Documentary Storytelling for the Researcher’s Toolkit - trends in info graphics - Jen Recknagel, Elisabeth Bennett

1. A
Presenta*on
from
the
NewMR
Trends
in
Infographics,
Visualisa*on
and
Presen*ng
Event
28
June
2013
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Documentary Storytelling for the Researcher’s Toolkit
Elisabeth Bennett
Bridgeable
Jen Recknagel
Bridgeable

2. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Documentary Storytelling
for the Researcher’s Toolkit
Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett
Bridgeable - Toronto, Canada

3. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Information is growing at
an incredible rate

4. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
At the same time…the quality of
information is changing

5. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
This is leading to a noisy environment

6. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How do you cut through?
Show, don’t tell.

7. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How are we doing
this, and why is this
different?

8. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Ethnography
+ Video…

9. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
… +
Broadcast
Documentary

10. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How to do this, when
is it appropriate and
what is the value?

11. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Trust,
intimacy
and
disclosure
trade-offs

12. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How do we reduce production disruption to
maximize intimacy?
• Pay attention to everyone’s safety and security
• Prepare the informant in advance to know what to expect, who the
members of the documentary crew are and what their roles are
• Humanize the crew - prepare the crew for a more sensitive
environment than a typical film set
• Ensure the informant knows they can stop or limit what they share
at any time they don’t feel comfortable

13. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Recruiting
‘Characters’

14. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How can we ‘cast’ appropriately?
• Ensure that recruiting criteria accounts for clear
speech, engaging personalities, and ability to be
self-reflective about experience
• This may require more up-front effort, such as full
pre-interviews with informants to tease of their
viability as a documentary subject

15. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Narrow scope, poetic depth

16. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
How do we maximize the depth of this
medium?
• Have a smaller sample of people that you can go deeply into, rather
than a wide spectrum of people (who you would end up covering only
superficially due to the mechanics of space/time)
• Do your research before the filming:
– up-front research to identify insights that will be represented by the smaller sample of
people in the documentary ensures greater robustness of findings
– conducting interviews with informants will help build the relationship and ensure you
can plan for the best way to film their unique story
• Put together a solid documentary team: people who can work in
tandem towards a clear goal, with expertise in their respective fields

17. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Is it
worth it?

18. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Thank you
Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett

19. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
Q & A
Ray
Poynter
Vision
Cri@cal
University
Elisabeth
BenneE
Bridgeable
Jen Recknagel
Bridgeable

20. Jen Recknagel & Elisabeth Bennett, Bridgeable, Canada
Session 2: Trends in Infographics, Visualisation and Presenting, 28 June 2013
www.bridgeable.com
@bridgeable_rd
Documentary trailers
• Mis/Connect: vimeo.com/64088094
• Misfit: vimeo.com/55538460