Name:

Maria

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

This interview was different from anything I had ever seen before. As Michael Moore spoke with Mr. Hesston, he admitted he too was a member NRA (National Riffle Association). I think that is what won Mr. Hesston over and even allowed him to come back for an interview the following day. The music Michael Moore chose was also interesting (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood). I don’t know his reasoning for using this particular music, but it is totally the opposite and really caught my eye. That music is from a friendly, child loving atmosphere, yet this interview was about the death of child. I was appalled from Charleston Hesston’s attitude. I know when Michael Moore asked him if he knew about the death of a 6 year old little girl, killed by a 6 year old little boy in Flint, Michigan he was not literally responsible for the child’s death. Nevertheless, he didn’t even acknowledge the victim’s photo when Michael Moore tried to show it to him. Hesston acted as if he didn’t care, the only thing he was adamant about was the second amendment “the right to bear arms.” Most Americans already know this is their right, but what is he trying to do about children killing children or even adults dying senselessly. Mr. Hesston is doing absolutely nothing.

Name:

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

The placement of the picture seemed almost symbolic. It looked as if he placed it to commemorate the child who passed even if Heston was not interested. He was giving Heston another chance to look at the little girl whose life was affected by the NRA. His strong use of logos grabs the audience and brings his documentary down to a human level. Moore was able to get several different points out of Heston. He tackled his racial beliefs and ethics by pressing Heston for more answers. Moore did not lie to Heston about the interview; he gave him the jest of what the interview was for. He had questions ready to ask and used much of what Heston said to prove his own points. Heston dug himself in a hole by the way he answered the questions. He figured that Moore was going to be leaned more toward his side but quickly realized that his ethics were being questioned. Heston walked out of the interview way too late to have his reputation “saved.”

Name:

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

The placement of the picture seemed almost symbolic. It looked as if he placed it to commemorate the child who passed even if Heston was not interested. He was giving Heston another chance to look at the little girl whose life was affected by the NRA. His strong use of logos grabs the audience and brings his documentary down to a human level. Moore was able to get several different points out of Heston. He tackled his racial beliefs and ethics by pressing Heston for more answers. Moore did not lie to Heston about the interview; he gave him the jest of what the interview was for. He had questions ready to ask and used much of what Heston said to prove his own points. Heston dug himself in a hole by the way he answered the questions. He figured that Moore was going to be leaned more toward his side but quickly realized that his ethics were being questioned. Heston walked out of the interview way too late to have his reputation “saved.”

Name:

Andrea Ratto

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

I just watched the final interview of Bowling for Columbine. As typical of the guys who find themselves on the other side of Mike Moore's camera, this guy obviously did not care at all about the well being of the poor families who were victims of gun violence. And it is obviously clear that despite the fact that he presides over one of the world's largest gun owner associations, he never did his homework on gun violence, a major issue in today's society on which the NRA is often asked to serve as a consultant. After all, he seemed to be totally perplexed when he was told that other countries such as Canada, Germany, and Great Britain had much lower rates of gun violence even though they had just as many people and just as many guns. And then he gave the stupid off the top of the head answer of "America as a nation has a lot of blood on its hands while other nations do not." That was a stupid comment to make in light of the fact that America was being compared against Germany and Great Britain, countries that have infamously violent pasts. On the other hand, I must admit that Mr. Moore was relentlessly pursuing the NRA president to the point of badgering. That created a very stressful situation at the other end so that even if he knew the proper answers in his mind, he would have forgotten them in the heat of the moment But as I learned in investigative reporting, sometimes that is how you have to handle bureaucrats whose official positions as per organizational guidelines are not in alignment with the truth (especially when the truth is tantamount to a deep, dark secret that will put the organization in a bad light). And persistent badgering is part of Mike Moore's basic style, something he cannot change just like we cannot change the color of our eyes. And if it is anything like the shooting of Roger and Me, Mike Moore must have been one frustrated man by then, constantly trying to reach the NRA president only to be turned away for various reasons. The final chapter is an excellent place for this interview because it allows the audience to watch all the events in the documentary with awe, not being able to predict what will happen and then after it does happen wondering why it happened. Once viewers listen to the interview, they finally understand what is going on and what can be done to prevent it from getting worse.

Name:

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

The point Moore wanted to make regarding leaving the picture was sending out a strong message. Although Charlton Heston didn’t seem to get the message Michael Moore was intending to send. Leaving the picture of the girl previously killed should probably have Heston, sit back and reflect on what is really going on in the world he cares so little about. Unfortunately, it’s hard to believe that there are many other people out in the world that see things the same way Charlton views this situation on gun violence.

Name:

Maresa

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

In Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore interviews Charles Heston questioning him about the gun related violence in America. Heston says the reason why Americans are so violent toward each other is because America consists of a “mixed ethnicity.” Michael Moore tries to get out of Mr. Heston a reason for gun warfare in America and ends up making Heston look like an insensitive hierarch; which was Moore's intention from the beginning. Moore did this visually and verbally. Heston left the interview without a spec of dignity left. Moore left him a lost for words. There was nothing that Heston said or did that could have saved his dignity at that point.

Name:

Elise

Date:

2/16/2004

Comments

This interview was crucial for Moore’s documentary. Although the ethics of how he got the interview may be questioned (he referred to himself as a lifetime member of the NRA), it was necessary in order for his to get this interview. Had Moore been completely honest with Heston as to whom he really represented, he may not have gotten the ‘gold’ from this interview that he needed to make his points. He may not have gotten an interview at all. Also, had Heston known of the nature of questions Moore more planned to ask, he would have prepared the usual ‘talk-around-the-question’ answers much like the common politician. Although this interview may not have been completely fair to the interviewee, I feel that if it helps more people than it hurts it is ethical.

Name:

Lauren

Date:

2/23/2004

Comments

That picture is awesome! It makes our class look so dynamic and fun. Which is exactly what it is...=) Peever what fonts are those? I really like them!

Name:

Fontmeister

Date:

2/24/2004

Comments

>:) In the picture above, The word "multimedia" displays in a font called Sidnie, and the word "writing" is superimposed as another layer in a font called Viner Hand. I applied various texturing effects, including neon glow and dropshadow. I've added extra instructions pertaining to video clip creation at the bottom of the workshop 5 notes. Click on the thumbnails at the top of the workshop 3 page to see some of your screentests. This is what you get for leaving unlabeled MiniDV tapes lying around . . .

Name:

Lauren

Date:

2/25/2004

Comments

Something about Dr. Garry Grizzle’s writing style compels me to read his posting over every once in a while. His language is concise and cohesive. (I just realized how much that little discussion board compels me to do. Each time I look at it, I am inspired to love what I am learning.) I value his insights and appreciate his points because I had not realized a few of them on my own. I especially appreciate his last statement --“I guess the point of my comments is that there is more to critiquing a documentary than just evaluating the use of cinematic techniques. At a minimum, there is content and compassion to consider.”-- because until now, I had mostly been looking at scene capture, and the order of events, and the camera angles, and the choice of words. It seems to me that more people despise Michael Moore, than appreciate his films. One reason is that they believe his films are narcissistic. After understanding Grizzle’s argument though, I am less offended by Moore’s narcissism and more appalled by the negative portrayal of the same people he represented while he interviewed the heroes turned antagonists of Flint (I also initially disliked the portrayal of Flint workers being perfectly happy before the fact). And while I initially liked the fact that Moore dressed and spoke like a working classman when he approached corporate owners, I now believe that Moore chose to look like the people they would least want to talk to in order to portray the bad as worse. And I am forced to come to the conclusion that the only reasons Moore would make the protagonist look so bad, was either an uncompassionate attempt at fair journalism, or a narcissistic block to compassion.

Name:

art and re-presentation

Date:

3/8/2004

Comments

E. Calvin Beisner is quoted in a current Barry4U online story, on Mel Gibson's new film The Passion of the Christ, as saying that he is "underwhelmed by the pedagogical effectiveness of visual art." The passage continues: "Beisner asserted that 'knowledge is conveyed by propositions, not by pictures.'" Movie critics often agree that films are not great vehicles for ideas, though they are peerless at making us feel things. Bear this in mind while researching Claude Lanzmann's Shoah. Lanzmann himself has commented at length on his film, and some of those critics who view the film favorably see it as a masterpiece of non-representation. That is, the omission of archival footage is deliberate, and, for Lanzmann, even a principle.

Name:

Maria Jones

Date:

3/9/2004

Comments

Maria Jones JOU 300 Dr. Peever Critique on Documentary Film 03-10-04 This documentary was certainly up close and personal showing the lives of survivors of the holocaust. This documentary was very poignant, solemn and truly heartfelt. Almost everyone has heard about the Holocaust or even knows survivors. This was a horrible act, that should have never happened, been allowed to happen, or to have dampened the history of this world. Thousands of lives were lost, and those that were not were severely damaged beyond repair. They were killed as if life wasn’t important, fragile and so full of vitality. To see real life survivors is invigorating, and gives me so much hope in a sometimes hopeless world. A true symbol that God was there all the time. One survivor in the documentary told his story and how he saw his wife and kids in a grave. He said, at that point, he too was ready to die. When he asked to be killed, they responded he was still strong and good enough to work. This is why he was allowed to work. There were thousands of bodies, bodies on top of bodies. The graves were so large and filled beyond capacity. The workers would have to bury and eventually were told to get rid of every shred of life that remained. They had to burn the bodies. One survivor said, the fire and smoke from the fire chambers seemed as if they touched the skies. One grave was said to have 24,000 bodies. The workers had to bury them with their hands and when the time came, were told to dig them up too. The guards, told the workers to call the dead, shit, wood and never to label them victims or corpses. One of the strongest statements made during this film, was as the fires burned the bodies a young boy cried out “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken us?” This truly made me feel what he was feeling. But as child I was taught never to question God.

Name:

50 minutes

Date:

3/9/2004

Comments

Maria is commenting on an initial sequence from the 9 1/2 hour documentary Shoah (1985) by Claude Lanzmann: 11:05 Chelmo. Opening text introduction. (Srebnick boat footage explained.) 11:10 Boat footage. (A reconstruction right away.) A bucolic idyll. (This really is a sort of "multimedia" documentary in that you have to read along to make any sense of it. Dialog is in Polish, German, or French, with English subtitles.) 11:14 "a lot of people were burned here". The place is a dark forest. "No one can recreate what happened here" [Polish, translated into French on-screen, with English subtitles] 11:25 Ben Shemen forest, Israel (a different forest). Lanzmann is interested in the density of forests. Poland: Sobibor forest. Lanzmann appears on-screen (wearing a black leather jacket). Deep forest shot. The nature of forests considered. 11:27 trees were planted to obscure the sites of mass graves. 11:37 new scene: city interview with Richard Glazar, Switzerland 11:43 new interview (in English): Paula Biren, Cincinnatti USA; Lodz cemetery; Auschwitz town Residents interviewed; closed Jewish cemetery footage; ghost town imagery of former Jewish houses in Wlodawa. 11:50 Lanzman asks more about "resettlement" 1st image of Auschwitz' "mouth": a slow dolly along railroad tracks towards the camp.

Name:

Andrea Greenbaum

Date:

3/11/2004

Comments

Dear Abi, Andrea, Elise, Lauren, Maresa, Maria, Precious, Sandra, Vanessa, Wanda, and Yuraj: I can't tell you how touched I was by your beautiful flowers and eloquent cards. I miss you all very much, and can't wait to get back to teaching. Thank you for your kind words. Only a few more weeks to go, and Ellie will be joining me. I'll send you a photograph as soon as she makes her arrival. Love, Dr. G (now I sound like a rapper!)

Name:

DrP

Date:

3/11/2004

Comments

our dedicated staff at the library has now made Shoah part 1 available on reserve for the rest of the semester. The remainder of the film has been ordered on DVD. Though at 9 1/2 hours this is a very long film, consider viewing it all during the rest of the semester, as it's highly regarded both as an example of the documentary genre and as a major memorial of the holocaust.

Name:

Checklist

Date:

3/12/2004

Comments

See the Checklist link from the course schedule. An essay is due next Friday, along with the current state of your course portfolio. Please note that in the syllabus, under Learning Methods, we promise that "We will guide students through an analysis of the grammars and rhetoric of the documentary genre—that is, the student will be asked to uncover the spoken and unspoken rules and patterns that define effective documentaries." Try to incorporate the discussions we've had about Michael Moore's work, along with what you're learning from readings and handouts on Shoah, into your Shoah research notebook essay for next Friday. We'll discuss the Rosenbaum readings on Monday.

Name:

DrP

Date:

4/1/2004

Comments

a link to a Boston Globe story on the media's decisions whether or not to show footage of yesterday's atrocities in Falluja. Many commentators have referred to a number of the images we looked at earlier in the semester, including the Mogadishu pictures: http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/04/01/grisly_images_tested_boundaries_for_news_media/

Name:

Purloined Letters

Date:

4/6/2004

Comments

The Education of Jessica Lynch: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=17229  
[a review of Rick Bragg's book on the erstwhile war hero Lynch, noting his lack of interest in how the Washington Post apparently became a victim of government propaganda.] 

Rick Bragg's Lousy Alibi: http://slate.msn.com/id/2083607/  
[Slate Magazine considers Rick Bragg's excuses for his plagiarism.] 

The Jayson Blair Project http://slate.msn.com/id/2082741/  
[Slate Magazine wonders how Blair "bamboozled" the NYT.] 

Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001786800_shoshana09.html [The Truth, the whole truth . . . ]

Name:

DrP

Date:

4/7/2004

Comments

An update on plagiarism detector software: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040407/D81Q11G00.html

Name:

Lauren

Date:

4/23/2004

Comments

Plaigarism can cause so much pain that those who acted as editors to the guilty party are resigning their jobs. Full story: http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4737986.html

 This board is currently closed.