Could you do that again please?

It’s a question that any new documentary filmmaker will have to grapple with. In the process of shooting reality, is it OK to get your contributor to repeat something for the benefit of the camera?

In our How 2 video, filmmakers Aneel Ahmad, Zoe Callan, Fran Baker and Graham Hughes say truthfulness is the crucial factor. If the outcome will be fake, don’t do it. But the mechanics of filmmaking mean some repetition is unavoidable when shooting both interviews and actuality.

Where do you draw the line on “doing it again”?