Directed by W. Kamau Bell, executive producer of Kathy A. King, and editor Jennifer Brooks joined the Deadline Contenders Television: The Nominees awards season event to discuss work on the Showtime documentary series. We need to talk about Cosby.and navigation of the trigger material.
The four-part series was nominated for three Emmy Awards, for Best Storyteller, Best Director for a Documentary / Non-Fiction Program, and Best Image Editing for a Non-Fiction Program.
Contenders TV: The Nominees – Full deadline coverage
In the series, Bell compares Cosby’s findings to his survivors, who accused him of sexually abusing them after using drugs. When asked how he felt about the survivors and asked them to participate, Bell said, “I think the only thing we could do was be honest about what we were trying to create.”
King was asked why he joined the project and how it influenced the culture. “We have to take care of our mental health,” he said. “I think it’s important to have these difficult conversations and our goals were bigger than just saying what this person did.”
Editing became necessary to establish the overall goal of the story. With so much footage and so much to choose from, Brooks says he and the other editors have found the right clips to create the story behind the man.
“It’s just brick by brick,” he says. “It was about understanding what we’re trying to achieve with this piece, or where we’re trying to get to and what we want people to hear.”
Watch the panel video above.
Source: Deadline
