The Potential of Advocacy

Harry Davis
12th January 2024
The Potential of Advocacy

Media, particularly informative documentaries, have had a huge impact on how viewers
absorb and act on information received. Documentaries have been used for hundreds of
years as a way to pass on political and social issues around the world, the impact of this has
caused ambivalence yet this has enabled individuals to comprehend and react to matters
that they were previously unaware of. The importance of documentaries cannot be
understated. The ability to share statistics and figures in an enjoyable format can easily drive
more people in, sharing an important story to a wide audience leads to change and
advocacy which results in the attraction of high-profile individuals who may be able to
ensure the change will happen. Well known film maker, and director Michael Moore went
on record to say, “Documentaries are a form of journalism” which suggests a documentary
has an impact equivalent to that of a newspaper or magazine article.

In 2015, a drama/documentary called ‘The True Cost’, directed by Andrew Morgan, was
released in aim of revealing the previously glorified fast fashion industry. The documentaries
aim was to enlighten viewers on the greed, power and ultimately over consumption that
happens behind the scenes. Morgan travelled to thirteen countries to expose the poor
conditions and breach in human rights violations. Along this journey Morgan was also able
to discover the incredibly negative impact fast fashion was having to the planet. This
documentary informed viewers that garment workers in countries such as Bangladesh,
India, and Cambodia are some of the lowest paid workers, averaging $38 a month (as of
2013). Morgan’s documentary was set as an expository and participatory film which
ultimately showed viewers the truth in the countries he explored. As a result, viewers found
his documentary to be incredibly educational and impactful, with Harvey Weinstein saying,
“This movies going to shock the fashion world.” But what real effect did this documentary
have? Although a situation as large as this one is difficult to change overnight, it did get
people talking. Even as of today hundreds of articles and online videos are being released
Exposing brands for their underpayment and illegal
tactics in producing cheaper clothes that can be sold
later on upsold. Not only this but in 2023 Bangladesh
authorities revealed a 53% pay rise after garment
workers protesting left them no choice. Morgan’s
documentary exposed and revealed the truth hidden by
hundreds of companies and informed millions of people
of the conditions their favourite brands are offering
their workers.

The 2012 documentary ‘Bully’ had the aims of spreading public awareness of what can go on
behind the school gates. Filmmaker Lee Hirsh investigated 5 different families and what the
effects of bullying in their communities had on the children. Hirsh’s aim of producing this
documentary was to have as many young people watch and understand the story being
told,
Hirsh also wanted to completely renovate the tactics that schools and places for youth had
on handling bullying. The strategy used to ensure as many young people watched this
documentary was extremely important, Hirsh worked with existing programs and support
groups to promote and build better relations with the audience. However, once the
documentary was being reviewed to have a rating, the Motion Picture Association of
America gave ‘Bully’ an R rating, restricting people under the age of 16 to view the film
without a guardian present. This caused outrage. A young viewer who had experienced
Bullying first hand decided to create a
petition in hopes of getting the rating
changed. The American film contribution
company ’The Weinstein Company’
reached out to Katy and within days her
petition had gained thousands of
signatures. Ellen DeGeneres, an American
TV host described the documentary as
”looking at the problem in a way we
haven’t seen before, through the eyes of
the children
themselves.”(https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=H6RDpOGqeCg) This documentary showed everyday people the truth of what was
happening without their knowledge. The outcomes of this expository documentary led to
countless anti-bullying organisations receiving masses of support and major companies
were donating thousands in support of the children – with the rating being adjusted to a
PG13, allowing millions more children to watch it. This documentary highlights the change
that can be made when people are given a voice and shows the importance of
documentaries sharing the truth that many people are unaware of. Some of the key aspects
that were included in this documentary that I would want to include into mine is the level of
research that went into making it, every child that was interviewed had their own story and
were able to show the world what they had been experiencing behind closed doors, the
interviews themselves were touching yet educational. American filmmaker Edward Norton
famously said, “The best films of any kind, narrative or documentary, provoke questions.” I
think this quote applies to the documentary ‘Bully’ on so many levels as the questions being
asked in regards were astonishing, people wanted to know more, and I think that's what a
good documentary should do and is something I would like to ensure is happening for my
final project.

The 2012 documentary ‘The Invisible War’, directed by filmmaker Kirby Dick and produced
by Amy Ziering, explored the touching and previously unspoken rampant levels of violent
sexual assault cases in the US military. This documentary tells the untold story of hidden
rape and focuses on the psychological pain that left thousands of women fighting for justice.
The investigative interview style that Dick decided to carry out includes all the heart
wrenching details; from the assault act themselves, the attempt to report, and the after
affects. When planning this documentary Dick and his team took plenty of time to research
into their victims and track down their offenders, it was important for the team to ensure
that they built a high level of trust with the interviewees to make the documentary as
authentic as possible, without causing a trauma response. It was also an important factor
for the team to not vilify the entire US military, and only hold those accountable who
deserved it. However, good things did come from the investigative documentary. As seen in
this screenshot President Barack
Obama signed a
new law which
improved how
the military
would handle sexual assault cases. On top of this, majority of high-level US government
officials have viewed the documentary resulting in the film now being used as a tool for US
training.
This graph shows the previous thoughts of US personnel
and why they wouldn’t report their experiences of sexual
violence. Dick’s documentary has completed changed
how this graph would look today due to the amount of
recognition his documentary received and the change
that happened due to it. The mass media coverage led to
American journalist and presenter Katie Couric doing a
segment on her daytime show ‘Katie’ where she further
discussed in depth the truth behind the documentary,
Couric’s show reached an estimated 2.08 million viewers
at the time of release, pushing an even larger audience to watch and act on the investigative
documentary. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh9AxX1ND5M). The outcomes of this
documentary were very extreme and have shown the world what good investigative
journalism in the form of a documentary can do. The documentary itself changed US history
and shifted the perception of the US military being superior. Overall, the levels of research
and touching stories that went into this documentary is something I would like to include in
my documentary as it built a stronger narrative and made the subject of the story more
emotional for viewers.

Given the evidence presented, it is clear that investigative documentaries can cause change
in the world, especially in the modern era of today. In the past 20 years documentaries have
helped the world improve like never seen before, with more people having access to them
resulting in more impressive results, giving millions of people an improved way of life. Each
documentary I’ve spoken about has had an impact on how people perceive and think about
the chosen (documentary) topic which is really the whole point of journalism; to inform and
distribute information. Something I would like to bring with me to my final project is the
hard hitting, emotional topics that all three documentaries have discussed. Their level of
research and powerful interviewees is what makes the documentaries so intriguing and
leaves audiences affected and wanting to know more. Personally, a documentary should
make the viewer question how they’ve been living without knowing this concealed
information and cause a turning point for them, which each documentary has flawlessly
executed and is something I would like to try and mimic in my own. Most of these
documentaries are expository and investigative, with some being participatory, these styles
are also something I would like mine to be.
Harvard Referencing

Louise Unwin. (2023). 13 Social Impact Documentaries That Will Inspire You To Change The
World. [Online]. Socialchangecentral.com. Available at:
https://www.socialchangecentral.com/13-social-impact-documentaries-that-will-inspire-
you-to-change-t [Accessed 18 January 2024].

Zeynep Ozdamar-Ertekin. (2017). The True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion The
True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion. [Online]. digitalcommons.uri. Available at:
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=mgdr [Accessed
18 January 2024].

Red Mariott. (2014). Striking Bangladeshi garment workers win a 77% pay rise. [Online].
libcom.org. Available at: https://libcom.org/article/striking-bangladeshi-garment-workers-
win-77-pay-rise [Accessed 18 January 2024].

Lucy Siegle. (2015). Why not all fashion documentaries should be pretty. [Online].
Theguardian.com. Last Updated: 4 June 2015. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/jun/04/true-cost-film-grim-gritty-world-
fashion-documentari [Accessed 18 January 2024].

The Associated Press. (2023). Bangladesh raises monthly minimum wage for garment
workers to $113 after protests. [Online]. nbcnews.com. Last Updated: 8 November 2023.
Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bangladesh-raises-monthly-minimum-
wage-garment-workers-protests-r [Accessed 18 January 2024].

Patricia Finneran. (N/A). Documentary Impact: Social Change Through Storytelling. [Online].
amazonaws.com. Available at:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.hotdocs.ca/doc/HD14_Documentary_Impact_Report.PDF
[Accessed 18 January 2024].

Elizabeth Green. (N/A). The Invisible War. [Online]. jlnvb.org. Available at:
https://www.jlnvb.org/wp-content/uploads/Invisible-War-Blog-Post_EG1514.pdf [Accessed
19 January 2024].
Wikipendia. (2012). The Invisible War. [Online]. en.wikipendia.org. Last Updated: 27 October
2023. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_War#:~:text=However%2C
%20these%20reports%20resulted%20in [Accessed 19 January 2024].

The Ellen Show. (2001). Watch the Entire 'Bully' Chat Here. Youtube/CBS, 23 March 2012.

Influence Film Club. (N/A). The Invisible War. [Online]. influencefilmclub.com. Available at:
http://influencefilmclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/1-The-Invisible-War-Discussion-
Guide.pdf [Accessed 19 January 2024].

Katie. (2012). The Invisible War: A Film and Discussion. Disney/ABC, 2013.
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