Participatory Video Techniques in Community Engagement
Summary
Participatory video encompasses a suite of methods through which community members actively shape all stages of audiovisual production, from conception and scripting to filming, editing and dissemination. By inviting participants to wield cameras and editing tools, these techniques foster local ownership of narratives and enable marginalised voices to surface in public discourse. Grounded in principles of co-production, participatory video nurtures new skills, strengthens social bonds and creates visual artefacts that communities can deploy to inform decision-making, advocate for resources or reflect on collective identities. Applications span environmental stewardship, public health, social justice and climate resilience, with projects adapting to diverse cultural and infrastructural settings. Recent innovations include remote and smartphone-based workflows, digital storytelling platforms and hybrid approaches that interweave video with mapping or archival records. Ethical considerations concerning power relations, consent and data sovereignty are intrinsic to project design and shape both process and impact. As a research tool and a catalyst for social change, participatory video continues to evolve in response to shifting technological landscapes and community priorities, emphasising reflexivity, inclusivity and sustainable capacity-building.
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Participatory Video Techniques in Community Engagement publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in participatory video techniques in community engagement across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Participatory Video: A collaborative audiovisual method where participants control the planning, shooting and editing of videos to explore and communicate community issues.
Co-production: A research approach in which academic and community actors share power and responsibility throughout the knowledge-creation process.
Digital Storytelling: The practice of combining personal narratives with digital media—including audio, video and images—to craft engaging, often interactive stories that reflect lived experiences.
Reflexivity: The ongoing critical examination of researchers’ and participants’ roles, assumptions and power relations throughout a participatory project.
References
- Participatory video from a distance: co-producing knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic using smartphones. Qualitative Research (2021).
- Co‐producing impact‐in‐process with participatory audio‐visual research. Area (2022).
- Delta voices of climate crisis: Community Digital Storytelling in Bangladesh and Vietnam. Visual Studies (2024).
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