Presentation: An Affective Exploration of Ethnographic Documentary Film Production

235 Pages·2015·2.54 MB·English

by  Deborah Ribera

(RE)PRESENTATION: AN AFFECTIVE EXPLORATION OF ETHNOGRAPHIC
DOCUMENTARY FILM PRODUCTION

Deborah Ribera

A Dissertation

Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green
State University in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
May 2015
Committee:
Radhika Gajjala, Advisor
Marcus L. Sherrell
Graduate Faculty Representative
Ellen Berry
Thomas Mascaro
© 2015
Deborah Ribera
All Rights Reserved
iii
ABSTRACT

Radhika Gajjala, Advisor

This dissertation uses various theories of affect to re-interpret and re-present the idea of
ethnographic documentary film production through the lens of cultural studies. I put forth a
more experimental understanding of production that examines the ways in which self-other
relations inform the producer of the film, the process of filmmaking, and the product that is the
film. Using my own experience filming an ethnographic documentary in Haiti as a case study, I
examine the construction of my perspective as a producer, significant moments and encounters
that informed the process of making a documentary, and the feedback from a viewing of the
documentary. I employ a combination of methods to narrate the conjuncture of documentary
film production, using a retrospective analysis of personal narrative as well as elements of
autoethnography to construct a critically reflexive analysis of this case. Through this analysis, I
connect significant moments that make up the conjuncture of documentary film production and
put them in conversation with my own subjectivity through the language of affect theory.
This study incorporates my identities as a therapist, an educator, a nonprofit executive, a
documentary filmmaker, and a scholar. In thinking deeply about my production process through
this dissertation, I was able to identify ways in which I could make a better, more ethical
documentary in the future. Ultimately, I conclude that an affective understanding of
ethnographic documentary filmmaking can help producers--especially amateur ones--become
more ethically accountable for the material consequences of encounters with the other that
filmmaking facilitates for both those filming and those being filmed.
iv

To my husband, Nate, and my best buddy, Russell.
For all the good affect you bring me.
v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my committee members Radhika Gajjala, Ellen Berry, Tom
Mascaro, and Marcus Sherrell. Each of you thoughtfully informed my work in a number of
different ways. Marcus, thank you for your kind patience during this process and for reminding
me as I move forward to not be afraid to embrace the artistic side of filmmaking. Tom, thank
you for sharing your expertise with me and inviting me to find my place in the documentary
world. I am still figuring it out, but this is a good start! Ellen, your fierce feminism has changed
my life. Because of your classes, I am a better person. Thank you for introducing me to cultural
studies and for being such an inspiration to me and to so many of us in the program.
My advisor, Radhika, believed in my work before I could even articulate what it was.
She pushed me to grow while respecting where I was at in any given moment. She saw where I
could go and encouraged me to find my own way there. She believed in my ability to be creative
with this dissertation and gave me the freedom to write and write and write until I arrived in the
space we both knew I needed to be in. Because of her guidance, I have come to a more whole
understanding of myself and the world around me. She did her best to bring joy to this
dissertation process--a monumental task! Thank you, Radhika, for being an advisor that I look
up to not only for being an excellent scholar, but also for being an excellent person.
Thank you to my friends, both near (BG) and far (everywhere else). I especially want to
thank all of my ACS peers who made this journey as fun as it could possibly be! I truly value
the community we created.
Thank you to my family. I especially want to thank my Aunt Carmen and my mom and
dad. Auntie Caz, thank you for always being there for me through everything and of course the
DWTS chats! Mom and Dad, you've always encouraged me to follow my dreams, no matter
vi
where they take me. Thank you for talking me through the challenging times and for truly
believing in my ability to finish this dissertation. I love you guys so much.
A full-of-affect-that-words-cannot-express thank you to my HUSBAND, Nate. What
would this dissertation be like without you to bounce theoretical ideas off of? Without your
editing? Without all the caffeine you provided me with? The answer is that it would be way
worse and probably not done. Falling in love with you led me to a place of openness and safety,
allowing this dissertation to become a positive expression of learning and understanding. Thank
you for your endless patience with my writing process. Most of all, thank you for believing in
me when I didn't believe in myself.
Finally, thank you to all of the kids and adults I have come into contact with through
counseling and Beyond the Block. I do this work in honor of all the stories you've shared with
me. It is a privilege to be a part of your lives.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1
Theoretical Framework and Epistemology................................................................ 8
Methodology ............................................................................................................ 12
Methods.......................................................................................................... 14
Ethics ............................................................................................................ 20
Structure .................................................................................................................... 22
Positionality and Personal Philosophy....................................................................... 26
Conclusion................................................................................................................... 31
Notes for the Reader.................................................................................................. 33
PART 1: PRODUCER........................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER I. COUNSELING: EXPLORING EARLY TRANSMISSIONS OF AFFECT. 35
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 35
Case Description........................................................................................................ 37
Affective Contextualization....................................................................................... 39
Transference and Countertransference.......................................................... 42
Synthesizing Themes................................................................................................. 48
CHAPTER II. EDUCATION: THE ETHICS OF SERVING THE “LEAST LIKELY TO
SUCCEED".................. .... ....................................................................................................... 57
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 57
Case Description........................................................................................................ 61
Affective Contextualization....................................................................................... 74
viii
Synthesizing Themes................................................................................................. 80
CHAPTER III. BEYOND THE BLOCK: HACKING INTO THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
............................................................................................................ 85
Introduction................................................................................................................ 85
Case Description........................................................................................................ 89
Affective Contextualization....................................................................................... 96
Synthesizing Themes................................................................................................. 104
PART 2: PROCESS .............................................................................................................. 109
CHAPTER IV. HAITI: THE STORY OF MASON.............................................................. 109
Introduction................................................................................................................ 109
Case Description........................................................................................................ 110
Neocolonial Interventions in Haiti................................................................. 110
Mason ............................................................................................................ 114
Affective Contextualization....................................................................................... 118
Mason’s Sickness as the Sickness of Modernity........................................... 118
Affective Accountability................................................................................ 126
Synthesizing Themes................................................................................................. 132
CHAPTER V. EDITING: THROUGH THE IMPASSE....................................................... 137
Introduction................................................................................................................ 137
Case Description........................................................................................................ 140
Affective Contextualization....................................................................................... 150
Synthesizing Themes................................................................................................. 158
ix
PART 3: PRODUCT ............................................................................................................ 165
CHAPTER VI. RECEPTION................................................................................................ 165
Introduction................................................................................................................ 165
Theoretical Framework and Epistemology................................................................ 167
Methodology.............................................................................................................. 169
Type of Qualitative Inquiry and Research Procedure.................................... 169
Personal Subjectivities and Validity.............................................................. 172
Coding System and Data Analysis................................................................. 174
Results ....................................................................................................................... 178
Conclusions and Implications.................................................................................... 187
Continuing the Cycle of Affect...................................................................... 191
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................... 195
Future Studies ............................................................................................................ 206
Towards a Positive Future......................................................................................... 207
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………… 210
APPENDIX A........................................................................................................................ 222
APPENDIX B........................................................................................................................ 223
APPENDIX C........................................................................................................................ 224
APPENDIX D........................................................................................................................ 225
x
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Narrating the Conjuncture of my Filmmaking through a Critically Reflexive Analysis
.............................................................................................................................. 17
2 Beyond the Block: Haiti Lesson................................................................................ 171