Turning the lens on duty of care
At a time when the mental health of participants is a hot topic in the industry, three leading
television documentary-makers reveal how they approach access and ensure their wellbeing
How do you identify potential
contributors to your
documentaries and what
do you do to gain their trust?
There have been situations where I’ve
spent months negotiating access to a
particular contributor because I think
they are going to have crucial perspec-
tive and times when a standout
sequence or amazing line has fallen
into my lap while hanging out on a
street or outside a courtroom.
While making A Black And White
Killing: The Case That Shook America
for BBC2, I spent time with the family of
Larnell Bruce Jr, a 19 year-old African-
American man killed after a fi ght.
Access to the family came from seeing
them in court during the murder trial,
but I wasn’t going to run up to people
struggling to process the horrifi c
circumstances of their son’s death and
ask them to appear in a documentary.
Much of that access came from con-
versations struck up during the recess
periods at court. It was a more organic
process than regular casting and it
delivered more, too.How do you ensure contributors’
wellbeing is looked after and
how do you maintain empathy
for their position?
I love chasing stories and I will go to
the ends of the earth for narrative, but
the wellbeing of contributors must be
a priority. For A Black And White
Killing, I spent time in prison with
men who had committed extreme
violent crimes. You might feel the
wellbeing of someone who has com-
mitted a violent attack in the name of
white supremacy isn’t a priority, but itwas crucial to consider vulnerabilities
and why an inmate would want to
share their story. This was all about
perspective, empathy and being able
to read people.
With vulnerable contributors, it’s
vital to maintain contact after fi lming
and, where possible, beyond TX. Each
doc has its challenges but the rules
are simple: don’t exploit anyone, have
empathy for everyone’s journey and
cross-reference everything.Would you ever give a contributor
access to your edit before a
programme goes out?
There have been rare circumstances in
which I have invited contributors to
watch a doc before TX. That’s for
factual accuracy rather than editorial
guidance or to cater to anyone’s taste. I
did this when I made Muslims Like Us
and the fact that I had a private viewing
with each contributor meant they knew
that their perspective was valued.46 | Broadcast | 23 August 2019 broadcastnow.co.uk
DOCUMENTARIES DUTY OF CARE
A Black And White Killing – The Case That
Shook America: gaining access to the family of a
murdered teenager was an organic processMOBEEN AZHAR
BBC
(Generation Blind;
Inside Gay Pakistan)I love
chasing
stories and I
will go to the ends
of the earth for
narrative, but the
wellbeing of
contributors must
be a priority
MOBEEN AZHAR