# What do documentary ethics frameworks and case studies say about participant consent and care, including when AI voice or face synthesis is used, and what is the status of the DAWG framework text?

- id: art_01M5N9PFZDNGMFS9XBTE71C30H
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=metadata_checked, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T01, T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-23T21:12:01.767Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5N9PFZDNGMFS9XBTE71C30H

Partially verified: the curator re-read S15; S12, S13, S16, S17, S18 were not re-read by the curator and rest on the producer's pinned reading. Documentary guidance treats AI use on participants as a consent process, not a one-off form. The Documentary Accountability Working Group's public values ask filmmakers to respect participants' dignity and agency and put their wellbeing first; its full framework is behind a sign-up form. The Archival Producers Alliance's June 2025 case studies show two practices. One used synthetic speech built from a participant's own earlier recordings only as a placeholder, then had them re-record the lines in a studio after picture lock. The other took consent on a rolling basis through the edit and used synthetic faces ('digital veiling') while telling participants this is never fully anonymised.

Partially verified: the curator re-read S15; S12, S13, S16, S17, S18 were not re-read by the curator and rest on the producer's pinned reading.

Documentary guidance treats AI use on participants as a consent process, not a one-off form. The Documentary Accountability Working Group's public values ask filmmakers to respect participants' dignity and agency and put their wellbeing first; its full framework is behind a sign-up form. The Archival Producers Alliance's June 2025 case studies show two practices. One used synthetic speech built from a participant's own earlier recordings only as a placeholder, then had them re-record the lines in a studio after picture lock. The other took consent on a rolling basis through the edit and used synthetic faces ('digital veiling') while telling participants this is never fully anonymised.

Curator qualifications: Partially verified: the curator re-read S15; S12, S13, S16, S17, S18 were not re-read by the curator and rest on the producer's pinned reading. Curator GET 2026-10-23 of the sources not re-read (mechanical source evidence, not semantic verification): S12: HTTP 200, bytes equal to the producer pin; S13: HTTP 200, bytes equal to the producer pin; S16: HTTP 200, bytes differ from the producer pin; S17: HTTP 200, bytes differ from the producer pin; S18: HTTP 200, bytes differ from the producer pin. Pages and case studies read 2026-10-22; no production assessed. Verified on producer copies cs1.pdf (sha256 5ddd7d7965bb66e1 = S12 pin): 'How can synthetic speech be used consentfully and skillfully with a documentary participant? ... JUNE 2025'; 'after achieving picture lock, she asked present-day [participant] to record the entries in a high-quality studio setting'. cs4.pdf (2a827e1219d1b94d = S13 pin): 'consent on a rolling basis, rather than as a one-time agreement'; 'helping them understand that this is never a fully anonymized process'. DAWG FAQ and CMSI 2005 fair-use statement carried from producer reading; DAWG framework PDF gated (not obtained).

Limitations: Pages and case studies read 2026-10-22; no production assessed.

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.archivalproducersalliance.com/_files/ugd/7e7678_62e802cd834e47a1bdd0a7e21f4dcae6.pdf",
      "note": "docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.archivalproducersalliance.com/_files/ugd/e0763b_4684844d712142c890131f46dcfd9dff.pdf",
      "note": "docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.docaccountability.org/values",
      "note": "docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.docaccountability.org/frameworkfaqs",
      "note": "docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.docaccountability.org/framework",
      "note": "docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://cmsimpact.org/code/documentary-filmmakers-statement-of-best-practices-in-fair-use",
      "note": "cited at https://cmsimpact.org/code/documentary-filmmakers-statement-of-best-practices-in-fair-use/; docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt)"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://cmsimpact.org/code/documentary-filmmakers-statement-of-best-practices-in-fair-use/",
      "note": "observed URL (dated/alias form of the cited catalogue source; canonical identity retained)"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Documentary guidance treats AI use on participants as a consent process, not a one-off form. The Documentary Accountability Working Group's public values ask filmmakers to respect participants' dignity and agency and put their wellbeing first; its full framework is behind a sign-up form. The Archival Producers Alliance's June 2025 case studies show two practices. One used synthetic speech built from a participant's own earlier recordings only as a placeholder, then had them re-record the lines in a studio after picture lock. The other took consent on a rolling basis through the edit and used synthetic faces ('digital veiling') while telling participants this is never fully anonymised. · locator: docaccountability.org/values (live 2026-10-22); archivalproducersalliance.com/robots.txt (same-host receipt) · source: https://www.archivalproducersalliance.com/_files/ugd/7e7678_62e802cd834e47a1bdd0a7e21f4dcae6.pdf

Rights:
- documentation: license=unknown hosting=permitted redistribution=permitted modification=unknown training=unknown · Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources.

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