The tea-cup sized trust storm enveloping Paul Watson and his documentary, Malcolm & Barbara: Love’s farewell, continues to brew. He was on the Today programme, Barbara Pointon talked to BBC News. (I chipped in briefly on News 24.)
Watson’s film was made at the invitation of Mrs Pointon (husband Malcolm being unable to grant or withhold consent), and with the express purpose of dramatizing and publicizing the plight of carers and Alheimers’ sufferers (a worthy if partial cause). The marketing USP that separated it from other sympathetic, well-intentioned fare was death on camera.
Now Mrs Pointon is discovering that collaboration and complicity are all but indistinguishable on TV.
David Halberstam wrote perceptively about this in the very different context of the US presidency:
[John F] Kennedy … knew about the inner mechanics and desires of television producers. The television people wanted the best show, and the best show had him at his best. He talked CBS into televising a tour of the White House with Jackie. When the show was filmed, he was allowed a last-minute appearance. He knew immediately, even before it was over and before anyone looked at the film, that his tone was wrong, that he had been perhaps too flip, and he asked CBS to redo it. When the producers looked at the film they found he was right, and of course accommodated him.
When he did a special with all three networks, there was an agreement to film ninety minutes and cut to an hour. Some people watching the filming noticed that George Herman of CBS seemed to ask the toughest questions, and that when he did the President became vague. When the editing took place it was the network producer’s instinct, not the White House’s suggestion, to cut the weak answers. They weren’t sharp, they did not make a good show.
People have come to expect the best show. Television now works harder than ever to sell itself to fewer and fewer. Doubtless the current argument over her husband in his dying days is not what Barbara Pointon wanted, or intended, but it is one she helped fuel.
Expect more problems down the line, not less.
2 responses to “Death on TV: collaboration, complicity or collusion?”
Yes. So you cut out the rambling, the ranting, the asides, the stammers, the tailing-off – does that give a truthful or even useful representation of the subject? We need more of the Andy Warhol approach: http://www.guardian.co.uk/warhol/story/0,,637635,00.html
so long as it doesn’t turn into this fine example of how the Arts Council spends our money:
http://laotragente.blogspot.com/2007/01/subject-one-nick-daniel-la-otra-gente.html
This discussion about TV and producers editing content, etc, makes me think of the recent discussion, where a documentary was made about the Queen, with a top fashion photographer(I have never seen the show so cannot comment on the imagery or actual content)
However, in the media I understand the producers at the production company edited the content to make it look as if the queen had stormed out of the room, at a particular point. Which was far from the truth.
This is the 200th year since the abolition of slavery, and I have had a myrid of images pushed at me for years about people of colour.
How far from the truth have these images been?
How distorted have they been?
The sad thing is, how many people have believed them and taken these false images and content as a convictions in their day lives?
Some have even used this false, distorted content to fuel their anger and turned it into burning hate.
Hell, I suppose producers, directors and production companies may still be doing this. Maybe in relation to gun crime, maybe in relation to black politics, gender, sexuality, aids, economics, music, money, role models etc.
TV died a long time ago, when intergrated digital multi-media was given life.
The web and mobile phone’s are the only screens that seem to be engaging, they at least allow people of colour to discuss and debate issues, and give us a global right to reply.
Where as before in the old country, TV, the producers and production companie gave people of colour no choice and depicted us as savages.
Well, we have evolved and TV, the producers and production companies had nothing to do with it.
We have evolved into “The intellect for the Internet.”