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Many filmmakers believed that payment was not only acceptable but a reasonable way to address the power differential, even though payment often sufficed only to cover costs of participation. [Our subject] had one for radio; we used the audio and made a commercial [to go with the audio]. 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. 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. . If its nonfiction, I need strong evidence to prove he can.. a bartenders monthly pay consist of $2,400 base salary plus 10% in tips aon average for all drinks sold. If journalism is like a window, art is like a mirror to confront our deepest mysteries.. We showed her the piece first. Following is further discussion of ways in which ethical questions about relationships with subjects surfaced in interviews. I always decide not to use that moment, said another. 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. what would be the next number in the following series 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. I at this point had a hobby of buying super 8 films at a flea market, found some home movies from the 50s of a family, it worked perfectly, a kid his age, house, it was perfect. When Im working on a doc, I try not to lie, said Sam Pollard. 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. 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. This report reveals profound ethical conflicts informing the daily work of documentarians. The growth of commercial opportunities and the prominence of politics as a documentary subject also produced tensions. 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. 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. It was awkward for them but I did not want to set a precedent.. So to use archival footage . Wanda Bershen is a consultant on fundraising, festivals and distribution. Breyer urges people to inject diversity into what they watch and read. It was so powerful. For a film involving high school students, filmmaker Stanley Nelson asked which students smoked marijuana. Will this 23-year-old tutor win her 23rd Jeopardy! game? 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. a home goods stores sells 385 lamps in the month of July. 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. They take you to places that you will never see in the so-called mainstream media. But they can also be manipulated.. And it wasnt, so we had to take it out. Explain the error. Then, its got our companys name on it. 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. 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. . Public more agency in news gathering, Cross said. A documentary is something that intends to be truthful, said Richard Breyer, Syracuse University director of documentary film and history. How can you tell whats true? In journalistic practice, payment is usually forbidden for fear of tainting the information garnered. For Grierson, who incessantly strategized to garner government resources for documentary film, the phrase had strategic advantages. . He wanted us to interview someone else as a precondition [for using his own interview], Nelson said. "Zappa" gives its subject his well-earned due within the rock firmament. . But you should also develop core competencies that help you collaborate with clients and meet their expectations. DidMighty Times: The Childrens Marchmisrepresent civil rights history through its use of both fabricated and repurposed archival evidence? Indeed, any subjects withdrawal of affection may result in denial of access to material in which the filmmakers have invested heavily. . She pushed for inclusion. 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. Oppenheimers film (currently streaming on Netflix and airing on PBS June 27) examines the fallout from a world that wasnt paying attention in the mid-1960s when thousands of people were killed in the Indonesian genocide many of the perpetrators and unapologetic murderers remain significant community members and political leaders in Indonesia today. Experts say there are some easy ways to become more media literate to help audiences siphon fact and fiction in documentaries and journalism. One subject when drunk revealed something he had never revealed when sober, and in the filmmakers opinion probably would not. 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. A great documentary doesnt give you an answer, Breyer said. We are spending $500 on a dinner for 5 people. 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. 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 . Adi Rukun, left, questions Commander Amir Siahaan, one of the death squad leaders responsible for his brothers death during the Indonesian genocide, in Joshua Oppenheimers documentary The Look of Silence. Courtesy of Drafthouse Films and Participant Media. Director nixed Jeffrey Epstein project due to 'distasteful' subject matter. [You have to be] obsessively careful. In one of the most intense moments of director Joshua Oppenheimers acclaimed film, The Look of Silence, viewers are treated to an unflinching, discomfiting shot that gives the film its title: A former militiaman and mass murderer, now elderly, stares into the camera, his eyes eerily magnified by optometrists testing lenses as he searches, with the audience, for an answer to his horrendous crimes, the silence as penetrating as his gaze. 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 . . 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. . Especially on a historical documentary, I keep to the facts. They said it will be upsetting for children, and that the films point is solely to talk about material science. 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. 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. Most kept filming and postponed the decision of whether or not to use the footage. My test for these things is, Does the audience know what its getting? . 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. She said she was trained to think of archival this way, to think that as a filmmaker, you put it out there as truth. . In that instance, I didnt feel it would affect what he was going to say.. Thats irrefutable evidence of the injustice thats going on and it wasnt the mainstream media that provided it, although it used it, Breyer said. Ringer illustration. . an=(4.5,2,0.5,3,5.5,)? 25 \sqrt { 3 }\ m ^ { 2 } } \\ {B. In both cases, militating against what filmmakers might prefer personally to do was the obligation to complete a compelling and honest documentary story within budget. I was making a film about someone who was not loved . I want you to sign the release, but we will really listen to you. One filmmaker recalled omitting a section on request. March of the Penguins (2005) Dir. . To achieve those goals, standards uphold accuracy, fairness, and obeying of law, including privacy law. Its not meant to be consumed the day its produced.. 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. Center for Media & Social ImpactSchool of Communication,American University4400 Massachusetts Ave NW Tilikum, the orca whale that killed several people while in captivity in SeaWorld. 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. 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. 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. 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. Although the result was unintentional, he also felt no remorse. 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. Is somebody on the soundtrack telling you what to think? What were seeing now is a democratization of storytelling in a way that gives John Q. Maybe you cant. As one said, I dont want to make films where people feel like they are being trashed . 1, 3, 7, 13, 21, ? The documentary became public due to its subject matter, it dealt with a sensitive topic but indicated the information in a plateable way. if it sells 200 more lamps in the next month how many lamps does it sell in august. . Are they works of art? Were no longer seen as an institution thats fair and balanced. In one example, interviews were given and releases were signed on condition that they garble their voice and obscure their face . It may be a necessary sacrifice if the media is going to continue not to investigate things like Indonesia.. 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. . how much money did she generate in drink sales during this time? 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. how many hours will it take to produce 3000 cars? 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. 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? Its increasingly entertainment. It was the right thing to do, he said, because it was their lives, their stories that made it successful. The two central characters had equal shares with the three filmmakers. But did I? 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. 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. 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 question of whether to pay subjects was of great concern to filmmakers. Concerns about documentary ethics are not new, but they have intensified over the past several years in response to changes in the industry. Narrative structure sometimes mandates manipulation, which they often but not always found uncomfortable. The Economist reports that documentaries now make up 16 percent of the Cannes Film Festival slate, compared to about 8 percent in 2008. 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. Would you believe an interview with Dick Cheney if you knew he was paid a hefty honorarium? . 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. the more fundamental questions are related to matters of life and death. Taped confessions? 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. Julie Ha and Eugene Yi's involving documentary covers a U.S. wrongful conviction case that ultimately helped improve cultural and judicial sensitivities. . Documentary clients have included Sonia, Power Trip, Afghan Women, Trembling Before G*D and Blacks & Jews. We discussed it with her, and then she felt comfortable. . To me the difference is that journalism offers us a window into new information and ideally tries to put it into context so it can be useful somehow. I sacrificed a little bit of accuracy. 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. The minute you start to pick and choose facts, youre making fiction. In thinking about their subjects, filmmakers typically described a relationship in which the filmmaker had more social and sometimes economic power than the subject. . . But when art (like a documentary) shocks us, its never because were hearing something new. Who is it and how they are using it is also important, because as a small independent [filmmaker] you are personally accountable. Their common reasoning was that doing so in any one case would set a precedent, delegitimize the film, and jeopardize the independent vision of the film. 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. Unlike journalism, documentary filmmaking has largely been an individual, freelance effort. Filmmakers observed these principles with widely shared limitations. Should films such asGhosts of Abu GhraibandStandard Operating Procedurefeature images that further embarrass and humiliate their subjects? I wanted to learn more about why she did the awful things . 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. 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. Also included were four executive producers in national television programming organizations. Where institutional standards and practices exist, as in the news divisions of some broadcast and cablecast networks, filmmakers felt helpfully guided by them. Furthermore, noncommercial public TV news programs explicitly placed journalistic standards above commercial mandates. We make the films we make because of these relationships we build. the perilous cliff filled the hiker with___________________, but her companions urged her to _______________ her fear, upon entering the ________________ home, police officers were disgusted to see its rundown state, a group of numbers has an average of 11. the first three numbers are 16, 3, 10 what is the other number, an investor purchases shares in a company for $20 share. However, what I will call the content of a film often contains something further. 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. Making a Murderer is exploitation entertainment, Dixon said. The journalistic approach is the news comes first and story second. This movie does not, however, intend to be a documentary about Presley's drug usage. 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. Anonymity permitted filmmakers to speak freely about situations that may have put them or their companies under uncomfortable scrutiny. 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. 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. A good film often has many lives, and one of the lives is in educational institutions, within schools and libraries. 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. This distinction accords with filmmakers sensitivity to the power differential in the relationship. within last week 6 students have dropped out of the basketball team and 2 students have dropped out of the debate tryouts.