Representation & Ethics Research
The essay contains limited paragraphs that are not well expounded. The composition has short paragraphs which have not been elaborated. The issue of representation is a significant aspect of documentary making as it defines the way the viewers understand people, cultures, identities and social issues. In real documentaries, representation is created by framing, editing, laying stress on narratives and selective use of voices. Authenticity, dignity and cultural specificity form the basis of representation in culturally based documentaries like Indus blues and song of Lahore. These movies are not tokenistic and rather, they depict people as complex multidimensional individuals, with histories, feelings, strengths, and struggles. Indus Blues is a good example of artisans not as victims or symbols of poverty but rather as heroes of the culture that are saving dying art forms. Their handiwork and attachment to their traditions is predetermined to the foreground providing a respectful and empowering image. Likewise, K2 and the Invisible Footmen breaks the norms of the usual portrayal of the mountaineering documentary genre: it centers on the Pakistani porters who enable expeditions rather than on the foreign climbers. The documentary depicts them as talented and tough professionals but not unknown workers, which is an effort to reverse historical inaccuracy in the international mountaineering culture.
Ethical responsibility is a major concern of the documentary production, since the filmmakers deal with the real individuals whose tales, weaknesses, and identities are subjected to the open criticism. Some ethical considerations are informed consent, respect of subjects’ boundaries, absence of coercion, and honest representation without manipulation. Ethical editing is about not being sensational, misquoting or decontextualizing that may misrepresent the experiences of subjects. Documentaries should also not reinforce bad stereotypes or should not use the sufferings of the subjects to entertain the viewers. Of particular importance is the vulnerability of the subject and in this case, there is the context of poverty, emotional trauma, or cultural sensitivity.
As a case in point, the working conditions of the porters in K2 and the Invisible Footmen might be easily sensationalized, which Sharif is doing in both books, but he does it without being overly critical of his characters and their plight. Likewise, Song of Lahore is about delicate cultural conflicts, but one that does not address the audience talking on behalf of the artists. These movies demonstrate that ethical film-making implies the preference of dignity and truth to dramatic impact. Similar ethical considerations that I intend to pursue in my own short film Attabad to Ajrak would be used even though this film is created in a fictional context.
My movie does use actual characters; however, it touches upon cultural identity, area landscapes, and symbolic history all of which must be portrayed sensitively. I do not stereotype the entire north Pakistan by making Attabad look like a peaceful, purposeful place rather than an exoticised tourist destination. The Ajrak as a culturally important object is treated in a respectful way as the symbol of the connection and identity instead of being an aesthetic property. My characters are depicted in an emotional depth and subtlety without any overblown romance or culture conflict. Moreover, the documentary feel the moral sincerity: the use of natural light, real setting, and acting without acting will guarantee the genuineness and not the artificial representation. These ethics will ensure that my film is sensitive, respectful, and artistic by virtue of its cultural and emotional depiction.