Hella Solutions blog: "Document. Share. Inspire."

An interesting article was passed along to me the other day about Michael Moore and the whole discussion of how one handles the ethical issues associated with the construction of narrative within the context of nonfiction. I’m sure most readers are aware of the criticisms that Moore has received over the years and discussion around the man and his movies generally bring up very heated debates. Stepping aside of these types of arguments a couple of filmmakers are apparently tackling some of the very real issues associated with Moore’s style of “documentary” through a new film called Manufacturing Dissent. I enjoy Moore’s films but I also think that it’s about time there is some public discussion of ethics and guidelines in the genre. Nonfiction doesn’t have the same freedoms as fiction and even though narrative is always constructed this doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be some rules and guidelines that we stick to while constructing nonfiction stories. And this is where Moore gets into trouble…it’s likely going to be his downfall if he doesn’t take this issue seriously and sit down with other documentarians and discuss the issues at hand. But this is likely to degenerate into a “i love’em” “i hate’em” pontification rather than than forwarding a better understanding and framework for documentary work…the Spectacle continues…

the full story “Michael & Them: Filmmakers Chase Moore” is on the New York Times site.

This is a fun film to watch as you get to tag along with the filmmakers in a devious act as they hire private investigators to track down the identities of the MPAA’s highly guarded secret groups, 1) the raters (those individuals who “slap” movies with arbitrary ratings); 2) the appeals board (those super-secret-people whose job it is to act as judge and jury of your appeal to get a lower rating — for example, you might show a 1.5 second flash of a women’s pubic hair in your film and they gave you a NC-17 (aka “X”) rating but you disagree with their call as come on, it’s not like the actress in question is spread eagle at the dinner table with a speculum inserted as the family sits down to “dinner”…guess who is behind this do-gooder group?!!!

“This Film…” shows the MPAA to be present mainly to protect the dominance and control of big movie companies. Secondarily, they function as the moral gatekeepers for the minority class of reactionary America. But we already could figure this out, however, the film does a fairly good job in showing exactly how this works and looks like. “This Film….” exposes the MPAA’s self-justification for existence as the smoke and mirrors it is. All is exposed as the names and faces of the secret cabal of MPAA movie raters and “judges” (aka the Appeals Board) all of whose identities are hidden because the MPAA don’t want them to be influenced by “negative” forces. Or is it because then they could stand to lose their Wizard of Oz like power?

One of the best moments is when the MPAA, a HUGE force behind the whole “making a copy of a movie is piracy and evil” frenzy, actually makes an unauthorized copy of a movie! They say it’s okay because the copy is safely held in a vault. Hear that kiddies? If you have ever made an “illegal” copy of a movie just throw it in a “vault” and you are no longer a danger to society! Yaaaaaaa! Anyway, the film is good piece of investigative reporting style documentary work with a clear message.

You can get your copy over at Powell’s Books!
Check out the movie web site for more. You can also rent it from folks like GreenCine.com.

The folks over at “This American Life” produced a very handy comic that covers the basics for producing audio documentary work and I thought I’d just post, repost, or in other words pass along my own recommendation for this useful piece. It’s easy to read, easy to follow and covers some key points for producing good audio documentaries. From identifying strong stories, interviewing and even editing sound. And it’s all done in the style of a comic book. What fun, eh?!!! Anyway, it’s only US$5.00 (including s/h) and it’s a very useful item to have on hand. So, head over to their site at http://www.thislife.org.

I thought it might be about time to release a little teaser from the audio documentary I’m working on now. What you’ll hear is a bridge that I’m making to connect some early element introductions. It’s made up of excerpts from a couple of “Healthy Love Parties” that SisterLove puts on as part of their HIV/AIDS prevention and education work. The small segment isn’t completely finished but it’s good enough to show. So enjoy it and leave constructive comments and feedback via the “Comments” link directly below this post.

You can download the sample here.

You can now subscribe to the Documentary Primer reading list via your favorite RSS news reader (such as the free and functional “RSS Reader” for Windoze…or the one that’s probably built into your browser or whatever OS you are using). Just copy this link into your reader and you will get updates automatically.

http://www.hellasolutions.com/docprimer.xml

I was in a meeting the other day and someone had this book It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics. It looks like a very good read on the story telling aspect in social documentary (something that I’m currently struggling with as I piece together my project). Unfortunately this is something that is missing from the Social Documentary program I’m in…storytelling approaches. What a crucial aspect, eh? Well, I better get reading! Another unfortunate thing is that Powell’s Books Online only has the hardcover for $47!!! Hey, amazon.com ain’t bad for that once-in-a-while purchase eh? Check it out here.

Activists and politicians have long recognized the power of a good story to move people to action. In early 1960 four black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Within a month sit-ins spread to thirty cities in seven states. Student participants told stories of impulsive, spontaneous action—this despite all the planning that had gone into the sit-ins. “It was like a fever,” they said.Francesca Polletta’s It Was Like a Fever sets out to account for the power of storytelling in mobilizing political and social movements. Drawing on cases ranging from sixteenth-century tax revolts to contemporary debates about the future of the World Trade Center site, Polletta argues that stories are politically effective not when they have clear moral messages, but when they have complex, often ambiguous ones. The openness of stories to interpretation has allowed disadvantaged groups, in particular, to gain a hearing for new needs and to forge surprising political alliances. But popular beliefs in America about storytelling as a genre have also hurt those challenging the status quo.A rich analysis of storytelling in courtrooms, newsrooms, public forums, and the United States Congress, It Was Like a Fever offers provocative new insights into the dynamics of culture and contention.

About the Author
Francesca Polletta is associate professor of sociology at Columbia University and the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of Freedom Is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements and coeditor of Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics