Issues of Documentary

Sicko

2009-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I was really looking forward to Sicko. I enjoyed Fahrenheit 9/11 and the sarcasm Moore used. I knew Sicko would have that element too. I did however, like any other viewer who has seen Moore's films, watch the film well aware of the fact that Moore's comments and views are significantly biased. Nevertheless I still enjoyed it. Moore's argument in this case is that the U.S. health care system in comparison to other countries' system is flawed. Moore attacks the U.S. healthcare system by analyzing anything from personal stories, doctors' waiting areas, the type of treatment patients get (or don't get), insurance agencies, doctors themselves, and the government's role on the issue.

One of the things that really got me thinking after watching sicko was the personal stories Moore included. More specifically, the man who could only get one of his fingers sown back together because the insurance company did not pay for both of the fingers. The man's story haunted me for a couple of days. I could not get rid of the black and white picture of his two incomplete fingers with the detached parts pictured above them. It was just unbelievable that our healthcare system couldn't provide and be flexible for the needs of America while Guantanamo Bay got all the medical treatments and all the medications without restraints.

I guess this film did make me a little angry at times, especially when Moore talked about insurance companies either taking long to respond or try to find flaws on patient's files to keep them from authorizing treatments or medications for patients. Or the part where Moore addresses the issue of lines during doctor visits. These issues hit very very close to home.

One of the things I did not like about the film at all was that Moore presented other countries' healthcare systems as completely flawless. As a member of an audience who knows every issue has pros and cons, I would have appreciated if the film addressed some the things that don't work in a socialized healthcare system. It is great that doctors in Canada and France can live a good comfortable life and are even encouraged by the government to better the health of patients. That is great. But where are the negative things? I feel this takes away from Moore's credibility as a person who can present an issue along with his explicit opinion and at the same time give the public the two sides.

"The Unforeseen"

2009-11-04T09:47:00.001-08:00

This documentary by Laura Dunn prompted me to be a very analytical viewer. I watched it very carefully. I even replayed some of the parts a couple of times. Part of the reason why was that I had to write a paper on it. I felt watching closely was a positive thing because I focused on Dunn's rhetorical argumentation. The overall argument was that urban development- in this case in Austin, TX- at the expense of modifying or tearing down nature is ruthless. Dunn also suggested the decisions and actions taken to develop will create friction between the party who presses it forward and the party who opposes it.

One of the aspects I really liked about the film was that it was not polarized. Most documentaries are created to argue an opinion and support it with different types of rhetorical argumentation. The way in which directors voice their point of view is very direct and explicit to the point where the viewer is aware of the documentary's agenda: to persuade you to think the same way the director does. Dunn however, expresses her point of view more subtly. She does this by including the opinions of both sides of the issue. She included for instance interviews with the big guys like Gary Bradley, the developer who proposed and began development. Dunn also includes clips and interviews with environmentalist and citizens. It's until after the film portrays both points of view that Dunn expresses her opinion. Overall, I think showing both sides adds to her credibility. It also encourages the audience to pay more attention to the topic and the documentary itself. Audiences are smart and know an issue has to have both sides. There are many people who appreciate being exposed to both and then make a decision as to where they stand on the issue. Or... I could just be speaking for myself.

Another thing that caught my attention was Dunn's use of imagery. Some of the scenes are great- nature, kids, water, turtles, spider webs, sunlight- all presented very artistically. More specifically, towards the end of the documentary Dunn includes footage showing a bird flock flying in the lucid blue sky. Dunn also shows a close-up of a butterfly serenely getting out of its cocoon to begin its journey, then an image of a spider web lit up by rays of sun that reflect on Austin's springs, then a blurry shot of beautiful little girls dressed in their ballerina attire that later gains its clarity. The director ends the footage with images of children climbing trees. The footage portrays the connection humans have with nature. It begins with nature as if implying it is the source of life’s enjoyment.

Overall, The Unforeseen was a good documentary. I did feel though it was a little long and that it could have benefited from a bit of clever humor.

An Inconvenient Truth

2009-10-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

This 2006 documentary film about Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming and instill them to take action was effective and informative. The film was effective in that it made the audience think about the issue. Many of us hear about global warming, but never go as far as to research the subject as deeply as Gore. His research, comparative and striking images, charts, and personal stories are what prove global warming is something worth putting some thought into. At the same time, these components add to Gore's credibility by making it evident he is an expert who has spent time acquiring knowledge and advocating for a good social cause. The documentary also provided a lot of information. Gore presented older data and compared it to new data. He included graphs and charts and did a good job of breaking down the concepts using visuals and images that help visual learners. Another great thing about the film was the structure of it. It began presenting the issue, then explaining it and breaking it down, then showed why it was a major problem, and finally included a call to action at the end. This final call to action made it clear that was the major purpose of the documentary- to instill in the viewer a sense of responsibility and ability to correct the situation.

"There I Fixed It"

2009-10-07T06:00:00.001-07:00

These two images were part of a power point I received via email and can be found along with other interesting ones here. Besides entertainment, there are other reasons why I chose to include them. The first one, is the argument they present, that is: it might look ridiculous, but being resourceful and creative works. Even though to the audience this might seem awkward, clumsy, or dirty, the images still portray this message through the depiction of people's creativity. The man riding the bike with just one real wheel and the grocery cart serving as the other wheel depicts how resourceful and imaginative a person can be. Perhaps if it was someone else who did not have another wheel would have just left the bike resting on the backyard corner. Nevertheless, this man on the left takes a grocery cart, uses it as a wheel, and is probably on his way to the nearest store. The individuals cooking on the right were inventive enough to use a cart to cook their meat. Who does that? Most people would either buy cooked meat, buy another grill, or simply keep the meat frozen until they could get a hold of a real grill.
Another reason I chose them is simply because they are humorous. The scenarios are awkward because they are situations one does not expect. One expects to see a bike with two descent wheels and expects to see a real grill when seeing meat getting cooked; not a cart. The disparity between the every day reality one is accustomed to and the unique reality reflected on the pictures is what adds the funny factor.

Fahrenheit 9/11

2009-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was a unique documentary. I had never seen any of Moore's films. I really enjoyed the way he presented some of his points and the way he riduculed what he believes led up to 9/11. Moore included a lot of interviews, images of old films, and of course his voice overs, which is the main element he uses to bring his sarcastic points accross. His use of sarcasm was effective. For example, the director makes fun of Bush's train of thought when informed America had been attacked by voicing over in a skeptical, sarcastic tone what Moore belived the president thought. One of the things I focused on was the appearance of American soldiers. Just like in "Hearts and Minds" our soldiers were portrayed standing, singing, moving, even taking pictures with victims. I had not noticed this trend in American films or war-related literature. Even when the film shows dead American soldiers all the audience sees is the beautiful green cemetary filled with white tombstones.

I did notice the tone and structure of the documentary was varied. It first started with a very sarcastic tone as it presented the issue and explained the situation. Then it took on a more sad, serious tone as Moore interviewed parents of soldiers and followed them around to show their grief. For instance, Moore did not use sarcasm during the time a veteran's mom read one of the letters her son sent her. The film then picked up the sarcasm once again. I did feel Moore's act of bringing the sarcastic pitch down during the time parents and other family members were being interviewed was an appropriate thing to do. If Moore had continued using it, he would have seemed unbelievably disrespectful and like too much of a jerk.

Also, the inclusion of different types of music made the film even funnier because the specific songs poked fun at the situation in a very explicit manner. For example, the song that plays when Moore talks about Bush's connections with the Saudis ridicules Bush and his actions. The song itself is a happy song. The lyrics include phrases like "very happy people holding hands..." This phrase plays when Moore shows a picture of the Bush family shaking hands with the Saudis in various ocassions.

My favorite part was when Moore went around asking congressmen to enlist their children. The expressions of the congressmen and their flight reactions to the question were funny and appalling at the same time. The funny aspect of it depicted Moore's style. The flight reaction showed the fact that war is supported by some only as long as it does not come into too much proximity to them and as long as it is somehow profitable to them.

Hearts and Minds

2009-09-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

This was definitely an impacting documentary. In terms of the structure and aesthetics it seemed well done. It started off with very peaceful scenes of Vietnamese women and men living their peaceful everyday lives. Then there was a transition and the scene shifted to an man getting interviewed. This was the point at which the viewer was able to be reminded that the film was a documentary. Other interviewees included veterans, former generals, presidents, lieutenants, senators, and Vietnamese people, which added to the credibility and feeling that all the appalling war-related issues people addressed- killings, bombings, tortures, abuses- were really real and did actually happen. Hearing the testimonies of the veterans as they spoke of the killings and bombings made the viewer feel somewhat grossed out- grossed out not only because of the things veterans said they did like rape women and torture them or torture Vietnamese men in front of other Vietnamese men in atrocious ways in order to instill fear, but grossed out at the fact that the viewer realizes humans are doing this to other humans.

This relates to the part in Cooke's reading when he mentions the unlearning process, which I addressed in the previous blog. Veterans do seem detached of their humanity and is surprising to realize that they were conditioned to act and think and considered themselves experts in whatever they were doing- whether it was killing or bombing. Many stated they found the idea of dying to be thrilling. Many, when talking about the subject, seem emotionless- like if it does not hurt, like if it's just a story, just a story. Another detail that stands out is the background music that plays when there are images of killings and bombings. It was very happy, which is a significant contrast due to the situation it deals with. This makes the viewer wonder if veterans actually felt happy or burden free during the war, which would come as no surprise.

Arbus's Freaks

2009-09-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sontag claims Diane Arbus, unlike other photographers, depicts people one would not normally try to associate with. These depictions suggest our world shelters even those who are freakish and eccentric. Arbus' characters are odd. Their oddness encourages people to stare at them not because they are aesthetically pleasing but because the viewer is somewhat appalled at their appearance. Some of them are massively tattooed, strangely tall, dress unatractive, look scary, or are simply just odd.

The picture shown titled "The Day" depicts two children. Each is very different and to some extent odd as well. The girl is holding something close to her chest, and it seems as if she is letting out a devilish laugh or an expression of victory. The boy is shorter than she is, darker, and has a big head. His short shirt and high pants add to his innocent character. It looks like if he is acceeding or concuring to the action of the girl but in a less open manner. It is the image of them together that make this still funny and enjoyable to disect. This is the major reason I chose this picture.

The viewer would definitely not try to associate with the children. Instead he or she would look at the contrasting characteristics of each and realize as Sontag states, "Humanity is not one." Everyone is different or odd at some point. This is probably the reason why Arbus had the capability according to Sontag to "insinuate anguish, kinkiness, [or] mental illness with any subject-" due to the fact that these are real people, not members of a runway who are asked to pose in a certain way that makes them look artistic by an aesthetic standard. This concept is stricking and prompts the photography audiences to think, "I wonder if others have ever perceived me as odd or as a freak. I mean I look normal..."

The "Unlearning" Process

2009-09-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

This image depicts the mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki towards the end of WWII. It all looks like a massive poof. The argument of course is similar to what Floyd's response was to the results of a bombing- "aesthetic" in nature. He found the "the bomb blasts to be beautiful." In a like manner, this picture could be perceived as stating the results of nuclear could also be artistic in nature- perhaps not in the sense that it is aesthetic to see lifeless corpses, but in the sense that the effects of an explosion could create a picturesque poof. This image almost seems to be speaking out saying, "Look at what nuclear war would look like." Perhaps many people would even utter something like, "Hey, that looks cool."

Interestingly enough though is the fact that I had never thought of putting the title "aesthetic" to an image like this. Perhaps I unconsciously thought of it, but did not allow myself to do it simply because the image itself dealt with a serious topic- war and of course all the implied deaths. Cook also describes the process individuals go through when learning to kill (or should I say "unlearn"). He mentions that soldiers for instance have to "unlearn a series of relations that govern contact between bodies in a society." This means they almost have to dehumanize themselves in a way in order to be detached of their innate good human feelings. It is a process. It is something they are trained to do.

In the case of this picture I feel that in order for one to articulate the words "This is cool" a mini version of the "unlearning" process has to occur. One would have to detach human feelings from what is actually happening or could happen- even if it is just a hypothetical picture, and even if it is just for a short period of time.

2009-09-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Apple Personal Shopping at the Retail Store feature shown on the company's website reflects Apple's interest in responding to customers' needs in a helpful, friendly, straightforward manner. It presents a line of experts, a clean website, and shows pictures of experts helping people.

This picture referencing 9/11 definitely evokes emotion. Not necessarily sadness, but anger. Many people would consider it to be offensive. You just don't use the word "happy" with an issue like this or put smiley faces on the towers...

A Word A Day

2009-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

We might end up needing to expand our vocabulary for this class. Check out the word of the day.

2009-09-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

A Lil' About Me

2009-09-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well I am 22 years old, a senior in college, majoring in Advertising, and looking forward to life after graduation. I know everything will be so different- a new challenge. One of the things I really like doing is going on walks. Being outdoors is so relaxing. I am happy Austin has so many places where one can just go with a couple of friends and take a nice walk: the lake, downtown, S. Congress, the Capital- you name it. Back home, in El Paso, there is none of that. Bummer. I am Christian and really enjoy church. I wear skirts all the time. So if you wondered, now you know. There are probably a handful of people who see this and wonder... I am pleased this course is different from the traditional rhetoric classes. I honestly don't know much about films and the like. So, I am really looking forward to the class and the way we will approach the topic. I thought today's discussion of the definition of a documentary- or lack thereof- was pretty interesting.