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AOM 2010 Montreal

What's Wrong with This Picture? Critical Documentary Film as a Catalyst for Change

PDW Sponsored by CMS, MED, ODC, IM and SIM

SATURDAY 7TH AUGUST

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

The Queen Elizabeth: Hochelaga 5

Organised by: Emma Bell (Exeter), John Hassard (Manchester), Pauline Leonard (Southampton), Jean Helms Mills (St. Mary's), Carl Rhodes (Swansea)

Guest Speaker: Eric Smith, Creative Director at Free Range Studios http://www.freerangestudios.com/staff-profiles/creative-director/eric-smith.html

In the past decade, critical documentary film has become increasingly important as a means of exposing oppressive and exploitative organizational behaviours and highlighting social justice and environmental issues. Films such as Supersize Me (2004) have led directly to changes in corporate practice. Others, like The Corporation (2003), have had an indirect yet significant effect on public perceptions of the responsibilities of business. Global corporations have in turn become more skilful in counteracting the negative effects of critical documentary, strategically using film to portray their business activities favourably. The growth in critical documentary feature film can partly be explained by the rise in accessible technologies like viral videos and digital recording, which have expanded opportunities for film production, coupled with the development of innovative distribution methods as a way of reaching non-traditional audiences. The location of Montréal, Canada provides an opportunity to focus on the role of the governments and film studios in financing this cultural industry. The workshop will feature an invited guest speaker from Free Range Studios, a graphic and creative design organization that has produced some of the most successful viral videos for non-profits, political campaigns and socially responsible businesses, such as The Meatrix. By bringing together activist filmmakers and management researchers and educators, the workshop will assess the current and future impact of critical documentary films on management education and organizational practice, and explore ways of making the relationship between them more mutually beneficial and potentially more productive.