SO MANY ROUGH DRAFTS

Since I figure you just cannot get enough of them drafts tho, I decided to post my slightly more optimistically viewed new rough draft. It may be my feverish head causing that though, so for those of you who worry that I have lost my old cynical self, don't worry. I'll be back.

Imagine a world without writing. It wouldn’t have had Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, it wouldn’t have had the Arab Spring, nor would it have had the elected leaders around the world. Writing is regarded by many as a tranquil activity, something that calm people do, but what many seem to forget is that writing is the key element behind most of the major changes in both ancient and modern society. Writing is a powerful weapon many overlook in today’s struggle for justice, even though it is right under their noses. The force of it tends to be forgotten and the idea that writing creates the base for rhetoric - the persuasive element that is the foundation for change - does not generally come across as apparent. Writing is there, however,  and it really does make a change when used properly within the right framework. Documentary filmmaking is one of these forums where writing truly shows its form as a carving tool used to shape the ideas that will bring changes in the world.

Thea Mercouffer was born and raised in Romania but escaped to the United States with her family from the communist dictatorship in 1987 (Thea, n.d.). Mercouffer moved to Los Angeles and there continued pursuing her great passion in life: Acting and Directing. Meanwhile, she was on the board of a big organization and when they asked her if she could write and direct a series of films about sexual assault she states in an interview with me that she “fell into” documentary filmmaking. Mercouffer took on the challenge to direct the film, going straight from only having directed theater in the past. She then continued on making a film about human trafficking, and Mercouffer found that she “really enjoyed making documentary films so [she] stuck with it”. That was 13 years ago. Today, Thea Mercouffer is a renowned documentary filmmaker with a kind heart and a warm spirit.

Mercouffer is one of those who use writing to change the world she lives in, and she does so through her documentary films. Her latest project clearly shows how using words to one’s advantage truly can make a difference. It all started when she realized that the Los Angeles River going through her home city was not deemed navigable, and therefore not under the protection of the Clean Water Act. Mercouffer’s husband George Wolfe decided to travel fifty-one miles and show the EPA (the United States Environmental Protection Agency) that the river was, truly, navigable (Press release, n.d.). Mercouffer decided to document this act of civil disobedience, and that created the foundation for her award-winning documentary Rock the Boat. The issue with documentaries however, is that in order to be able to make them one needs money, and money has to be asked for. This is where the building blocks of writing used to support world-changing ideas come into play. Mercouffer had to convince sponsors that her documentary was worth their time and effort through a documentary treatment, a short document which describes the intention of the film as well as sets the tone for the production. Mercouffer, being an artist, found this extremely challenging since often times the primary idea of the project does not necessarily mirror the finalized product. Not only did she have to try to accomplish that task, but she also had to be able to write in a way that would make the reader understand the importance of the completion of her project, and as stated by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein “…writers who fail to show that others should care or already do care about their claims will ultimately lose their audiences’ interest” (2010, p. 93). Mercouffer’s whole film depended on her being able to write in the right way for her audience.

Mercouffer had to apply for sponsorships, and she tells the story of how one has to be endearing when needed, as well as strict and formal in other settings (interview, 2015). In a the opening sentence of a sponsorship letter sent by Mercouffer’s producer for Rock the Boat, one can understand the fine line that needs to be balanced in order to successfully receive support:

“Dear Rob,

Our mutual friend, John McLaughlin, suggested I write to you directly about Rock the Boat – the documentary about the Los Angeles River, which I’m producing. We’re raising the final finishing funds, a bit less than $30,000. John and Susan have contributed and think that, given your interest in the river and environmental activism, you might like to participate, too” (Sponsorship, n.d.).

            What Randi Johnson, producer of Rock the Boat, shows here is that an application for funding does not need to be extremely formal, even though he does not directly know the person he is asking for financial support. Mercouffer does explain, however, that it is when one applies for grants it is extremely important to follow the guidelines given, and that it can sometimes be an very tiring thing to write the applications, since they are quite intricate and often fruitless attempts (interview, 2015). 

Just as it was important for Mercouffer to write to her audience, she also had to make sure that people would care about the issue she was trying to shed some light upon. Mercouffer had Kairos on her side - the idea that within what timeframe one delivers a message is as equally important as the content of that message (Losh & Alexander, 2013) - and in a time where the public was becoming more and more concerned about water it couldn’t have been better. Another important factor was exigence, and as stated by Laura Carroll: “Understanding the exigence is important because it helps you begin to discover the purpose of the rhetoric. It helps you understand what the discourse is trying to accomplish” (2010, p. 49). Exigence, which goes hand in hand with Kairos, means the surrounding events that forces someone to speak up. Mercouffer was affected by the exigence since that she lived in drought-stricken California.

            Another crucial part of making a documentary film is the legal documents that need to be in order. When conducting an interview one needs their consent to use the footage captured during the interview, and forgetting to get their signature on those papers can make or break a documentary before it has even started to come together. One also needs to get proper paper work filled out in order to receive the permission to film in certain areas, and in that can sometimes cause issues when they have not been meticulously filled out in the correct way. An example of this kind of writing is a Crowd Release, which is a legal disclaimer for a location where people may show up in the frame

“By entering and by your presence here, you consent to be photographed, filmed and/or otherwise recorded. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, filming and/or recording and to any use, in any and all media throughout the universe in perpetuity, of your appearance, voice and name for any purpose whatsoever in connection with the production presently entitled: _______________________.

You understand that all photography, filming and/or recording will be done in reliance on this consent given by you by entering this area.

If you do not agree to the foregoing, please do not enter this area” (Bennet, 2009).

The same goes for the use of music and other copyrighted material such as logos or brand names. When making a documentary film it is crucial to be able to understand and write in legal terms in order to not get confused in a world filled with jargon. Janet Boyd explains that “Jargon is the terminology used by those in a particular profession or group to facilitate clear and precise communication” (2011, p. 89), which could be quite counterintuitive since jargon has in many instances increased confusion rather than decreased it.

            Even though a massive part of the creation of a documentary revolves around disclaimers and asking for money, the creative process is also highly dependent on writing. Documentaries may not seem dramatic in the same way as a play or a regular movie, but the creator still has to make sure that the storytelling is unique, and that the film has an arch that it follows. Mercouffer states that since she had written many manuscripts for theater before she got involved in documentary filmmaking she knew what she was doing, but that the factual and educational foundation had to be more extensive (Interview, 2015). While writing the script the writer creates a storyline and the film begins to form a skeleton, one could say. It is around this skeleton the rest of the documentary will come together, even though the main storyline may change during the creative process. When the base for the documentary has been filmed, the skeleton will work so that one can easily see what pieces are missing for it to become a whole body. 

            Understanding the importance of writing in documentary may not seem to be a priority to many, but maybe it should be. Even though documentary filmmaking is a narrow niche the construction of the end product can be applied to most anything. In order to make a change in this world, one needs to understand the power of writing. Not only inspirational writing but also what is considered dull writing at times. The legal documents, the press releases, the grant requests. They all play a major roll in order to create something that will move people into a direction where they will help change the world and make it a better place. It seems strange that a futile legal disclaimer could ever make a difference, but when all these components, be it disclaimers, sponsorship letters, or a draft for a script, come together they will create a mighty river of what was once mere streams.

           

References

Bennet, T. (2009, April 17). Crowd Release | JD Supra. Retrieved from

http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/crowd-release-44788/

Boyd, J. (2011). Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking). In Writing spaces: Readings on

writing. (Vol. 1, p. 89). Anderson, South Carolina.: Parlor Press.

Carrol, L. (2010). Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. In

Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 1, p. 49).

Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2010). "So What? Who Cares? In They say / I say: The

moves that matter in academic writing (2nd ed., p. 93). New York: W.W. Norton &.

Interview with Thea Mercouffer, November 4, 2015

Johnson, R., Sponsorship Proposal Rock The Boat (n.d.)

Losh, E., & Alexander, J. (2013). Why Rhetoric? In Understanding rhetoric: A graphic

guide to writing (1st ed., p. 46).

Rock The Boat Press Release (n.d.)

Thea Mercouffer - director and producer of Rock the Boat. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.theamercouffer.com/