What follows are a list of documentary film-making ethics I believe are important practices to follow:

1. Turn the camera off at the request of the participant (Rachael Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018)
2. Show the participant the finished film before the public (Rachael Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018)
3. Love the people that you film (Rachael Boynton, DOC NYC, 2018)
4. Tell the truth in the edit or let the audience know if the truth is subjective or if you were unsure of what the truth actually is. “Some re-enactments serve the truth, others subvert it” (Morris 2008).
5. Don’t disadvantage your subject by asking them to compromise excessively to shoot/ interview
6. Be transparent with your subjects if there are real-life consequences that could occur for them if they partake in the film
7. As your subject if there is anything they want left out of the film. “Selection and omission are the stock in trade of documentary film practice” (Druick 2008).
8. If you give your subject any paperwork make sure they understand what they are signing
9. Remember your subject is still human- if you need to intervene you can. For example in ‘Hoop Dreams’ the filmmaker paid the power bill of the family he was interviewing as they had been shut off. Technically the film was observational documentary, but I would argue if he didn’t assist the family when he knew he could, it would be unethical.
10. If you are dealing with a culture, religious group or community outside of your own, don’t ‘save them’ on camera.
11. Don’t manipulate the series of events “Some viewers suspect that a documentary is unreliable if it manipulates events that are filmed” (Film Art: An Introduction, 2016, pp. 279).

References-

Bordwell, D, Thompson, K & Smith, J 2016, Film Art: An Introduction, 11^th edn, McGraw-Hill, Melbourne, pp. 167.

DOC NYC PRO: Casting Case Studies 2016, Streaming Video, DOC NYC, New York, Viewed 26th March 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bndwq27kkjc

Druick, Z 2008, The Courtroom and The Closet in The Thin Blue Line and Capturing The Friedmans, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 442.