Film Ethics for Writers: Balancing Exploration, Responsibility, and Inclusive Storytelling
Film ethics for writers: how storytelling choices shape society, responsibility vs. exploration, and practical guidance for inclusive, conscientious filmmaking.
Why film ethics matter to filmmakers and storytellers
Film is a composite art form that shapes feeling and belief: visuals, music, performance and narrative combine to teach audiences how to feel and what to value.
Stories can function politically: they validate identities, organize social ideas, and change public perception—intentionally or not.
Ethics are not an external add‑on: choices about plot, character, casting, financing and distribution produce consequences in the real world.
Two moral roles of art Leon highlights
Exploration (art): Artists “use lies to tell the truth” — artifice and metaphor let audiences reflect on themselves and see new truths (Picasso, Alan Moore, Lorraine Hansberry).
Exploitation/propaganda: When art is designed to manipulate public opinion or sanitize real harm, it becomes dangerous—especially when backed by money with political agendas.
Three ethical frameworks to keep in mind
1) Utilitarianism: Judge actions by consequences—greatest good for the greatest number. Useful for assessing public impact, but can justify harmful means.
2) Moral relativism: Context matters; actions are judged within cultural systems. Beware of using it to excuse harm.
3) Consequentialism: Ends can justify means. Powerful but risky for creators (e.g., “by any means necessary” logic).
How stories teach feeling — practical examples Leon used
Poetry (Richard Cory): short narrative that directs audience feeling and flips assumptions to teach a deeper truth about appearance vs. inner life.
Attack the Block (Joe Cornish): uses genre (alien invasion) to humanize marginalized youth and reframe audience empathy.
Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ and Marina Abramović’s Rhythm 0: performance and visual art reveal cultural taboos and can expose how audiences respond—sometimes with violent backlash—showing art’s political force.
The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer): reenactment made killers face their acts; cinema can collapse the distance between perpetrators’ perspective and victims’ reality and prompt reckoning.
Common Ethical Pitfalls in Film Writing and Production
Romanticizing harmful power dynamics: when tone or craft makes ethically questionable relationships feel acceptable (examples discussed: Call Me By Your Name, Manhattan).
Selective empathy: creating great empathy for one group while exploiting another—this uneven regard can reinforce injustices.
Unexamined representation choices: defaulting to stereotypes or repeating cultural shorthand (e.g., who’s a villain vs. who’s a hero) without interrogating consequences.
Blind financing or partnerships: accepting money that advances harmful political narratives without assessing impact.
Concrete practices to reduce exploitation and misrepresentation
Know what you don’t know. Treat unfamiliar perspectives as valid experiences, not as research to be skimmed.
Do research beyond token consultation:
- Read, watch, and listen widely (interviews, essays, histories).
- Spend time in communities, observe respectfully, learn the nuances.
Collaborate early and meaningfully:
- Hire writers/consultants from the lived‑experience community—not as a “prop” but as creative partners.
- Ask for feedback, then interrogate, synthesize, and act on it—don’t outsource responsibility.
Ask “what does society get?” rather than “does this shock or titillate?”
- Evaluate long‑term social effects, not only immediate artistic payoff.
Treat perspective as responsibility:
- The writer/showrunner bears primary responsibility for representation, even when others in the room offer input.
- Test ethically: gut‑check with several community members (not just one), and be open to revising material.
Handling controversy: ethics of context and intent
Context changes meaning. A provocative image or scene can be read very differently when audiences know the artist’s intent and the circumstances.
Intent doesn’t erase impact: a creator may intend critique, but if work normalizes harm, revision and accountability are needed.
Use the medium to reflect back: art that forces a community or perpetrator to see themselves (e.g., The Act of Killing) can produce accountability; intentionality, consent, and care are essential.
““Write about the world as it is and as you think it ought to be—and must be if there is to be a world.” ”