Here are 2 ethical dilemmas from just this week, in the process of finishing a new film:
Dilemma 1: When does a particular usage of archival become an ethical breach?
Wild Inside is heavily crowdsourced: in addition to all the stuff we filmed, we are using photographs and videos from hundreds of people. In the edit, we’re sometimes pairing the specific photographs of interviewees with their testimony. So Person A is speaking, and we’re seeing Person A’s photographs at the same time, and we understand the images to be Person A’s, without any necessary further attribution. Fine.
But sometimes, the scene demands something else. Perhaps Person A is the best narrator of an event in Flaco’s life, but they didn’t have the right photo from the right season, or the right action, or the right time of day. Or, even more often, we generally privileged moving image, because we are working in a moving image medium, but most of our contributors are mainly still photographers. In any case, the needs of the film might mean Person B’s archival is being seen while Person A is speaking, and it might seem — or be vaguely implied — those images were created by Person A. When is this a problem?
Some factors:
(a) Some of these folks earn revenue by licensing or selling their photos. Creating a particular impression of their work in my film could affect their business interests (this seems pretty unlikely, but I have to consider it).
(b) Some of them might be annoyed by specific instances of this for various personal reasons. I assume I don’t know all the interpersonal dynamics at play, but I know enough to know they exist. All things being equal, I’d like to be sensitive to this.
(c) None of this is very important! I may inadvertently create a perception of something not exactly true, but it’s not like, going to affect the election, or really mess up the historical record, or do anything else really dire (I don’t think???). It’s also not as if I am vaguely implying someone did something immoral or illegal (that’s not a dilemma — I just wouldn’t do that!). Most of the truly important ethical issues have been ironed out at this point, frankly.
We made a list of all instances where we’re using archival in a way that raises these questions, and we’re just going through it, in conversation with our subjects, making decisions and adjustments on a case-by-case basis.
I’m about to introduce baby’s first paywall, which is pretty cringe, but also necessary if I’m going to really put myself into writing, and justify time taken away from filmmaking. I’m not big on gatekeeping what I know — I really do try to be honest!— and there’s nothing I would write here that I probably wouldn’t spill in a consult, or a guest lecture, or at a party. But I don’t go to a lot of parties these days; good luck getting me out of my apartment (I’M TIRED, LEAVE ME ALONE), and not everyone can afford to hire me as a consultant or an EP.
I am still developing the whole big plan for this newsletter, and I’ll be asking for feedback soon, but for now suffice it to say: free subscribers will get good stuff, but paid subscribers will get even more good stuff. And more access to me, personally.
Dilemma 2: Should I use AI to change dialogue in the edit (*gasp*)????