Long Shadows

As filmmakers, our actions and our films cast long shadows. I’ve been reminded of this in recent days as I’ve reached out to past and present colleagues during this current dry period. Most have reached back generously; several recalling support and encouragement I’d given them long in the past (which I’d totally forgotten) that they believe made a difference in their careers. But a few responded unexpectedly, revisiting old grievances about things I did long ago (which I’d also forgotten) which they’ve never let go. Our business is tough and competitive with disappointment part of the territory but the shadows we cast are colored as much by how we do things as what we do.

It’s caused me to rethink some of my own attitudes. Regular readers of this blog (and previous WORD FROM LEO journals on my website) know I’ve spoken dismissively of the quality of much factual programming on cablenets often enough in the past. While I consider such criticism justified, I wonder whether there isn’t a tinge of sour grapes in there somewhere. Oscar Wilde in his play “The Importance of Being Earnest” has Lady Bracknell say to her daughter: “Never speak ill of society, dear; only those who can’t get into it do that.” Long ago I got crossways with an influential cable executive which resulted in my being blackballed at a particular channel for many years; another action that cast a long shadow. It altered the direction of my career and pushed me deeper into the embrace of public television; not a bad thing except that it now leaves me vulnerable at a time when public TV is in such a funding crisis. Actions cast long shadows, and if this is true in our personal lives, how much truer is it with what we put on the screen?

An organization about which I made a popular cable series back in the 1990s recently contacted me to suggest something new and exciting, with the intimation of an ‘inside track’ in respect to access. That first series clearly left a good shadow. Anyone whose job is producing documentaries knows the importance of good relationships, not burning bridges and leaving the door open for a ‘return engagement’. Yet how often do we visit a new location or try for special access only to find the well poisoned by the actions of some previous TV crew? How we behave while making films also leaves long shadows. While it’s important to get the story, we also have a responsibility to treat our subjects well and not exploit them. Reality TV is cheapening our professional conscience when it comes to treating subjects with care and respect.

I listened recently to the cynical response of a network executive involved with a popular reality series who talked on NPR about ratcheting up the pressure on his subjects to “increase the drama”, then adding, “but it’s okay; they know what they’re getting into”. Do they really? I still feel guilt at the memory of a tearful and angry father blaming my exposure of his daughter’s behavior to the pitiless scrutiny of an American TV audience for her later assault. But I also recall the thanks of a grieving family for how we handled the tragic death of their son in front of our cameras. People don’t know what they’re getting into; it’s up to us – as those who do know – not to take advantage. The shadows we cast can harm others, without us even knowing about it.

I’ve been fortunate to see the positive impact from some of my shows as well. I recall the young mother of a Downs Syndrome child who came face to face with the Kratt Brothers on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair just after PBS launched “Zoboomafoo”; she told us how the series helped her daughter communicate with her family for the first time. I also recall a young Coast Guard officer returning from a search & rescue mission where lives had been saved to tell me he was inspired to join the Coast Guard by a series I’d made ten years earlier. These are moments that validate everything we do. As documentary filmmakers, we are invited into so many different worlds and so many different lives; we must guard against abusing that privilege. In life, as in television, we seldom know the effects of our actions. We can hope we do good but let us also be sure we do no harm. As I look into those shadows, I’d prefer they’re not full of ghosts.