DiIorio - Last Post

List 5 things you learned about film and 5 things you learned about American politics and then write a 250 word piece on how the above ten things have changed your perception of film and of American politics.

What I learned about film:

1. How to do a mise-en-scene analysis
2. What a rhyming element is and how to identify one
3. Every detail is deliberate and has meaning
4. Even the films that seem like they wouldn't have political meaning do (Harold & Kumar)
5. Films can be one of the most influential tools to enact change or to expose truths to the masses (Bowling for Columbine)

What I learned about politics:

1. The military's policy on homosexuals in the military
2. The military's policy on stoploss
3. The relationship between the press and the government
4. politics can be an effective way to get things done but can also be corrupt
5. The government's relationship with drug trafficking

Everything I learned about politics and film have greatly affected my opinions on many topics. Although for the most part, my opinions haven't really changed. In many cases, the topics of the films we watched were things that I was not completely knowledgeable about. What I mean is that if I never had an opinion on a matter in the first place, there is no opinion to change. What this class did enable me to do is to watch films that educated me on their subject matters. For example, before watching Bowling for Columbine, I knew too little about the NRA and our country's gun control laws to form an educated opinion on the matter. Despite the fact that the movie's views were biased, it did present many facts on which I have based and formed my own opinions. Another aspect of this class that has changed my perception of American film is mise-en-scene analysis. Although sometimes tedious, using mise-en-scene analysis is an extremely effective tactic. If used correctly, mise-en-scene analysis can reveal the message that the director is trying to convey to his audience. For example, by analyzing the character proxemics in a particular shot, we can learn a great deal about the characters' relationship at that particular moment in the film. In terms of politics, I think this class has actually diminished my confidence in our government. Every film we watched in this class disagreed with a government policy or attacked a government procedure. I think a good addition to this class would be to include at least one film that supports our government in an area.