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Figure 5.15a I spent several months shooting Josh for deepsouth.

Figure 5.15b I spent an entire day in the car with Kathie to illustrate her life on the road.

to convince our sources to speak on camera. In areas like the Mississippi Delta, being gay and having AIDS is still taboo. In some cases, coming out publicly about being homosexual can result in threats or physical assaults. Participating in the film could have put our sources in real danger. We had to find ways to convince our sources to appear in the film.

In deepsouth, the characters were different from each other, and it took different incentives to get each of them to participate. Josh was a young man with HIV, and we convinced him that being in the film would show other young,

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Figure 5.15c Tammy and Monica allowed us to attend and shoot their HIV/AIDS retreat in rural Louisiana.

HIV/AIDS activist, and we convinced her that the film might be helpful to her fundraising efforts. Tammy and Monica are best friends who run an HIV/ AIDS non-profit organization. They saw the film as a way to bring attention to the problems those living with HIV/AIDS face in Louisiana. You must find ways to convince your sources that granting you access to their lives will be worthwhile for them, too.

Deals and negotiations. In video production, especially documentary production, you must ask a lot from your sources. They will give you their time and access to intimate moments and information. Some sources may ask you for money in exchange for access. News organizations have very clear guidelines regarding payment or compensation of sources. Sources may also ask for non-monetary favors or editorial control in the film. How do you handle these situations? These are the guidelines I use for my work:

Never give raw footage to your sources. I never give sources access to my raw footage. Your unedited footage is your visual notebook. Notes should be kept private to protect you, your sources, and other characters. Some sources may back out of your story after they have seen early footage. They may want to censor scenes before you have had

a chance to edit your story. Even worse, you run the risk of revealing confidential information about other sources by releasing raw material.

Never give your sources any editorial control. This may seem obvious, but

I never negotiate the final cut of the story with my characters. Some sources will not allow you to shoot without granting them some editorial control. If this is the case, you must either incentivize your source to

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participate in the story without restrictions, or you must move on to another source. Giving your sources even the slightest editorial control jeopardizes the integrity of your story and your reputation as a journalist.

Never make promises about the angle or viewpoint of your story. Resist any urges to give hints or make promises about how you will shape your story. During the course of reporting and editing, you will often have to adjust or modify your story. You will discover new information, or you may abandon your first source in favor of another source. You cannot assure your sources how your story will turn out because you yourself will not know until it has been edited.

Be skeptical. All sources have agendas. When you are negotiating with your sources to participate in your video, you may already be playing off of these agendas (“This video will give your organization great exposure.”), but be mindful that your sources will present facts in ways that best promote their needs and interests. They may not necessarily provide you with the most important or meaningful information for your story. Interview your sources, but verify your reporting by talking to several other people. Always bring a healthy amount of skepticism when producing and fact-check your sources.

Never give your sources money for their story. While it is important to incentivize sources to participate, I never pay sources in cash or in- kind for their involvement in a story. Paying for access has long been a journalistic sin, and for good reason. You must question the motivations of any source that asks for compensation. Are they honest and trustworthy? Are they giving you access because they feel the story is important? Are they simply driven by payment?

Figure 5.16 I bought Kevin and his mother dinner and dessert several times during my time with them.

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What about dinner and drinks? I will, on occasion, buy my sources lunch or dinner. I may also have a drink with a source and buy a round. Some news organizations and journalists may frown upon this, but when I am building relationships with my sources, I find that sharing a meal or chatting over a drink is a good way to build trust and intimacy with my sources.

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