During group work for Experimental Media we were asked to create a short piece which either commented on a historical event. Initially we considered conducting interviews with the public regarding their opinions on the Scottish Independence referendum, which we then realised may cause an issue with providing a balanced response and may create a clear bias towards one side of the debate. We also considered that people may not want to discuss their opinions on a controversial topic in public and additionally; agreeing to be filmed expressing these views. We then, for this reason, decided to use pre-established clips from interviews over the years, coupled with clips from fictional works such as: Braveheart, Outlander, Filth to create a satirical effect when representing the current presence of very historical ideals and nationalist views in certain areas of society. We felt this piece could be viewed on one hand as a propaganda film, had we not included these comedic parallels. I feel this was beneficial to me as for my final project I intend to incorporate elements of satire and social commentary, and this exercise enabled focus on editing and how this can be used to enhance potential comedic elements which also comment on wider societal issues. In addition to this, this has also furthered my reading surrounding satire, and led me to an interesting point made by Megan Leboeuf in her article, The Power of Ridicule:
“Satire is a powerful art form which has the ability to point out the deficiencies in certain human behaviours and the social issues which result from them in such a way that they become absurd, even hilarious, which is therefore entertaining and reaches a wide audience. Satire also has the ability to protect its creator from culpability for criticism, because it is implied rather than overtly stated; in this way, it becomes a powerful tool for dissenters in difficult or oppressive political and social periods”
I found this extremely interesting for my own final proposal, as I aim to discuss and comment upon current social realities, however with this - I am very much aware, there is a great responsibility in how this is presented, and how it is received. I believe in educating myself further surrounding the boundaries of effective satire, specifically in reference to commenting upon political issues affecting the public, I will enhance my final project and ultimately achieve a more successful portrayal of the messages I aim to encapsulate.
I also found Frank Stern's writings very useful in looking at film, conceptually as a conveyance of these messages:
Films are effective propaganda tools because they establish visual icons of historical reality and consciousness, define public attitudes of the time they’re depicting or that at which they were filmed, mobilize people for a common cause, or bring attention to an unknown cause. Political and historical films represent, influence, and create historical consciousness and are able to distort events making it a persuasive and possibly untrustworthy medium. (link 2)
I find the importance in influence of media on public perceptions, as stated by Stern incredibly important. Furthering this, I believe in 2018 with an even larger digital world, and consumer world at that - these messages have a much wider canvas and also audience, and this in itself - appears to be both beneficial and dangerous. I am considering constructing elements of this notion into my project, as I believe one of the most prevalent issues of the 21st century does relate to technology, and our reliance on it for our information and ultimately - everything. I believe this cannot be severed from the reality of a lot of political decisions that have been made recently, and I think that this makes an important point both philosophically and in terms of influence. As I aim to immerse my narrative in comments on society and how society is playing itself out in these current times, I think I could incorporate the writings of Stern and potentially create further allegorical connections.
Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nThI7eve7A&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2fvu5NYAh-RRhmv-GzDbmZgSgYXKTAE4h_GtSx7Os8EgTe4ZmES92wnBE
Link 2:
Stern, Frank. "Screening Politics: Cinema and Intervention". Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Retrieved 5 November 2011.