Ethics and Film

Ethics and Film By Alex Shumate

Since the beginning of storytelling on film, movies have caused many ethical debates and discussion from viewers. Movies in its highest art form have the power to persuade or enlighten a viewer on a plethora of ethical topics in the world we live in. In addition, movies also have the power to evoke strong emotions from a viewer in relation to the ethical content. Movies don’t just focus on one specific ethical topic. Many movies have presented the viewer with several different ethical dilemmas.



One example I can think of is the satire comedy “Tropic Thunder” that came out last summer. “Tropic Thunder” is a movie that is a spoof on the film industry. More specifically, it is making a joke on actors who obtain roles simply just to win acting awards. In the film, Robert Downey Jr’s character is obsessed with winning awards for his acting. In order to obtain another acting award, his character (who is white) decides to play the role of a black man and undergo surgery (similar to blackface) to look the part. In an article at dailybreeze.com, it was reported that many people were not as offended by that as they were offended by the use of the word “retard” in the film. Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics chairman and chief executive officer, was one of the several protesters who were against the film for its use of this word



In a Poynter article, Ellen Heltzel sat down to discuss some issues with screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. Eszterhas has been given the reputation as a man who pumps up the level of sex and violence in movies. One of the films he has written is “Basic Instinct,” a film that is well known for revealing Sharon Stone’s genitalia. Ironically, Eszterhas does not believe sex scenes or violent scenes influence a person’s behavior, but the glamorization of smoking in films does. Eszterhas has a full campaign against the glamorization of smoking in films that he has been pushing. More can be read about his campaign here.



Movies can even bring about ethical decisions in regards to religion. An example of this is “The Magdalene Sisters.” This film is about three Dublin girls who become slaves in the Magdalene Laundries, which were established by the Catholic Church. According to an article at Religion & Ethics newsweekly, the Catholic Church is not too pleased with the film. The Vatican condemned it as a “rancorous provocation.” In relation to religion, the topic of gay marriage is also a popular ethical topic in films. Just recently the film “Milk” sparked continuing debates about the legalization of gay marriage. MTV news published an article that talks about how the 70s biopic film is extremely relevant especially in comparison with the passing of Proposition 8 in California.



My point in using all these examples is that there are wide ranges of ethical topics that are used in film. As movies continue to get made, ethical discussions will be used in a movie that corresponds with the time period we are living in. More importantly, these examples show that people’s opinions on ethical topics vary depending on whom you talk to. As I strive to make my short film for my project, I plan on providing my main character with ethical dilemmas. My character will be having lots of internal conflict, as he must make a decision to do what’s right in relation to the lesser of two evils. I don’t know if the audience who watches the short film will agree or disagree with the decision the character makes. I just hope it causes people to think.

Diversity and the Documentary    Photo by Allstate

By Andy Gibson

 My proposed documentary will look at people who do crazy things and who do not have their own reality show prompting craziness. People put themselves in harm’s way and out of comfortable economic status’ way for a “fix”.  Why?  My project will attempt to look at what drives people to take unprompted risks for social reasons.

There is an inherent interest in the unfamiliar, just as there is blasé with the mundane.  We will always gawk at people different than us.  This particular subset of society, that takes physical or lifestyle risks, is appealing because most of us would never dream of giving up a career to chase stardom or chancing bodily harm for glory.  Not everyone would give up a sure thing for a chance at something different.  The people reflected in this project have done just that.

In Tom Huang’s article Diversity in the Digital Age: Complicated Issues, Sophisticated Storytelling on Poynter Online, he describes diversity as “the journalistic value of representing in our news coverage a wide variety of people -- faces, voices and perspectives.”

The impact of diversity on my project is not crucial in telling the story of my proposed subjects.  The subjects that I have in mind currently are very diverse, however, they are also all white. Diversity would not influence the selection or inclusion of subjects. I think it would be a disservice to the story to include a subject in the documentary because of his or hers race, just as it would be a disservice to the story to exclude someone who has a great story but isn’t the color you are looking for or are comfortable with. As it is a documentary film and not an experiment or survey, I don't think that diversity will influence much of what happens in the pre-production, production, or post-production process.

Diversity & Music Videos

Diversity & Music Videos by John Lenox Cope

The image to the right is from Devendra Banhart's "Carmensita" music video. The music video is a great example of diversity because although Banhart is an American singer-songwriter, the video is shot in a Bollywood style, the lyrics are sung in Spanish, and the actors are diverse in gender and race.

My graduate project revolves around directing a music video and analyzing the subsequent distribution of the video on various social media websites. I will be comparing the distribution statistics (number of plays/downloads) on the sites to see which are the most effective. Diversity will most likely play a minor role in the distribution aspect of the project. The reason for this is because I will be choosing the most popular social networking sites and the artist/record label site as the platforms for distribution. The production of the music video will provide a much greater opportunity for me to explore diversity.

Diversity can be defined in many different ways. Keith Woods discusses what diversity at work looks like in this article. In the music video industry, diversity most likely brings to mind ideas of multicultural aspects of the visual content rather than the song itself. Some bands are more diverse than others in terms of the people who make up the group. Bands like Black Kids, No Doubt, and The Thermals consist of members of different races and different sexes. This fact alone does not mean their videos are diverse in comparison to other artists who may have a more homogenous membership. Music videos provide an opportunity for artists to express themselves and their songs in diverse ways.

There are several articles and sites that are dedicated to diversity in the music industry. Much of what is written focuses on racial and gender diversity within the industry as a whole. One such example is a video of Alison Wenham, CEO of Association of Independent Music discussing the lack of diversity in the music industry. A documentary called Money For Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music explores how diversity has declined in the music industry because only a few record labels control most of the market. An excerpt of this documentary can be found here.

It is important for those involved in the music industry to consider diversity when creating and distributing music videos. We live in a very diverse society and it is important for artforms such as music videos to represent this diversity.

My Study and Diversity

Diversity and My Study
By: Johnathan Sellers
5/3/2009

The topic of my thesis is about iTunes and the effects of some of the features of the software on the consumers. It is also about if iTunes customers are aware of some of the privacy issues that are involved while using these features and the possible implications. This research will then look into if users feel connected to other users or to Apple. It will then also look to see if users wish to feel more connected with other users or to Apple through additional features to the software.

The idea of diversity really is not a major factor in my study. Up to this point, I have not been able to find any information on demographics of who uses iTunes except for some numbers on podcasting use which are included in this article. Apple though sells and distributes much more media than just podcasts, so those numbers only tell a small bit of information about the people who use iTunes and do not give enough demographic information about all of the people who use the software.

So it was very difficult to come up with a topic regarding iTunes and diversity. What I have settled on and would like to discuss in regards to iTunes and diversity is niche media. Basically, iTunes is making it much easier and accessible for people to download and access all the media that falls in line with their views. They stick with one source which leads to them hearing news that is less diverse in story selection and commentary. They are only consuming one view and never challenging it.

Depending on your preferences for news or media, a person can sign up their computer or iPod to receive audio or video podcasts from numerous news organizations, but for example CNN.com, Foxnews.com, or MSNBC.com are some of the more popular podcasters from major news organizations. By subscribing to those podcasts, every time the customer links their device or opens up their computer, they automatically download the latest podcasts from that particular network or news organization for that day.

That means that a person has the ability to completely immerse themselves in one network’s news, stories or commentary and that’s it. That content stays on your device or computers for as long as you want it to, waiting for you to access it whenever you have time. But a person never, ever has to search for news stories or content. The most major possible implication for consuming news this way is that if consumers only listen or watch programming from the same news organization over and over, there is no rebuttal or insight other than what that particular news organization decides to report. This could be detrimental society at large. Then, by using features from iTunes that explore their library, the software will only recommend other news sources that provide stories and commentary that are similar to that customer’s interests.

Let’s face it, a lot of people are getting their news this way. They do not have time to access other media resources. They just get their news from their favorite network, shows, or commentators. A lot of people are arguing that niche media is killing mass media like in this article and in this article. We are in an interesting time where the media world is changing and we need to evaluate whether or not these changes are for the better or for the worse.

Image provided by biojobblog.com.

Ethics and the Documentary, Andy Gibson

Photo by Jeff Caperton

Ethics and the Documentary

Depending on the type of documentary the director is making, involvement with subjects can be a question of ethics. In the blog, blog.spout.com, the question of involvement is explored. Christopher Campbell looks at the Academy Award winner Born into Brothels in which the premise of the film relies on the interaction between subject and filmmaker. “There has also always been a debate with documentary regarding just how much interaction and intervention is okay.” And because the debate still rages, there really is no answer.  This is a factor that I will have to take into consideration because of my closeness with proposed subjects. I must decide whether to be completely detached from friends who are taking risks or to intervene if a situation arises that compels me to act.

The second source I found was risktaking.co.uk. The site concludes “the perception of risk triggers a cascade of physiological changes that are experienced as high arousal and unpleasant anxiety. This explains why we are motivated to avoid risks, and begs the question why people take risks at all.”  This is the central theme to my proposed documentary. I want to find what triggers these seemingly normal subjects to disregard these symptoms that the brain produces and to go through with their risk taking. A couple of my ideas for subjects were chosen because of their sporting choices.  Risktaking.co.uk says that people who chose to take risks for sport are typically very confident that they have the power to manage the risks involved and that they tend to have friends who also believe the way they do. 

An article by Paul Roberts in source three, psychologytoday.com, exemplifies why I am interested in the topic. Roberts writes that “Researchers don't yet know precisely how a risk taking impulse arises from within or what role is played by environmental factors, from upbringing to the culture at large… and scientists are divided as to whether, in a modern society, a "high-risk gene" is still advantageous.

There seems to be so little certainties in this field that I think it would translate well into a documentary.

I also plan to explore the sense of community in these risk takers. In source four, wright-house.com/psychology/sense-of-community, McMillan & Chavis (1986) explore the sense of community with this analogy that fits perfectly with my subjects.

            Someone puts an announcement on the dormitory bulletin board about the    formation of an intramural dormitory basketball team. People attend the             organizational meeting as strangers out of their individual needs (integration and      fulfillment of needs). The team is bound by place of residence (membership   boundaries are set) and spends time together in practice (the contact hypothesis).      They play a game and win (successful shared valent event). While playing,             members exert energy on behalf of the team (personal investment in the group).       As the team continues to win, team members become recognized and           congratulated (gaining honor and status for being members). Someone suggests       that they all buy matching shirts and shoes (common symbols) and they do so     (influence).

Lastly, an extremely helpful site I found, centerforsocialmedia.wikispaces.com, comments on many different ethical conundrums that a documentary director might face. Marty Lucas writes that the RTNDA ethics guidelines could apply to documentary filmmaker to a point. One point that differs is the paying of participants. Documentary filmmakers sometimes pay their participants and on the same theme often accept funding from someone who may have an interest in the outcome of the final piece.   

Ethics & Music Videos

Ethics & Music Videos by John Lenox Cope

The image to the right is from a music video entitled "Lessons Learned" by Matt and Kim [FADER Label, Popfrenzy Records]. The newly released video is certainly not the first to consist of full nudity, but it is a current example that highlights the issue of ethics and music videos. Though the video is edited for broadcast, it still most likely offends certain people.

Music Videos have caused controversy since their introduction. Whether it be due to violence, drug use, sexuality, or offensive language, music videos have never shied away from pushing limits. Most of the literature concerning ethics in music videos has centered around the portrayal of stereotypes. Steven Seidman published an article titled, "An Investigation of Sex-Role Stereotyping in Music Videos" which was published in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media in 1992. This is one of many articles published concerning stereotyping in music videos.

Even though fairly little has been written specifically about ethics concerning music videos, it is still common to hear or read complaints about certain music videos via the news. On May 9, 2008, CBC published an article about the 10 most controversial music videos of all time. The videos were chosen based on their violent, sexual, or otherwise objectionable content. Most people probably would not be surprised to see Madonna and Marilyn Manson's videos on this list, but Michael Jackson and Duran Duran have also stirred up controversies with their videos.

I recently attended the South By Southwest Music Festival and Conference in Austin, TX. One of the performers I was able to catch was Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. She spoke about the video for her single "Oasis" and how it was refused by MTV and NME. The video was refused "due to it making light of rape, religion and abortion." Strangeglue.com posted an article about the video/song and its controversies. I personally find it interesting that certain videos are refused while others that include graphic violence, sexuality, or drug use are aired with little hesitation. It would be interesting to see if the the video and song would receive the same treatment if they were recorded by a more notable artist.

It's impossible to discuss music videos and ethics without discussing YouTube. This is a popular source for many people to watch music videos today. In March the BBC posted an article detailing the blocking of music videos from YouTube. YouTube blames increasing licensing fees for the blocking of the music videos. The idea of licensing and royalties for music videos is a complicated subject but it can't be ignored when discussing ethics. As popular networks like MTV and VH1 show less and less music videos, the internet has become a popular place to view such media. As with other media content, piracy and illegal viewing of music videos has become a concern. Some record labels and artists fear they are losing money due to this trend. With this in mind, Univeral Records and YouTube announced plans for a new music video site.

When I direct a music video for my graduate project, I will keep in mind all of the ethical controversies that surround this particular artform. I don't plan on pushing the boundaries too much with this project, but it is still important to study the role of ethics in relations to music videos.

Diversity and Media Ownership in Malawi

Aleke Banda, whose family owns Nations Publications Ltd.

Kamuzu Banda, whose family owns Blantyre Newspapers Ltd.

Diversity and my study
By Idriss Ali Nassah

My area of interest is to study Malawian newspapers, largely because journalism in Malawi have been the focus of much public criticism but in spite of the criticism, there has been little scholarship of journalism conducted in the country.

The result is that what is known and taken as the truth about journalism in Malawi does not represent the whole, testable truth. While political and economic changes continue to affect the media landscape in Malawi, ownership of Malawi’s only two national dailies remain in the hands of two powerful families with ties to two opposing political parties.

Blantyre Newspapers Ltd, the publishers of The Daily Times, Malawi News and The Sunday Times is owned by the family of the founding president of Malawi, Hasting Kamuzu Banda and, until his death in 1998, the life president of the Malawi Congress Party. The party ruled the country with an iron fist since independence in 1964, until it was ousted at the ballot in 1994. Nation Publications, publishers of The Nation, Weekend Nation and Sunday Nation is owned by the family of Aleke Banda, a former finance minister and vice-president of the United Democratic Front. The party won elections that toppled Kamuzu Banda (not related) in 1994 and ruled the country for the next ten years. Aleke Banda was to defect to lead an opposition party, People’s Progressive Movement.

My study will examine model ways of ownership of newspapers largely because concentration of media outlets by a small number of individuals or corporation is viewed as detrimental, dangerous, or otherwise problematic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership).

As of 2002, Malawi had 11 independent newspapers: two dailies—The Nation and Daily Times; seven weeklies—New Vision, Weekly Chronicle, Statesman, Malawi News, Weekend Nation, Enquirer, and UDF News; one government-owned biweekly—Weekly News; one privately owned weekly paper, The People's Eye; and finally, The Mirror, published four times a week (http://www.pressreference.com/Ky-Ma/Malawi.html).

There is no Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) in Malawi to certify the sizes of circulation for newspapers and magazines. Newspapers largely circulate in urban areas, which have about 10 percent of the country's population, while only a few trickle to the rural areas. The World Bank reports that daily newspaper circulation in Malawi is 3 per 1,000 people. However, most of the newspapers listed above, and others that appeared sporadically since then have folded. The only visible newspapers are those owned by the two political families. (Reporters Without Borders. Malawi: Annual report 2002. Available from http://www.rsf.fr/).

The following is a list of some of the newspapers that were short-lived: The New Voice, The Watchers, The Malawian, Michiru Sun, City Star, Financial Observer, Weekly Mail, News Today, The Herald, New Express, Daily Monitor, and The Democrat, a hugely popular independent newspaper which collapsed in 1996. The Independent and The Star were phased out in 1999 because of lack of support from influential politicians. The Mirror (owned by Brown Mpinganjira, the country's foreign minister) survived longer than most.

It is not only developing countries that have had to deal with this matter. Even America has had to face questions of diversity in media ownership. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public hearing on media ownership in 2006 was told: “Without diversity in ownership and participation, our democracy is in danger” (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_16_110/ai_n16818918/).