Narrative ethics

Definition

Narrative ethics refers to the moral principles guiding the storytelling process in documentary filmmaking, focusing on how narratives are constructed and how they affect both the subjects of the story and the audience. This concept emphasizes the responsibility filmmakers have to accurately represent their subjects' experiences while considering the impact that their portrayal may have on viewers. It also includes a consideration of power dynamics, consent, and the ethical obligations to tell stories that honor the truth of lived experiences.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Narrative ethics stresses the importance of transparency in documentary storytelling, ensuring that the filmmaker's intentions and methods are clear to the audience.
2. It requires filmmakers to balance artistic expression with ethical considerations, ensuring they do not sensationalize or distort the truth of their subjects' experiences.
3. A key element of narrative ethics is understanding the power imbalance between filmmakers and their subjects, leading to careful choices about how stories are framed.
4. Filmmakers must also consider the long-term effects their narratives may have on the subjects portrayed, especially for vulnerable populations.
5. Collaboration with subjects during the storytelling process is encouraged to ensure that their voices are heard and respected in the final product.

Review Questions

• How does narrative ethics influence a filmmaker's decision-making process when creating a documentary?
  • Narrative ethics significantly impacts a filmmaker's choices by emphasizing the need for accuracy, respect, and responsibility towards subjects. Filmmakers must consider how their narrative choices can affect both the representation of individuals involved and the audience's perception. This involves balancing creative vision with ethical obligations to avoid misrepresentation or exploitation of their subjects’ experiences.
• Discuss the role of informed consent within the framework of narrative ethics in documentary filmmaking.
  • Informed consent is critical in narrative ethics as it ensures that participants understand how their stories will be used and presented. This process respects subjects' autonomy and helps build trust between filmmakers and participants. By obtaining informed consent, filmmakers adhere to ethical standards that prioritize transparency and accountability in their narrative approach.
• Evaluate how narrative ethics can shape public perception of marginalized communities represented in documentaries.
  • Narrative ethics plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions by ensuring that documentaries present marginalized communities accurately and respectfully. Ethical storytelling acknowledges existing power dynamics and avoids perpetuating stereotypes or stigmas. By engaging with these communities collaboratively during production, filmmakers can create narratives that foster understanding and empathy rather than reinforce harmful biases, ultimately influencing societal attitudes toward these groups.

Related terms

Informed Consent:

The process by which individuals voluntarily agree to participate in a documentary, fully aware of how their information and image will be used.

Representation:

The way in which subjects are depicted in a documentary, including issues of authenticity, bias, and the potential for misrepresentation.

Ethical Responsibility: The obligation filmmakers have to ensure that their work does not exploit or harm their subjects, and that it contributes positively to public understanding.