Sep 27, 2016 2 min read

3 Creative Ways To Hide An Anonymous Source On Camera

Most documentary filmmakers and journalists know the most common ways of disguising an anonymous source for on-camera interviews, such as a…

An NSA source from ZERO DAYS, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Most documentary filmmakers and journalists know the most common ways of disguising an anonymous source for on-camera interviews, such as a silhouette, wearing masks, or distorting audio. However, in search of both truth and art, some creators take it a step further. Here are three creative ways filmmakers have hidden their anonymous sources’ identities for documentaries.

1. Using a double.

In the cyberwar documentary, Zero Days, director Alex Gibney takes an unusual route to disguise his sources. He uses an actress that plays an anonymous NSA whistleblower, whose lines in the film are purely composed of the interviews Gibney did with his anonymous sources. The actress effectively becomes a body double for each of them and the fact that she is not actually a real source herself, but is only acting on behalf of others, isn’t revealed until near the end of the film. This new way of disguising anonymous sources not only hides their identity, but gives a fascinating twist to the film, as well.

2. Isolating body parts.

By isolating the camera focus on body parts, such as a source’s hands, the interviewee’s face — and identity — stays hidden. The documentary U.N. Me does this beautifully. In a dimly lit hotel room, the director keeps the camera on his sources’ hands, which move animatedly as he speaks. Sometimes paired with audio distortion, this anonymous interview technique artistically shows the liveliness of the source, possibly keeping the viewer interested more than they would be if viewing a dark silhouette.

U.N. Me documentary film preview.

3. Creating a ‘natural’ silhouette.

If an anonymous source’s environment is important to their identity or role in the film, using a silhouette, but keeping their surroundings lighted and visible, can be an effective way of interviewing the subject and having their words feel more trustworthy. The documentary on the British artist, Bansky, does this well as it shows his studio around his silhouette, which establishes trust between the viewer and filmmaker that the silhouette is truly the artist.