Game of Thrones? More Like Games Played with My Heart

 

So, I have recently finished the season finale of the HBO series Game of Thrones. I seriously can’t believe they’ve ended it like that. I’ll try to no go into great depths about the show in case others haven’t started their binge but I’ll go around it instead. So tonight, I’m usually waiting for the “watch next” at the bottom of my screen but no! Not this time, the producers actually left me watching ‘til the very end which included the credits (which I’ve skipped partially) and their intake about this particular episode. The producers usually describe the way the episode was put together and what to expect on the next episode but I don’t care much for it because I’ll find out myself when I watch it. As I was watching them talk about how they changed the characters usual behavior and how it shaped the season finale episode, it’s like they were shocked themselves on how it ended. Throughout the season’s last episode, there was so many shocking cliffhangers which lead to me being extremely shooketh. My best friend finished this episode before I did and her response for it wasn’t nearly as epic as it truly was. The producers seemed to have put their all into this last episode unlike the other seasons. They really outdid themselves with making it seem like a certain person was going to die, or get executed. Once I get to a shows last season I would google it and see if I missed anything but I didn’t miss a thing in this one. The events that lead t the final minutes of the show really messed with me. I was shocked and then hurt and then angry and then sad, and plenty more emotions were stirred tonight. If you haven’t watched GOT, I highly suggest it.

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The documentary I posted was sent to me by my father. I watched the whole thing on my tiny phone screen. It’s a topic I learned a little about from my SOCY101 class. I find it very interesting to learn about other countries. The film is good in the fact that it always has the everyday civilians being filmed. The film is meant to educate and create awareness. It’s about people in the Philippines being influenced/targeted by big oversea businesses and companies to buy infant formula. In a country that’s very poor, the parents of children will spend all their money on formula that can “Help make your child healthier, stronger, and smarter.” In the US, we understand that women’s breas milk is the best option for a baby for many reasons, and that formula here is just used when needed. The film is an attack on those companies taking advantage of people’s situations. The doctor’s get a kind of bonus when they get a mother to believe in infant formula and have them buy it. It is a big business for these companies because it is normal to have many children per couple. It’s very sad that these kids suffer and die from malnutrition while companies like Nestle are raking in the big bucks. They also film the groups that are trying to educate the women in the Philippines. The video is hopeful, but I noticed I shun away from Nestle products in general now. There are many greedy companies, but companies that are greedy and evil should be banned.

Grace neutral is a woman from London who travels and interviews people from different parts of the world. I stumbled upon her on Youtube and found her very interesting. She has an eccentric look with many body modifications including tattoos and piercings. In this episode, she travels to South Korea to discover the illegal beauty scene. The culture of tattooing is still very much frowned upon. In South Korea, a Doctor’s license is needed to be tattoo artist. The media and older generations still associate tattoos with solely gang members. This sounds very familiar to the US back in the day. It was not that long ago, as explained in the video, that you can be taken away in the 80’s in South Korea if you were caught with tattoos. Taken away, whatever that means. There is visible prejudice throughout the film.  She interviews tattoo artists, illegal tattoo artists, gang members, older people, as well as the young pioneers who are trying to change the times for self-expression. Not only can tattoos affect your own life, but your families’ life and your career in the country. In the film we see and hear about crying mothers and fathers who haven’t talked to their child in five years. The youth has built communities in certain parts of the country where they can all be themselves and enjoy a space with people like them. One man talked about how he cannot take public transportation. It is not fully explained why. The young people interviewed were not criminals, but art lovers and are inspired by tattoo culture. Those people felt more real throughout the film because they are so normal in personality, but are seen as rebellious. They all had a story and a situation and they want change. We even hear about stars/idols in Korea that are trying to influence the future as well. It’s always nice to see people pushing toward their goals to help everyone feel more accepted which is why I enjoyed this film and all their testimonies with it. It is something that in the US that we don’t think bout too much. Body art is not illegal here and you can have it done, by an artist, when we turn 18. I would’ve never known there was an illegal beauty scene until I saw this video. We learn that plastic surgery is very common in South Korea, a “billion dollar” industry. We learn body modification is already a HUGE thing in South Korea, but for some reason, body art is not yet fully accepted.

I was intrigued by the film because I had very little knowledge of Eskimos. I was educated on how Eskimo built their homes and how they survive. Even though it was stage and altered with , there must have been some truth to it somewhat. It was also very relatable because we face many obstacles in the real world to provide for ourselves and families just like what u see nanook went through. The movie also gave us a sense of feeling. I can recall at one point when they all woke up and got dress and left the baby nude, I felt the coldness and sympathy towards the child. I endeavor to put myself in his position and understand it is extremely hard being an Eskimo and surviving as one.

these world war 2 films show many things, but they both have one thing in common. That is showing themselves as completely Right. not completely true. although as we know from history one was more RIGHT then the other. the problem I have with both the films is there deception. If we were to show someone these films that had no knowledge of the past three hundred years ago they would find it very hard to pick out the one that turned out to be more evil.

Introducing yourself to documentary film can be unfitting at times. It circulates questions in your head while allowing your eyes to fixate on the image . Then its mind vs image. I enjoyed viewing and thinking about the film. It answered and stirred up many questions for me. I just thought we should have taken ourselves out of our 2017 shoes and watch the movie resembling  the first audience to view it . With this is dosnt lower your intelligence or guard some might say but rather give the liberty of the image to hit you with fresh new eyes and ideas. Then the film can be appreciated for what it wants to embody and represent. If i were the creator of the film i would feel very proud of the work that was made. It is a will forever be and imporant piece of history in film.

Last week in class we watched the very first documentary, Nanook of the North. When we watched the movie i was convinced by a lot of the shots, but after analyzing scenes during our post movie discussion i realized just how much of it was staged. While watching the scene with the seal that they caught i kept telling myself this cant be real, then i remembered that this wasnt raw footage and easily couldve been staged, which it was. After completing chapter 2 of Nichols book, i feel like i am alot more aware when it comes to understanding ethics surrounding documentaries and authenticity. I can see what role the fur company that sponsored the movie had and how Flaherty created a movie of the inuits of what they are in his eyes. One very important thing ill know to look for is the potential of a un-authentic representation of someone or something.

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to express my feelings toward watching this documentary film. I want to start of by saying that it was very interesting the setting as well as the overall concept. In some parts it was very disappointing because it looked made up. For instance the fishing scene where he was trying to catch fish to eat. Another scene was the very first part where everyone is coming out of the kayak because it looks odd how can so many people come out of such a small kayak. On the other hand, there were some scenes that were great! and realistic. For instance when they are making the kayaks.

I thought this film was interesting, because you’re looking at the lives of other people. People that live in a whole other environment than you, and who’s culture is different than you. This film by Robert J. Flaherty, focused on the lives of the Inuit’s. It’s about showing what they do daily, how they survive, their struggles, and family. I find them clever, because they take advantage of the limited resources they can find to survive. For example, from hunting, building igloos, to substituting blubber for butter. They have many different methods of hunting their food. One example is, they find breathing holes that the seals need to come up and breathe, and they wait for them. Building igloos is hard work, and it’s so interesting in the way they build it. There’s different type of ice they use for certain parts of the igloo; for example, they cut out a clearer piece of ice to make a window or to reflect light into the igloo. They don’t have butter there, so the only thing that’s like butter for them is blubber from the seal. The thing about Inuit’s is they use everything they find to the max, so if they catch a seal, they will use up the seal whole; flesh to eat, skin to wear, blubber as butter, and their tails to play tug of war. A lot of the things they do are about technique, endurance, and patience. I feel like the only problem I have with this film, is the knowledge that Flaherty had a sexual relationship with the wife or one of the wives. Also, that not everything that he showed in the film is natural and accurate. Overall it was fun to watch, and I did learn a lot.

I’m not a fan of documentary films but maybe I’ve been watching ones that just hold no interest at all. Although the film “Nanook of the North” had little to no dialogue besides the text provided by filmmaker Robert Flaherty it was interesting. It wasn’t like the usual documentary films I’ve seen which is with people talking directly to the camera or just amongst others about their situation. This was more of visual type of film. This type of film reminds me of an old cartoon that’s in black and white where music is the only thing playing but you’re still able to understand what was going on.

Now to talk about the film in details, the life of an Eskimo seems harsh. It’s said that certain things were staged. One scene where they were in this canoe and the entire family, including a dog, came out just looks to be fake. It could’ve been real on some cases because maybe they didn’t want to make several trips back and forth but the way it looked, just made it look unreal. The eskimos way of hunting was also shown and again some of it wasn’t real. Flaherty seems to try to portray a different image of the eskimos, one that would make them look savage like. Yes, they had to hunt for food and would eat raw meat but the time the filmmaker filmed this, newer technology was being used by Nanook. There are more scenes where things were changed for Flaherty’s sake but there were also real moments captured. Those moments would be when Nanook would hunt for food and still find time to play with his children. The children Cuncyou and Allie are seen to laying while Nanook and Nyla are building the igloo and it just looks so normal, like having a camera n them didn’t affect their behavior.

I also agree with another classmate Bar Niazov as he points out in another post about the influence the sponsor had on the film. The sponsor Revillon Freres, a fur company helped with the shaping of the documentary. As Nanook was trading furs for other goods, that’s all you seen. They also had this specific type of animal they captured and would sell. It was a white fox they would capture and kill. The trader they traded with had that same type of animal hanging up behind him. Nanook and his family even had on fur coats but maybe they were provided with those for the film or that was theirs already prior to the films.

This documentary was the first of many that I’ve analyzed and seen the truth behind the filming. With the help of Bill Nichols and his description on certain things, I now know that all Documentaries aren’t all real but it can be portrayed to look like it.

 

https://qccdocumentaryfall2017.commons.gc.cuny.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/3337/files/2017/09/nanook-1.docx

When I was watching the documentary, Nanook Of The North, I felt as if I partially understood the hardships the Eskimo’s faced. However, I do believe that this film is somewhere between portraying Eskimos in a negative manner or in a funny way. Some of the scenes were obviously staged. To add on, it was boring because the film maker focused to much time on scenes such as the seal hunting. Since I am an animal lover I guess I wasn’t such a big fan. The scenes were too vivid for me. I disliked the fact of how the Eskimos treated their dogs, . On the other hand, I admired the quality of the family sticking together. The best scene in this documentary was when the little boy looked up to his father. He wanted to be just like him. It was a struggle for survival living in the Arctic. But they did it together.