Our friends and colleagues at Insight, a UK- and France-based participatory video organization, have been doing groundbreaking work on participatory video and its impact on mental health. Co-Founder Nick Lunch has facilitated participatory video projects that demonstrate therapeutic benefits, such as improved confidence and self-esteem.

Most importantly, Insight found that such work is most effective when funding resources allow for a project’s life to extend beyond a minimum period of a few days or weeks, and participants are able to develop a videomaking agenda without the interference of funders or program managers. Co-Founder Chris Lunch argues,

“Without the pressure of producing predefined outcomes, the facilitator of a creative project can open up to the unexpected. Of course the best results occur if you can take your time when the focus is on the process, not the product.”

As such, most of the videos produced through these efforts are not made for widespread viewing, but rather small and targeted audiences. However, the following video is online:

Woodland Peace - UK, - A 10 minute film by Nick Cottingham, a highly creative person living with schizophrenia in Oxford UK about techniques people use to generate positive space in the mind. Mr. Cottingham hopes this film will be the first of a series of participatory videos made by mental health service users & Insight, promoting and spreading personal therapeutic tools for finding peace. This film is also available through the Mental Healthcare Trust.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Video Production Tips, Videos.