Co-production - how I worried about doing it differently

[Michael Turner]

“What the hell am I doing? This is going to be a complete disaster.” These were my worst fears in the summer for filming SCIE's new co-production films to support “ Co-production in social care: What it is and how to do it.”

This is a major new guide to co-production which meets the standards for NHS Accreditation. The guide includes 11 films on co-production and there is an At a glance summary, which has been developed in partnership with Think Local, Act Personal. We’ve tried to make everything as accessible as possible - with subtitles and audio description on all the films and an easy read version of the At a glance summary.

We’ve also produced two introductory films called “Have we got co-production new for you”. We’d been encouraged to use new approaches to our videos and to get away from the usual talking heads, so I came up with the idea of using a panel game format. But as filming approached, I started to fear that people would be uncomfortable and stilted with an unfamiliar format.

I needn’t have worried. The talented people at Flexible Films picked up the format enthusiastically. The chair of SCIE's Co-production Network, Tina Coldham, grew into her role, chairing the panel. And the panellists took to it like ducks to water - relaxed, natural, and funny whilst covering the key issues around co-production.

Without wanting to come over like Radio 4’s Thought for the day, the films were about co-production and themselves show the key characteristics of co-production:

• everyone brought assets to the process and was treated equally
• we had a diverse range of panellist
• it was accessible for the panellists - and the final products will be accessible
• and there was a great reciprocity vibe going on, with everyone really enjoying the process (including the SCIE staff who turned out for the clapping shots); and with the people who weren’t there as part of their jobs being paid a proper fee.

So my worries were unfounded and SCIE’s interesting and, I hope, entertaining resource to link with the new co-production guide (which also includes some other more traditional, but less stressful films).

Links

Guide: Co-production in social care: What it is and how to do it

Social Care TV: Co-production

All of SCIE’s co-production resources

[Rachel B. Wickert]

Wonderful resources and done through a process true to co-production in spirit and practice. What more to ask? Thank you!