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In this week’s lectorial on non-narrative film form, we were introduced to the work of Frederick Wiseman, a documentarian whose work often exposes corruption within power relations; whether that be between teacher and student, police and the public or doctor and patient. 

We were shown the below clip from Law and Order (1969), which appears to show police being incredibly violent towards an unarmed woman. In a similar vein, Wiseman’s 1967 film, Titicut Follies, is based in a psychiatric institutions, and, paralleling Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the film works to reveal the potentially warped doctor/patient relations apparent within the ward. 

Wiseman’s works greatly remind me of one of my favourite films; Man Bites Dog, which is a fictional documentary film, in which the camera crew follow and document the actions of a serial killer. If this were a true film, it would be a documentary filmmaker’s dream.

However, it’s purely fictional, and rightly so, as it features scenes of complete abhorrence, which, I assumed it would not be ethical or legal for a documentarian to film without intervening. Wiseman’s work, particularly evidenced in the chokehold scene from Law and Order, does just this however, as a woman is filmed being choked by police. Perhaps the situation here is slightly different, as the subjects are policeman, as opposed to normal citizens that would commit acts of violence, but still, the filming of this raises many questions, namely:

• Is it ethical to film such things?
• When does the filmmaker have to intervene?
• What are the legal implications of filming without intervening?
• What are the legal implications of using such footage?
• Did the filmed participants give their permission for the footage to be included in the film?
• If not, how has it been used? Is it safe to use?

These are things I have always wondered when documentaries are made that show illegal activities; gang violence, theft, vandalism, drug deals etc. and I would very much like to get to the bottom of it.