DATABASE DOCUMENTARY

  Database Documentary

 Competitions

Cambridge Film Festival-

The Festival is run by the charitable Cambridge Film Trust, the Festival is the highlight of a year-round programme which champions independent cinema by presenting a broad portfolio of film-related events in Cambridge and across the Eastern region. Students are able to enter films and on many occasions this reveals new talents who will shape the future of cinima.

Screentest: The National Student Film Festival-

This festival is dedicated to promoting young British talent, this is very important for students film makers as this festival showcases the very best in student film making. 

In 2012 the winner for best documentary was Fighting Trump by James Trosh a documentary on residents fighting Donald Trump's golf development the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Forums-

There are many forums on the internet which have been set up to provide the public with a collection of different documentaries of many different genres. These forums allow people to discuss the documentaries they have watched and even debate about the issues.

Some forums are also set up to allow people to showcase there documentaries to recieve feedback and tips from others interested in documentary making.

Below are some links to some forums which we have looked at:

http://documentaryheaven.com/documentary-list/

http://forums.creativecow.net/indiefilmdocumentary

http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/forumdisplay.php?f=296

 

The Rights to Reply- Right to defend oneself. 

BBC have the following summary on their website which shows the guidelines to which if a person, group or company speak badly about other companies or people that person then has the right to reply to what was said and defend them self.

  • Offering a right of reply to those who are the subject of significant criticism or allegations of wrongdoing is a fairness obligation under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. It can also help achieve accuracy in our output by serving as fact-checking and informing the nature of our allegations.
  • There is no prescribed format that a right of reply should take. For example - if it is fair to do so - we may offer an interview, request a written statement for inclusion fairly in the output or simply telephone the subject of the allegations, note their response and reflect it fairly in the relevant output.
  • Respondents should be given enough information and detail about the arguments and allegations to understand them and give an informed response. So long as that is achieved, there is no requirement to make copies of evidence available or to show the subject any secret filming.
  • The amount of time that should be allowed for a response will change according to circumstances including the nature and complexity of the allegations, whether or not the allegations were already familiar to the subject of them, the nature of the subject and their resources, and whether there is a pressing need to broadcast in the public interest.
  • To be fair, we should include material that is relevant to the allegations. It is not necessary to include material that may be considered irrelevant to the allegations. If we choose to paraphrase material rather than use direct quotes, the meaning must be fairly represented.
  • The reply should normally be reflected in the same content as the allegations (for example, same programme, same edition of a series, or same website).
When making our documentary we will need to avoid mentioning particular companies/ groups however if this cannot be helped we must allow people the right to comment on an issue/statement we have raised which they may not necessarily agree with. 

Creative Commons - one of the public copyright licenses.

By using a creative commons copyright notice on all our footage it allows us to use copyrighted work to help improve our work and it also allows others to share our work and build upon what we have done.

Health and safety 

When it comes to health and safety it is essential that we know exactly what is going on in every department such as sound, lighting, advertising etc this is important as we have to be aware of the public to ensure they are also safe. We will all work closely together in a group and fill out Risk assessment forms which will be signed by Mary Edwards.

University of Winchester code and conduct

We will need to get the pdf below signed by the university to show that our documentary is not against the terms and conditions of the university when it comes to media and film making. 
ethical_standards_2009-10_form_TUOW.pdf ethical_standards_2009-10_form_TUOW.pdf
Size : 42.729 Kb
Type : pdf

 Legal Issues and Release forms


To avoid any legal issues it is essential for us make sure all paperwork is filled correctly and that we have all the right forms for people who may be seen on camera. 
We must avoid filming or being involved in any illegal acts if possible to ensure that our footage does not act as an entrapment. Release forms must be filled out for everyone who is around us when filming to ensure we have all signatures as we will not be able to feature anyone in our documentary who has not signed a form, this also covers us if anyone decides they want to take legal action against us. 

Below is an example of one of the release forms which we will be using. 

Fairness according to Ofcom 

It is important that within our documentary we treat people who are taking place fairly so they are at no point seen in a negative way which could potentially tarnish their name or company.

Ofcom sets the following rules which help guide broadcasters. 

7.3 Where a person is invited to make a contribution to a programme (except when the subject matter is trivial or their participation minor) they should normally, at an appropriate stage:

  • be told the nature and purpose of the programme, what the programme is about and be given a clear explanation of why they were asked to contribute and when (if known) and where it is likely to be first broadcast;
  • be told what kind of contribution they are expected to make, for example live, pre-recorded, interview, discussion, edited, unedited, etc.;
  • be informed about the areas of questioning and, wherever possible, the nature of other likely contributions;
  • be made aware of any significant changes to the programme as it develops which might reasonably affect their original consent to participate, and which might cause material unfairness;
  • be told the nature of their contractual rights and obligations and those of the programme maker and broadcaster in relation to their contribution; and
  • be given clear information, if offered an opportunity to preview the programme, about whether they will be able to effect any changes to it.

If we follow all of these steps we should be able to get the person/persons consent as we have fairly layed out what they are taken part in. In some circumstances it may be seen as fair to withold some information if it is in the interest of the public.

 

7.6 When a programme is edited, contributions should be represented fairly.

It is our duty as a production company to make sure we do not edit a person to represent them in a certain way which could damage them. We will need to edit our footage fairly in the interest of our contributor.

 

Jessica Massey