Skip to main content

Doc Project

Whether I watch a movie, TV show, or documentary, I never really paid close attention to the cinematic elements that make up a film. After sitting down and digesting my documentary of choice for this project, Cartel Land, I found that devices such as sound or music greatly contribute to making a film enjoyable to watch that keeps you thinking afterwards. 
    
    I went back and rewatched a couple scenes from Cartel Land for analytical purposes with a strong focus on the filmmaker's choices of music. There were two scenes in particular in which music played an instrumental role in forming how the audience should view certain people. One scene used upbeat, triumphant music while Dr. Morales, the leader of the Autodefensas (armed citizenry) gave a speech in a town square in front of the local people. Without music during this scene, the audience would likely have had to come up with their own interpretation of Morales' character. Similarly, when the film introduced self-appointed border defender Tim "Nailer" Foley, soft, almost depressing music played while he described the sequence of events in his early life. And yes, while his early life was pretty depressing, it was the music that established tone, and not so much the words Foley was saying as it was all intertwined. An article attached below describes just how important music is in film and how it establishes tone, along with how we should perceive the visual imagery presented to us. 

      I've always noticed music in films, but I never really noted the significance it has to the overall production of a film and how it can shape entire scenes. Music is powerful, and is often overlooked, but this project opened my eyes to it.




Comments

  1. Andy PhamOctober 24, 2022 at 12:04 PM

    During the documentary paper, I would also re-watch my film so that I can do my summary and analysis. It's quite interesting that you were able to see the multiple film techniques Cartel Land used. I'd wished I got to use these techniques but my film primarily uses logos, unlucky.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sources: Are they credible?

Last week, I attended a presentation in the library that highlighted what makes a source credible, and where to find them. In today's day and age, there are thousands of articles on various sites, and it can be difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.  Considering I will need several credible sources for my research essay, this presentation was beneficial to my writing outline and my overall understanding of sourcing information.  When analyzing a source, it's very important to take into consideration possible bias. For example, bias is very prevalent in the news media. Understanding that bias has the power to portray information in a way that can deceive must be noted. Adding on, when looking for credible information, citing a study can be more effective to your argument, ensuring that you can identify possible bias, and the study's relevance to your topic. Studies that are over 10 years old should be reexamined as it could potentially be outdated. Also, being able to d...
1 comment
Read more

Cartel Land

       For this project, I decided to watch Cartel Land directed by Matthew Heineman, which covers different vigilante groups fighting in Mexico and along the border as a violent drug war rages on in Mexico. One particular scene that shook me to the core was when a young woman started sobbing listing 13 names, ages ranging from 40 to 6 months, as men dug a mass grave. The names she was listing were members of her family who worked at a lime farm. The owner of the lime farm had been doing business with the cartel, and when the owner did not have his payment on time, the cartel brutally killed his workers as revenge. As people scream and sob in the background, the woman described how the infants were smashed into rocks by the legs and then tossed into a well like trash. Others were cut into pieces and beheaded. I almost had to mute the TV as she was describing the slaughtering. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. That's all I could say.     ...
2 comments
Read more

Voting

With the highly anticipated midterm elections coming up, I went to vote for the first time now that I'm legally allowed to. Since I voted early, I didn't expect too many people at the polling place; but I was wrong. There had to have been at least 50 people, all over 65 years old, waiting in line. It was a little frustrating considering I wanted to be in and out in a few minutes. The poll workers were genuinely shocked to see someone who couldn't pass as a grandpa in there, and I myself was equally surprised to see that I was the only young guy voting. The direction of our country and the policy that shapes it is very important, and I think it's crucial that young people take part in one of our most important civic duties as Americans and vote, no matter where you are on the spectrum.     Many of my friends say they don't really care enough about "politics" to vote or be engaged in the national conversation focusing on many pressing issues facing the count...
1 comment
Read more