within Canada, with funding from eight different departments of the Canadian government. The impetus for the program was the belief that film and video were useful tools for initiating social change and eliminating poverty. As Druik says, "The new program, which was developed in tandem with the new social policies, was based on the argument that participation in media projects could empower disenfranchised groups and that media representation might effectively bring about improved political representation." Stewart, quoting Jones (1981) states "the Challenge for Change films would convey messages from 'the people' to the government, directly or through the Canadian public."

Participatory development (PD) seeks to engage local populations in development projects. Participatory development has taken a variety of forms since it emerged in the 1970s, when it was introduced as an important part of the "basic needs approach" to development. Most manifestations of public participation in development seek "to give the poor a part in initiatives designed for their benefit" in the hopes that development projects will be more sustainable and successful if local populations are engaged in the development process. PD has become an increasingly accepted method of development practice and is employed by a variety of organizations. It is often presented as an alternative to mainstream "top-down" development. There is some question about the proper definition of PD as it varies depending on the perspective applied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnocinema</span>

Ethnocinema, from Jean Rouch’s cine-ethnography and ethno-fictions, is an emerging practice of intercultural filmmaking being defined and extended by Melbourne, Australia-based writer and arts educator, Anne Harris, and others. Originally derived from the discipline of anthropology, ethnocinema is one form of ethnographic filmmaking that prioritises mutuality, collaboration and social change. The practice's ethos claims that the role of anthropologists, and other cultural, media and educational researchers, must adapt to changing communities, transnational identities and new notions of representation for the 21st century.

Social workers employ education as a tool in client and community interactions. These educational exchanges are not always explicit, but are the foundation of how social workers acquire knowledge from their service participants and how they can contribute to information delivery and skill development.

Bioregional mapping is a participatory approach to cartography that focuses on mapping the natural, ecological, and cultural features of a bioregion—an area defined by its natural boundaries, such as watersheds, ecosystems, and cultures that arise form a place, rather than human borders. This method highlights the interconnectedness of the region's natural systems and human communities, offering a holistic view of the landscape that integrates ecological data with cultural and historical insights.

References

  1. ↑ Lunch, Nick and Chris. "Insights into Participatory Video" (PDF). Insight Share. Accessed: 2013 11 7
  2. ↑ Nichols, Bill (2017). Introduction to documentary (Third ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-02634-7.
  3. 1 2 3 Stille, Saskia (July 2011). "Framing Representations: Documentary Filmmaking as Participatory Approach to Research Inquiry". Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. 8 (2): 101–108. doi:10.1080/15505170.2011.624922. ISSN   1550-5170.
  4. 1 2 Schugurensky, Daniel (2005). "Challenge for Change launched, a participatory media approach to citizenship education". History of Education. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  5. ↑ Quarry, Wendy. The Fogo Process: An Experiment in Participatory Communication. 1994: Thesis, University of Guelph. Archived from the original on 2001-11-04.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ↑ "VTR Saint Jacques". Collection. National Film Board of Canada. 1969. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  7. 1 2 Robinson, Andrew (2011-12-21). "Giving Voice and Taking Pictures: Participatory Documentary and Visual Research". People, Place and Policy Online. 5 (3): 115–134. doi: 10.3351/ppp.0005.0003.0001 .
  8. ↑ Gaudenzi, Sandra (2013). The Living Documentary: from representing reality to co-creating reality in digital interactive documentary (Thesis). doi:10.25602/GOLD.00007997.
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