On the Outside: film-making as story-telling through introspective re-enactment, and the significance of anonymity in the spoken word

Gray, Paul

Abstract

On the Outside (On the Outside. 2019. Film. Directed by Paul Gray. UK: Good Well Films), is a 42 minute film that is the outcome of a participatory film project involving women serving sentences in HM Prison Polmont, Scotland. Scripts were developed that communicated the women’s stories using their exact spoken words and individual narratives were recounted by actors, giving introspective accounts of the women’s lives, while challenging preconceived notions of the label ‘prisoner.’ Representations of the criminal justice system are a highly visible presence on current mainstream platforms. Delineations between fiction and non-fiction narrative are increasingly exercised by film-makers to affect audience expectations, in particular when exploring dramatisations of ‘true life’ crimes. On the Outside is a project led by Paul Gray, whose practice led research explores the dynamics of such delineations through collaboration with the participants, in their roles as authors of their own narratives. This paper recounts the processes involved in realising the project, which will be discussed in relation to verbatim practices, as well as the underlying methodology used to action participatory video techniques. The aim was to facilitate a production process that best suited the specific voices of those involved, by recognising the significance of anonymity in storytelling, when collaborating with vulnerable individuals and communities.

Citation

Gray, P. (2020). On the Outside: film-making as story-telling through introspective re-enactment, and the significance of anonymity in the spoken word. Media Practice and Education, 21(3), 185-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741136.2020.1800299

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 21, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Aug 3, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 16, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 4, 2022
• Journal: Media Practice and Education
• Print ISSN: 2574-1136
• Electronic ISSN: 2574-1144
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 185-199
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/25741136.2020.1800299
• Keywords: Film, prison, social justice, verbatim, participatory film, screenwriting
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2680433