Hatty Matthews, BA Music

To what extent can we accuse music as an ethical problem of the contemporary documentary?

Synthesising real life events and subjective artistic interpretation, the recent demand and trend for increasingly cinematic-style documentary presents now more than ever, an ethically challenging dichotomy between fact and fiction. My presentation will explore the potential reasons for music’s lack of attention within the documentary ethical debate, and why we might be urged to recognise its effects. Through looking examples of ways in which music interacts with visual and additional auditory components such as narration and sound design, I will explore the potential ethical ramifications of using music as a means of creative manipulation of real events.