In short
- Gawai is celebrated differently by different Dayak communities, so your organisers explain it, not the crew.
- Name one person who explains the programme and one who approves how it is shown.
- Agree early which rituals, prayers or moments are filmed, filmed but kept private, or not filmed.
- Check names, languages and spellings with the community before they appear on screen.
Someone from your community should explain your Gawai programme, and the person who approves the film should be named before the crew arrives. That keeps the film true to how your community celebrates, not a general picture of Gawai.
Who should explain the programme?
Gawai is not one fixed event. Communities celebrate it in different ways, in homes, longhouses, village halls and association events. What happens, in what order and what it means can change from one place to the next.
So we ask your organisers to describe the programme to us. Choose one programme explainer: an elder, a committee member or a cultural lead. This person talks to the crew before the day and stays reachable during it.
Who approves how the community is shown?
Name one approver, who may be the same person or a small committee. They decide:
- Which parts are filmed and which are not.
- Which parts are filmed for the community’s records but not shared publicly.
- Whether the film can be posted online or used by outside groups.
- Who reviews the draft and gives the final yes.
The video decisions and approvals planner can help you write these down, and the guide to permissions and responsible publication covers the wider questions.
What should you agree about the programme?
Use a short checklist with your explainer:
- The running order: each item, who takes part, where it happens and roughly when.
- Ritual and blessing moments: for each one, whether it is filmed, filmed privately or left out, and where the crew may stand.
- Performances: dance, music and processions, and whether you want them kept whole or shown in short clips.
- Speeches and greetings: who speaks, in which language, and whether they should be recorded in full.
- Food and hospitality: whether guests and family should appear, and how people are asked first.
- Special guests and officials: names and titles, spelled the way the community wants.
The must-capture moments checklist turns these answers into a one-page sheet for the crew.
How does the crew behave on the day?
On the day, the crew follows your explainer’s guidance. We stay out of ritual spaces unless invited, avoid blocking elders or participants, and ask before entering any area we are unsure about. Where it matters, we film from a distance.
Space, lighting and power can be limited in a longhouse or village hall, so tell us about them early. For a longer or multi-day programme, ask about multi-day coverage.
What if the programme runs all day across several places?
Some celebrations run from morning to night in more than one place. Tell us the rough order and where each part happens, so we can suggest a sensible crew size. If two things happen at once, you decide which matters more, and we suggest how to cover both.
What happens after filming?
The draft goes to your approver first. Names, titles and spoken words are checked before any final version is shared. If you want a short film for social media and a longer version for the community, say so now. The two versions follow different rules, and our private and public video version planner helps you decide.
Related guides
For a wider view of event coverage, see community event videography and the community, faith and nonprofit events guide. If you are in Sabah, our guide to filming Kaamatan community celebrations follows the same approach.
Tell us who is organising, roughly what the programme includes and who in your community can explain it, and we will suggest coverage. Send the date and place as well.
Ask about your event