Great question! Mitigation is an investigation process that requires you to be present for someone, their loved ones, and their community while they are in the process of telling their deepest truths. That process becomes its own form of advocacy that takes places in the context of a courtroom, therefore it is not simply filmmaking. Moreover, this is a tool of advocacy used primarily for court proceedings.  Therefore, a mitigation filmmaker must be familiar with court rules and processes so that the film doesn’t run afoul of any ethical, evidentiary, or other constraints.

We are developing a training and certification process! We’d love to be a part of helping you learn to work effectively in this space. Please check out our resources page to get started or reach out to us with specific requests for consulting. If you sign up to be notified about our training, we’ll reach out to you!

We believe with the right guidance, mentorship, training, and supervision, anyone can become an advocate for someone who is either incarcerated or vulnerable to incarceration.

Every person has a story.  And their history and insight is as unique as individual trees in a forest, yet all connected.  However, not every case is right for a video. It depends on your unique set of circumstances. Please reach out to us for a consult if you’re interested in exploring whether a mitigation film would suit your case.

Here, you will learn from teachers with the deepest depth and breadth of experience in this arena.   

While there is no one way to produce these films, there are common standards and practices.  We were inspired to develop this mitigation film collective as a response to other instruction we have witnessed, that doesn’t always hit the mark.  Collectively we have over 60 years experience in the mitigation film space.  We have seen this process play out in state and federal courts, nationwide.  We have taught extensively on the subject, and are among the most Experiencexperienced mitigation filmmakers in the field. No one person has all the answers needed to create mitigation film, so we invest our time and energy to take collective action in this space. 

Our training is meant not just to inform and inspire, but to create community.