DOC 250 - Legal & Ethical Questions in Documentary Practice

1 course unit

Through the lens of documentary filmmaking, this course explores the legal and ethical issues associated with documenting people, places, events, and situations. In so doing, we will consider how documentary films construct and represent truth, the nature of documentarians’ relationships with, and ethical obligations towards, their subjects, and how these questions inform other documentary practices. Topics discussed will include the impact of copyright law on documentary practice and best practices in fair use for documentary filmmakers. The course seeks to encourage students’ understanding and awareness of the ethical and political implications of documentary filmmaking and to see their own documentary practice as engaged in these concerns.
Prerequisite(s): DOC 150 Introduction to Documentary Storymaking
Meets general academic requirement SL.