Unit 27: Task 1 Key Issues in Factual Filmmaking

There are many issues and sometimes difficulties a media producer will be faced with, it is important that they address these issues in order to ensure that the factual programming is appropriate for the audience and does not offend or influence them. If offence is taken it will be a complaint through Ofcom, who are the communications regulators for TV and radio; however if it is a complaint about accuracy or bias on a programme shown on the BBC, the complaint needs to be made directly to the BBC. Ofcom make sure that viewers have a range of programmes available to them of varying tastes and interests as well as making sure people are protected from harmful or offensive material and having their privacy invaded. 

Accuracy - the quality or state of being correct or precise.
Factual programmes and films need be accurate and include correct and precise information, this is very important because the audience are going to trust and believe the information given to them and if mistakes are made the reputation of the media producer is threatened and the audience will lose interest in the programme. Accuracy is vital for the audience as they will want facts however accuracy is lost sometimes as when eyewitnesses recount stories and events they will sometimes miss out details, exaggerate and even change parts for it to be more exciting or interesting. Another thing that needs to be accurate is details about contributors, their name and information needs to be correct so that anything quoted is correct as well as spellings needed.
BBC News is an example of a factual programme that issues accurate facts to the public, they are viewed as reliable and trustworthy because the BBC's main focus is to inform their audience. They will use experts and facts with cutaways of real footage of an event or location and since the news is scripted it is less likely inaccurate information will be said. However, the main problem with this is when a story is breaking and there is little information available therefore the news will issue the facts they have whether completely accurate or not. This is from the BBC's editorial guidelines website:
"The BBC is committed to achieving due accuracy.  This commitment is fundamental to our reputation and the trust of audiences, which is the foundation of the BBC.  It is also a requirement under the Agreement accompanying the BBC Charter." This suggests that the BBC care very much about the accuracy of their work and whether the audience believe the accuracy. They also state that "In news and current affairs content, achieving due accuracy is more important than speed." which is a very interesting point as in the Amanda Knox documentary the journalist featured stated that he cared more about getting a scoop out before anyone else than if the facts we was reporting were accurate.
Balance - an even distribution of elements that are equal in proportion.
Balance in factual programmes means showing both sides of the topic and the information told to the audience so that it is fair and equal as much as possible. It is vital that it is kept balanced as it prevents a certain opinion from being projected onto the audience allowing them to make their own opinions and judgement. If it is not balanced, viewers will lose interest in your film as it is bias and unfair and they want the entire facts not just half of them.

Impartiality - treating all rivals or disputants equally and fair.
To show impartiality in factual films means to view both sides and opinions and not take sides or let any personal judgement interfere. To do this the film needs to document relevant opposing arguments with evidence and information to back them up; they need to be presented appropriately so that it does not seem biased. If the filmmaker isn't impartial and allows their personal views to interfere it will be clear to the viewers, who will be dissatisfied and may not agree with the same judgement causing controversy. This also means the documentary would be based on opinion and judgement rather than fact (what it should it be based on).

Objectivity - a lack of bias, judgement or prejudice.
It is very important to be objective when making a factual piece as you need to use evidence and facts only to show the whole truth, not the filmmakers' opinions and thoughts. It is important to show a multiple opinions, both for and against the subject as well as looking into other possibilities; the main thing to do is to present the facts and allow the audience to make their own opinion. One of the hardest things for a filmmaker is to be objective and impartial especially when viewing the facts as if the subject is one of a sensitive matter the facts may not be pleasant or enjoyable but it is important to accept and analyse the facts and portray them equally.
Direct cinema (sometimes referred to as Cinéma vérité) is a style of documentary that is objective because it records events as they unfold in real time with no manipulation or direction taking place therefore not allowing the producer, director or presenter interfere and include their opinion or try and shape the audience's opinion. Usually the audience is unaware of the filmmaker's presence as they are immersed in what is happening on the screen. There is no written or thought out narrative but one can develop depending on what the subject is, the filmmaker does not ask questions or set up any interviews. It is a lesser-used documentary style because it can be considered boring to the audience as there is no manufactured drama or controversy which is an appealing factor to the audience.

Subjectivity - someone's judgement is shaped by personal opinions and feelings.
Subjectivity, the opposite of objectivity, is typically avoided during factual filmmaking as it can make the film biased towards the filmmaker's views and doesn't show all of the facts, however sometimes filmmakers use it for this exact reason - to manipulate the audience into believing what they believe or to have a particular view on a subject. 
An example of this is Benefits Street, which was a Channel 4 documentary series, that purposely used exaggerated examples of people on benefits, they picked the worst area with the highest rate of people on benefits in order to get the what the producers wanted which caused controversy as well as a large amounts of complaints made to Ofcom. The producers knew that they'd get a bigger response using the people they chose who have a negative representation rather than show people who depend on benefits and are actively seeking a job and a better way forward. 

Opinion - belief about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
Producers will use a range of opinions from contributors in factual films and programming to show to agree or oppose the facts and the subject or question in the documentary. It is important to use a range of opinions trying to keep a balance of those that agree and disagree as the audience will think it's more believable and less biased. It is acceptable for the filmmaker or presenter to say their opinion as long as they make it clear to the audience that is their opinion and not a fact and that the audience does not have to agree with them.

Bias - inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group.
Bias is when a film or programme feature only one side representing the subject unfairly; bias is something that is tried to be avoided in factual filmmaking but is something that sometimes happens no matter how much is done to avoid it. To try and avoid it producers need to use a range and balance of opinions and show evidence for both sides. Contributors may give information that is not completely accurate and their version of the story rather than complete truth and facts therefore the documentary can become bias. 
The documentary Amanda Knox shows the case of Amanda Knox who was charged with the murder of her roommate in Italy in 2007; it is a very bias documentary as the whole way through they are taking her side. The documentary failed to include a lot of information pertaining to the trail with it taking a bigger focus on Amanda herself, not the murder victim. They try to show a balance of views and opinions about the whole crime by including a  journalist, detective and the other man charged with the murder as well however evidently it leans to Amanda's side.  The journalist, acting as a representative of the media industry and gave Knox the nickname 'Foxy Knoxy' and made viewers feel sympathy towards Amanda and how she was represented and portrayed by the world. The documentary included the detective on the case who appeared to have a strong dislike for Amanda and wanted her to be the killer, whether she truly was or wasn't. This all makes the documentary bias towards Knox's innocence however the documentary is lacking in information and detail causing viewers to not actually know if Amanda did commit the murder, yes the charges were dropped but were they dropped because the evidence was strong enough to charge her or were they dropped because she truly didn't do it. I believe that because Amanda Knox was featured and involved in the production of the documentary the directors and producers chose to use only what was shown to leave it open to the audience so that Knox would not be label as a killer while she lives her life back in the US and not from inside an Italian prison. 

Representation - how someone or something is portrayed in a particular way.

Representation is a very important thing in documentaries as it can change the view of the documentary, choosing contributors can affect how the audience accept the information they are being given. Stereotypes should be avoided as they are not based on fact but opinions making the documentary unfair and often wrong. However, some producers choose to use stereotypes because of how they want the audience to feel about a subject. Stereotypes aren't the only problem with representation because it's not just how a person looks onscreen but also the location, if the background shows a messy tidy house people will judge the contributor as someone who is lazy and untidy and doesn't take pride or care about their house whereas a person who with a very clean house will be taken more seriously and judged positively. The audience will interpret much more than what's on the surface and will make judgements on contributors that the producers need to predict so that they know how the film will be received. In the documentary Lift, we are introduced to a range of people living in a block of flats, they represent a low working class community with the establishing shots showing a dirty and grey and miserable place which is reflects the majority of the people in the lift. As the documentary continues we learn more about the different people and their lives which are far more than the first impression. One contributor talked about his devastatingly sad history causing the audience to feel sympathy for him and reflecting the overall feel whereas another contributor was upbeat and chatty, talking to the filmmaker every time she rode the lift.

Privacy - a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people.

Privacy is a very important issue in filmmaking as people deserve for their privacy to be protected and respected and not be harassed or disturbed by filmmakers, which is unethical and immoral. Privacy is not just pertaining to the contributors but also other victims or family members and other locations around when filming on location. When filming it is important to get release forms signed by contributors which will allow their presence in the film to be shown and not cause any legal issues or stop the film from being shown, the same goes for location release forms and a polite note should be given to neighbours or passer-by's to inform them that they could be in the background of shots or that an area is closed for filming. If a contributor wants their identity to be kept secret in the documentary they can be positioned behind a screen so that you can only see a shadow or silhouette or have their face blurred during the editing process, it is usually during sensitive topics where victims will ask to have their identity protected to avoid people knowing what has happened to them and preventing from becoming a thing they're known for. In the Netflix documentary 'Audrey and Daisy' the perpetrators have their identity kept private by an animated version of a male being shown on camera as well as their names being changed. This allows the males to continue through life without everyone who has Netflix knowing what their involvement in the case was and being treated negatively for their actions.

Contract with viewer is the unwritten agreement that producers have with the audience, it means that when producers offer a factual film, it is in fact factual and not opinion based as well as presenting the audience with what they are expecting and not a documentary that goes completely off topic.

When making my own documentary I need to be as neutral and impartial as possible as to not influence or sway the film towards my opinion, this means I will just state the facts I have found and not my opinion. When producing my factual film I will ensure any facts and statistics are correct by double checking them when possible but also using reliable sources to gather my information; when interviewing people I will try and find more than one contributor and use the multiple stories to create a very accurate one. Also, by doing this the film will be impartial as it will show a range of opinions and views, I will try and have a balance of views so that the audience are more likely to believe it as it will not be biased towards a specific view. Since my documentary is going to be in the style expository, it will be easier for me to be objective rather than subjective as my opinion is not important to the documentary story or subject. When interviewing contributors I will make sure I am representing them the way that will benefit them and the documentary, as I am going to feature a doctor with her expertise on the subject I will use an appropriate background and 'look' to make sure she looks respectable so that the audience will believe and respect her. Also, I am showing young parents, I want to make sure I don't paint them in a bad light therefore I will make sure the house is tidy in the background and it looks like a nice place for a child to be raised in, the parents will have to look nice and presentable but not too over the top fancy as there is no need, I want to show them for who they are.