This is a phenomenon that's increasingly making its presence felt. Much of the public is no longer the babe in the woods. Its become conscious. Become knowledgeable. Its become media savvy. It is no longer awed by the camera. No more intimidated by the creature holding that metallic stub with a trailing wire who invades his private space with a vulgar ease. It has learnt the art of using the camera to their advantage. Today much of the public knows how to play up. It helps the reporter create the desired mise en scene. It knows much about background and framing. It can pose. It can give you just that exact expression you are craving for. It can be hugely gleeful. It can be histrionically tragic. Like a true-blue pro, it has mastered the tricks of the trade. With television reaching the remotest corners, they know now that they are visual objects. Objects, which have an audience. And they allow themselves to be objectified. What they have is as good a commodity as any other. And it has a market. Many a times some demand money to get you that 'exclusive element.' If the media exploits them, they too have learnt to exploit the media. The hunted have become one with the hunters.
This comes out best when you report stories of people who have undergone a tragedy. So you have a father whose daughter was brutally killed. He gives you the desired shots, even suggesting some good ones himself. Balanced expressions teetering just on the edge of an outburst. That accurate movement of the eyeball when the camera indecently zooms in for a tight shot. Visuals of him sitting and poring over his daughter's pictures. Each a well-crafted postcard shot for a great heart-rending story. When you visit the mother who is still searching for his son's remains, she sobs softly. In between they are punctuated with a dramatic bite which you have salivating for. Now and then a relative enters the frame with equally moist eyes to complete a picture-perfect backdrop. Or that mother whose son was killed because he told the truth. She sits by the window looking out or sits on the bed wiping her son's photo to give you that perfect opening shot. Pan the camera towards the family whose members have just been run over by a speeding car and they wail in perfect unison never once taking their eyes off the camera. They have just 'created a scene.'
I am not for a moment insinuating that all the bereaved souls indulge in play-acting. Not all of them are faking it. Of course not. There definitely would be many who are genuinely crying. Many who are just sitting dazed and shocked at having lost everything. By letting us shoot their personal grief, they actually do us an immense favour. We must be grateful to them for letting us peep into their sorrow. But amidst these, there are many who actually do it to create an effect.
The obvious reason of course is to attract public sympathy. Perhaps the public disillusioned with the social institutions and wanting redressal at any cost sees this as an easy way. They see media as a medium for getting their wrongs addressed; which anyways is the primary duty of media. It creates ripples no doubt. Many a time, the mutual exploitation may end in a joint victory for both. The reporter has got a smashing story. And the wronged public has been attended to. The channel then deservedly shouts from the rooftop how it helped someone get justice. All fine. The only problem is when someone deliberately gives what is wanted. This somewhere down the line dilutes the gravity of the situation. Today they have unfortunately understood that they have something to offer. Something which a particular voyeuristic section of the elite world is waiting to lap up. Something that can be exploited to their advantage. And something that's also for sale.
So today its just not Laloo who sits with that rural construct behind him creating that perfect media image. When we went to do a film on tribal deprivation in college, the tribals gave us a montage of all that we wanted. They said after so many reports and films on them, they knew exactly what was expected of them. When we did our investigative project on kidney racket, the victim spoke to us only after we lightened our pockets. And her expressions, tears and bites got us the Best Investigative Project Award. So why am I complaining?
first published:December 13, 2006, 19:37 ISTlast updated:December 13, 2006, 19:37 IST
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The light is fixed....the frame is adjusted....the mike's in place, alert and watchful....the camera starts to roll....the subject doesn't just do as told.....she actually adds her own inputs.....PERFECT SHOT....bound to move the audience to tears. That's not a film shoot folks. That's the reporter. And that's the mother who has lost a son. Lights off.
This is a phenomenon that's increasingly making its presence felt. Much of the public is no longer the babe in the woods. Its become conscious. Become knowledgeable. Its become media savvy. It is no longer awed by the camera. No more intimidated by the creature holding that metallic stub with a trailing wire who invades his private space with a vulgar ease. It has learnt the art of using the camera to their advantage. Today much of the public knows how to play up. It helps the reporter create the desired mise en scene. It knows much about background and framing. It can pose. It can give you just that exact expression you are craving for. It can be hugely gleeful. It can be histrionically tragic. Like a true-blue pro, it has mastered the tricks of the trade. With television reaching the remotest corners, they know now that they are visual objects. Objects, which have an audience. And they allow themselves to be objectified. What they have is as good a commodity as any other. And it has a market. Many a times some demand money to get you that 'exclusive element.' If the media exploits them, they too have learnt to exploit the media. The hunted have become one with the hunters.
This comes out best when you report stories of people who have undergone a tragedy. So you have a father whose daughter was brutally killed. He gives you the desired shots, even suggesting some good ones himself. Balanced expressions teetering just on the edge of an outburst. That accurate movement of the eyeball when the camera indecently zooms in for a tight shot. Visuals of him sitting and poring over his daughter's pictures. Each a well-crafted postcard shot for a great heart-rending story. When you visit the mother who is still searching for his son's remains, she sobs softly. In between they are punctuated with a dramatic bite which you have salivating for. Now and then a relative enters the frame with equally moist eyes to complete a picture-perfect backdrop. Or that mother whose son was killed because he told the truth. She sits by the window looking out or sits on the bed wiping her son's photo to give you that perfect opening shot. Pan the camera towards the family whose members have just been run over by a speeding car and they wail in perfect unison never once taking their eyes off the camera. They have just 'created a scene.'
I am not for a moment insinuating that all the bereaved souls indulge in play-acting. Not all of them are faking it. Of course not. There definitely would be many who are genuinely crying. Many who are just sitting dazed and shocked at having lost everything. By letting us shoot their personal grief, they actually do us an immense favour. We must be grateful to them for letting us peep into their sorrow. But amidst these, there are many who actually do it to create an effect.
The obvious reason of course is to attract public sympathy. Perhaps the public disillusioned with the social institutions and wanting redressal at any cost sees this as an easy way. They see media as a medium for getting their wrongs addressed; which anyways is the primary duty of media. It creates ripples no doubt. Many a time, the mutual exploitation may end in a joint victory for both. The reporter has got a smashing story. And the wronged public has been attended to. The channel then deservedly shouts from the rooftop how it helped someone get justice. All fine. The only problem is when someone deliberately gives what is wanted. This somewhere down the line dilutes the gravity of the situation. Today they have unfortunately understood that they have something to offer. Something which a particular voyeuristic section of the elite world is waiting to lap up. Something that can be exploited to their advantage. And something that's also for sale.
So today its just not Laloo who sits with that rural construct behind him creating that perfect media image. When we went to do a film on tribal deprivation in college, the tribals gave us a montage of all that we wanted. They said after so many reports and films on them, they knew exactly what was expected of them. When we did our investigative project on kidney racket, the victim spoke to us only after we lightened our pockets. And her expressions, tears and bites got us the Best Investigative Project Award. So why am I complaining?
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