WEBVTT - MINI: Is it ethical to make money from true crime stories? 🔎

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<v Speaker 1>Have you guys seen that new movie on Netflix which

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<v Speaker 1>is called Woman of the Hour with Anna Kendrick in it.

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<v Speaker 2>I have. I've also listened to the Real podcast on it.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, if you guys haven't seen it, it's a it's

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<v Speaker 1>a movie, but it's based on a true story and

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<v Speaker 1>it's about a serial killer.

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<v Speaker 3>In the States.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, I mean, it's one of those movies that when

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<v Speaker 1>you watch it, it just stays with you and then

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<v Speaker 1>you're laying in bed at night thinking, oh God. But

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<v Speaker 1>we were having a bit of a conversation around the

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<v Speaker 1>ethics of true crime and how it's become such a

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<v Speaker 1>hugely popular entertainment medium. And the reason for that is

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<v Speaker 1>because when you think about it, there's so much money

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<v Speaker 1>that's being made off the back of these real stories,

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<v Speaker 1>like people's real trauma, people who have experienced horrific things,

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<v Speaker 1>and then it's being repurposed and turned into entertainment. So now,

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<v Speaker 1>Anna Kendrick, who's one of the lead stars in this movie,

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<v Speaker 1>but she's also one of the directors of the movie

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<v Speaker 1>as well, she came out recently just on Monday, and

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<v Speaker 1>she was talking about how she has made absolutely no

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<v Speaker 1>money off the back of it because it felt really

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<v Speaker 1>lucky to her to keep any of the profits, and

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<v Speaker 1>she's donated all of it to the National Center for

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<v Speaker 1>Victims of Crime, And I guess it kind of like

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<v Speaker 1>really raises this question of, like, should people be profiting

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<v Speaker 1>from other people's very real, lived trauma. It's hard because

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<v Speaker 1>people want to see these films and people want these

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<v Speaker 1>stories to be told.

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<v Speaker 3>And I understand why.

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<v Speaker 2>If you go and look at any like podcast lists

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<v Speaker 2>around the world, true crime is always number one. If

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<v Speaker 2>you look at the number one Netflix hits and streaming hits,

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<v Speaker 2>it's always like true crime based. People want to consume it,

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<v Speaker 2>and ethics aren't black and white. But I think we

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<v Speaker 2>need to find the happy medium of not purely profiting

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<v Speaker 2>off somebody else's horrific story. But we also can't be

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<v Speaker 2>doing what Anna has done this time, which is donate

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred percent of the profits, because it takes a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of people to make a film, like you're still

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<v Speaker 2>employing people. But we need to find out what that

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<v Speaker 2>happy medium is. I think there needs to be some

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<v Speaker 2>consultation for the people involved and the victims involved or

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<v Speaker 2>the victims families, and then there needs to be some

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<v Speaker 2>remuneration for these people. Or these organizations, but I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know what that's going to look like.

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<v Speaker 4>She did, so I read into this, so she actually

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<v Speaker 4>got consent. Obviously. In this movie, The Woman of the Hour,

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<v Speaker 4>it's based around one woman in particular who's living in

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<v Speaker 4>la wants to be an actress, and she's a real

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<v Speaker 4>woman who escaped the hands of a serial killer. She exists.

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<v Speaker 4>She asked if she could use her story in her name.

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<v Speaker 4>She said yes, but she changed the spelling of her name.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. But the thing is it's so fascinating about this

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<v Speaker 1>is it's not just her story, Like the woman who

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<v Speaker 1>actually brought him to justice was a different person.

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<v Speaker 3>Like there was so many people who were affected.

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<v Speaker 1>And I guess like that's the big question, right is

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<v Speaker 1>who owns the story? Who owns the story, and who

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<v Speaker 1>should be profiting from that story? And we saw it

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<v Speaker 1>with I mean, you guys might know Jeffrey Dahmer came

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<v Speaker 1>out a couple of years ago.

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<v Speaker 3>The Menendez Brothers is really big at the moment.

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<v Speaker 1>Monsters, and you know, you have these people who some

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<v Speaker 1>of them have done horrific things, but the victims who

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<v Speaker 1>have experienced it are making no money from these stories.

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<v Speaker 1>And I guess like, as our appetite is growing for

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<v Speaker 1>true crime, so is the amount of money that can

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<v Speaker 1>be made. And I kind of think it's almost like

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of Chicken before the egg situation, where the

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<v Speaker 1>legislation hasn't changed and there has to be some more

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<v Speaker 1>rules that are brought in around who monit ties, what stories.

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<v Speaker 4>It's ethics, isn't it. I mean, that's about it. If

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<v Speaker 4>you had something that was horrific that happened in your life,

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<v Speaker 4>the loss of a loved one, right, let's just say

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<v Speaker 4>it's murder, and then you had to relive that on

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<v Speaker 4>a podcast, or you knew that people millions of people

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<v Speaker 4>were watching or viewing it, would it would really drive

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<v Speaker 4>you insane and stop crushing.

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<v Speaker 1>Also knowing that sometimes these movies and these podcasts come

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<v Speaker 1>out without the person being consulted.

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<v Speaker 4>And they sensationalized too, because they need to get views, right,

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<v Speaker 4>They sometimes ham it up. They add a bit of

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<v Speaker 4>extra drama. They get Kim Kardashi in playing a role,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, so that would be sold on the wound.

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<v Speaker 3>Yea Hollywood eyed it.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the term I think people using like it's overly glamorized,

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<v Speaker 2>but it's working, so no one is ever going to

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<v Speaker 2>stop doing this.

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<v Speaker 4>I think what Anna's doing is the right thing because

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<v Speaker 4>then the argument is, well, it's also bringing exposure, it's

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<v Speaker 4>helping people realize what happens if they're in this situation.

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<v Speaker 4>I know it's ridiculous the serial killer, but you know,

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<v Speaker 4>if you don't know, you don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Well. I think it sets a precedent for directors. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think it should be up to the actors to

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<v Speaker 1>have to give up their entire salaries. But I do

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<v Speaker 1>think that as a director, as the person who's putting

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<v Speaker 1>together that production, that if you're making money off the

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<v Speaker 1>back of somebody else's trauma, that there should be some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of incentive or some sort of expectation that you're

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<v Speaker 1>also giving back to the facilities and the programs that

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<v Speaker 1>are helping to protect victims.

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<v Speaker 2>But then you can't stop there and just say the

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<v Speaker 2>actor is not up to the actors to do it,

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<v Speaker 2>it's up to the director. The actor is also making

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<v Speaker 2>money off telling that story. Well, maybe it's like a

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<v Speaker 2>tax like if you're going to be in a.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're going to be in a true crime story,

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<v Speaker 1>then you get taxed on it and it goes back

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<v Speaker 1>to the people.

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<v Speaker 4>I think, Laurie, you're onto something. There should be legislation.

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<v Speaker 4>That is, if you are using the true story of

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<v Speaker 4>someone's life, they get a cut of profits, or get

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<v Speaker 4>they get a certain amount up front.

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<v Speaker 2>A relative percentage of profits that's standardized across the board

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<v Speaker 2>for anything true crime that goes back to the family,

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<v Speaker 2>the victims, or an organization.

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<v Speaker 4>I agree that after one hundred years it goes into

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<v Speaker 4>the public domain like Mickey Mouse, and we can all

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<v Speaker 4>talk about it.

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<v Speaker 2>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's fascinating anyway, Guys, got forever.

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<v Speaker 4>Thanks for listening. Will and Wood are up next to

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<v Speaker 4>drive you home. They're on Shark Tank tonight with their

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<v Speaker 4>Survey Eat Girls, their invention.

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<v Speaker 3>It's what's a pretty brilliant idea. Yeah, does it just

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<v Speaker 3>taste like whatever it is that you've wiped off your face?

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<v Speaker 4>No, I think it's a neutral flavor. Serveyett that you

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<v Speaker 4>just eat after you die.

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<v Speaker 3>That's great.

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<v Speaker 2>Think of how little waste.

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<v Speaker 4>We've got then, Yeah, but think of the bockage and

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<v Speaker 4>the bowels. Well not if it's edible, Well, they'll have

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<v Speaker 4>to tell us all about it.

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<v Speaker 3>I can't waste.

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<v Speaker 4>Plus for all your live election updates, obviously Carmel v. Trump.

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<v Speaker 4>All that's still a couple. See tomorrow.