(Untitled)

[kestrelsan]

I really don't get the winchestercon con committee's decision to have a documentarian filming at the con, and their further attempt to reassure concerned fans here. A lot of fans are uncomfortable with the idea of being filmed, however inadvertently and with all the precautions I'm sure the con committee will take. They're asking for release forms and said that

Comments

[laurashapiro]

You know, there's a way to do something like this...and then there's a way to alienate a whole bunch of people.

::facepalm::

I'm sorry. I know how you feel about this. I wish you could go to the event without feeling worried and stressed.

[kestrelsan]

I think it shows how deep privacy issues are, and how we're used to feeling like fandom is a safe space. Arguments as to whether that's realistic aside *g*, when you invite someone outside of fandom to come film a con, then don't tell the people going to the con about it until a week before, then say that sorry you're concerned, but it's still going to happen...yeah, that's a good way to alienate a bunch of people.

I'm actually more irritated with how they did it than worried or stressed about it myself, but a lot of people *are* worried and stressed about it, and it bothers me that they're not being addressed.

[laurashapiro]

I agree. I was just thinking that we did fine collecting footage for the vidding documentary at cons, but I'm sure a big part of that was that the people doing the shooting were fans, and people in the community know us and trust us.

Bringing someone in from outside the community definitely feels different from that, and I have to say, the fact that that someone is male is probably not doing them any favors, either.

[kestrelsan]

ITA on the differences between someone from inside fandom doing this and someone outside fandom, however friendly they are to fandom and however positive a spin they'll put on the piece. And I agree that it doesn't help that the filmmaker's male--too many cultural associations with the male gaze.

[nestra]

Um, yeah. Ouch.

[kestrelsan]

Yeah, it's a little boggling.

[oracne]

Yagh.

[kestrelsan]

Agreed.

[coffeeandink]

I'm sorry this is affecting so many people who were looking forward to the con.

[kestrelsan]

Thanks. Like I told Laura, the filming itself is probably something I could live with, but it was a totally inappropriate way to bring it up. And I'm not persuaded by their responses to people who are really concerned about how it will impact them.

[azephirin]

I just commented on the most recent winchestercon post about this. If he were just interviewing people and filming a completely opt-in discussion, I'd be fine with it and look forward to seeing the results, though I wouldn't participate myself. The common-area shots have me concerned (though perhaps unduly, since I am utterly clueless as to the technicalities of filmmaking and how long things like that take).

I also had a story DMCAed this week-the first time anything like that has ever happened to me, in ten years of writing fic-so a good bit of my hesitation, I'm sure, is that I'm still a little shaken by that.

[kestrelsan]

I just saw your comment--and that's part of what bothers me about this, that it's now the responsibility of individual fans to make sure they don't get filmed. No one should have to change their con plans to work around this. And I really don't think it's an appropriate use of the con, particularly without getting everyone's okay on it first.

[azephirin]

Yeah-if he's taping in the lobby, I'm not going in the lobby until the camera's off, you know? Or else I'm wearing a giant paper bag over my head.

I do agree that this shouldn't have been a fiat based on his production schedule. There are several other cons throughout the year, though since they're commercially run, I suspect they have substantial restrictions (and fees) for filming.