A film blog for students of my classes at Santa Clara University. Use this blog to discuss the films we are studying, classic films, current releases or production issues you encounter while making your own films.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Bite Size documentary post II
What did the filmmakers do that worked the best for you? What didn't work for you?
I think one of the best attributes to the movie was also its downfall. The filmmakers did a great job connecting the audience to each child's story by talking to them about their backgrounds, goals, etc. We were also able to get a sense of their family, where they lived, and what they did for fun. If it were just a movie that strictly documents the lives of four obese children, it did a great job. However, I think that there was something else there. It was an advocacy piece, and their target audience was parents. The filmmakers wanted to display how parents can be major influences to their children and convince parents to be aware of some of the mistakes they are making in raising their children as food consumers. The filmmakers best attribute was the character development for each child, but it was also their downfall because the audience just gets to know the child, and doesn't get a sense of the national crisis that the children are a part of. Until the brief few sentences at the end, the film also never really offers any kind of solutions. I understand that the filmmakers didn't want their film to be like all of the other "child obesity" ones out there-- and they didn't have to. They didn't need to pie charts and statistics, the graphics and animation. They had their stories, I just wish they would have promoted more specific change so that the audience could take away more from it to apply to their own lives.
I think what worked best for me was how they addressed some issues in covert ways. The father of one of the children was clearly a large culprit as well as some of the other parents in their child's weight issues. The father would buy junk food, McDonald's, and soda and consume it with his son while later blaming him and ridiculing him to his face for being fat. The audience could clearly see how the father was making the situation worse yet he himself was oblivious to the fact that he was doing this. Later in the film, the father discovers his own health issues and changes his mindset about healthy eating, which has a positive effect on his own personal health as well as his son's. I thought the way they addressed this in the edit and covertly went about revealing the problem to the audience while portraying the father as oblivious was well done.
I believe that the best thing the filmmakers did in this film was using children and young teenagers as the subjects for the story. It's safe to say that a majority of us have a soft spot in our hearts for children, and to see the struggles that these individuals had to go through thanks to their obesity makes you want to root for them like no other. I also think that using obesity to address other personal struggles really helped the audience relate to the characters. Even though the film spent a majority of the time focusing on obesity, it wasn't necessarily a theme in the film. The major theme was the problems that can come from obesity, like acceptance/discrimination from your friends, family, and even yourself. Each of these individuals go through one of those struggles. The audience is able to connect to these struggles because many of us have gone through similar struggles. I also think that using the group of school girls and the counselor instead of focusing on one individual girl helped propel that particular story. While the film did a good job at focusing on all of the individuals equally, I think at times it wasn't enough focus on the individuals. Yes we did get a big picture at what they were going through, but I think narrowing the focus down to three or even two of the stories would have allowed for an even more in depth look at the struggles these individuals were going through and allowed the audience to relate to them even more so. There were some things that the filmmakers could've clarified such as what happens to Emily? We saw her gaining back the weight she lost at camp. I wanted to know if she was able to get her head back in the game and lose the weight or if she kept letting it get the best of her. There are other examples that I thought required more specificity, but that was a main one.
I thought the way they intertwined all four stories worked really well for them and then how they slow expanded on each story and allow us to see what the home life was like. As I said in my other blog post, I thought the biggest problem with child obesity, especially in this film, was the parents. I parents are telling their kids one thing and then turning around and going against everything they just said. Parents are role models for their kids and I found it very frustrating when they didn't want to change their own eating habits when it came to their child's health. I thought the story with the guidance counselor was really strong. It not only allowed us to understand the girls struggles with her weight, but also with the counselors struggles to motivate the obese girls at the school to become more active and to be more conscious about what they are eating. It is interesting to see the dynamic of the parents not being much involved and the counselor trying her hardest to help these girls. I think there were definitely loose ends and there could have been more clarification towards the end, but overall I think they showed their message in a really nice way.
I really liked how the separate stories were grouped by topic and edited together. This allowed for the viewer to understand clearly the progression of the documentary. When it was time to focus on the meals, each student or group of students appeared one after the other. I also liked how the documentary told truly personnal stories -- personnal stories allow the audience to empathize and take action themselves.
Many of the creative cuts and details also stood out. For example, I especially liked the cut away of the trunk slamming shut, the exposition shots establishing a new location, etc...
However, I did not like how food in general was portrayed. The film vilifies food and makes it seem like a chore, like putting gas in a car. Humanity for centuries has enjoyed and perfected the act of consuming food. Healthy food does not have to be bland. The reason I eat healthy today is because I seek healthy food that tastes just as good and better than fast food.
I think the quality of the editing had a huge impact on me. I truly enjoyed everything that was put into this film to make it into what it is. The visuals were great! As for the content, I think it was great to have an opposing view. it was extremely beneficial to have all of these children suffering and to have one that, at the beginning, was doing great. It gives the viewer a positive perspective, that there is hope for these children to change and commit to this. I think showing her relapse wasn't helpful at all. I understand that they included everyone in the end when they showed where they were at today, but she had gained weight. She was the hope of the film. She inspired me. Now, it's almost as if I lost all of that hope when I saw how she fell back into her old habits and wasn't happy with herself again.
The aspect of Bite Size that worked best for me was how the filmmakers focused on four central children/pre-teens with four diverse, but similar, stories revolving around childhood obesity. At first I thought four would be too many to follow along with, but it actually ended up being quite successful since I felt as though I got to know each of them and felt an emotional connection to what they were going through. I found myself really rooting for them to succeed, and was upset when Emily and KeAnna weren't quite there yet a year later. The one part of the film that didn't work as well was when they showed the four of them a year later. I could see what they were trying to do in wrapping up their stories, but it felt a bit too shallow and underdeveloped. This makes sense after learning about some logistical problems the filmmakers had, however I still would have loved to hear more about what the children were going through a year later.
I think that it was pretty good and the way they used the 4 stories really helped get the message across that obesity is an issue. All the kids need to find their motivation to stay healthy and active. I liked that they followed more than one person and it was four children. I also think that looking at the parents and families was relevant to the story because it is hard for a child to deal with things like obesity and diabetes without help from family and friends.
I thought one of the most successful aspects of the film was that the filmmakers let each story unfold and unravel on it's own without forcing any specific message or theme. The filmmakers simply let the audience observe and pick out from each child and their peer's narration the main messages of the film. The areas where more obvious juxtaposition was used were done in a very sidelined manner as well, such as showing the father eating and acting the same as his son while yelling at his son for it. While this section was more obviously pointed out, it was once again done through simply showing and not really telling. After listening to the following Q&A, I realize this wasn't the filmmakers first or second option, as they planned on having a child narrator, then a cartoon, then experts, but they slowly realized that the most powerful way to send a message is by displaying the facts and letting the audience think for themselves. It also helped make the doc seem more like a slice of life rather than a social commentary doc telling you to do something to make a change, which can come across boring or be brushed aside without the same strong emotional connections.
I think what worked for me was seeing all the parents, councilor and couch seeing how important they were in each childs life. Seeing their frustration about the child but not thinking about their own health until later on. It was sad how after a year the girls failed in improving their weight loss and how the boys succeeded due to their families change. My heart warmed when Felipe got Moy the xbox kinect and how he said “you have to find out what your kid likes and breath life into it”. Moy’s mom was doing everything in her power to help her son and herself be healthy, but not until dad was also involved did real progress start to happen. Its important to see that weight loss is not easy at all and that you can only win if you keep working at it, there are no excuses. Each of the four kids story was well developed I just wish there could have been a bit more in the end. Granted they are still young and have their whole lives to change and be healthy but I wish I saw what Keana and Emily were doing to get healthy.
Some of the things that the filmmakers did really well that I liked is that the fact that they choose to follow a group of diverse children from different locations. Also, within each character they were able to bring up different factors that affect child obesity and health, such as parental involvement, after-school programs, support mentors, exercise and sports, junk food alternatives, etc. Also, the msot powerful moments of the film were the intimate personal ones that could have only been achieved by following these characters for the length of the film. It brings the issue into their homes and makes it relatable. I also really liked that they followed up with the characters a year later and it showed that not all the characters had success stories. It showed me that they weren't trying to make a happy, all-positive film but instead were able to show that the issue is difficult to overcome and that it's always going to be a constant struggle.
What i enjoyed throughout the film was how the filmmakers made the four completely different subjects interviews work together. They were able to show us as the film progressed that this problem the kids have is not their fault, the blame goes right to their parents. Each family has bad eating habits, and with the parents buying and making the food the kids do not know what is the healthy choices are when eating. They follow their parents lead and eat food, and large amounts of it, which is causing them to gain weight rapidly going obese. The sad thing that we also see throughout the film is how hypocritical the parents are. They tell their children to stop playing video games and eating unhealthy, but then go and do it themselves being a horrible example to their children. In one situation a father makes fun of his kid for being overweight, when in reality it is his fault.
I thought that the film did a good job of not simply just painting childhood obesity as one problem, bur rather a very complex issue that involves not only the individual child but the families and others around them. I also think the filmmakers did a good job of choosing a variety of subjects for their film, rather than just focusing on children in poorer parts of the country, where childhood obesity is a major problem. One part of the film that I thought the filmmakers could have done better would be to have more natural interactions of the children shown. I thought that sometimes it seemed forced, like they were trying to only show what was part of their agenda. Specifically with the father/son relationship, I thought that the filmmakers could have done a better job of displaying their relationship and dynamic to appear more natural and not as staged.
What really worked for me about this film was the pacing and interweaving of four different personal stories into an overarching narrative. It is very difficult to take different personal journeys and mesh them into one cohesive film, but I thought the filmmakers did a great job of making each character stand out and receive comparable screen time. I also liked the personal approach to the problem of childhood obesity. By focusing on individual child narratives to drive the theme, it gave the film a unique feeling that made it stand apart from other films that look more broadly at the issue of childhood obesity. That being said, while the personal narratives were powerful, I would have liked to know more about the bigger issue at hand. Some more background and information about the magnitude of the issue of childhood obesity would have put the issue into perspective for me. I also felt that some of the scenes with Emily's family felt a bit staged- like when they were taking soda and junk food out of their fridge to throw away. It seemed as if they were not completely comfortable in front of the camera, which either means that the film crew did not do a good enough job of spending time with and forming a relationship with the family, or the family itself was just awkward and may not have been the best choice for emphasis in the film.
14 comments:
I think one of the best attributes to the movie was also its downfall. The filmmakers did a great job connecting the audience to each child's story by talking to them about their backgrounds, goals, etc. We were also able to get a sense of their family, where they lived, and what they did for fun. If it were just a movie that strictly documents the lives of four obese children, it did a great job. However, I think that there was something else there. It was an advocacy piece, and their target audience was parents. The filmmakers wanted to display how parents can be major influences to their children and convince parents to be aware of some of the mistakes they are making in raising their children as food consumers. The filmmakers best attribute was the character development for each child, but it was also their downfall because the audience just gets to know the child, and doesn't get a sense of the national crisis that the children are a part of. Until the brief few sentences at the end, the film also never really offers any kind of solutions. I understand that the filmmakers didn't want their film to be like all of the other "child obesity" ones out there-- and they didn't have to. They didn't need to pie charts and statistics, the graphics and animation. They had their stories, I just wish they would have promoted more specific change so that the audience could take away more from it to apply to their own lives.
I think what worked best for me was how they addressed some issues in covert ways. The father of one of the children was clearly a large culprit as well as some of the other parents in their child's weight issues. The father would buy junk food, McDonald's, and soda and consume it with his son while later blaming him and ridiculing him to his face for being fat. The audience could clearly see how the father was making the situation worse yet he himself was oblivious to the fact that he was doing this. Later in the film, the father discovers his own health issues and changes his mindset about healthy eating, which has a positive effect on his own personal health as well as his son's. I thought the way they addressed this in the edit and covertly went about revealing the problem to the audience while portraying the father as oblivious was well done.
I believe that the best thing the filmmakers did in this film was using children and young teenagers as the subjects for the story. It's safe to say that a majority of us have a soft spot in our hearts for children, and to see the struggles that these individuals had to go through thanks to their obesity makes you want to root for them like no other. I also think that using obesity to address other personal struggles really helped the audience relate to the characters. Even though the film spent a majority of the time focusing on obesity, it wasn't necessarily a theme in the film. The major theme was the problems that can come from obesity, like acceptance/discrimination from your friends, family, and even yourself. Each of these individuals go through one of those struggles. The audience is able to connect to these struggles because many of us have gone through similar struggles. I also think that using the group of school girls and the counselor instead of focusing on one individual girl helped propel that particular story.
While the film did a good job at focusing on all of the individuals equally, I think at times it wasn't enough focus on the individuals. Yes we did get a big picture at what they were going through, but I think narrowing the focus down to three or even two of the stories would have allowed for an even more in depth look at the struggles these individuals were going through and allowed the audience to relate to them even more so. There were some things that the filmmakers could've clarified such as what happens to Emily? We saw her gaining back the weight she lost at camp. I wanted to know if she was able to get her head back in the game and lose the weight or if she kept letting it get the best of her. There are other examples that I thought required more specificity, but that was a main one.
I thought the way they intertwined all four stories worked really well for them and then how they slow expanded on each story and allow us to see what the home life was like. As I said in my other blog post, I thought the biggest problem with child obesity, especially in this film, was the parents. I parents are telling their kids one thing and then turning around and going against everything they just said. Parents are role models for their kids and I found it very frustrating when they didn't want to change their own eating habits when it came to their child's health. I thought the story with the guidance counselor was really strong. It not only allowed us to understand the girls struggles with her weight, but also with the counselors struggles to motivate the obese girls at the school to become more active and to be more conscious about what they are eating. It is interesting to see the dynamic of the parents not being much involved and the counselor trying her hardest to help these girls. I think there were definitely loose ends and there could have been more clarification towards the end, but overall I think they showed their message in a really nice way.
I really liked how the separate stories were grouped by topic and edited together. This allowed for the viewer to understand clearly the progression of the documentary. When it was time to focus on the meals, each student or group of students appeared one after the other. I also liked how the documentary told truly personnal stories -- personnal stories allow the audience to empathize and take action themselves.
Many of the creative cuts and details also stood out. For example, I especially liked the cut away of the trunk slamming shut, the exposition shots establishing a new location, etc...
However, I did not like how food in general was portrayed. The film vilifies food and makes it seem like a chore, like putting gas in a car. Humanity for centuries has enjoyed and perfected the act of consuming food. Healthy food does not have to be bland. The reason I eat healthy today is because I seek healthy food that tastes just as good and better than fast food.
I think the quality of the editing had a huge impact on me. I truly enjoyed everything that was put into this film to make it into what it is. The visuals were great!
As for the content, I think it was great to have an opposing view. it was extremely beneficial to have all of these children suffering and to have one that, at the beginning, was doing great. It gives the viewer a positive perspective, that there is hope for these children to change and commit to this.
I think showing her relapse wasn't helpful at all. I understand that they included everyone in the end when they showed where they were at today, but she had gained weight. She was the hope of the film. She inspired me. Now, it's almost as if I lost all of that hope when I saw how she fell back into her old habits and wasn't happy with herself again.
The aspect of Bite Size that worked best for me was how the filmmakers focused on four central children/pre-teens with four diverse, but similar, stories revolving around childhood obesity. At first I thought four would be too many to follow along with, but it actually ended up being quite successful since I felt as though I got to know each of them and felt an emotional connection to what they were going through. I found myself really rooting for them to succeed, and was upset when Emily and KeAnna weren't quite there yet a year later. The one part of the film that didn't work as well was when they showed the four of them a year later. I could see what they were trying to do in wrapping up their stories, but it felt a bit too shallow and underdeveloped. This makes sense after learning about some logistical problems the filmmakers had, however I still would have loved to hear more about what the children were going through a year later.
I think that it was pretty good and the way they used the 4 stories really helped get the message across that obesity is an issue. All the kids need to find their motivation to stay healthy and active.
I liked that they followed more than one person and it was four children. I also think that looking at the parents and families was relevant to the story because it is hard for a child to deal with things like obesity and diabetes without help from family and friends.
I thought one of the most successful aspects of the film was that the filmmakers let each story unfold and unravel on it's own without forcing any specific message or theme. The filmmakers simply let the audience observe and pick out from each child and their peer's narration the main messages of the film. The areas where more obvious juxtaposition was used were done in a very sidelined manner as well, such as showing the father eating and acting the same as his son while yelling at his son for it. While this section was more obviously pointed out, it was once again done through simply showing and not really telling. After listening to the following Q&A, I realize this wasn't the filmmakers first or second option, as they planned on having a child narrator, then a cartoon, then experts, but they slowly realized that the most powerful way to send a message is by displaying the facts and letting the audience think for themselves. It also helped make the doc seem more like a slice of life rather than a social commentary doc telling you to do something to make a change, which can come across boring or be brushed aside without the same strong emotional connections.
I think what worked for me was seeing all the parents, councilor and couch seeing how important they were in each childs life. Seeing their frustration about the child but not thinking about their own health until later on. It was sad how after a year the girls failed in improving their weight loss and how the boys succeeded due to their families change. My heart warmed when Felipe got Moy the xbox kinect and how he said “you have to find out what your kid likes and breath life into it”. Moy’s mom was doing everything in her power to help her son and herself be healthy, but not until dad was also involved did real progress start to happen. Its important to see that weight loss is not easy at all and that you can only win if you keep working at it, there are no excuses. Each of the four kids story was well developed I just wish there could have been a bit more in the end. Granted they are still young and have their whole lives to change and be healthy but I wish I saw what Keana and Emily were doing to get healthy.
Some of the things that the filmmakers did really well that I liked is that the fact that they choose to follow a group of diverse children from different locations. Also, within each character they were able to bring up different factors that affect child obesity and health, such as parental involvement, after-school programs, support mentors, exercise and sports, junk food alternatives, etc. Also, the msot powerful moments of the film were the intimate personal ones that could have only been achieved by following these characters for the length of the film. It brings the issue into their homes and makes it relatable. I also really liked that they followed up with the characters a year later and it showed that not all the characters had success stories. It showed me that they weren't trying to make a happy, all-positive film but instead were able to show that the issue is difficult to overcome and that it's always going to be a constant struggle.
What i enjoyed throughout the film was how the filmmakers made the four completely different subjects interviews work together. They were able to show us as the film progressed that this problem the kids have is not their fault, the blame goes right to their parents. Each family has bad eating habits, and with the parents buying and making the food the kids do not know what is the healthy choices are when eating. They follow their parents lead and eat food, and large amounts of it, which is causing them to gain weight rapidly going obese. The sad thing that we also see throughout the film is how hypocritical the parents are. They tell their children to stop playing video games and eating unhealthy, but then go and do it themselves being a horrible example to their children. In one situation a father makes fun of his kid for being overweight, when in reality it is his fault.
I thought that the film did a good job of not simply just painting childhood obesity as one problem, bur rather a very complex issue that involves not only the individual child but the families and others around them. I also think the filmmakers did a good job of choosing a variety of subjects for their film, rather than just focusing on children in poorer parts of the country, where childhood obesity is a major problem. One part of the film that I thought the filmmakers could have done better would be to have more natural interactions of the children shown. I thought that sometimes it seemed forced, like they were trying to only show what was part of their agenda. Specifically with the father/son relationship, I thought that the filmmakers could have done a better job of displaying their relationship and dynamic to appear more natural and not as staged.
What really worked for me about this film was the pacing and interweaving of four different personal stories into an overarching narrative. It is very difficult to take different personal journeys and mesh them into one cohesive film, but I thought the filmmakers did a great job of making each character stand out and receive comparable screen time. I also liked the personal approach to the problem of childhood obesity. By focusing on individual child narratives to drive the theme, it gave the film a unique feeling that made it stand apart from other films that look more broadly at the issue of childhood obesity. That being said, while the personal narratives were powerful, I would have liked to know more about the bigger issue at hand. Some more background and information about the magnitude of the issue of childhood obesity would have put the issue into perspective for me. I also felt that some of the scenes with Emily's family felt a bit staged- like when they were taking soda and junk food out of their fridge to throw away. It seemed as if they were not completely comfortable in front of the camera, which either means that the film crew did not do a good enough job of spending time with and forming a relationship with the family, or the family itself was just awkward and may not have been the best choice for emphasis in the film.
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