They had fewer qualms about lying to public officials or to representatives of institutions than about lying to subjects. I can convince you that a lot of films are truthful., While news outlets appeal to different and distinct audiences based on interest and political persuasion, Cross says documentary films are thriving precisely because they dont try to settle on whats true., Theres this idea that somehow, I have to be a trained reporter to dispense the news, Cross said. Jon Else noted that he once changed a shot that appeared on a TV set inSing Fasterbecause it involved a Major League Baseball game, and he had determined that he could not license the footage. As one filmmaker noted: I am in their life for a whole year. And it wasnt, so we had to take it out. They were fully aware that their choices of angles, shots, and characters were personal and subjective (a POV, or point of view, was repeatedly referenced as a desirable feature of a documentary), and justified their decisions by reference to the concept the truth. This concept was unanchored by validity tests, definitions, or norms. if it sells 200 more lamps in the next month how many lamps does it sell in august. Documentary filmmakers, whether they were producing histories for public television, nature programs for cable, or independent political documentaries, found themselves facing not only economic pressure but also close scrutiny for the ethics of their practices. A documentary is something that intends to be truthful, said Richard Breyer, Syracuse University director of documentary film and history. The minute you start to pick and choose facts, youre making fiction. It may be a necessary sacrifice if the media is going to continue not to investigate things like Indonesia.. I remember negotiating with a bigwig, he was in demand, he said hed like to do it, and requested a donation to a nonprofit. In the case of viewers, they believed that they were obligated to provide a generally truthful narrative or story, even if some of the means of doing that involved misrepresentation, manipulation, or elision. I was making a film about someone who was not loved . A journalist wouldnt show you the footage. They didnt demand it, but they were right. The problem is, its not hard to convince people something is truthful. Someone else will be culling footage from your film. Experts say that it's no coincidence that documentary films are enjoying boosted popularity at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low. Were no longer seen as an institution thats fair and balanced. I dont think you can call that a documentary because a documentary presents the whole picture.. . But those kinds of distortions are often necessary to tell the story or to compress ideas that would otherwise take too long. Here are the best documentary films of all time. The growth of commercial opportunities and the prominence of politics as a documentary subject also produced tensions. But even more valuable, Winter gives Zappa pride of place among the most important composers of the 20th century . a bookstore has a sale where all hardcore books are sold at a discount of 40%. The producer who lines up subjects or oversees production is often separated from editing and postproduction. Its one of those areas where our responsibility to our audience and our responsibility to our subjects can be at odds. This baseline research is necessary to begin any inquiry into ethical standards because the field has not yet articulated ethical standards specific to documentary. if the regular price od the book is $25, how many books could be bought at the sale price if a shopper spent $105? They nonetheless subscribed to shared, but unarticulated, general principles. the cryptocurrency appreciates 200% in the first year and 150% in the next. Those are pretty boring, Woelfel said. Another featured uniformed guardsa one-time, exceptional moment. In the case of subjects who they believed were less powerful in the relationship than themselves, they believed that their work should not harm the subjects or leave them worse off than before. The whale is the subject of the 2013 documentary Blackfish., Director Gabriele Cowperthwaite, right, watches as footage is filmed for her 2013 documentary Blackfish.. This study provides a map of perceived ethical challenges that documentary filmmakersdirectors and producer-directorsin the United States identify in the practice of their craft. Breyer pointed to witness footage of police killings of black men like Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Walter Scott over the past two years as an example. What are their concerns? . . In the end, if I cant convince you then well take it out., Some also believed that seeing material in advance helped make their subjects more comfortable with the exposure they would encounter, thus avoiding problems in the future. The assembly-line nature of the production process also threatens the integrity of agreements made between producers and their subjects as a condition of filming. Then Id be suspicious, Dixon said, adding that dramatic re-enactments, too, can be manipulative. a dentist can complete a tooth canal in 1.4 hours. For todays documentary filmmakers, it appears to grace a set of choices about narrative and purpose in the documentary. . A new mini documentary, released Thursday on YouTube by crypto consulting firm Emfarsis and gaming company Yield Guild Games called "Play-to-Earn," follows several Filipino people who play the . We want to have a human relationship with our subjects, said Gordon Quinn, but there are boundaries that should not be crossed. . . Are they works of art? After I wrapped, I felt like a real shit for the rest of the day, felt like I manipulated him for my personal gain. It depends on the project.. In one case, a subject who had signed a release asked Stanley Nelson not to use an interview. That is the most deliberate falsification Ive ever done . It shocks us with that quaking moment of recognition, Oppenheimer said. We did talk to that other person on the phone and then decided not to interview them for the film. She said she was trained to think of archival this way, to think that as a filmmaker, you put it out there as truth. Sometimes filmmakers are constrained by contract, but far more often they are constrained by the fear that openly discussing ethical issues will expose them to risk of censure or may jeopardize the next job. To look at a homicide that happened seven years ago, and look at who did itits good entertainment. You have to serve the truth. Another filmmaker unapologetically recalled alienating his subjects because he had, in the interest of the viewers and of his own artistic values, included frank comments that caused members of their own community to turn against them. What were seeing now is a democratization of storytelling in a way that gives John Q. When you have a scene or moment in the film, you may realize its just a great moment, and then you realize the subject doesnt want that moment on screen. His promotion of the term has been criticized, by scholar Brian Winston, among others, for allowing ethical choices to go unexamined. As documentary production becomes more generalized, and as public affairs become ever more participatory, the question of what ethical norms exist and can be shared is increasingly important. They widely shared the notions of Do no harm and Protect the vulnerable., They usually treated this relationship as less than friendship and more than a professional relationship, and often as one in which the subject could make significant demands on the filmmaker. how much money did she generate in drink sales during this time? The Economist reports that documentaries now make up 16 percent of the Cannes Film Festival slate, compared to about 8 percent in 2008. They didnt garble the voice but did obscure the face. One struggles enough in making a good film. Controversies emerged about several documentaries. The Times described the documentary not only as focusing on women in politics, but more specifically on women of color, their communities, and the significant changes they have wrought upon America. The differing styles of documentary and injection of cinematic elements that arguably make them more interesting has made it harder to define documentary and its goals even among professionals, no two definitions of a documentary are quite the same. . [Our subject] had one for radio; we used the audio and made a commercial [to go with the audio]. Treatment of archival materials (especially still and motion photographic materials) was widely recognized as a site of ethical challenges, but there was a wide range of responses. To a certain extent, SeaWorld is right, Dixon said, though he liked the film. Observational Documentaries Observational documentaries aim to observe the world around them. if the regular price od the book is $25, how many books could be bought at the sale price if a shopper spent $105? I had to do it. While some said that they would never lie to a subject about what they were doing in the film, many believed that the decision needed to be taken on a case-by-case basis, considering the goal of the film and the relationship with the viewer. Filmmakers admitted to not telling the whole truth or concealing their motivation or their films true politics to get access to a subject or to get the scene you want to get. In one case, a filmmaker hid the fact from a political candidate that his film was about the opposing candidate. That could be good or bad, depending on the story being told, Cross said. They believe that their viewers are dependent on their ethical choices. . First and foremost the kids education is at stake. Sophie says that (7c2d+12cd2+3)+(5c2d2cd28)=12c2d+10cd25\left(7 c^{2} d+12 c d^{2}+3\right)+\left(5 c^{2} d-2 c d^{2}-8\right)= 12 c^{2} d+10 c d^{2}-5(7c2d+12cd2+3)+(5c2d2cd28)=12c2d+10cd25. They portray themselves as storytellers who tell important truths in a world where the truths they want to tell are often ignored or hidden. But if you want to really explore it, you have to shape and bend. In one case, a filmmaker decided to withhold information about a public figures drug addiction in order to create the strongest cinematic experience. The opening . It was so powerful. Subject matter experts, also called SMEs, are professionals who have advanced knowledge in a specific field. what is the average number of book sold per month during the five month period, which of the following is the largest value. Thats an advocacy piece where people come on camera and say, This is terrible and the other side doesnt want to comment because it will demolish them, Dixon said. Public more agency in news gathering, Cross said. Blackfish is what Dixon considers an advocacy film," even though the film spurred change that journalism may not, because of ethical considerations, have been able to achieve. . The trend towards faster and cheaper documentaries and the assembly line nature of work has proven challenging to filmmakers understanding of their obligations to subjects in particular. Anonymity permitted filmmakers to speak freely about situations that may have put them or their companies under uncomfortable scrutiny. So there is a more profound relationship, not a journalistic two or three hours., They were acutely aware of the power they have over their subjects. . Some filmmakers, however, did give subjects the right to decide whether or not their material should be included in the film. . Some of these outlets may ask filmmakers to observe standards and practices, and/or ethics codes derived from print journalism and broadcast news and developed in conjunction with journalism programs in higher education. the DP [director of photography] was sitting there, saying No, Im sure you wouldnt want to do it, but nodding his head yes. Gordon Quinn recalled, I made a film in the 70s about an 11-year -old girl growing up. The interview was important for the film, Nelson said, and he believed the request was motivated by desire to control the film. How much do their own reasoning processes correlate with existing journalism codes? . September 2009 Woelfel said changes in journalism in the last 20 years have paved the way for audiences to crave the detail of documentaries. We have the money. Because investigative journalism has been cut in American media, nonfiction filmmakers easily take on the duty of going out and pursuing deep investigations, Oppenheimer said. Should films such asGhosts of Abu GhraibandStandard Operating Procedurefeature images that further embarrass and humiliate their subjects? Dixon suggests viewers beware certain hallmarks designed to sway them. So to use archival footage . to figure out which of those statements could put the character at risk. The filmmaker removed an incriminating line, while keeping the general information and preserving the filmmakers interests as a creator. One director recalled, I knew personal information about one of the [subjects] that I thought would make the film richer, but she was confiding to me in person, not as a filmmaker . . The Economist reports that documentaries now make up 16 percent of the Cannes Film Festival slate, compared to about 8 percent in 2008. The trouble is, most viewers dont know the difference. The population spanned three generations. You have to open your eyes and trust yourself. Center for Media & Social ImpactSchool of Communication,American University4400 Massachusetts Ave NW This study explores those questions. Its your reputation. Furthermore, producers, who were held responsible for the standards, are typically forbidden to offer subjects the right of review or to restage events; they are required to ensure that image and sound properly represent reality, and that music and special effects are used sparingly. a company hires 14 new employees onto sales team A and 14 new employees onto sales Team B. within one year 2 of the new team A employees and 6 of the new team B employees have quit. Director nixed Jeffrey Epstein project due to 'distasteful' subject matter. 1, 3, 7, 13, 21, ? Wanda Bershen is a consultant on fundraising, festivals and distribution. I used it, and Im sure 99 percent of the people who watched the film thought it was him and his family. an hourly worker whose wage is 15 per hour will be paid how much for an 8 hour shift, which of the following is the. Finally, some filmmakers believed that deceit was appropriate in the service of their work with vulnerable subjects and their stories and with powerful subjects who might put up obstacles. The relationship between documentary subject and documentarian has been fraught with conflict since the genre's evolution beyond "actualities" and into a narrative format pioneered by Robert Flaherty. We will show the film before it is finished. I want you to sign the release, but we will really listen to you. The standards and practices share some common themes, as analyzed by project advisor Jon Else. In relation to viewers, they often justified the manipulation of individual facts, sequences, and meanings of images, if it meant telling a story more effectively and helped viewers grasp the main, and overall truthful, themes of a story. Ringer illustration. . Most subjects signed releases allowing the makers complete editorial control and ownership of the footage for every use early on during the production process. This study provides a map of perceived ethical challenges that documentary filmmakersdirectors and producer-directorsin the United States identify in the practice of their craft. An independent filmmaker said that his financially strapped subjects could see that we had money to make the movie, and we were making money ourselves off their tragedy, at a time when they could not work because of dealing with [a difficult situation]. In this regard, many found institutional rules against payment to be arbitrary and even counterproductive. That was really helpful to me. In a certain sense there is something deceptive about that. It has no ethics. If journalism is like a window, art is like a mirror to confront our deepest mysteries.. Documentary filmmakers identified themselves as creative artists for whom ethical behavior is at the core of their projects. In a world where people deny the Holocaust, you dont want to give wind to that fire. Up until 1960, with (director Robert Drews) Primary and the work of some others, documentaries were just lectures on film. What is the difference? A cable TV producer argued that the ethical thing to do would be to pay subjects. Even producers working for large outlets, such as Discovery, National Geographic, and PBS, are typically independent contractors. It appears to justify the overall goal of communicating the important themes, processes, or messages within the (required) entertaining narrative frame, while still permitting the necessary distortions to fit within that frame and the flexibility to deal with production exigencies. The subjective line between fact-finding and cinema is a conundrum critics recognize about Oppenheimers work even as they praise it. Everyone raised their hands. you decide what your film is going to be, you have to put your traditional issues of friendship aside. . Its an accepted norm to pay fees. In still another case, an HIV-positive mother addicted to drugs asked filmmakers not to reveal where she lives. Filmmakers surveyed contrasted notions of a higher truth with concern for factual accuracy of discrete data, which they also valued but often regarded as a lower-level standard to meet. A filmmaker has dropped his long-planned documentary on indicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the subject . Clockwise from top left: Casting JonBenet; Homecoming, Dirty Money, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead; Miss Americana; Jim & Andy. It was awkward for them but I did not want to set a precedent.. Shes a real person and you cant imply something about her that never happened. , However, filmmakers balanced this concern with the need to resell their footage to make a living and considered appropriate decision making part of maintaining their professional reputations. The core data was gathered in long-form, hour-long interviews, grounded in open-ended questions, conducted usually by phone. . At the same time, they themselves are vulnerable in a wider media system. Filmmakers thus find themselves without community norms or standards. One filmmaker said I might hire a scholar for a day to consult with me on a script, so why cant I pay a musician whos made little money and felt exploited by white people their whole life? Unbeknownst to me, the [animal wrangler] broke the next rabbits leg, so it couldnt run. Ultimately Im not of that position. They said it will be upsetting for children, and that the films point is solely to talk about material science. Still another grappled with this issue in the editing room: I was complaining to someone [that] I feel some allegiance to them, and the person said that at this point your only allegiance should be with the audience. Saying this blurry figure is not our guy would ruin the scene, said Peter Miller. But did I? Its a powerful story, and its important plot-wise. But ultimately it has to be our decision. In some cases I will say, If there is something that you cant live with then well discuss it, we will have the argument and real dialogue. Why? A.253m2B.25m2C.103m2D.53m2, How to calculate the 424242nd term of the arithmetic sequence. subject matter. he didnt have family photos. Where before a small number of players dominated the category, now it is extraordinarily . Most kept filming and postponed the decision of whether or not to use the footage. Entire Agreement. However, even filmmakers who work with television organizations with standards and practices may not benefit from them because the programs are executed through the entertainment divisions. Will this 23-year-old tutor win her 23rd Jeopardy! game? her less experienced colleague takes 1.6 hours to complete a root canal. They believe that they come into a situation where their subjects, whether people or animals, are relatively powerless and theyas media makershold some power. Ken Burns recalled having to decide between two photographs to illustrate the point that Huey Long was often surrounded by bodyguards. Originating in the 1960s alongside advances in portable film equipment, the Cinma Vrit -style is much less pointed than the expository approach. The decision to share material in advance with subjects was, typically, an informal decision. For instance, filmmakers also regularly used re-creations (re-staging of events that have already occurred, whether in the recent or distant past), although they widely believed that it was important that audiences be made aware somehow that the footage is recreated. Luc Jacquet 3. At the same time, they shared unarticulated general principles and limitations. . I am keenly aware of the hypocrisy of asking someone for access that I myself would probably not grant. They let you be there as their life unfolds, said Steven Ascher, and that carries with it a responsibility to try to anticipate how the audience will see them, and at times to protect them when necessary., I often think, Let me be this person watching the film. Would they hate me?
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