Abstract:

We are all using more film/video in research. The backlash against long PowerPoint presentations means the increasing use of video clips to bring the findings to life, and the standalone five-minute video to accompany the debrief. But is there an increasing tension between the qualitative researcher and the cameraman? is qualitative research sleepwalking into becoming simple reportage? When does a research debrief become a documentary? Qualitative researchers and their clients should be alert to the dangers as well as the benefits of the increasing use of film, especially in an international context.