Inside PBS Blog

Last week, local PBS stations aired two very interesting films: one about the bond between chickens and humans, and another about ferrets – or, more specifically, Ohio's annual Ferret Buckeye Bash. Filmmaker Mark Lewis is the man behind these idiosyncratic films, titled “The Natural History of the Chicken” and “Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence,” respectively.  Not surprisingly, both films provoked a strong audience response; here are his answers to the questions submitted by viewers like you.  

Mark, at wildlife film festivals, your work is frequently criticized as being staged, sensational, or simply misleading to audiences. Yet you seem quite candid with bending genres and breaking conventions in your work. How have you developed your own set of ethics toward being a truthful documentary filmmaker? Danny

I don’t think of myself as a “wildlife filmmaker” nor a “natural history” filmmaker, and would like to think the only sin I have committed is to make my films entertaining.   Above all, I consider myself a filmmaker and not a documentarian.  I work in a genre that is often called “documentary” and am guided in that by the definition of documentary given by John Grierson… the “creative treatment of actuality.”

Nor do I consciously bend genres or break conventions, but try and tell the stories as best I can. In most  instances animals do not have a voice, so I try and present things from their point of view. I have little interest in being conventional but at the same time I do not strive not to be.

Questions about ethics and “truth” in documentary are a black hole of despair and I find it frustrating to even go there, let alone necessary.  In general terms I have developed my own set of ethics and this continues to evolve.

Although there is a mocking tone through much of the film, it is clear that you have a genuine appreciation of chickens that seems to come from personal experience. What kind of chickens did you grow up with, and what kind of relationship did you have with them? John

The tone of my films is not meant to by mocking, I simply present stories from a variety of characters and try to present these stories as neutral or as objective as I can. I have found that real honest to goodness salt of the earth people often know a lot more and have a better connection to some subjects than experts or scientists. And, they are much more interesting.

As for chickens, I have a profound respect for them. Have you read “The Chicken Book” by Page Smith and Charles Daniel?  Chickens are wonderful in every respect from their social order to their extraordinary vocabulary and their intelligence. My parents had chickens throughout my childhood and my father, who is now 87, has only recently given them up. From an early age my job was to collect the eggs and also to help my father on the occasions when he would butcher them. As much as I hated this process he would suggest to me that it is preferable to eat the chickens that we know and love rather than purchase one in a plastic bag from the supermarket.

I absolutely loved "The Natural History of the Chicken"! As a beginning graduate student studying documentary, I find that I am often drawn to subjects that don't fit neatly into existing genres. I'm
also drawn to filmmaking styles that are somewhat convention-bending. Can you offer any advice on getting financing and distribution for films that stretch conventions and push genre boundaries? Matthew

I think some documentarians produce films that suit a mould or a convention or aim to tailor their films to a particular audience. I try and tell the stories as best I can and do not consciously stretch conventions or push genre boundaries ­just make the films in my idiosyncratic way. The downside of this is that it is very difficult getting financing and distribution for ANY film, let alone ones that stretch boundaries, so best not to mention those aspects of your film when you pitch it! Pitch it in ways that the executives can understand ­ then make it with your own voice and hope for the best.

What did you mean by “natural history” in the title of your film? John

 I am glad you asked about the “natural history” title in the film. The term “natural history” is often used in the discussion of animals in their natural environment and how they behave.  I was trying to suggest that a
chicken living as a pet in Palm Beach, a bunch of chickens stuffed into a cage in a battery hen farm, or a chicken in the farmyard all have a “natural history” that pertains to their particular environment, and that these environments are “natural” to them no matter how artificial.

For more about Lewis’ films, visit the website for his production company, Radio Pictures.

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