The work of documentary relationships

Abstract

Relationships between documentary-makers and their subjects are a core concern of the scholarship, typically analysed in relation to issues of power and exploitation. This article instead considers documentary relationships as a form of work, examining what it means when a job entails the production of intimate connections, which are also subject to commercial pressures and imperatives. Relationship-building is an intrinsic part of the filmmaker’s job, but takes place around its margins: often unpaid and unacknowledged by the media industries. A consequence of this lack of status and recognition is that an appropriate professional framework has yet to be developed, with worrying implications for training, regulation and duty of care. Drawing upon in-depth interviews conducted over a period of 4 years, this article conceptualises the work of documentary relationships as a practice of creative labour, by considering how they function interpersonally, procedurally and organisationally. Through a discussion of emotional labour, I will explore how the permeability between work life and intimacy impacts both filmmakers and contributors alike, considering the various ways their experiences take shape within the structural context of contemporary media production.