FM3 3rd Draft

Will Roberts How do films reflect the way in which we see the world? Film is a global industry and a form of mass communication that reaches a significant number of people. Mass communication can be seen as a positive force and can make real changes to society. However, it also means that people can spread one message (regardless of its truth or meaning) to a huge number of people. If the message is used to spread non-truths or exaggerated versions of the truth it could have significant impacts on how we view the world around us. The reason for choosing this topic is that I feel it poses many unanswered questions, in that the topic has not been hugely discussed. This topic raises questions that I feel need answering, and as a result I feel it is vital to gain as much accurate information on concluding whether or not the question of my topic is in fact true or false. At this moment in time, prior to any research about the topic, I predict that the question is in fact true, or at least true to some extent. I predict that the idea that films shape our worldview is correct to many film cases and representations. I believe that most films will either offer a reinforced POV, or will create a new one which we adopt, as a result we are continuously being reinforced of our own ideas; which may have been originally created through film, or manipulated to believe a new ideological belief, whether it is in fact the true reflection of social and political issues or not. I feel this subject offers a chance to indulge into what mass communication does to us as an audience. In that audiences can be manipulated easily to view the world in a certain ideological way, whether it is the truth or not we will mainly adopt the POV we see, normally being the POV of the director of the film. We do not know however, whether or not the manipulation of films is a positive or in fact the truth. Films are a very powerful device, such that we know they can manipulate us, however films can be seen to completely recreate historical issues and events, thus to create an ideological perception of history in peoples minds. This idea is very apparent in the film Schindlers list. This film bases around recreating the historical event in which a young German businessman attempts to save the lives of around 100 Jews from the Nazi’s. This film is one that tries to shape our worldview. It can be seen as a vital text in which many people consider to be the most accurate version of events, such that to an extent people believe the film to be educational (supposedly). This film to many people has almost become a reality, such that it is believed to be the whole truth and only version of events of the happenings the film is based on. However, an article - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/nov/25/germany.film, which talks about unearthed evidence that suggests this film, is a complete fake account. Professor Crowe a history professor affiliated with the US Holocaust Memorial museum, suggests, ‘Schindlers List was theatre, ad not in an historically accurate way’, he also goes on to say ‘Schindler had almost nothing to do with the list’. This point however, contrasts and argues the idea that Spielberg creates in the film Schindlers List. In continuation of the previous idea, that audiences can be manipulated easily to view the world in a certain ideological way. We again look at the theory about the relationship between society and film is how certain films can in fact completely compose our ideological thoughts on a certain topic, again whether or not the film depicts the truth or not. An example of this is the film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, which is essentially about the events leading up to and the aftermath of the killing of Bin Laden. This is a film that was based around a topic that was only proposed by the media. As a result the only POV we were injected with. However, the amount of detail that was given out to society was very little, simply just a recognition of the fact that Bin Laden was in fact dead. As a result, as well as the fact he was the most wanted man on the planet, society grew in curiosity as to what actually happened. Therefore the initial idea around a film that offered a POV that is not of public knowledge was one that would create a new ideological creation to the public, whether the film was accurate or not. This is a film that attempts to create perception of a historical event in time. And most likely is not accurate, due to the secrecy of the real event, it is almost impossible that the film shows an accurate measurement of the real event. Regardless of all this we know that the majority of society accepted this injection of information and adopted this view of the event. Zero Dark Thirty is a film that attempts to recreate an event that can simply never be recreated. The film however does depict the idea behind the secrecy of the film. This is a key element that persuades the audience to believe that perhaps they may be seeing the events how it happened. This message is reinforced in the film in the ‘kill him for me’ scene. In this scene we see a lot of beefed up American men, this portrays straight away the strong American people that the director wants to put across – representing the continuous idea that American people are the strong and brave, which is typically the view that Americans have upon themselves. In the scene, one of the men asks how do they even know UBL (Bin Laden) is in the house; this reflects the paranoia and uncertainty around America as to what was really happening within the government and the whole BL situation; as to whether there was a war about to break or if he was actually dead already, basically reinforcing the idea that the event was one of complete secrecy. Also, the scene tries to reinforce that the task of killing bin laden was really an uncertainty and there was no guarantees that all the training we see the men doing is gong to pay off. It also reinforces the secrecy of the assassination of BL because even the men who had the task were unaware of whom they were killing until the final meeting. This therefore puts across to the American people that it was an operation to risky to expose. This scene almost tries to justify to the audience what really happened but mainly give us an idea of how the operation was carried out, in effect educating us on the killing of BL. This film is defiantly one that creates something entirely new. Such that most films based on real live historic events, will give you a more accurate or justifiable perception of what happened. However this film is based on an event that cannot be fully justified with facts to society. Yet this films represents how people grip onto the only ideology they are presented or aware of. Through the use of many identifiable scenarios and characters, which trigger responses that make us believe what we see. Also the fact upon the release of the film there were no other theories to the events this contributed to the effect it had on society. Look at this - http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/25/zero-dark-thirty-cia-oscars Overall this film defiantly changes peoples view on the world, in that our minds automatically adopt the theory of the event. As a result we can add the information we see to our minds and until we are shown a proven better theory we will believe what we see.