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Article: Reconstructing history: Sally Doganis provides an insider's view of the challenges facing those who bring the past to the small screen.(Today's History)
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- June 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A JURY TO POLARISE OPINION. I have recently been on the prestigious Grierson award jury for best historical documentary. We had an exceptionally good and amicable discussion--except on one film which put us into two opposing camps. It was set in a time Before Film (BF?) and so had to use fairly imaginative images to make it televisual. I had thought it was powerful and entertaining, but then I am a producer and film maker. I was faced with a jury who, to a man, were eminent historians. Most thought it unoriginal, the images trite and the music inappropriate. After a heated discussion, the chairman (an experienced television executive) made a plea for ...