Lesson 1
Before you Begin
Before embarking on a participatory film project, facilitators should reflect on the following:
- Communication and Purpose: Before beginning, consider carefully the intended outcomes of using participatory filmmaking and what will realistically be achievable through this method. For example, will it be used for policy engagement, awareness-raising, or community dialogue? Clear communication about the purpose, potential impact, and limitations of the project is essential to sustaining ethical, respectful, and effective collaboration. Transparency in realistic influence and outcomes of the method build trust and prevents disillusionment later in the process.
- Ethical Concerns: How will participants be informed about consent, privacy, and ownership of the footage? Seek participants’ permission to share the film after it is completed, not only at the outset. Depending on the nature of the project, you may need to seek ethical approval at several points throughout the process, being responsive to participants' evolving views on the film as it develops.
- Subject Matter: Discussions about biodiversity loss and environmental change can evoke anxiety and strong emotions. It is important to manage and acknowledge these responses within the method. Facilitators can support participants by offering ways they can change or advocate for biodiversity conscious decision-making. Additional advice on facilitating these conversations can be found at Education Reboot, Natural Resources Defence Council, and Force of Nature
- Checklist: Do you have the skills, resources, equipment and time to dedicate to this method – if not it might be worth considering a different visual method instead, such as Photovoice. Alternatively, if resources allow, consider partnering with a trained Participatory Video facilitator when running the method for the first time.
In this video Geraldine Brown outlines important considerations to reflect on before applying Participatory Filmmaking:
Recruiting Participants:
Participatory filmmaking works well with a group of people that are familiar with each other, part of a group, project or Learning Community. Engaging a diverse group of participants ensures multiple perspectives are included. Effective recruitment strategies can include:
- Accommodation – Participatory filmmaking is time and energy intensive, even when participants are given flexibility in how much they wish to contribute. The method is most effective when participants are meaningfully engaged and feel a sense of connection to the group or community.
- Showing Appreciation – Cover expenses such as travel and provide refreshments. If permitted within your project’s ethical guidelines, offer financial payments or token in-kind gifts to participants by way of acknowledgement of their time and contribution. If direct payments are not possible, consider alternative forms of recognition such as free access to training, workshops, or other events. This signals respect and values people’s contributions.
- Partnering – Consider partnering with trusted local groups. Think about your network, who could benefit from this training and how?
- Accessibility- Address language, digital literacy, and technical support needs, and offer childcare options during the workshops.
- Engagement – Be present in the group you wish to work with before initiating the method and invitation to film. Build relationships through face-to-face conversations, attend local events, and spend time understanding the context. Place invitations in spaces where people already gather — such as schools, libraries, community centres, or local cafés — and frame the invitation as an opportunity for creative collaboration, not just attendance.
In this video Geraldine Brown explains why it is integral to understand the group you are working with and respect their input:
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Lesson 2
Roles and Responsibilities
Role of the Facilitator
- Facilitators are responsible for co-creating a safe, inclusive, and anti-oppressive space where all participants feel heard, respected, and supported. This includes agreeing group norms, addressing access needs, and challenging discriminatory behaviour. Facilitators should pay attention to how power operates in the group, adapting their approach to ensure everyone can contribute meaningfully. This requires ongoing reflection on their own role and impact, and a commitment to being accountable within a shared process.
- Support, do not direct, the film, through shared and transparent decision-making: facilitators support the process without directing it, stepping back to avoid imposing their own ideas or agenda. Including participants across the filmmaking process in as many places as possible will depend on each project, but participants should be invited to participate where possible.
- Providing logistical support: coordinating practical elements (such as access to equipment, scheduling, transport and food). Ensuring accessibility in both physical and digital spaces (e.g. providing captions, translation, step-free venues, or childcare support where needed).
- Offering skills or organising training: introducing basic filmmaking skills (such as camera use, sound, editing, and visual storytelling) that will support participants’ existing knowledge, cultural forms, and creative practices.
In this video Geraldine Brown expands on some of the responsibilities of the facilitator when using Participatory Filmmaking:
Role of the Participants
It is important to highlight that participants can leave at any point, and there is not expectation of their input, however – they should be willing and able to:
- Shape the direction of the project: bringing their own knowledge, perspectives, and priorities to the filmmaking process.
- Engage in mutual learning: sharing skills, supporting peers, and being open to experimentation and co-creation.
- Pursue creative ownership of the process, making decisions about narrative, form, style, and message, with the confidence that their choices will be respected. It is there for them to participate as much or as little as they wish, but they should feel represented and that they have had control over the process.
- Participate in a group project: approaching it with care and accountability, even if dynamics can be challenging.
