Pat Aufderheide, director of American University's Center for Social Media, has long written about documentary films, but she said they are an especially vital means of communication now more than ever.
"Between the poles of homogenized corporate media and the blogosphere, documentarians are critically important," Aufderheide said.
Recently, Aufderheide, who is also a professor in the School of Communication, funneled her passion for documentary film into creating a pamphlet titled "Documentary Film Maker's Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use." According to Aufderheide, documentarians once paid high costs or struggled to obtain permission to use copyrighted clips and music in their films, so she wanted to create something to clarify copyright law.
Coordinated by Aufderheide, the Washington College of Law and the Center for Social Media, the pamphlet combined the efforts of filmmakers to define acceptable reasons for fair use. Fair use refers to when documentarians can use copyrighted material without permission if the value of the filmmaker's message to the public is greater than the cost to the private owner, according to the Center for Social Media's Web site.
The effort contributed to Aufderheide's Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association, which she recently received at the Director's Guild on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
"The IDA award recognizes the impact Pat has had on the documentary field and the widespread affection and respect she has earned," Larry Kirkman, dean of SOC, said.
Aufderheide said the implications of the statement were great.
"The statement has been a tool that has permitted documentarians to release material into the world that could never have seen the light of day," she said.
Outside of her work on the fair use statement, Aufderheide works through the Center of Social Media to bring creative artists to AU and inspire students.
"Working with AU students is very exciting because they aspire to change the reality they inherited," she said.
Kirkman said he appreciates Aufderheide's passion.
"Under Pat's leadership, SOC's Center for Social Media has become the intellectual hub for the use of media for public knowledge and action," Kirkman said.
Jen DeRosa, a graduate student in film and electronic media and Aufderheide's former student, said taking her class broadened her perspective of documentary film.
"She is a brilliant woman with lots of information to share," she said. "I learned about documentary filmmaking movements which seek to incorporate social activism into the filmmaking process, which is closely aligned with my goals as a filmmaker."
Advising aspiring documentary filmmakers to "do what you love," Aufderheide said she feels fortunate.
"I have been blessed in my life by being given the opportunity to meet artists who engage with crucial social issues and to see how they face that challenge," Aufderheide said. "It has been an honor to comprehend and tell their stories"
