Loading ...Paparazzi: scum, or a showbiz essential?
“I feared for my life in chase by paparazzi” and “Leave us alone” are some of the recent headlines in the press. Who are the paparazzi or “paps” as they are commonly known? Why have they come to be feared, hated and disgusted? And most importantly: How come we don’t see any headlines blaming the public?
The word “paparazzi” originates from the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita. One of the characters is a news photographer named Paparazzo. Fellini named the character after a boy from his schooldays who was nicknamed “Paparazzo” (a noisy, buzzing mosquito) because of his fast talking and constant movements.
But is the definition really this simple in today’s hunt for the picture? What are the criteria, and who can call themselves a paparazzo? Would anyone choose this definition at all?
An aptitude for intrusion
Max Cisotti co-founded Matrix, one of London’s biggest paparazzi agencies, in 1999. Now, working as a freelance photographer, he says anyone can become a paparazzo.
“There is no special school.When it comes to technical skills, nowadays, cameras do anything.”
However, this doesn’t mean everyone can get £75,000 for one single shot like Max (Princess Diana apparently having “a go at someone”). Max says some paps are successful and some are not; like any other profession it depends on how well you’re suited for the job. What you need is hunger and sharpness. If you’re really cut out for the job, a paparazzi picture could fetch up to half a million pounds.
“It would be for Prince William shagging someone from behind,” says Max, “and it wouldn’t be impossible.
“Face it, it is not as fun with pictures of celebs walking down the red carpet, looking nice, with their hair and make up done, as it is seeing them shopping at Sainsbury’s, is it?”
So is this fair? Are we supposed to see pictures like this? If it wasn’t for the money the paparazzi get, would they really be bothered about it?
Dave Benett, who calls himself a “showbiz” photographer, is a widely known name on the London socialite scene. Rather than chasing celebs; Dave is being chased by them. Instead of being outside like the paps, Dave is inside the party, sharing a glass of wine with the famous guests.
“A big difference between showbiz and paparazzi is that newspapers don’t commission them, they wait to see what they bring in,” says Dave. “When you’re showbiz, they ask you to come.”
Sign of the times
Dave says it was different 15 years ago; celebrities didn’t feel as threatened. There were half the number of photographers, and it was reflected in their relationship to celebrities.
“Paps’ relationship with celebs today is terrible. Photographers employed by the agency Big Pictures have no interest in celebs or photography; they just want to make money. They don’t care if celebrities feel chased or harassed.
“Back then, there was less pressure on celebs, and it was reflected in the photographer’s relationship.”
However, instead of blaming the paparazzi completely, Dave says: “If the public didn’t buy the pictures, mags wouldn’t have them and photographers wouldn’t take the pictures.”
So, there is a point to be made here: perhaps the bad press paparazzi get isn’t always fair. It seems as if celebrities need it, to retain their fame.
Deborah Brown is the picture director for Grazia; a magazine which frequently uses paparazzi shots of celebrities, or as she puts it: “A-listers” such as Posh, Jennifer Anniston and Angelina Jolie.
“There are several celebrities who court the paps: Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton for example. But where would Paris be without the paps? She’s built a whole career out of being photographed shopping and clubbing.”
Adding to this point, Max says paparazzi pictures are sometimes set up and improvised. In this way everyone — from the celebrity to the PR, to the photographer – gets their fair share of money, and everyone is happy. One example is Max’s recent shots of Big Brother contestant Danielle Lloyd caught dating another footballer (the first one was Teddy Sheringham), this time Jermain Defoe. Max knew exactly what time the two of them would be in an Adidas shop, and had been informed by Danielle’s PR. He adds: “Some paparazzi cases are certainly worth the bad press, but whether they have a product to launch, a record to sell, celebs want to get photographed.
“The ones that complain, the celebs that are ‘anti-paps’, are the ones that don’t want the public to see that they are up to no good.”
Part and parcel of celebrity
Gareth, a London photographer, was a paparazzo for four years, before deciding to become a full-time photographer for a respectable picture agency. Although he admits some paparazzi don’t know what they are doing, he explains that there is another side to it.
“Some people didn’t like you shooting them. Jude Law would hate it; he was one of the worst. The film stars are the worst; they want to accept the 10 million dollars to do a film, but think they have the right to a private life when they say so. I can tell you that will never happen.
“Some celebs want all the fortune and fame but when it all goes wrong they want to be able to say: “Okay that’s enough leave me alone”. Just like Kate Middleton and Prince William; they want to be left alone but in truth the public want to know about what the future King is up to, and I believe that we have the right to know.”
Public interest is as high up on the agenda for tabloids and gossip magazines, as it is for respectable news agencies and newspapers. Kevin Hayes, Art picture editor at The Sunday Times, says they don’t have a specific policy on paparazzi pictures.
“We would obviously shy away from using long lens intrusive pictures unless absolutely necessary.
“Obviously if the perfect image comes from someone we don’t have an agreement with, then we will use it, but if we are using a paparazzo shot as a generic image of a celebrity then we will always go for the cheapest option.”
Jennifer Stanley, Assignment Specialist at the picture agency Getty Images, says the demand for paparazzi shots is huge.
“Heat and Closer asks us why we can’t do more paparazzi shots. But we have relationships with celebrities, and we wouldn’t jeopardise this, we would say no.” However, on their website, there are pictures of Kate Middleton leaving her house – it looks like paparazzi. But Jennifer says: “They are street photographers.”
We shouldn’t forget the big debate in media in January this year when Kate Middleton was photographed outside her house on her 25th birthday. Adding to it, there were rumors about Prince William and Kate getting engaged. Kate claimed she had been harassed by the paparazzi and some newspapers followed suit and said they were banning the pap shots of her even though one paper, on the same day, had it on their front page. They claimed it was not a pap shot, but from a news agency. Deborah says:
“There’s a well-known photo of Kate Middleton being harassed by the press- there’s a female photographer with her camera centimetres from Kate’s face. However, that photographer was from AP, a respectable news agency who would say they are covering the news.
“How can you say it’s harassment when the very same paper then publishes the same photos?
Deborah says all tabloid papers rely heavily on the photos they produce. She adds: “Even the broadsheets use paparazzi; it’s a symbiotic relationship.”
The ethical position
The Press Complaints Commission’s code of conduct says:
“[Journalists] must not persist in questioning, telephoning, pursuing or photographing individuals once asked to desist; nor remain on their property when asked to leave and must not follow them.”
Deborah explains that it’s okay for Grazia to use pap shots as long as they are not taken on private property. It might sound unfair that it is ok to shoot celebrities walking outside their home or on the street; but again, the public interest argument decides.
Dave says: “The public demand is created by media, and the public then sustain it.”
He says the general public feed off what is given to them, and the more convinced, a large proportion will ask for more and more of it.
Gareth, the former paparazzo, tells me a great story from his early days on the job. He says: “When I was young, I was shooting Victoria
Beckham, I think it was on Bond Street, and this woman came up to me giving me loads of shit: ‘You’re this, you’re that paparazzi scum, the whole ‘you ruin peoples lives’.’
“Yet as soon as Posh walked out that woman was having a close look at who it was I was shooting.
“And you’re telling me she doesn’t read Heat magazine and all of those magazines? Those people are the worst. Pap pictures sell because the public wants to see them.”
