Transforming the use of documentary film, participatory media, & forums in monitoring, evaluation and creating visual reports
We use documentary storytelling and stakeholder participation in monitoring and evaluation to create visual reports. By capturing the story behind the numbers, we bring a traditionally dry process to life - making findings more human, meaningful, and usable.
The Story Catchers' We use evidence-based qualitative data collection methodologies, participatory media, and documentary film production to gather stories that serve a greater purpose—supporting understanding, accountability, and social change.
Our participatory media approach invites people to play an active role in collecting, shaping, analysing, and sharing media content. Stories are gathered ethically and respectfully, then edited into a series of short documentaries.
These films are brought back into the community (and to stakeholders) through participatory forums—where stories are “unpacked” together to identify themes, outcomes, and insights that directly inform the monitoring, evaluation, and reporting process.
From there, we produce a traditional written evaluation report. We then edit the report findings and the filmed material into a short visual, evidence-based documentary report (typically 8–10 minutes) that sits alongside the written report—bringing an often unread document to life and making the findings accessible to a much wider audience.
This visual reporting methodology, developed by The Story Catchers, was used to help evaluate the On the Right Track Remote driver licensing program in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia.
The final documentary and supporting media can be used not only for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, but also for communication, program improvement, education, and building evidence for refunding, policy change, and legislative reform. In many contexts, decision-makers are far more likely to watch an 8-minute documentary than read a 100-page report.
Much of our work is with government agencies seeking more inclusive, culturally appropriate evaluation and reporting methodologies—within Indigenous contexts and beyond.