In Morte Media Jubilate [1]: An empirical study of cancer-related documentary film

Grounded in ethnographic research, this paper is a case study that follows a television documentary film from its inception by the subject, a woman with breast cancer, through its production and on to its reception by a focus group. Examining in turn the views of the subject, producer and audience, the study considers how events filmed as they actually occurred in real life can, by editing, be treated in such a way as to persuade the audience to a specific conclusion. Analysis reveals evidence of editorial manipulation to make the content more acceptable to the general public. What is more significant is that it would seem that these films comply with contemporary popular ideology on how death should be rather than presenting the actual truth of the lived experience. The paper questions the extent to which current cultural responses, which shape how death is medically managed, extend to influence mainstream society via the media.