We're Watching More True Crime Than Ever. Is That a Problem? Jon Else said: For years I never paid anyone for an interview. Documentary films are becoming more popular but are they fact or fiction? 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. . 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. Ringer illustration. They constantly face resource constraints and often are trying to behave conscientiously within a ruthlessly bottom-line business environment. In one case, a filmmaker lacked exciting enough pictures of a particular animal from a shoot, and the executive producer substituted animals from another country. 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. That makes me uncomfortable; it puts them at risk.. Indeed, any subjects withdrawal of affection may result in denial of access to material in which the filmmakers have invested heavily. It would have made a fabulous turning point in the film, but I didnt include it. The ethical tensions in the first relationship focused on how to maintain a humane working relationship with someone whose story they were telling. 5 7 11 17. 25. an automobile factory produces 75 cars in an hour. Its a powerful story, and its important plot-wise. Filmmakers observed these principles with widely shared limitations. Advertisement. Filmmakers felt frustrated that stations did not always honor the agreements they had made with their subjects. 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. . how many different combinations size design and frame possible, an investor buys stock in a company and in the twelve months after she invests the value of the stock decreases by 30%. I want you to sign the release, but we will really listen to you. The opening . These interviews demonstrate, indeed, a need for a more public and focused conversation about ethics before any standards emerging from shared experience and values can be articulated. 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. Documentary films are becoming more popular - Deseret News what is the value of the cryptocurrency after 2 years, a restaurant buys 1500 eggs per week, at $1.50 per dozen. These developments often troubled documentarians: [Facts] are not verified . In the edit room . Every organization has its own host of subject matter experts. a group of numbers has an average of 18. the first three numbers are 12, 24, 16. what is the other number, an investor purchases cryptocurrency for $1000 unit. 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. 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. When documentary filmmakers do have to make their own ethical decisions, how do they reason? A documentary is something that intends to be truthful, said Richard Breyer, Syracuse University director of documentary film and history. the cryptocurrency appreciates 200% in the first year and 150% in the next. One said that as long as the activities they do are those they would normally be doing, if your filming doesnt distort their life there is still a reality that is represented. Another recalled asking her subjects to stage an annual event earlier in the year than it would happen in real life: I would not want to put words in peoples mouth, or edit them in a way thats not leading to the larger truth. 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. "Zappa" gives its subject his well-earned due within the rock firmament. Its not increasing anyones knowledge. Budgets demand efficiencies that may be ethically troubling. 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. The population spanned three generations. 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. A.253m2B.25m2C.103m2D.53m2\begin{array} { l } {A. Where institutional standards and practices exist, as in the news divisions of some broadcast and cablecast networks, filmmakers felt helpfully guided by them. 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 . 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. That lack of balance and fairness is precisely the worry for some journalists and media analysts. 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. 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. an=(4.5,2,0.5,3,5.5,)? you decide what your film is going to be, you have to put your traditional issues of friendship aside. This baseline research is necessary to begin any inquiry into ethical standards because the field has not yet articulated ethical standards specific to documentary. Gordon Quinn recalled, I made a film in the 70s about an 11-year -old girl growing up. 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 . Their comments can be grouped into three conflicting sets of responsibilities: to their subjects, their viewers, and their own artistic vision and production exigencies. 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. For a film involving high school students, filmmaker Stanley Nelson asked which students smoked marijuana. Explain how to write 29452629^{\circ} 45^{\prime} 26^{\prime \prime}294526 as a decimal degree measure. Experts say there are some easy ways to become more media literate to help audiences siphon fact and fiction in documentaries and journalism. We consulted with [an] immigration attorney . . A.253m2B.25m2C.103m2D.53m2, How to calculate the 424242nd term of the arithmetic sequence. 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. If you abuse this, then you wont get access to people for the next project.. With the Holocaust, you really dont want to show anything other than the exact day or place. In thinking about their subjects, filmmakers typically described a relationship in which the filmmaker had more social and sometimes economic power than the subject. 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. You have to be 99.9 percent sure that people will know. Some filmmakers also stage events to occur at a time convenient to the filming. And you want to be honorable. Not everyone who paid did so in recognition of social inequality. . 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. it would have been a betrayal to not listen to her. Ross Kaufman noted that the subjects disagreed with the coda at the end of one of his films, saying that it did not ring true to them . 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. by working __________ the new employee hoped to prove that he could excel in his new position, the student offered information to his classmates under the _____________ of altruism, but in reality, the information was false, and he sought to ______________ their grades, the author has been criticized for the __________ views expressed in his book; while his words may have once been met with agreement; they are now met with disappointment. . . Pornography as Representation: Aesthetic Considerations - JSTOR In Egypt, I had a fixer who paid everyone as we went, thats the way they do things there. Angela says that (7c2d+12cd2+3)+(5c2d2cd28)=22c2d25\left(7 c^{2} d+12 c d^{2}+3\right)+\left(5 c^{2} d-2 c d^{2}-8\right)= 22 c^{2} d^{2}-5(7c2d+12cd2+3)+(5c2d2cd28)=22c2d25. [30] What I think makes a documentary is attempting to tell a story in a way that helps, but it doesnt always adhere to the rules of journalism, Cross said. It did not compromise an ultimate truth.. In still another case, an HIV-positive mother addicted to drugs asked filmmakers not to reveal where she lives. 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. 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. Observational Documentaries Observational documentaries aim to observe the world around them. Is the filmmaker the center of this film? They sometimes deal with hostile gatekeepers or powerful celebrity subjects. Co-director, Center for Media & Social Impact, American University, Peter Jaszi, A Question of Ethics: The Relationship between Filmmaker and Subject The awareness of a power differential also leads filmmakers sometimes to volunteer to share decision-making power with some subjects. He chose to do this because the subjects had asked for money, and he felt that by then his access was not predicated on the payment, and that this was an important gesture to make. Another filmmaker found subjects, who were immigrants, asking to borrow money, which she refused to do because she feared it would jeopardize her working relationship with them:You cross the line, are you the filmmaker or their best friend in America? 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. This study demonstrates the need to have a more public and ongoing conversation about ethical problems in documentary filmmaking. When (filmmakers) feel we have to pick up the ball dropped by the news media, that means we will not prioritize being artists anymore. All interviewees were provided with a consent form that had been approved by the American University Institutional Review Board, and all were offered anonymity. 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. I may get in by a sneaky way but hold up standards in the final product. Another gained access to someone in prison by writing on BBC letterhead stationery, although he was not working for the BBC. if the regular price od the book is $25, how many books could be bought at the sale price if a shopper spent $105? 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 a certain sense there is something deceptive about that. the DP [director of photography] was sitting there, saying No, Im sure you wouldnt want to do it, but nodding his head yes. I wanted to learn more about why she did the awful things . 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. Entire Agreement. 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. But Im reconsidering, after seeing the good sense of Errol Morris paying his subjects inStandard Operating Procedure. Breyer urges people to inject diversity into what they watch and read. 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. Filmmakers expected to shift allegiances from subject to viewer in the course of the film, in order to complete the project. Maybe you cant. Another featured uniformed guardsa one-time, exceptional moment. Taped confessions? Then Id be suspicious, Dixon said, adding that dramatic re-enactments, too, can be manipulative. In both these cases, the choices not to honor the subjects requests reflected the fact that the subjectsboth experts, not less-powerful subjectsattempted to exert control over the films outcome that differed from that of the filmmakers. . Filmmakers who thought of themselves as journalists resisted even the idea of payment. . 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. 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. Those are pretty boring, Woelfel said. But even more valuable, Winter gives Zappa pride of place among the most important composers of the 20th century . The subjective line between fact-finding and cinema is a conundrum critics recognize about Oppenheimers work even as they praise it. Click hereto view or download a PDF of this report. 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. a dentist can complete a tooth canal in 1.4 hours. The 6 Types of Documentary Films - The Beat: A Blog By PremiumBeat the documentary became popular due to its subject matter, it dealt with sensitive topic but _____ the information in a palatable way surmised a bookstore has a sale where all hardcore books are sold at a discount of 40%. Concerns about documentary ethics are not new, but they have intensified over the past several years in response to changes in the industry. 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. This DPA may be amended and the observance of any provision of this DPA may be waived . It has no ethics. . Filmmakers were acutely aware of the implications of telling a story one way rather than another. But part of this subject matter is the graphic depiction of the attitude of the youths as they beat the man; they are represented as enjoying their act of brutality. The question of whether to pay subjects was of great concern to filmmakers. . A substantial minority of filmmakers argued that they would never allow a subject to see the film until it was finished. Documentary film | motion picture | Britannica 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. SMEs are especially in high demand in workplaces requiring a technical approach to operations and culture. Stanley Nelson said, People have to know and feel its a recreation. 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. 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. What Is a Subject Matter Expert? (With 5 Steps To Become One) an=(4.5,2,0.5,3,5.5,)?a_n=(4.5,2,-0.5,-3,-5.5,\ldots)? Although the result was unintentional, he also felt no remorse. In both situations, they used deception to keep someone with the power to stop the project from doing so, and they regarded it as entirely ethical because of an ends-justifies-the-means argument. Its important to lift up people who tell their stories, as opposed to making them victims. he didnt have family photos. Especially on a historical documentary, I keep to the facts. . 'Operation Varsity Blues' review: Netflix's hybrid documentary about a bartenders monthly pay consist of $2,400 base salary plus 10% in tips aon average for all drinks sold. Documentary vs. Biopic: Which Film Genre Is Better? - Collider 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. [Our broadcaster] asked if it was real. 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. Gallup reports that just 40 percent of Americans trust . 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. I always decide not to use that moment, said another. Cross and Breyer contend that as journalism appeals to niche audiences, truth itself has become a more slippery and relative concept than it once was making the nuanced, emotional approach of documentaries more appealing. Colorblind Ideology Is a Form of Racism | Psychology Today 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. Thats irrefutable evidence of the injustice thats going on and it wasnt the mainstream media that provided it, although it used it, Breyer said. . The reason we still talk about [this] is because it was a perfect ethical conundrum. 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 the bartenders total pay for the moth was $4,250. They commonly shared such principles as, in relation to subjects, Do no harm and Protect the vulnerable, and, in relation to viewers, Honor the viewers trust.. Clockwise from top left: Casting JonBenet; Homecoming, Dirty Money, They'll Love Me When I'm Dead; Miss Americana; Jim & Andy. There are some filmmakers who love the down and dirtyI found a fool and I will show them as a fool. This is justified sometimes, but its often abusive of your power., Filmmakers also recognized limits to the obligation to the subject. But did I? The film becomes a historical document. 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. Unlike journalism, documentary filmmaking has largely been an individual, freelance effort. In one case, Sam Pollard asked a subject to redo an interview in order to get a more emotionally rich version of a painful moment when he had been abused by police in prison. 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. . We loved the texture of the campaign commercials for various candidates. Filmmakers identified challenges in two kinds of relationships that raised ethical questions: with subjects and with viewers. . 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. A documentary goes the other way, Breyer said. Its part of our work and our interpretation, said one. To look at a homicide that happened seven years ago, and look at who did itits good entertainment. 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. . They argued that the responsibility to control the films point of view lay squarely with the filmmaker. Filmmakers also asserted a primary relationship to viewers, which they phrased as a professional one: an ethical obligation to deliver accurate and honestly told stories. In London, people expect fees for interviews, etc., anytime you take up someones time. 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. Most of those makers had experience both with nonprofit outlets, such as public TV, and with cable or commercial network television. 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. I made the decision, let them break it. . One struggles enough in making a good film. 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. . First and foremost the kids education is at stake. . 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. 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. . 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. A journalist wouldnt show you the footage. 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 larger truth is that this conversation is going to happen in this city, at some point, and so it doesnt matter that it doesnt happen at this moment. Their goal was to tell the story honestly, to try to keep as emotionally truthful as possible. They strove to represent the truth of who [the subjects] are or of what the story is. It eats me up every day. They had fewer qualms about lying to public officials or to representatives of institutions than about lying to subjects. One diagnostic was whether the filmmaker found the subject ethically lacking, for instance, because of politically or economically corrupt acts. The core data was gathered in long-form, hour-long interviews, grounded in open-ended questions, conducted usually by phone. In most cases, documentarians believed strongly in making informal commitments and employing situational ethics determined on a case-by-case basis. Documentary film - Wikipedia It was awkward for them but I did not want to set a precedent.. . After discussion with his team and with professional historians, he decided for the atypical shot, because it communicated his point (that Long used bodyguards) more rapidly. For todays documentary filmmakers, it appears to grace a set of choices about narrative and purpose in the documentary. The problem is, its not hard to convince people something is truthful. . And Im not sure thats a bad thing.. Anonymity was important to many, especially to those working directly and currently for large organizations. Above all, Breyer said, accept that it's OK to walk away without a solution to the problems a film presents. And it wasnt, so we had to take it out. You use [the photo] with the knowledge that ultimately its not important if its your guy or not, whats important is the story. Another recalled: [One subject] talks about his childhood, his family all died . Best Low-Budget Movies That Became Big Blockbusters - Collider They nonetheless subscribed to shared, but unarticulated, general principles. Pat Aufderheide, . . Its important to us that people agree with the film., In some cases filmmakers wanted to share the responsibility and often showed a concern to maintain good relationships. So many people only pay attention to material they agree with.. Her reasons were goodshe did not want her son to grow up and maybe have a family, and 25 years from now have his kids find out he was arrested for attempted murder. The filmmaker allowed the family to consider; eventually, the kid himself spoke up and said that he was ok with it . 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. Who is correct? The growth of commercial opportunities and the prominence of politics as a documentary subject also produced tensions. It may be a necessary sacrifice if the media is going to continue not to investigate things like Indonesia.. 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. Tantura Review: Powerful Documentary Explores Israel's Founding Myths So we got one. In one example, interviews were given and releases were signed on condition that they garble their voice and obscure their face .