This feature raises important issues about access to abortion, and changing attitudes to abortion across several decades, through the stories of several women as well as one man. It is an experimental documentary that tells stories of experiences with abortion, using the voices of women without relying on the authoritative voice of a narrator, except to clarify certain points. The maker clearly wants to make the political point that women's voices ought to be heard, rather than being overly framed by voices of authority. The maker also keeps the process transparent by talking about how the production was made, and by keeping the technological tone of phone interviews clear and not masked. Producers who explore experimental approaches to documentary will value this feature.
It pains me to say this but this piece is just not ready for broadcast. The production is obviously an earnest labor of compassion for the producer but frankly it's a mess. There is no cohesive journey to this one hour production. Though there is occasional narration, it doesn't help to give us a beginning, middle and end. Beyond sharing gut-wrenching stories, I don't know why I'm listening to this. It's painful but without direction or guidance, I just want to turn it off. Then there are the technical problems. There are phone interviews mixed in with much too long actualities and attempts at collage with voices shifting to different channels for no apparent reason. Sound effects and music appear supposedly to underscore the horror stories of abortions - legal and non. I commend the producer for taking on this tough topic but it just doesn't work. There are so many technical and structural problems and not enough variety of storytelling that I can't recommend it for broadcast. I recommend the producer or any station wanting to air a thorough and artful examination of abortion to listen to Shades of Grey also on PRX. Again I commend the producer for attempting this monumental task and encourage another draft if possible.
Comments for Talking About Abortion: A Resurgence in Sound
Produced by Marian van der Zon
Other pieces by Marian van der Zon
Rating Summary
2 comments
Andra McCartney
Posted on May 11, 2005 at 11:18 AM | Permalink
Review of Talking About Abortion: A Resurgence in Sound
This feature raises important issues about access to abortion, and changing attitudes to abortion across several decades, through the stories of several women as well as one man. It is an experimental documentary that tells stories of experiences with abortion, using the voices of women without relying on the authoritative voice of a narrator, except to clarify certain points. The maker clearly wants to make the political point that women's voices ought to be heard, rather than being overly framed by voices of authority. The maker also keeps the process transparent by talking about how the production was made, and by keeping the technological tone of phone interviews clear and not masked. Producers who explore experimental approaches to documentary will value this feature.
Dmae Lo Roberts
Posted on March 30, 2005 at 02:03 PM | Permalink
Review of Talking About Abortion: A Resurgence in Sound
It pains me to say this but this piece is just not ready for broadcast. The production is obviously an earnest labor of compassion for the producer but frankly it's a mess. There is no cohesive journey to this one hour production. Though there is occasional narration, it doesn't help to give us a beginning, middle and end. Beyond sharing gut-wrenching stories, I don't know why I'm listening to this. It's painful but without direction or guidance, I just want to turn it off. Then there are the technical problems. There are phone interviews mixed in with much too long actualities and attempts at collage with voices shifting to different channels for no apparent reason. Sound effects and music appear supposedly to underscore the horror stories of abortions - legal and non. I commend the producer for taking on this tough topic but it just doesn't work. There are so many technical and structural problems and not enough variety of storytelling that I can't recommend it for broadcast. I recommend the producer or any station wanting to air a thorough and artful examination of abortion to listen to Shades of Grey also on PRX. Again I commend the producer for attempting this monumental task and encourage another draft if possible.