Intueri Media

What We Protect

These principles govern decisions about what we film, how we edit, and what we release.

Dignity

Every person in our work is more than the story being told about them.

We protect this throughout the process. Vulnerable moments are recorded with clear understanding of how footage will be used. Subjects understand how they'll be seen before the work is released. When decisions must be made, dignity governs them. This applies equally to subjects, families, and anyone whose life appears on screen.

[Related essays: Narrative Ethics & Responsibility, Interviewing & Language]

Complexity

Human lives can contain contradiction. People are capable of change over time. Some things remain unresolved.

We make room for that. Shifts in thinking, things left unresolved, and ambiguity belong in the story. How we arrange a film should help people understand what happened, not smooth over the parts that don't fit.

[Related essays: Narrative, Presence & Human Recognition, How We Think About Films]

Truth

What appears on screen reflects events as they occurred.

Moments are shaped and arranged to reflect what actually happened and what it meant to the people in them. In stories that involve personal reflection, we let that show in how people speak about their lives. We decide what to include based on what's true, what fits, and what can be understood in context.

[Related essays: Work In Progress/Field, Narrative Framing & Design]

Safety

We consider how stories land, not just how they're told.

Some stories carry more weight than others. We pay attention to when we're entering sensitive territory and what a story might surface for the people involved and those who encounter it. Some of our work involves others whose lives were shaped by the same events. We hold that awareness. We proceed when a story creates understanding.

[Related essays: Narrative Ethics & Responsibility]

Agency

Viewers arrive at their own understanding.

People change through recognition, not argument. When a film lets viewers encounter someone rather than delivering conclusions, insight becomes possible.

[Related essays: How Stories Change Minds, Narrative Ethics & Responsibility]

These principles work together. Dignity shapes how we treat people. Complexity and Truth shape how we represent them. Safety shapes how we hold the weight of what we're entering. Agency shapes what we ask of the audience.