Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

Marta Waldrop Bergman

Small Streams Make for a Great Impact
Academic Writing 310

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

Imagine a world without writing. It wouldnt have had Martin Luther King Jr.s speeches,
it wouldnt have had the Arab Spring, nor would it have had the elected leaders around the
world. Writing has come to be regarded as a tranquil activity, something that calm people do, but
what many seem to forget is that writing is the key element behind most of the major changes in
both ancient and modern society. It is a powerful weapon easily overlooked in todays struggle
for justice, even though it is right under their noses. The force of it tends to be forgotten and the
idea that writing creates the base for rhetoric - the persuasive element that is the foundation for
change - does not generally come across as apparent. It is there, however, and it really does make
a change when used properly within the right framework. An example of this is documentary
filmmaking. Documentaries are built on blocks of writing, and by analyzing the persuasive
rhetoric in a sponsorship proposal and documentary treatment, the jargon of legal disclaimers, as
well as information received in an interview from Thea Mercouffer a documentary filmmaker- I
will show that without these blocks, documentaries would not exist.
Thea Mercouffer is a person who knows about this first hand, and I had the privilege to
sit down and talk to her about it. Mercouffer was born and raised in Romania but escaped to the
United States with her family from the communist dictatorship in 1987 (Thea, n.d.). Mercouffer
moved to Los Angeles and there continued pursuing her great passion in life: Acting and
Directing. Meanwhile, she was on the board of a big organization and when they asked her if she
could write and direct a series of films about sexual assault she states in an interview with me
that she fell into documentary filmmaking. Mercouffer took on the challenge to direct the film,
going straight from only having directed theater in the past. She then continued on making a film
about human trafficking, and Mercouffer found that she really enjoyed making documentary
films so [she] stuck with it. That was 13 years ago. Today, Thea Mercouffer is a renowned

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

documentary filmmaker with a kind heart and a warm spirit, and she puts those elements into her
documentaries.
Mercouffers latest project clearly shows how using words to ones advantage truly can
make a difference. It all started when she realized that the Los Angeles River going through her
home city was not deemed navigable, and therefore not under the protection of the Clean Water
Act. Mercouffers husband George Wolfe decided to travel fifty-one miles and show the EPA
(the United States Environmental Protection Agency) that the river was, truly, navigable (Press
release, n.d.). Mercouffer decided to document this act of civil disobedience, and that created the
foundation for her award-winning documentary Rock the Boat. The issue with documentaries
however, is that in order to be able to make them one needs money, and money has to be asked
for. This is where the building blocks of writing used to support world-changing ideas come into
play. Mercouffer had to convince sponsors that her documentary was worth their time and effort
through a documentary treatment; a short document which describes the intention of the film as
well as sets the tone for the production. Mercouffer, being an artist, found this extremely
challenging since often times the primary idea of the project does not necessarily mirror the
finalized product. A documentary treatment does not necessarily have to be formal, nor does it
have to be informal. It simply has to catch the essence of what the finished project will consist
of. She explains that not only did she have to try to accomplish that task, but she also had to be
able to write in a way that would make the reader understand the importance of the completion
of her project, and as stated by Graff and Birkenstein writers who fail to show that others
should care or already do care about their claims will ultimately lose their audiences interest
(2010, p. 93). Mercouffers whole film depended on her being able to write in the right way for
her audience.

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

Mercouffer had to apply for sponsorships, and she tells the story of how one has to be
endearing when needed, as well as strict and formal in other settings (interview, 2015). In a the
opening sentence of a sponsorship proposal sent by Mercouffers producer for Rock the Boat,
one can understand the fine line that needs to be balanced in order to successfully receive support
from the targeted audience, which in the below proposal is a mutual friend of Randi Jackson, the
producer of Rock the Boat, and John McLaughlin:

Dear Rob,
Our mutual friend, John McLaughlin, suggested I write to you directly about
Rock the Boat ... Were raising the final finishing funds, a bit less than $30,000.
given your interest in the river and environmental activism, you might like to
participate, too (Sponsorship, n.d.).

What Johnson shows here, by his use of first name for example, is that an application for
funding does not need to be extremely formal, even though he does not directly know the person
he is asking for financial support. He also shows that he has done his research and knows that
Rob has an interest in the LA River. Without this statement the sponsorship proposal would lose
its persuasive edge. Johnson, or anyone else writing a sponsorship proposal have to stay within
the frames of the genre, but they have to adapt the document depending on who they are
addressing. Mercouffer does explain, however, that it is when one applies for grants it is
extremely important to follow the guidelines given by the organization who is giving out, and
that it can sometimes be a very tiring thing to write the applications, since they are quite intricate
and often fruitless attempts.

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

Just as it was important for Mercouffer to write to her audience, she also had to make
sure that people would care about the issue she was trying to shed some light upon, and to do that
she needed to use persuasive rhetorical tools. One example of this is Kairos and Mercouffer had
Kairos on her side. Kairos is the idea that within what timeframe one delivers a message is as
equally important as the content of that message (Losh & Alexander, 2013), and in a time where
the public was becoming more and more concerned about water it couldnt have been better.
Kairos is also very important when applying for funding. Since many organizations and
businesses go over their budgets by the end of the year, that is usually when they award grants or
stipends since they then know what they need to donate to get the proper tax exemptions. One
could definitely say that time is money in this case.
Another important writing tool used when making a case as per why people
should care about an issue is exigence, and as stated by Carroll: Understanding the exigence is
important because it helps you begin to discover the purpose of the rhetoric. It helps you
understand what the discourse is trying to accomplish (2010, p. 49). Exigence, which goes hand
in hand with Kairos, means the surrounding events that force someone to speak up. Mercouffer
was affected by the exigence since that she lived in drought-stricken California where lakes were
drying up, and people treasured water more than ever before. By raising her voice regarding the
LA River, she showed her surroundings that there are water-ways in California that are not being
appreciated as such, and that the LA River should be protected in a time where it was most
needed.
Another crucial part of making a documentary film is the legal documents that need to be
in order. When conducting an interview one needs their consent to use the footage captured
during the interview, and forgetting to get their signature on those papers can make or break a

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

documentary before it has even started to come together. One also needs to get proper paper
work filled out in order to receive the permission to film in certain areas, such as the LA River
which was the main focus of Mercouffers film, and in that can sometimes cause issues when
they have not been meticulously filled out in the correct way. An example of this kind of writing
is a Crowd Release, which is a legal disclaimer for a location where people may show up in the
frame.
By entering and by your presence here, you consent to be photographed,
filmed and/or otherwise recorded. Your entry constitutes your consent to
such photography, filming and/or recording and to any use, in any and all
media throughout the universe in perpetuity, of your appearance, voice
and name for any purpose whatsoever in connection with the production
presently entitled: _______________________. (Bennet, 2009).
It is also very important to be aware of the restrictions regarding the use of music and
other copyrighted material such as logos or brand names in a documentary. Some music might be
okay to use as long as proper credits are awarded in the end of the film, while others might cause
severe copyright infringement issues. The information whether or not material is deemed safe to
use is as a rule written within the borders of a legal document-genre. Some conventions that
make up this genre are generic terms such as and/or recording and to any use, in any and
all or for any purpose whatsoever (Bennet, 2009). When making a documentary film
it is crucial to be able to understand and write in legal terms in order to not get confused in a
world filled with jargon. Janet Boyd explains that Jargon is the terminology used by those in a
particular profession or group to facilitate clear and precise communication (2011, p. 89), which

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

could be quite counterintuitive since jargon has in many instances increased confusion rather
than decreased it.
Even though a massive part of the creation of a documentary revolves around disclaimers
and asking for money, the creative process, such as the storytelling in script writing, is also
highly dependent on writing. Documentaries may not seem dramatic in the same way as a play or
a regular movie, but the creator still has to make sure that the storytelling is unique, and that the
film has an arch that it follows. Mercouffer states that since she had written many manuscripts
for theater before she got involved in documentary filmmaking she knew what she was doing,
but that the factual and educational foundation had to be more extensive. While writing the script
the writer creates a storyline and the film begins to form a skeleton, one could say. It is around
this skeleton the rest of the documentary will come together, even though the main storyline may
change during the creative process. When the base for the documentary has been filmed, the
skeleton will work so that one can easily see what pieces are missing for it to become a whole
body.
Understanding the importance of writing in documentary may not seem to be a priority to
many, but maybe it should be. Even though documentary filmmaking is a narrow niche the
construction of the end product can be applied to most anything. In order to make a change in
this world, one needs to understand the power of writing. Not only inspirational writing but also
what is considered dull writing at times. The legal documents, the press releases, the grant
requests. They all play a major roll in order to create something that will move people into a
direction where they will help change the world and make it a better place. It seems strange that
a futile legal disclaimer could ever make a difference, but when all these components, be it

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

disclaimers, sponsorship proposals, or a draft for a script, come together they will create a
mighty river of what was once mere streams.

Running head: SMALL STREAMS MAKE FOR A GREAT IMPACT

References
Bennet, T. (2009, April 17). Crowd Release | JD Supra. Retrieved from
http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/crowd-release-44788/
Boyd, J. (2011). Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking). In Writing spaces: Readings on
writing. (Vol. 1, p. 89). Anderson, South Carolina.: Parlor Press.
Carrol, L. (2010). Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. In
Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 1, p. 49).
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2010). "So What? Who Cares? In They say / I say: The
moves that matter in academic writing (2nd ed., p. 93). New York: W.W. Norton &.
Interview with Thea Mercouffer, November 4, 2015
Johnson, R., Sponsorship Proposal Rock The Boat (n.d.)
Losh, E., & Alexander, J. (2013). Why Rhetoric? In Understanding rhetoric: A graphic
guide to writing (1st ed., p. 46).
Rock The Boat Press Release (n.d.)
Thea Mercouffer - director and producer of Rock the Boat. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.theamercouffer.com/