Final Blog! (:

#1. As we watch progress through the film, "The Hurt Locker", how is the idea of realism being used for this movie? What kind of effects do you think that has on the viewers?


This movie is definitely very realistic. According to all of the reviews, they are very close when it comes to depicting real-life events. The kinds of things that are happening to the main characters have happened to many men and women who have served our country. I think that this has a huge effect on viewers. For most of us, we don't know what it is like in those kinds of areas or even in those kinds of situations. It is interesting and eye-opening at the same time. I think that through movies like this, we get a better view of what is happening around us.

#2. What do you think your biggest take away is from this class? What would be a suggestion to make the class better for next year?

The biggest take away is definitely the way I view film now. Just last night I went to the movie, "Noah." I found myself judging or critiquing the movie and how it was filmed the whole time without even realizing it until the end. It is definitely something I learned to do from this class, and now it is almost second nature so I will probably continue to do that. I think for next year, they really should try and make a video of their own. I know that we discussed doing that this year but just ran out of time. I think for future classes it would be a really fun experience and it will help them see just how difficult film-making is. They should have to almost study what they are doing the movie on just as a director would for a major movie. I think that would bring the history aspect back into that assignment.

Nichols writes, "The fact that there is more than one mode of documentary film strongly suggests that the representation of reality is not an objective, cut-and-dried affair. Although there may be only one historical world, and even if certain facts about it can be agreed upon as objectively true, the ways of seeing and representing that world, like the ways of interpreting it, vary considerably."

       I think that this statement is trying to say that there will always be more than one way to interpret an idea. Everyone will have a different perspective on whatever issue they are trying to portray. I believe that Nichols is trying to say that there is not one set objective you should be aiming for. There is only the objective that you end up with in the end. This quote relates to the six modes of documentary film because each of those modes is a different way to interpret and present a documentary. They all achieve the same goal, informing people on whatever subject or issue they are trying to show, but each way goes about forming that information in a different way.

BLOG NUBMER III (3)

Question: In our book, Nichols writes, "An attentive viewer must also be familiar with the repertoire of choices a director faces to recognize her decisions as choices rather than as simply the product of the camera's mechanical ability to record images". What do you think Nichols is trying to say in this statement and what are your thoughts?

I think that in this statement Nichols is trying to say that in order for us as viewers of a movie to fully understand why things are how they appear to be in movies that we need to understand the choices a director makes to put all of those images into our head. In order for us to see the movie how a director wants they have to successfully portray that desired image to us in a successful manner. We also as viewers have to understand that the movie making process is a very long one. Movies are not created by an at home video recorder and then released to the public. Movies take a long time to come together and also a lot of work from many different people. My thoughts about this quote is that Nichols is exactly right. In order to understand a movie, we really need to understand the director and what they want us to see in their movie.

Blog Number Two!

After reading the introduction chapter to Engaging Cinema, what are your initial thoughts as to studying the subject of film?

My thoughts on studying the subject of film changed a lot after reading the first chapter. I didn't realize how much the point-of-view of the director came into play in the creation of a movie. We never honestly think of how a movie comes together while we are watching it and reading this chapter definitely put it all into a different perspective for me. I also liked how the author talked about everything we are going through this year in the first chapter. It gave us all a lot to look forward to when it comes to this class. I think by reading these chapters and having class discussion we are all going to learn a lot about everything that goes into the movie creation process.

Are movies a social danger or a social benefit?

I have never really thought of movies as being dangerous to society in any way. But, now that I consider everything that can be seen in a movie might have a huge effect on society. Young children see things in movies and think that that makes bad activities okay. In my opinion, that is the only way a movie can be a social danger. When it influences people or young children in a negative way. Other than that, I see movies as a social benefit because there are many things we can learn from movies. They can teach us about the past and there are also a lot of movies that have a really good and inspirational meaning behind them.

First Blog!

I am definitely looking forward to the class History Through Film. This class is going to be a great learning experience for all of us that are taking it. Learning about the history of our country through famous Hollywood films is going to be a very different way of thinking for most of us. Visually learning is an approach teachers don't always take and that is what this class is all about so I am very excited to see what this semester and this class has to offer.

From this class I hope to develop a better understanding of what has happened in our past and what interpretations of the past Hollywood is trying to represent in their films. I also want to be able to tell the difference between a historically correct and a historically incorrect film.

The strength I bring to this class is that I have a very strong opinion and I'm not afraid to express my ideas. This can help the class because my opinion could possibly influence others to think about the film or the subject we are talking about from a different perspective rather than just their own.