The Filmmaker’s Invisible Art – Editing to Tell a Story

The Filmmaker’s Invisible Art – Editing to Tell a Story

Post #5 – Seeing is not always believing.

Initially I had no intention of devoting more than one post to the hidden camera videotapes – but reviewing the San Bernardino tape several times (for my previous post) has offered occasion to reflect on the issue of selective editing.

On my first viewing of the San Bernardino video in September 2009, the ACORN employee’s foolish talk (about an escort service and a shooting) was so outrageous that I wasn’t concerned about quotes being taken out of context.  In fact, I was loath to spend even a moment giving the matter a second thought.  I had seen enough: case closed.

But, in watching the video again and considering the broader picture, I have come to appreciate that context is critical.  Film editing, often referred to as the ‘invisible art,’ is essential to storytelling.  And the ACORN videos were edited to tell a story.  Unless we are confident of the integrity and good judgment of James O’Keefe and his allies, we can’t trust what we see.

Edit out, for instance, “Let’s role play,” or, “All right, if you guys are going to spin wild tales, so will I” and everything portrayed on tape looks different.  Is it unlikely that any such exchange took place?  Perhaps.  But consider another possibility raised by Appendix D of Scott Harshbarger’s report, which suggests that the staff member captured on tape was suspicious of the story she heard, fearful for her safety, and responded by spinning an outlandish story; after persuading the trio to leave with a neighbor, she locked up the office and left.

Cast in this light, the encounter begins to look more like bullying – with the activist-provocateurs intimidating a woman who responded by playing along with – even joining in – their outlandish storytelling.  To make sense of this, consider a thought experiment: Imagine an accomplished manager (perhaps a woman with an MBA or JD and experience in the corporate world) who finds herself alone in an office with a trio boasting of their criminal plans – crazy plans.  She might experience fear in such a situation, yet succeed in presenting herself in a confident, polished manner because her professional persona is second nature to her.

I know nothing (beyond what I’ve seen on this tape) about the employee at the San Bernardino office.  But it appears that she lacked the experience and presence of mind to respond as we would expect of someone possessing a broad repertoire of professional skills.  Would playing along in a fearful situation be a wildly irrational response?  Would it be understandable?

Remember, this employee did nothing to advance any illegal activities – she just offered foolish talk and posturing.  Might she have been telling the threesome what she thought they wanted to hear, while hoping for the chance to get them to leave?  (Might an unedited version of the tape reveal bullying?  Or anxiety and fear?  Or anything else that would change our interpretation of what we see?)

Based on a selectively edited videotape, it is impossible to say for certain.  And that’s just the point: unless we can trust what we see – which requires us to trust the videographers and post-production editors of the video – we have no reason to accept the story as presented.  And there just isn’t any reason to put our trust in Mr. O’Keefe and company.

Yes – the video shows unprofessional behavior (condemned by Bertha Lewis).  Yes, ACORN should take steps (as Ms. Lewis announced) to assure that all employees are well-trained to present themselves professionally.  But – contrary to the story that James O’Keefe and his media allies on the right have told – we have no reason to draw any conclusion about ACORN’s aiding and abetting any criminal activity.  That and other broad-brush conclusions are stretched well beyond what we see in the edited videotapes.

Next post: What Can We Say on ACORN’s Behalf?

(Image of Karl Rove on Fox News via YouTube.)

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