The footage of Sean "Diddy" Combs taken by Netflix's documentary, "Sean Combs: The Reckoning," has sparked controversy over its origin. According to Michael Oberlies, the documentarian hired to film Combs, the footage was not obtained by him or anyone authorized to handle Combs' materials.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Oberlies explained that a third-party videographer briefly filled in for him while he was out of state, resulting in the unauthorized release of the footage. This incident had nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue, according to Oberlies, who described it as "unethical and unacceptable."
Oberlies has worked with Combs since at least 2019, capturing his star-studded birthday celebration, documenting him recording his album, and accompanying Combs' adult sons to court. However, Combs was seemingly caught off guard that Netflix had obtained the footage, leading his team to send a cease and desist letter to Netflix before the documentary aired.
Combs' attorneys have accused the streamer of violating copyright laws by airing the footage without permission, but Director Alexandria Stapleton has maintained that she obtained the footage "legally" with the necessary rights. However, Combs has not taken any legal action against Netflix since the documentary's release.
The controversy surrounding the origin of the footage raises questions about the ethics of storytelling and the ownership of personal materials. As Oberlies pointed out, taking footage intended for a project to advance a narrative that is not one's own is a serious breach of integrity.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Oberlies explained that a third-party videographer briefly filled in for him while he was out of state, resulting in the unauthorized release of the footage. This incident had nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue, according to Oberlies, who described it as "unethical and unacceptable."
Oberlies has worked with Combs since at least 2019, capturing his star-studded birthday celebration, documenting him recording his album, and accompanying Combs' adult sons to court. However, Combs was seemingly caught off guard that Netflix had obtained the footage, leading his team to send a cease and desist letter to Netflix before the documentary aired.
Combs' attorneys have accused the streamer of violating copyright laws by airing the footage without permission, but Director Alexandria Stapleton has maintained that she obtained the footage "legally" with the necessary rights. However, Combs has not taken any legal action against Netflix since the documentary's release.
The controversy surrounding the origin of the footage raises questions about the ethics of storytelling and the ownership of personal materials. As Oberlies pointed out, taking footage intended for a project to advance a narrative that is not one's own is a serious breach of integrity.
this whole thing just makes me wanna shake my head I feel bad for Diddy, he must be livid 
that his team messed up like that and now there's all this drama surrounding it. And what really gets me is the fact that they didn't even get permission from Oberlies or whoever was handling the footage in the first place 
it's just not cool, you know? I think we should be able to trust the people behind documentaries and their storytelling methods 
. And can we talk about how this raises questions about ownership and integrity in media? 
it's like, what even is the point of having a documentary if it's just gonna be all over socials without permission?! 
. and for sean combs, his team's all like "hey, your dad's footage" but he's still got to deal with the fallout 
... like, I get it, you wanna tell Diddy's story and all, but can't they just be more careful with what they're getting? 
It's like, they're trying to make a movie here, not some wild viral video 
. And now people are all up in arms about it... I don't get why Diddy is so mad at Netflix 
It's not fair to Diddy's team or his family that Netflix aired those private moments without their consent. And what really gets me is that Director Alexandria Stapleton says she got the footage "legally" 
. And now we're left wondering what exactly happened with those tapes, is it even a big deal? 
On one hand, I feel bad for Diddy's team that they got taken by surprise and had to scramble to stop the doc from airing... on the other hand, can't we just move on now? 
If Oberlies didn't actually give Netflix permission to use the footage, shouldn't that be a bigger issue than just who's got the rights to it?
. And now we're all stuck in this cycle of "oh, but they said it was legit" and "but I don't believe them"... meanwhile, Diddy's team is still trying to figure out how that happened 
. it's all just a big mess but let's give alexandria some props for owning up to it 
.
. This whole thing is just a mess