. The felt power differential also led them to protect their subjects when they believed they were vulnerablenot, however, at the expense of preserving their own artistic options. if the regular price od the book is $25, how many books could be bought at the sale price if a shopper spent $105? Narrative structure sometimes mandates manipulation, which they often but not always found uncomfortable. I have come around to believe that a small honorarium is OK, that we should cover the subjects expenses and lost work, and that we sure as hell should share profit if we can. That lack of balance and fairness is precisely the worry for some journalists and media analysts. A substantial minority of filmmakers argued that they would never allow a subject to see the film until it was finished. Filmmakers need to share both experience and vocabulary and to be able to question their own and others decision-making processes without encountering prohibitive risk. Were no longer seen as an institution thats fair and balanced. Our code of ethics is very different. Documentary filmmakers identified themselves as creative artists for whom ethical behavior is at the core of their projects. This Is Elvis movie review & film summary (1981) | Roger Ebert Even producers working for large outlets, such as Discovery, National Geographic, and PBS, are typically independent contractors. Then she was OK.. To look at a homicide that happened seven years ago, and look at who did itits good entertainment. . Filmmakers grounded this permission in two arguments: they wanted to demonstrate a trust relationship with the subject, and they wanted to make a film that was responsible to the subjects perspectives. A.253m2B.25m2C.103m2D.53m2\begin{array} { l } {A. Its become an easy thing to do to say that we dont pay. That paradigm isnt going to stand any longer.. Are there music cues? " Free Chol Soo Lee " charts the . 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 Egypt, I had a fixer who paid everyone as we went, thats the way they do things there. I want you to sign the release, but we will really listen to you. You have to condense, but you cant manipulate., Dixon used the popular documentary Blackfish, about the quality of life of SeaWorld orcas, as another example. Should films such asGhosts of Abu GhraibandStandard Operating Procedurefeature images that further embarrass and humiliate their subjects? We showed her the piece first. her less experienced colleague takes 1.6 hours to complete a root canal. We did talk to that other person on the phone and then decided not to interview them for the film. . Class 12 Class 11 Class 10 Class 9 Class 2 Class 1 A Practice Book of English Class 11 English Medium NCERT Class 11 English - Hornbill High School English Grammar and Composition Book by Wren & Martin Experts say that its no coincidence that documentary films are enjoying boosted popularity at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low. One filmmaker said that she tries to be as authentic as possible, down to the year and the place. Occasionally filmmakers even shared film profits with the subjects, although not as a contractual matter from the start. if the cost per dozen eggs rises to $1.80, how much more will the restaurant have to pay for eggs per week, based on the ______________ behavior and _________________ toward service staff exhibited by the job applicant before his interview, the hiring manager decided not to move forward with his application. The interview was important for the film, Nelson said, and he believed the request was motivated by desire to control the film. smallest value. We said, We cant let this happen. We stopped filming and stopped this from happening. One filmmaker who made a documentary about a company that employed illegal immigrants simply left that fact out of the film and did not report it, either: We didnt call the policewe felt like that would be a breach of trust. Another filmmakers subject told a story about trying to bring her son across the border illegally. inaccurately, for mood or tone, . This movie does not, however, intend to be a documentary about Presley's drug usage. . In journalistic practice, payment is usually forbidden for fear of tainting the information garnered. what percentage of the remaining employees are in team A, what is the average of the following numbers 1, 4, 8, 17, in a retail store with 36 employees, 26 work with costumers, 11 work in the warehouse and 4 do neither. Filmmakers repeatedly referenced problems with using historical materials, which document specific people, places, and times, as generic references or in service to a particular and perhaps unrelated point. That more cinematic approach to documentary filmmaking is new, said Stacey Woelfel, the director of the University of Missouri's Center for Documentary Journalism, but it's present in many modern documentaries like "The Jinx," "Blackfish" and others. Steven Ascher said: You could argue that cutaways in a scene filmed with one camera are a distortionyou cut from a person talking to a reaction shot, condensing or reshuffling dialogue before you cut back to the person. In thinking about their subjects, filmmakers typically described a relationship in which the filmmaker had more social and sometimes economic power than the subject. I can sort of rationalize this, that it might be killed by a natural predator. Stanley Nelson said, People have to know and feel its a recreation. One struggles enough in making a good film. if the total sales of the beverages for that morning was $700, how many $3 beverages were sold, a school year begins with 24 students trying out for the basketball team 20 students trying out for the debate team. Documentary films have risen significantly in popularity since the turn of the century, increasing from less than 5 percent of all movie releases to 18 percent as of 2012, according to the media analysis nonprofit group the Harmony Institute. 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. Interrogating what it means to become a "subject" in a documentary film that ultimately takes on a life and a folklore of its own, Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla By the late 1990s, U.S. documentary filmmakers had become widely respected media makers, recognized as independent voices at a time of falling public confidence in mainstream media and in the integrity of the political process. Its mostly now a reporter being front and center rather than telling the stories of others, so people feel they cant trust it, Columbia University journalism and documentary film professor June Cross said. Wanda Bershen is a consultant on fundraising, festivals and distribution. legally I could have put it in [without the familys approval], but hey, I want to sleep at night. But that doesnt mean that I dont bend the truth. Ken Burns recalled having to decide between two photographs to illustrate the point that Huey Long was often surrounded by bodyguards. you decide what your film is going to be, you have to put your traditional issues of friendship aside. 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. an. Watch documentaries that dont align with your opinion, Breyer said. I want to always be able to send the DVD to them. Another explained, You owe them always having in your mind the power you have as a filmmaker, presenting them to millions of people. the more fundamental questions are related to matters of life and death. I usually say no, its a conflict of interest, but sometimes you really want someone to do the interview. Another thought it was more a matter of cultural norms. By not including a perspective sympathetic or understanding of SeaWorld's position even perhaps their attorneys, who could explain their side of legal cases included in the movie the film stops trying to tell the entire story. If you're in tech, you might have subject matter experts for web-hosting, agile methodology, and more. Indeed, any subjects withdrawal of affection may result in denial of access to material in which the filmmakers have invested heavily. In that instance, I didnt feel it would affect what he was going to say.. But those kinds of distortions are often necessary to tell the story or to compress ideas that would otherwise take too long. When filmmakers face ethical conflicts, they often resolve them in an ad-hoc way, keeping their deep face-to-face relationship with subjects and their more abstract relationship with the viewers in balance with practical concerns about cost, time, and ease of production. And you want to be honorable. . They believe that their viewers are dependent on their ethical choices. A documentary is something that intends to be truthful, said Richard Breyer, Syracuse University director of documentary film and history. In London, people expect fees for interviews, etc., anytime you take up someones time. 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. They also blurred the line between traditional documentary, reality, and hybrid forms. . So to use archival footage . 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. if both individuals start working at the same time, and each works 56 hours completing tooth canals over the course of one month, how many tooth canals will they have completed, taking issue with media reports, the president_____ that she had no plans to step down and ____________ claims that her office was guilty of corruption. This DPA and the Service Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the Parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior communications, representations, or agreements, oral or written, by the Parties relating thereto. One filmmaker recalled omitting a section on request. Notably, this attitude does not extend to celebrities, whom filmmakers found to be aggressive and powerful in controlling their image. In most cases, documentarians believed strongly in making informal commitments and employing situational ethics determined on a case-by-case basis. Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law. Individual filmmakers may develop concurrent projects with and for a range of television programmers, from PBS to the Food Channel, balancing sponsored work (for income) with projects of the heart. . Maybe you cant. [30] Great journalism shouldnt, either., Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. office printer uses an average of 33.5 pages every hour if the printer is only used while the office is open, and the office is open for 50 hours each week, how many pages will the printer need over the course of 8 weeks. Where institutional standards and practices exist, as in the news divisions of some broadcast and cablecast networks, filmmakers felt helpfully guided by them. . We loved the texture of the campaign commercials for various candidates. I wanted to learn more about why she did the awful things . We have the money. Some filmmakers acknowledged that they occasionally would resort to bad faith and outright deception, both with subjects and with gatekeepers who kept them from subjects. Steven Ascher said that revealing a subjects weaknesses or positions that the audience is likely to find laughable or repellant can be justified when they are taking advantage of other people or when they are so completely convinced of their own rightness, they would be happy with their portrayal. But if you want to really explore it, you have to shape and bend. 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. A funny thing happened over the past decade in the short subject documentary space: It became competitive. what percentage of the remaining students are trying out of the basketball team, raul is half the age of his brother and 60% younger than his sister. 5 7 11 17. 25. an automobile factory produces 75 cars in an hour. You always have to be aware of the power that you as a filmmaker have in relationship to your subject. At the same time, they recognized that professional obligations might force them at least to cause pain. One filmmakers client hired her to make an educational documentary for middle school kids and to leave out the fact that Americans dropped the first atomic bomb. within last week 6 students have dropped out of the basketball team and 2 students have dropped out of the debate tryouts. Making a Murderer is exploitation entertainment, Dixon said. How much do their own reasoning processes correlate with existing journalism codes? This study demonstrates the need to have a more public and ongoing conversation about ethical problems in documentary filmmaking. . If Americans substitute documentary film for hard news reports and daily journalism, it could have major implications for journalism and for how Americans view the world around them. That was really helpful to me. Finally, filmmakers generally expressed frustration in two areas. One filmmaker, for instance, created archival material to use in her documentary and was asked to take it out by thebroadcaster when they found out it wasnt real. You dont owe them more than that.. [You have to be] obsessively careful. In one case, a subject who had signed a release asked Stanley Nelson not to use an interview. Dialogue editing and reaction shots are necessary tools of documentary, and while sometimes manipulative, often fall under Picassos idea of art as the lie that makes us realize the truth. Vietnam veteran and biker Ron " Stray Dog " Hall is the subject of "Winter's Bone" director Debra Granik's documentary debut "Stray Dog," which follows Hall's bike club on a . He is still in contact with his characters, but he admitted they felt betrayed by [him] in some way. They had expected the filmmaker to protect them by not including comments they made and remembered making. . What I want people to understand is that this is not just about Indonesias past or its history, its about the now, Oppenheimer said from Copenhagen via Skype. . He wanted us to interview someone else as a precondition [for using his own interview], Nelson said. . They were much happier, I was much happier, and the film was better because of it.. We discussed it with her, and then she felt comfortable. . Filmmakers felt frustrated that stations did not always honor the agreements they had made with their subjects. A story of loving impossible loves and the torture of self-discovery in a world of demagogues and uncompromising hate, it has a tragic immediacy that makes it as contemporary as ever. 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. Would you believe an interview with Dick Cheney if you knew he was paid a hefty honorarium? . The core data was gathered in long-form, hour-long interviews, grounded in open-ended questions, conducted usually by phone. If you abuse this, then you wont get access to people for the next project.. Singled out for notice was the attention at some television networkseven when not in the news divisionto factual accuracy. . When the filmmaker showed a scene of a handcuffed minor in juvenile halla crucial and pivotal sceneto the family, in spite of having releases, the mother objected. A good film often has many lives, and one of the lives is in educational institutions, within schools and libraries. Its too misleading to the audience. They also respected broadcasters fact-checking departments, and some found that people in those departments were willing to push back against network pressures to fudge facts or artificially enhance drama. SeaWorld declined to cooperate with filmmakers and called the film propaganda.". They didnt garble the voice but did obscure the face. Is somebody on the soundtrack telling you what to think? . They were minors, and might have problems with their families or with the law. Another director cited a situation where one high school kid would lift a girl and put her head-first in a trashcan after the teacher had left. They take you to places that you will never see in the so-called mainstream media. But they can also be manipulated.. not looking at archival footage as a document of a particular time and place, becomes problematic. Peter Miller noted that. you have to be truthful. Louis Massiah reiterated this. . . At the same time, they shared unarticulated general principles and limitations. The decision to share material in advance with subjects was, typically, an informal decision. No, I never show rough cuts to subjects. Here this guy worked for five days and they get no glory, they go back to their regular jobs. The producer noted that the filmmakers work for a for-profit venture, and were making our money based on these peoples stories . Many documentary filmmakers work with people whom they have chosen and typically see themselves as stewards of the subjects stories. . 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. Where before a small number of players dominated the category, now it is extraordinarily . Explain the error. Saying this blurry figure is not our guy would ruin the scene, said Peter Miller. It has no ethical or redemptive value . For example, the main subject of "Silence" an optometrist, Adi Rukun, who was born after his older brother was murdered openly confronts his brother's likely (but unconfirmed) killers in front of the camera as a sort of impromptu and very damning confessional. Viewers are also reticent to call Oppenheimer's work pure documentary, given how Oppenheimer utilizes certain cinematic techniques. Documentaries dont pretend to be fair and balanced.. Many filmmakers noted that restaging routine or trivial events such as walking through a door was part and parcel of the filmmaking process and was not what makes the story honest. But many filmmakers went much further, without discomfort. Its part of our work and our interpretation, said one. Symbolic tribunals?. But even more valuable, Winter gives Zappa pride of place among the most important composers of the 20th century . The documentary became public due to its subject matter, it dealt with For all their aesthetic beauty, both The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence occupy an unsure place on the continuum of cultural forms. Who is it and how they are using it is also important, because as a small independent [filmmaker] you are personally accountable. Furthermore, noncommercial public TV news programs explicitly placed journalistic standards above commercial mandates. what is the price of the stock after two years, a coffee shop sold 300 beverages during one morning shift. Most kept filming and postponed the decision of whether or not to use the footage. Changes in camera technology also allowed filmmakers to capture more intimate and up-close moments cinema verite is known for, Woelfel said lighter, more portable cameras allowed the filmmakers behind "Primary" to follow John F. Kennedy and his family into cramped cars and hotel rooms, through crowds and into waiting rooms as poll results came in; places that older, more cumbersome equipment struggled to go. A great documentary doesnt give you an answer, Breyer said. That could be good or bad, depending on the story being told, Cross said. 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. 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? 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. To achieve those goals, standards uphold accuracy, fairness, and obeying of law, including privacy law. He said, I didnt have a [moral] dilemma. If there's a lawyer on your company's payroll, they're the subject matter expert for anything legal. His promotion of the term has been criticized, by scholar Brian Winston, among others, for allowing ethical choices to go unexamined. The keenly felt power differential between filmmaker and subject led some filmmakers to make unilateral storytelling decisions, usually to omit material, with empathy for the subjects. What It's Like to Be the Subject of a Documentary Film " Free Chol Soo Lee " charts the . She has organized programs with the Human Rights Film Festival, Brooklyn Museum and Film Society of Lincoln Center and currently teaches arts management at CUNY Baruch. In some ways, Michael Mann's Ali, starring an Oscar-nominated Will Smith in the title role, plays like When We Were Kings stretched out into a moody, ambient-leaning slow motion. 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. Why? At our school, we define it as the luxury of time to research and present subject matter in an in-depth fashion with the rigors of journalism involved, Woelfel said. Video sweetening, or adding in layers of sound, did not concern documentarians in generalif it was incidental. The Economist reports that documentaries now make up 16 percent of the Cannes Film Festival slate, compared to about 8 percent in 2008. . It did not compromise an ultimate truth.. 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. the politicians earlier association with the student communist movement ________________ his reputation with some in his party, who feared his history would hurt his chances of being elected, the documentary became popular due to its subject matter, it dealt with sensitive topic but ____________ the information in a palatable way. Hopefully you do it in a way that ultimately, with the finished product that I had a clear conscience.