he didnt have family photos. 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. They were much happier, I was much happier, and the film was better because of it.. . Click hereto view or download a PDF of this report. In one extreme case, for instance, the filmmaker did not protect a subject who implied that he had committed a murder. If its nonfiction, I need strong evidence to prove he can.. They didnt garble the voice but did obscure the face. The filmmaker believed this to misrepresent the conditions of the region. That could be good or bad, depending on the story being told, Cross said. To look at a homicide that happened seven years ago, and look at who did itits good entertainment. There is a huge danger that paying for talk will undermine the honesty of the talk, and that it will poison the river for the next filmmaker. No, I never show rough cuts to subjects. Any documentary code of ethics that has credibility for a field with a wide range of practices must develop from a shared understanding of values, standards, and practices. The problem is, its not hard to convince people something is truthful. Documentaries dont pretend to be fair and balanced.. Rather the opposite, in fact: faced with evidence of or a decision for inaccuracy or manipulation, they often moved the truth to a higher conceptual level, that of higher truth.. For the most part, however, when it comes to standards and ethics (and even independent fact checking), documentary filmmakers have largely depended on individual judgment, guidance from executives, and occasional conversations at film festivals and on listservs. The ongoing effort to strike a balance, and the negotiated nature of the relationship, was registered by Gordon Quinn: We say to our subjects, We are not journalists; we are going to spend years with you. What is the exact area of an equilateral triangle with sides of length 10 m? " Free Chol Soo Lee " charts the . Documentary filmmakers need a larger, more sustained and public discussion of ethics, and they also need safe zones to share questions and to report concerns. 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. A substantial minority of filmmakers argued that they would never allow a subject to see the film until it was finished. Director nixed Jeffrey Epstein project due to 'distasteful' subject matter. They argued that the responsibility to control the films point of view lay squarely with the filmmaker. I usually enter peoples lives at a time of crisis. an. They had fewer qualms about lying to public officials or to representatives of institutions than about lying to subjects. Julie Ha and Eugene Yi's involving documentary covers a U.S. wrongful conviction case that ultimately helped improve cultural and judicial sensitivities. how many hours will it take to produce 3000 cars? The interview pool consisted of 41 directors or producer-directors who had released at least two productions at a national level and who have authorial control. Their comments can be grouped into three conflicting sets of responsibilities: to their subjects, their viewers, and their own artistic vision and production exigencies. When documentary filmmakers do have to make their own ethical decisions, how do they reason? At the end of the day, it became a mother-son deal and they worked it out. In this case, the filmmakers objective was maintaining the relationship and salvaging key footage. For example, any kind of romantic relationship would be unacceptable. We are spending $500 on a dinner for 5 people. 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. But for us to inflict pain to get a better shot was the wrong thing to do. I have to be careful not to abuse the friendship with the subject, but its a rapport that is somewhat false, said one. 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. Guy Clark Music Documentary Looks to Get Its SXSW Due, One Year Later "Without Getting Killed or Caught," which also deals with the legacy of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, faces a very . Our code of ethics is very different. At the same time, they themselves are vulnerable in a wider media system. This DPA may be amended and the observance of any provision of this DPA may be waived . But those kinds of distortions are often necessary to tell the story or to compress ideas that would otherwise take too long. A more extended and vigorous conversation is needed in order to cultivate such understanding in this field of creative practice. Shyamalan made Split as an indirect sequel to Unbreakable . 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. in one month a farmer produces 1200 pounds of potatoes in the following mont the amount of potatoes it produces increases by 15 over the previous month how many potatoes does it produce in the second month? 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. It spoke to the possibilities as well. If youre a filmmaker you try to create a POV, you bend and shape the story to your agenda . Another filmmaker said that while she would not show subjects the current work, she would show previous films she had made, as a way of gaining their trust. 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. Narrative structure sometimes mandates manipulation, which they often but not always found uncomfortable. The informal basis upon which they operated also reflects the ambivalence they have about ceding control and their wish to preserve their own creative interests. Documentary filmmakers typically are small business owners, selling their work to a range of distributors, mostly in television. This survey demonstrated that filmmakers generally are acutely aware of moral dimensions of their craft, and of the economic and social pressures that affect them. 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. smallest value. He most often refers to his work as art rather than journalism. a safety specialist can complete an inspection in .5 hours. Another argued that letting subjects, especially celebrities or other people with social power, have input would threaten the credibility of the final product: I dont think the film stays credible if subjects are approving their sound bites, said filmmaker Maggie Burnette Stogner. 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. The trouble is, most viewers dont know the difference. Filmmakers often felt that subjects had a right to change their minds (although the filmmakers found this deeply unpleasant) or to see the material involving them or even the whole film in advance of public screenings. At a time when there is unprecedented financial pressure on makers to lower costs and increase productivity, filmmakers reported that they routinely found themselves in situations where they needed to balance ethical responsibilities against practical considerations. (Documentaries) can offer in-depth, detailed looks at what the news media will only superficially cover, but theyre more and more opinion based and less fact based, said Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan professor of film studies at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. If journalism is like a window, art is like a mirror to confront our deepest mysteries.. . It was awkward for them but I did not want to set a precedent.. Some filmmakers, however, did give subjects the right to decide whether or not their material should be included in the film. 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. [Our subject] had one for radio; we used the audio and made a commercial [to go with the audio]. 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. Accompanying the represented sub-ject matter is the film's attitude toward its . Its not meant to be consumed the day its produced.. Making a Murderer is exploitation entertainment, Dixon said. One filmmaker recalled omitting a section on request. I wanted to learn more about why she did the awful things . to prove that other sresidents considered the new billboard to be a _______ on the neighborhood, he conducted a survey in hopes of documentary his neighbors negative reaction to it. how many employees both work with customers and work in the warehouse, in an upcoming election 75% of the landlocked voters will vote for candidate A, while the rest will vote for candidate B; 20% of coastal voters will vote for candidate A while the rest will vote candidate B. which of the following represents the lowes percentage from all voters combined (landlocked and coastal) that must be landlocked (not coastal) in orderer candidate A to win, the graph show the number of book a book store sold per month. Gallup reports that just 40 percent of Americans trust media outlets to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. Amid dwindling trust in the press, documentaries with strong, emotional points of view can feel more authentic by comparison. Are there music cues? It was so powerful. On the next take, they then asked, Should we break its leg again? . . Many even see themselves as executors of a higher truth, framed within a narrative. Julie Ha and Eugene Yi's involving documentary covers a U.S. wrongful conviction case that ultimately helped improve cultural and judicial sensitivities. All Rights Reserved. Concerns about documentary ethics are not new, but they have intensified over the past several years in response to changes in the industry. 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 . 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. Notably, this attitude does not extend to celebrities, whom filmmakers found to be aggressive and powerful in controlling their image. AfterHoop Dreamsbecame wildly successful, noted Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin Films shared profits (based on screen time) with everyone who had a speaking role in the film. We discussed it with her, and then she felt comfortable. So to use archival footage . . . Despite its detours, this doc about the alleged 1948 massacre of a Palestinian village clicks into a sobering portrait of collective memory. Its important to lift up people who tell their stories, as opposed to making them victims. It would have made a fabulous turning point in the film, but I didnt include it. What is the difference? A cable TV producer argued that the ethical thing to do would be to pay subjects. 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 The interview team consisted of Center for Social Media fellow and filmmaker Mridu Chandra and American University School of Communication MFA graduate student Maura Ugarte. Most subjects signed releases allowing the makers complete editorial control and ownership of the footage for every use early on during the production process. 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. Jon Else said: For years I never paid anyone for an interview. But you should also develop core competencies that help you collaborate with clients and meet their expectations. The ethical conflicts they face loom large precisely because nonfiction filmmakers believe that they carry large responsibilities. Someone else will be culling footage from your film. And these are just a few examples. While tragic, the events of Silence arent something Americans are likely to read about in the news. A good film often has many lives, and one of the lives is in educational institutions, within schools and libraries. . Institutional standards and practices remain proprietary to the companies for which the filmmakers may be working and do not always reflect the terms they believe are appropriate to their craft. 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. " Free Chol Soo Lee " charts the . Pat Aufderheide, "Zappa" gives its subject his well-earned due within the rock firmament. 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. if the regular price od the book is $25, how many books could be bought at the sale price if a shopper spent $105? Filmmakers also face pressure to inflate drama or character conflict and to create drama where no natural drama exists. 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. At the same time, many of the filmmakers surveyed spoke of commercial pressures, particularly in the cable business, to make decisions they believed to be unethical. To a certain extent, SeaWorld is right, Dixon said, though he liked the film. This higher truth or a sociological truth inadvertently invoked documentary pioneer John Griersons description of documentary as a creative treatment of actuality. Grierson used this flexible term to permit a wide range of actions and approaches ranging from re-enactment to highly selective storytellingindeed, even outright government propaganda. They daily felt the lack of clarity and standards in ethical practice. One filmmaker said that she tries to be as authentic as possible, down to the year and the place. Perhaps because the terms of these releases were not their own, filmmakers often provided more leeway to their subjects than the strict terms provided in them. 5 7 11 17. 25. an automobile factory produces 75 cars in an hour. 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. Twenty years later some people making a film about abortion wanted to use some of our footage to set the historical context of the times. This protective attitude was dropped when filmmakers found an act ethically repugnant, often seeing their job as exposing malfeasance. her less experienced colleague takes 2.0 hours to complete an inspection. Woelfel said changes in journalism in the last 20 years have paved the way for audiences to crave the detail of documentaries. While Silence and its companion film, The Act of Killing, are both generally categorized as documentary films (Silence was nominated for an Academy Award in that category earlier this year), Oppenheimer dismisses that label, preferring the term nonfiction film" because he recognizes the cinematic elements of his films that have helped popularize the genre like re-enactments. Filmmakers expected to shift allegiances from subject to viewer in the course of the film, in order to complete the project. 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. At the same time, they shared unarticulated general principles and limitations. Symbolic tribunals?. . 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 relation to subjects, they often did not feel obliged to protect subjects who they believed had themselves done harm or who had independent access to media, such as celebrities or corporate executives with their own public relations arms. Clockwise from top left: Casting JonBenet; Homecoming, Dirty Money, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead; Miss Americana; Jim & Andy. 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. 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. This distinction accords with filmmakers sensitivity to the power differential in the relationship. Most kept filming and postponed the decision of whether or not to use the footage. But I feel like its important to get the big-picture truth of the situation on camera. Its your reputation. 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. Saying this blurry figure is not our guy would ruin the scene, said Peter Miller. We consume news in very small bites now like on Twitter, but we naturally tend to want to be able to sink our teeth into something, whether 8,000-word magazine piece or big documentary, Woelfel said. 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. The documentary became public due to its subject matter, it dealt with a sensitive topic but indicated the information in a plateable way. Data were reviewed by an advisory board composed of two industry veteransfilmmaker and author Sheila Curran Bernard and filmmaker and professor Jon Elseand documentary film scholar Bill Nichols. . what is the average number of book sold per month during the five month period, which of the following is the largest value. So many people only pay attention to material they agree with.. There are purists who would feel thats not right. I insisted that they show me the cut and when I saw that they were implying that the girl had had an abortion, I said, You have to change that. 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. In one case, for instance, a filmmaker was on location shooting a wildlife film, trying to capture one animal hunting another: We tried to shoot a few, and missed both of them. Explain the error. At the same time, documentary television production was accelerating to fill the need for quality programming in ever-expanding screen time, generating popular, formula-driven programs. Explain how to write 29452629^{\circ} 45^{\prime} 26^{\prime \prime}294526 as a decimal degree measure. People who love documentaries love Netflix because the streaming . 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. "Primary" was one of the first documentaries to espouse cinema verite documentary style, which allows filmmakers creative flexibility in telling a story, such as the use of voiceover, perhaps telling a story out of chronological order or allowing the filmmaker to become a part of the movie by telling the story through their eyes. 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. That was really helpful to me. Are they works of art? 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. They eschew conflict of interest. The core data was gathered in long-form, hour-long interviews, grounded in open-ended questions, conducted usually by phone. This report reveals profound ethical conflicts informing the daily work of documentarians. It summarizes the results of 45 long-form interviews in which filmmakers were asked simply to describe recent ethical challenges that surfaced in their work. Filmmakers also try to prevent material featuring their subjects from being reused by other filmmakers in ways that might misrepresent them in new contexts. In the edit room . I used it, and Im sure 99 percent of the people who watched the film thought it was him and his family. One said, That is part of how you generate revenue as a filmmaker . The producer who lines up subjects or oversees production is often separated from editing and postproduction. I changed it . 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. It depends on the project.. We are a respected educational program provider, [and] we would have looked bad, disgraced by it., Filmmakers expected to get to truth via the vehicle of a story and held themselves responsible for its implications. If there's a lawyer on your company's payroll, they're the subject matter expert for anything legal. Up until 1960, with (director Robert Drews) Primary and the work of some others, documentaries were just lectures on film. After I wrapped, I felt like a real shit for the rest of the day, felt like I manipulated him for my personal gain. you decide what your film is going to be, you have to put your traditional issues of friendship aside. Every organization has its own host of subject matter experts. . You dont owe them more than that.. subject matter. 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. His promotion of the term has been criticized, by scholar Brian Winston, among others, for allowing ethical choices to go unexamined. . A documentary is something that intends to be truthful, said Richard Breyer, Syracuse University director of documentary film and history. 1, 3, 7, 13, 21, ? I sacrificed a little bit of accuracy. But even more valuable, Winter gives Zappa pride of place among the most important composers of the 20th century . Thats irrefutable evidence of the injustice thats going on and it wasnt the mainstream media that provided it, although it used it, Breyer said. not looking at archival footage as a document of a particular time and place, becomes problematic. Peter Miller noted that. It shocks us with that quaking moment of recognition, Oppenheimer said. The minute you start to pick and choose facts, youre making fiction. 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. . We showed her the piece first. the shares appreciate 10% in the first year and 25 the next. 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. With profound sadness, Adi Rukun watches footage of interviews conducted by Joshua Oppenheimer with perpetrators of the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide in Drafthouse Films and Participant Medias The Look of Silence. Courtesy of Drafthouse Films and Participant Media. 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. A great documentary doesnt give you an answer, Breyer said. Following is further discussion of ways in which ethical questions about relationships with subjects surfaced in interviews. 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? In most cases, documentarians believed strongly in making informal commitments and employing situational ethics determined on a case-by-case basis. One filmmaker sometimes paid because it was the easiest way to get the work done. its a case-by-case example. . Filmmakers need to develop a more broadly shared understanding of the nature of their problems and to evolve a common understanding of fair ways to balance their various obligations. I feel like I approached the subject differently. if the bartenders total pay for the moth was $4,250. One diagnostic was whether the filmmaker found the subject ethically lacking, for instance, because of politically or economically corrupt acts. . In London, people expect fees for interviews, etc., anytime you take up someones time. . That kind of authenticity shook the tree of trust.. 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. He said, I didnt have a [moral] dilemma. As an authority in a particular area or topic, they are uniquely qualified to provide guidance and strategy. Of course, doing your homework and keeping up with current eLearning trends is a must. In one example, interviews were given and releases were signed on condition that they garble their voice and obscure their face . For Grierson, who incessantly strategized to garner government resources for documentary film, the phrase had strategic advantages. 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. How much do their own reasoning processes correlate with existing journalism codes? This movie does not, however, intend to be a documentary about Presley's drug usage. Filmmakers were drawn into criticism of their peers, while lacking common standards of reference. We want to have a human relationship with our subjects, said Gordon Quinn, but there are boundaries that should not be crossed. Joshua Oppenheimer, left, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary film The Act of Killing, poses with the films producer Signe Byrge Sorensen at a reception featuring the Oscar nominees in the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Subject categories on Feb. 26, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Calif. A scene from Joshua Oppenheimers documentary The Look of Silence. Courtesy of Drafthouse Films and Participant Media. It may be a necessary sacrifice if the media is going to continue not to investigate things like Indonesia.. . Documentary clients have included Sonia, Power Trip, Afghan Women, Trembling Before G*D and Blacks & Jews. Some filmmakers, however, were comfortable using stuff that evokes the feel of the spot or the person or the subject matter. They believed it was acceptable when it helped the story flow without causing misunderstandings, and they did not believe in disclosure. In 2021 yet. They didnt demand it, but they were right. . However, when filmmakers did not empathize with, understand, or agree with the subjects concern, or when they believed the subject had more social power than they did, they overrode it. Dave Chapelle attacked onstage while performing at LA festival, Here are the 14 inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Utah is apparently the most Star Wars-obsessed state in the country, Five political statements guests made at the 2022 Met Gala.