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.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
War Dance documentary post
Describe the visual story? What is it that makes this film cinematic? Did you like or not like this style? Does it work for the film's story and theme?
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I think this film is fantastic. It tells the story of the war in Uganda by focusing on a dance competition that the children from a camp in Patongo are trying to compete in. The main storyline is the competition and whether the camp that has never made it to nationals will actually make it and win. However, through out the movie, the audience is introduced into the personal stories of the children and we hear about how their parents have been killed or how they themselves were abducted. These moments are very emotional and gut wrenching, told in a very poetic style, which was a clever choice. This style is very powerful and makes the main storyline , dance, so much more powerful. It shows how dancing is therapeutic and how crucial it is to these children, making us as the viewers cheer them on and sit on the edge of our seats to see if they win.
Have you ever cried so hard that it was literally painful? That for the rest of the day, you feel weak and tired? Yeah, that's what happened to me when I watched this movie. I watched it in two halves because I couldn't stand watching it anymore when the little girl visited her dad's grave. I'm glad I picked the movie back up later to watch the ending because I think that the overall message was powerful--it was story of hope and resiliency. The three children that the documentary highlighted faced horrendous atrocities, but they were able to move forward and pour their hearts into the National Music Competition. Even though they were "children of war", they were still able to do something special with their lives. It was a cinematic choice to interview the children and have them speak about/remember the horrors that they witnessed, while looking into the camera. It felt like they were speaking right to me. :( I think this style works well for the film's theme. During the competition, the filmmakers included many close-ups of the children's faces. Their faces were drastically different when they performed-- they were smiling with their teeth, but even their eyes were happy. It displays how music and dance have helped these kids find a piece of happiness again.
This was a great documentary that showed how the children dealt with so much in Uganda but were able to overcome it. I enjoyed the style of this film because it allowed the children to tell the story and the visuals that added to the story of the film. The close up interviews with the children were very powerful and it was their story that was being told. Every child found happiness in their individual ways. The dance competition was a way for them to forget about all the bad things that have happened in the past and can be peaceful for a short amount of time.
This was a really beautiful documentary with a visual style that could at times be considered poetic. For example, near the beginning when one of the girls is describing the terrible story of how her parents were taken away from her, the audience is presented with visuals of the darkness of the landscape in a storm, the girl as she stands solemnly in front of her house, the thunder and lightning. Additionally, we are introduced to these characters in a striking way as they stare into the camera and tell us who they are. In ways such as these, the visual style is poetic. I really like this and I think it works with the theme of the story. I think this film is relying a lot on the emotional response the audience will have; the visual style really lends itself to the emotional connection we feel to the story. For instance, when we see the girl, Rose cleaning her aunt's house and doing all of the chores, we feel bad for her and we empathize with her and the pain that came from losing her parents... she says that "things are different" and the audience sees she's unhappy. However, when the film focuses on the dancing and singing, the happiness of the children, the laughter, we get glimpses of the therapeutic nature of music and community. One of the kids in the movie says something like "when I'm singing it feels like everything is how it used to be." And I feel like the film mirrors that sentiment; we see their struggle, but we also see how the choir brings happiness to their lives. This is another thing I really like about the documentary; the film examines real issues like the LRA and the torment they bring to the people of Uganda , but through a very unique avenue such as music. It's really a touching documentary.
This documentary is cinematic in the way it was filmed and edited. The filmmakers use dramatizations which help tell a stronger story. As others have said, this makes this a poetic documentary. I especially liked how during the re-telling of the children's war stories, the filmmakers used b-roll of thunderstorms -- a universal symbol of danger and foreboding.
The jarring juxtaposition of these horror stories next to the happy dancing and singing makes watching it seem simultaneously surreal and too real. Watching it from thousands of miles away I felt very real emotion for what was being portrayed. Perhaps what makes this documentary so powerful is that the filmmakers took the camera beyond what most would consider the limits of decency. They placed the kids where they were hurt. They showed the school house, the father's grave, and most disturbingly, showed the remains of victims at the place where they were murdered. Vividly showing the kids, telling their stories, and placing them in the context of both the war and the camp where they found refuge in music make this documentary extremely powerful.
War Dance swept me off my feet by showcasing a group of children who were ravaged by war, but powered through to make it all of the way to the annual National Music Competition in Kampala. Not only did they get to participate in this competition, but they actually won for the Bwola dance. As one of the children says, "we did not just win for Patongo, we won for our entire Acholi tribe." The film builds up to this competition, which serves as the main plot point, while also delving deeper into the stories of three of the children: Nancy, Rose, and Dominic. It is this combination of journey to Kampala and the tellings of the horrors that all three of them faced that makes this film so cinematic. I really enjoyed this style because there was a clear goal and endpoint for the film, and so it never felt lost or confusing. Being able to hear what Nancy, Rose, and Dominic went through from themselves, while also seeing the locations of what transpired with our own eyes, was incredibly harrowing and heartbreaking, and really made me connect to the film and its subjects on a much deeper and more emotional level. Without this particular style, I do not think this film would be as effective. War Dance serves as a powerful reminder that after losing everything, there is something to gain; after death, there is life. Music and dance can help to heal deep wounds, and it was so great to see that Nancy, Rose, and Dominic are doing well and have bright futures and goals ahead of them.
I found the cinematic visual storytelling of this documentary to be quite appealing and it was a natural way to tell the story. I found it interesting how the visual elements complemented what the children were saying, particularly for segments where there was no specific b-roll of the events that the children were talking about. When we hear one of the children (Rose I think) talking about how she watched the horrific scene of the rebels pulling the disembodied heads of the deceased out of clay pots in order to identify his loved ones, we see visuals of clay pottery and human skulls in the natural landscape with Dominic standing among them. This was obviously a staged scene, but extremely powerful nonetheless. Similar techniques are used when one of the children is describing hiding in the brush as the soldiers came and took away her parents, and we see visuals of her moving through heavy brush- which acts a certain cinematic reenactment, adding to the power of the words with the visuals instead of just seeing the speaker's face. Much of the film was filmed this way, and I think it worked extremely well for the film and added to the beauty and mystery of the events.
This movie was a hard one to watch, yet I found myself not being able to turn away because it was made in such a beautiful way. Having the children narrate the story really made it seem like you were there with them and you were able to really feel and experience everything that they had and were going through. It was easy to understand the hardships and the pain that they had suffered at such a young age. The film was very poetic and really drew on emotional reactions for the intensity and impact it was meant to have. I really enjoyed this style of filmmaking and like I said before, it worked really well. I allowed me to connect better with characters and the story line.
The small town of Patongo is trying to compete for the National Music Competition. The visual story is of the lives of the children in the town. Many of them have become child soldiers, caused by the rebels. Many of their parents have been taken away and murdered, forcing them to learn to survive on their own. It demonstrates how much of a struggle these kids go through, especially as child soldiers. They look forward to competing and winning the competition in their town.
The subject is in the center of the frame, making it more personal, as opposed to the rule of thirds. They use closeups to make it more realistic and silhouettes to make it dramatic. There is background noise of children crying in many scenes. Depth of field is also used to make it more cinematic.
I really liked this film. Overall the story is about this small town getting into the competition and winning it for their tribe. Another factor is about the background stories of the people and it is very dramatic and coincides with the films theme. The cinematography helps us gain sympathy for the kids and leads us to hate the rebels, it also helps us gain respect and pride for them winning the competition. The film makes me want to bring awareness of these types of issues into our country and take action to help them. It persuades the audience to want to make a difference and appreciate the lives they have.
The story of War Dance was told visually in what I think were two ways. One was more staged b-roll for when the kids were talking about surviving raids and encounters with the rebel army. This could be seen in how the camera was setup in a dark schoolhouse to support the story of one of the kids when he said him and his brother hid from the rebels in a classroom. The other way the story was told was by following the kids on their journey to the dance competition. There was use of interviews as well as seen with the kids placed in center of frame and talking directly into the camera. It made what they were saying even that much more powerful because it's unnerving. The story was told very cinematically and there were so many shots that looked so good that it almost looked staged. The filmmakers did a great job of getting coverage and they really got impactful shots that resonate with audiences, such as close-ups of eyes crying and hands, and feet. I think the visual story was appropriate because the story is about overcoming the past through dance and if the filmmakers would have made it more raw and edgy then it would have been a much more sadder film about the lasting impact of the rebel attacks.
10 comments:
I think this film is fantastic. It tells the story of the war in Uganda by focusing on a dance competition that the children from a camp in Patongo are trying to compete in. The main storyline is the competition and whether the camp that has never made it to nationals will actually make it and win. However, through out the movie, the audience is introduced into the personal stories of the children and we hear about how their parents have been killed or how they themselves were abducted. These moments are very emotional and gut wrenching, told in a very poetic style, which was a clever choice. This style is very powerful and makes the main storyline , dance, so much more powerful. It shows how dancing is therapeutic and how crucial it is to these children, making us as the viewers cheer them on and sit on the edge of our seats to see if they win.
Have you ever cried so hard that it was literally painful? That for the rest of the day, you feel weak and tired? Yeah, that's what happened to me when I watched this movie. I watched it in two halves because I couldn't stand watching it anymore when the little girl visited her dad's grave. I'm glad I picked the movie back up later to watch the ending because I think that the overall message was powerful--it was story of hope and resiliency. The three children that the documentary highlighted faced horrendous atrocities, but they were able to move forward and pour their hearts into the National Music Competition. Even though they were "children of war", they were still able to do something special with their lives. It was a cinematic choice to interview the children and have them speak about/remember the horrors that they witnessed, while looking into the camera. It felt like they were speaking right to me. :( I think this style works well for the film's theme. During the competition, the filmmakers included many close-ups of the children's faces. Their faces were drastically different when they performed-- they were smiling with their teeth, but even their eyes were happy. It displays how music and dance have helped these kids find a piece of happiness again.
This was a great documentary that showed how the children dealt with so much in Uganda but were able to overcome it. I enjoyed the style of this film because it allowed the children to tell the story and the visuals that added to the story of the film. The close up interviews with the children were very powerful and it was their story that was being told. Every child found happiness in their individual ways. The dance competition was a way for them to forget about all the bad things that have happened in the past and can be peaceful for a short amount of time.
This was a really beautiful documentary with a visual style that could at times be considered poetic. For example, near the beginning when one of the girls is describing the terrible story of how her parents were taken away from her, the audience is presented with visuals of the darkness of the landscape in a storm, the girl as she stands solemnly in front of her house, the thunder and lightning. Additionally, we are introduced to these characters in a striking way as they stare into the camera and tell us who they are. In ways such as these, the visual style is poetic. I really like this and I think it works with the theme of the story. I think this film is relying a lot on the emotional response the audience will have; the visual style really lends itself to the emotional connection we feel to the story. For instance, when we see the girl, Rose cleaning her aunt's house and doing all of the chores, we feel bad for her and we empathize with her and the pain that came from losing her parents... she says that "things are different" and the audience sees she's unhappy. However, when the film focuses on the dancing and singing, the happiness of the children, the laughter, we get glimpses of the therapeutic nature of music and community. One of the kids in the movie says something like "when I'm singing it feels like everything is how it used to be." And I feel like the film mirrors that sentiment; we see their struggle, but we also see how the choir brings happiness to their lives. This is another thing I really like about the documentary; the film examines real issues like the LRA and the torment they bring to the people of Uganda , but through a very unique avenue such as music. It's really a touching documentary.
This documentary is cinematic in the way it was filmed and edited. The filmmakers use dramatizations which help tell a stronger story. As others have said, this makes this a poetic documentary. I especially liked how during the re-telling of the children's war stories, the filmmakers used b-roll of thunderstorms -- a universal symbol of danger and foreboding.
The jarring juxtaposition of these horror stories next to the happy dancing and singing makes watching it seem simultaneously surreal and too real. Watching it from thousands of miles away I felt very real emotion for what was being portrayed. Perhaps what makes this documentary so powerful is that the filmmakers took the camera beyond what most would consider the limits of decency. They placed the kids where they were hurt. They showed the school house, the father's grave, and most disturbingly, showed the remains of victims at the place where they were murdered. Vividly showing the kids, telling their stories, and placing them in the context of both the war and the camp where they found refuge in music make this documentary extremely powerful.
War Dance swept me off my feet by showcasing a group of children who were ravaged by war, but powered through to make it all of the way to the annual National Music Competition in Kampala. Not only did they get to participate in this competition, but they actually won for the Bwola dance. As one of the children says, "we did not just win for Patongo, we won for our entire Acholi tribe." The film builds up to this competition, which serves as the main plot point, while also delving deeper into the stories of three of the children: Nancy, Rose, and Dominic. It is this combination of journey to Kampala and the tellings of the horrors that all three of them faced that makes this film so cinematic. I really enjoyed this style because there was a clear goal and endpoint for the film, and so it never felt lost or confusing. Being able to hear what Nancy, Rose, and Dominic went through from themselves, while also seeing the locations of what transpired with our own eyes, was incredibly harrowing and heartbreaking, and really made me connect to the film and its subjects on a much deeper and more emotional level. Without this particular style, I do not think this film would be as effective. War Dance serves as a powerful reminder that after losing everything, there is something to gain; after death, there is life. Music and dance can help to heal deep wounds, and it was so great to see that Nancy, Rose, and Dominic are doing well and have bright futures and goals ahead of them.
I found the cinematic visual storytelling of this documentary to be quite appealing and it was a natural way to tell the story. I found it interesting how the visual elements complemented what the children were saying, particularly for segments where there was no specific b-roll of the events that the children were talking about. When we hear one of the children (Rose I think) talking about how she watched the horrific scene of the rebels pulling the disembodied heads of the deceased out of clay pots in order to identify his loved ones, we see visuals of clay pottery and human skulls in the natural landscape with Dominic standing among them. This was obviously a staged scene, but extremely powerful nonetheless. Similar techniques are used when one of the children is describing hiding in the brush as the soldiers came and took away her parents, and we see visuals of her moving through heavy brush- which acts a certain cinematic reenactment, adding to the power of the words with the visuals instead of just seeing the speaker's face. Much of the film was filmed this way, and I think it worked extremely well for the film and added to the beauty and mystery of the events.
This movie was a hard one to watch, yet I found myself not being able to turn away because it was made in such a beautiful way. Having the children narrate the story really made it seem like you were there with them and you were able to really feel and experience everything that they had and were going through. It was easy to understand the hardships and the pain that they had suffered at such a young age. The film was very poetic and really drew on emotional reactions for the intensity and impact it was meant to have. I really enjoyed this style of filmmaking and like I said before, it worked really well. I allowed me to connect better with characters and the story line.
The small town of Patongo is trying to compete for the National Music Competition. The visual story is of the lives of the children in the town. Many of them have become child soldiers, caused by the rebels. Many of their parents have been taken away and murdered, forcing them to learn to survive on their own. It demonstrates how much of a struggle these kids go through, especially as child soldiers. They look forward to competing and winning the competition in their town.
The subject is in the center of the frame, making it more personal, as opposed to the rule of thirds. They use closeups to make it more realistic and silhouettes to make it dramatic. There is background noise of children crying in many scenes. Depth of field is also used to make it more cinematic.
I really liked this film. Overall the story is about this small town getting into the competition and winning it for their tribe. Another factor is about the background stories of the people and it is very dramatic and coincides with the films theme. The cinematography helps us gain sympathy for the kids and leads us to hate the rebels, it also helps us gain respect and pride for them winning the competition. The film makes me want to bring awareness of these types of issues into our country and take action to help them. It persuades the audience to want to make a difference and appreciate the lives they have.
The story of War Dance was told visually in what I think were two ways. One was more staged b-roll for when the kids were talking about surviving raids and encounters with the rebel army. This could be seen in how the camera was setup in a dark schoolhouse to support the story of one of the kids when he said him and his brother hid from the rebels in a classroom. The other way the story was told was by following the kids on their journey to the dance competition. There was use of interviews as well as seen with the kids placed in center of frame and talking directly into the camera. It made what they were saying even that much more powerful because it's unnerving. The story was told very cinematically and there were so many shots that looked so good that it almost looked staged. The filmmakers did a great job of getting coverage and they really got impactful shots that resonate with audiences, such as close-ups of eyes crying and hands, and feet. I think the visual story was appropriate because the story is about overcoming the past through dance and if the filmmakers would have made it more raw and edgy then it would have been a much more sadder film about the lasting impact of the rebel attacks.
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