Doctored Doc?

Ebony Bell asks:  whats up with docs?

Many documentaries on TV are orchestrated, and exploit the interviewees to fit their brief.

Mentorn Media is a powerful independent production company active in the areas of reality TV and documentary. In September 2014 I came close to being exploited by them.

Childsplay is a children’s designer clothing store in Ilford East London that I regularly visit to buy things for my family. In August I allowed them to forward my details to the well-known production company Mentorn, who wanted to make a documentary about the shop. The person I eventually spoke to from Mentorn was called Saskia, and I agreed to take part. How bad could being featured in a documentary series really be?

After weeks of emails and phone calls, I agreed that they could film my daughter and me the following week. During the run up I was told by numerous members of staff, including the producer, that as the series was a documentary, I would be filmed in “a true light”.

The filming took place on a September Monday at 8am. The production team greeted me, briefed me, and attached a mic to my waist. They made me enter the store again and again, so that they could get the right shots for editing. Then I was suddenly told to do it once more, but tis time with an extra by my side who would be made to look like my old friend. This made me start to ask questions. I said I thought documentaries were supposed to be factual. But the questions were ignored, and I grew more and more annoyed as they filmed other scenes, including ones with my newly invented ‘best friend’ that were obviously scripted.

Instead of being filmed interacting with staff, which had been the original plan, the producer suddenly asked if they could fire some direct questions at me. Although I was by now apprehensive about this so called “documentary,” I agreed. The interviewer was a middle-aged woman with a hippy outfit and a patronising tone. She began asking me questions about my family and background, but then kept interrupting me, and almost forcing me to answer in a certain way. Eventually I told them I didn’t want to be a part of this scripted documentary any longer. I spoke with one of the owners, bought a dress, and left. The four hours I had spent pretending to shop felt like the longest four hours of my life.

On my journey home I suddenly realised what they were trying to do. They wanted to stereotype me as a mother who only dresses her daughter in designer clothing – when she can’t afford it. So I emailed the producer informing her that I would not sign the release form.

Sadly my experience is not uncommon. Media companies trawl the Internet for the latest controversies and then do everything they can to make sure they get the “documentary” material they need to fit that issue – before the competition does. And they don’t care about misrepresenting their subjects.

The Channel 4 series Benefits Street was a perfect example. Residents nearby have launched a petition to stop a second series being filmed, because they don’t want their part of town to be presented as full of scroungers who will then be plastered all over the press.

Months after that dreadful day’s filing my voicemail was full of messages from the producer and editor of the show telling me that they needed to speak to me urgently. When they finally got through they told me they wanted to send me the footage that was to be included in the documentary.

Watching it confirmed what I had first thought. The man’s voice is sarcastic, and the edit makes me sound like someone who is not only obsessed with designer wear for my baby – which I am not – but also overly fussy. And by choosing to end with my throwaway line “I’m just shopping for the sake of it,” they make me sound unbearably shallow – whereas what my experience taught me is that the “truth” in TV documentaries is what is shallow.

 

 

 

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