On becoming a director: Constructing voice from within a marginalized community

The goal of this research is to understand the role of agency, self-expression, and the process of producing collective intelligence in media works by novice directors through examining in detail a community-based media project. From 2005-07, the researcher was director of a media workshop for developmentally disabled adults who learned to direct their first video. Data from this workshop was examined using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory and Clarke’s situational analysis in order to identify the interactions between the directors, liaison and trainer, and the sponsoring organizations. In addition to applying new research methods to media and interactive arts, the work contributes to knowledge regarding the effectiveness of community-based adaptive education for non-mainstream learners based on communities of practice. As well as extending adaptive technology to education, the work interrogates inclusive community by analysing Warschauer’s critique of the digital divide in order to include digital video production and editing access.