In this paper, I outline an innovative remote participatory video (PV) methodology that
makes use of participants’ smartphones. It was developed as an alternative to
co-production research and can be employed when face-to-face contact is impossible or
undesirable. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face research interactions have
been disrupted or become impossible. Yet it is vital to reach those who are most affected
by emergencies and to include their voices. The research reported here was a collaboration
between women in Medellín, Colombia, and a team of filmmakers and researchers. We
developed an innovative remote PV methodology using participants’ smartphones, researching
how women from poorer neighbourhoods were affected by the pandemic in their everyday
lives. Here, I reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the remote PV methodology,
arguing that it offers new avenues for participants to take control of the filming and
editing process, and builds technical skills and capacities that have value beyond the
timeframe of the project. I conclude that the remote PV method has great potential as a
stand-alone method, moving the landscape of co-production research away from a requirement
for geographical co-presence and potentially shifting power and ownership towards local
co-researchers and participants.