Sharing Power through Sharing Stories

By Flexible Films, a video production group working with SCIE

Sharing the power in filming creates interesting and captivating content. We would highly recommend it!

When we first started filmmaking in 2002, we were a bit nervous about doing this as we thought that things had to be exact and technical. There was an element of us wanting to take full control to make sure that the filming sessions were focussed and thorough. We learnt a lot through our mental health filmmaking group, which was a collective made up of people using mental health services. They helped us realise that it's better to include all those involved and to give them as much control as feasible.

We have since learnt that:

• Those being filmed should hold the power as it is their story.
• By sharing the power, this makes for honest and open footage.
• Taking ideas from others makes the films richer and more interesting.
• A collective process means that people have more ownership.
• The completed films are more real and engaging as a result.

We are learning all the time and at the start of each project, we leave ourselves open to new possibilities. Because of changing technologies, this can make sharing of power in film easier to achieve. For example, in this year's SCIE co-production festival, there are five volunteers who will be filming interviews with their Smart phones. We will train them how to do this as it is important that technical needs are met. Having co-production members interview delegates will give the interviews a new look and feel. It will also mean that the content is different because members are asking the questions. We are excited at this new prospect and look forward to the festival.