Today’s focus was the importance of pre-planned and considered questions that need to be established before recording an interview, or before putting anyone before the camera. Kim also raised the ethical obligations that we as film-makers have towards our subject, in which they should not feel a sense of separation between themselves and us as the interviewers, nor should we probe them for a desired response, or ask any questions that are intrusive or have the capacity to compromise their trust in us – this is what is known as a duty of care towards our subject. What this entails is a number of ethical considerations that need to be put forth when conducting an interview. This means that our relationship with the subject should not end once our documentary has. More specifically, we need to understand that the lives of our subject continues even after the interview ends, and how we portray them should not impact or cause harm to their reputation or emotion state if publicly viewed.
