‘The successful careers of many documentary filmmakers have been built on the misfortune others’ (Nichols 2016, p.157)

This statement points to the fact that traumatic stories can be exploited for entertainment purposes – to the audience it’s a sad story that helped them feel something, but to the documentary’s ‘subject’ it is a life-changing experience. The ability to use pre-existing ideals and emotions to illicit further ideals and emotions is a dangerous tool that can create a profound impact to the society. Hence, the art of filmmaking, and, in particular, documentary must be handled within strict regulations and ethical laws. These policies would help protect both the subjects of the film and its audience (Nichols, 2017). Documentaries tend to be percieved as a portal for the truth, if not the truth itself. This requires filmmakers to use ‘accurate claims, proper syllogisms, and historical facts’ (Nichols 2016, p. 161). Our project, though scientific, handles aboriginal history and the traumatic changes to aboriginal plains. We must portray the goal of our project, which is to inform and save the lands, without sensationalising its deep history and, most importantly, with accurate historical facts that don’t degnify, magnify or distort the events happening to the plains.

Nichols, M 2016, ‘Documentary ethics: Doing the right thing’, University of California, pp. 154-163.