The+Documentary+Form

**The Documentary** Recent television documentary programs have continued a long tradition of attempting to show real life in documentaries. This generates debate about the responsibility of filmmakers and the representation of the subject.

Throughout the history of the moving image audiences have been fascinated by the idea of film depicting the real lives of ‘other people’ at work or in the home. One of the earliest documentaries, ‘Nanook of the North’ by Flaherty (1921), depicted Eskimo life with the help of local participants. Owing to the constraints of the hand- held camera, insensitive film stock requiring artificial light, and appalling weather conditions, Flaherty had to ask his subjects to do their normal activities in special ways and at special times. Because the Eskimos knew that Flaherty was helping them to place on record a vanishing way of life they provided and influenced the contents. The events of this film were manipulated, and the film was a huge success with audiences who were keen to find out about the minutiae of other peoples’ lives.

Since those early days of documentary film-making, techniques and styles have evolved along with the introduction of new technology, such as smaller and more sophisticated cameras and sound equipment which allow the subjects to be less aware of the film-making process. ‘The Truman Show’ is supposedly made with the help of 5,000 cameras controlled by Christof the mastermind, creator, producer and director. Christof, from his mammoth control room, is the godlike figure who monitors, manoeuvres and manipulates Truman’s environment. The control of the production of the television documentary and the effect on the audience is central to the debate about the responsibility of programme-makers.

According to Michael Rabiger in his book ‘Directing the Documentary’ (published by Focal Press, 1992) there are three types of documentary.

**Task 1** Which of the three definitions shown applies to ‘The Truman Show’? Explain how you hove come to this decision.
 * 1) Those produced to give a definite message to the audience and therefore only give a one-sided view of the subject. These programs are usually produced by an advertiser or a political group.
 * 2) Both sides of a story are given equal coverage in the telling of a story to an audience that needs to be educated and entertained.
 * 3) Programs made to show the complexities of human life whereby the audience is engaged in making difficult judgements about the programme-makers’ quest for truth in portraying a real life situation.

The idea of Truman being an unwitting subject of the television program has some parallels with the production of the television documentary made in 1963 called ‘7Up’. The programme took as its inspiration the Jesuit saying, “Give me a child until he is seven and I’ll show you a man.

The program-makers took fourteen children from a cross-section of society and filmed them at seven-year intervals with the objective of finding out the extent to which a child’s future is determined by their social class. The most recent of these programs was broadcast this year. ‘42Up’ intercut footage from previous programs alongside recent interviews with the participants. Several of the original participants are no longer involved in the programme, with one member leaving in 1990 making the following statement: “I have had enough of being used for small screen entertainment...the images of myself and of the other children have been simplified to the point where they have become false. Please don’t think the programmes tell you anything about me. If you want the truth turn off the television and come to Liverpool.” In a similar way to Truman Burbank, these participants who co-operated with the programme-makers were only children in the beginning and had no idea of the dramatic affect their participation, at seven-year intervals, would have on their lives. As adults they are now concerned that representations of them shown by the programmes is not accurate.

You Tube clips of '7Up'

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The recent glut of television documentary soaps such as, ‘Hotel - The Adelphi’, ‘Driving School’, ‘The Cruise’, ‘Airport’ and many others have put the spotlight on many areas of life, making the ‘woman/man on the street’ the celebrity. The programme about the Hotel Adelphi and the learner driver saw real people becoming celebrities through television exposure.

These programmes combine elements of soap operas as storylines with the characters being followed from one week to the next. There are elements of documentary-style television as the camera follows the subject in a seemingly unobtrusive way allowing them to behave in a naturalistic manner. This genre is relatively cheap television depicting real people, not actors and actresses who will need to be paid. They are also extremely popular and therefore guarantee high audience ratings and advertising revenue.

**Task 2** Imagine that you had been involved in the making of a television program like //‘7Up’.// How have you changed since you were seven in terms of your looks, behaviour and opinions? To help you in this task look at photographs of yourself at seven-year intervals. Ask parents and guardians about what you were like at that age. If you knew you were to be filmed every seven years how might this affect what you choose to do with your life, both in terms of your career and personal life.

**Task 3** <span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">//How// have the lives of people who have become celebrities by television exposure been affected both in a positive and a negative way?

<span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Morality and Ethics** <span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There are issues of human rights and ethics of programme-making which are at the heart of ‘The Truman Show’ with which the audience can identify. These are the same issues which are at the heart of representing any ‘real’ people on television. Infringement of the rights of the individual within these television programmes is a major concern.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is no doubt that many television viewers are keen to watch someone else’s daily life story. Therefore, there can be little doubt that many who choose to take part are happy to be included. It is sometimes easy for broadcasting professionals, for whom television is a daily experience, to forget that for many others contact with the production process and appearance on the screen is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that they might live to regret.

<span style="font-size: 13px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Symbol; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Questions to think about:
 * Do they always understand what they are getting into?
 * Do they appreciate what the consequences might be?
 * Have they given truly informed consent?

In all television interviews or footage the participants are asked to complete a ‘release form’ which gives their consent for the footage shot to be used in a programme. These forms are legally binding and are completed to protect the programme-makers from any legal action that may arise. The footage is edited and whilst the single uncut shot of events might be as an unbiased record of events, as soon as two shots are put together they could create a false impression. Every cut in a film makes a claim that two things are related in some way but in fact are not. The production of a one-hour documentary involves 30-40 hours of original filming which means that a great deal is not shown. The decision to select what is shown and how it is edited is in the hands of the director**.** If the participants were aware of the ‘broadcast use’ would they allow themselves to be filmed carrying out their daily activities?

<span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Task 4** <span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Imagine a programme similar to ‘The Truman Show’ is currently being broadcast on Australian television. Write a <span style="font-size: 13px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">letter to the Broadcasting Standards Commission explaining what you think are the main arguments against the program.

Another example of people and organisations becoming wise to the effect of being filmed for these programmes was the recent refusal by MPs to allow the filming of Parliament by a particular production company. The reasons being that MPs had wanted editorial control and believed that because the program was scheduled to be broadcast at peaktime on Sunday night the emphasis would be on entertainment.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Task 5** <span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Imagine that your headteacher has been approached to allow a television series to be made about your school or college. Do you think the filming would be allowed? If not what would the reasons be?

<span style="font-size: 13px; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Task 6**

<span style="font-size: 120%; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Imagine you were producing a documentary program about your school or college. Construct an idea for a television program that shows the school in a) a positive light and b) a negative light. What sets, characters, conversations would you use? Which characters in your school do you think would become celebrities?