Unfortunately, I found the film, Night and Fog, very hard to watch. I’m sure this is generally a tough film for pretty much anyone. Yet, for me, it felt significantly more difficult. Through the entire film I was reminded of the movie, which was originally a novel, Roots by Alex Haley. There is a plethora of scenes that can easily relate to Roots which made the film a hard watch.

For instance, the Jews were given identification numbers with letters while the slaves were branded with scorching hot metal. They were stripped of their own identity and only seen as a number. The Jews, in one scene, were lined up completely nude. I am not sure what the purpose of the line was but similarly, the Africans were changed up and transported and then sold, oftentimes not wearing any clothing either. Additionally, the Jews were thrown into the train cars, and I can only imagine how uncomfortable and congested that might have been. The slaves were thrown onto ships and they, too, were travelling in unreasonable conditions that were not comfortable. We also saw scenes of the malnourished Jews where you could see all the way to their bones just like the slaves that were not on a healthy diet. Finally, there were scenes of how the deceased were treated, whether it was burned, or just dumped into a pile with everyone else. There wasn’t any respect given in that regard and the slaves were treated in that way.

On another note, perhaps a more positive note, although it was hard to watch I did appreciate the way the film was done. It was a silent film, well not dialogue, but the music added another element. It sort of made you have to pay attention and you could not turn away for even a second. If you did, you would probably miss something. Thus I like how the film was done, even though it did bring great thoughts when I walked the film.

Interview subject: Eric Fouh, Computer Science and Engineering Professor

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to go about it. One of the main reasons why I was struggling was because I was thinking about faculty and administration that I have interacted with since I’ve been here. For some people who came to mind, after research and thinking, made me realize maybe that would be the best idea. Then, considering my desire to attain a minor in computer science, I decided to choose Professor Fouh because I would like to see the other side of him.

Everyone, along with myself, has only seen the professor side when he lectures and answers our questions. But I’d like to know a little more about him and how he ended up where he is today. I want to know more about his background and how he came to be a professor in computer science. Computer science has always been intriguing to me, even though I find it extremely frustrating. I want to know how he sort of thinks and goes about problem solving, and what he does when he hits a road block.

Actually, I did some online searching to see what I could find about my professor. Turns out, through Linked In, I was able to get some more information. He went to school in France for undergrad, and then went to Virginia Tech, I believe, for graduate school. I am not sure where he was born and raised but it seems like he has come global/cultural experience. I am sure he has an interesting background that would be cool to check out.

I am going to meet with him sometime this week. I am not sure where but, like professor suggested, I don’t want to go in his office. I feel as though he might have a favorite place on campus. Or even just a place where he ventures frequently. In fact, last year, I heard a story about someone I know that went to his office hours for help. They were just chatting about the assignment and somehow then they go to speaking about the gym. Considering the professor is in good shape, maybe he’ll want to chat in the athletic center. This is all still to be determined but I am excited to see how this goes.

Audience, I believe, is one of the most important aspects of film making. There are a plethora of components that must be considered when thinking about the audience. Sheila Curran Bernard states, “Who is your intended audience?…Is your film intended not for broadcast but for use by community or educational groups?” (43). Obviously these are critical questions; makes a huge difference with regards to the final product of the film.

Considering we just received our final projects, this is something I’ve been thinking about. I am doing the “Youngin’s” project so we will be dealing with kids and maybe young adults. Thus, thinking about audience, I need to figure out if this should be intended for their peers or for the faculty and parents. Or maybe it would be intended for everyone in the community so people can witness other great things that the younger community members are doing with their lives. Maybe, even, this could be shown to the government officials in the community so they could potentially provide more funding when they realize what these great kids are getting into. Although it isn’t established, I have been thinking a lot about this project and how the audience will play a role.

During Brooke Gladstone’s Q and A, she talked about public radio and it’s intimacy. She said that she felt as though listen to the radio was more intimate than watching television, or going on the computer. I have never listened to NPR, but I could still relate, in a way, to Brooke.

Growing up, my parents would always listen to the Steve Harvey Morning Show and the Breakfast club on our way to work/school. It was pretty intimate; felt like we were sitting there listening, talking, and laughing along with them. Each morning, we never really cared to hear what songs were playing. I just wanted to hear who the “Donkey of the Day” was and who Nephew Tommy was going to prank.

In addition, my dad is a big reader, but he can’t read in the car or else he gets motion sickness. Instead, he enjoys books on tape. Although I am not a big reader, I can easily get into the books on tape. Every road trip, there’s at least one book on tape that we get to hear. There is a sense of intimacy here, too, as if someone were readying a children’s book at the library.

I believe in order to change, and/or influence, the world we must start with the younger generations. They are the ones who will be impacted the most and can enforce the greatest change. Thus, I would like to focus on one of the topics where younger people are involved or can be involved in some way. The top stories I’d be interested in include, “Gifted Youngin’s”, “Southside Students”, “The Arts Valley”, and “Life in the Valley”. I believe, though each of these stories, there would be a way to reach out to the younger people.

I cannot imagine what the people in Kabul must be feeling. Obviously, the U.S. Military have their reasons for such actions but I feel as though this is unnecessary. There is no sense of privacy, whatsoever. Every moment of every hour of every day, essentially, the locals are being watched. Unfortunately, we do not know what the actual capabilities are but I can only imagine that it is for spying purposes.

Something else I found interesting was the statement about the obligations. “Fly the Persistent Ground Surveillance System as much as possible, even if the camera systems/feed is broken.” The camera blimp, besides the U.S. Military’s purpose is to act as a scare. “Insurgents and Local Nationals alike believe the blimp can see everything and will act differently when it is up.” The local people have no idea what is going on and for all they know, their every move and sound is under surveillance.

I am not exactly keen on what going on in the world in terms of politics so I’m not sure why the military is doing such activities. I’m sure politics is playing a huge role it’s interesting to see the extent of invasiveness.

There were some parts of the Q and A that really stood out to me. At one point KJ was sharing about being up close and personal. I really valued that because that can change the whole dynamic. For instance, KJ walked up the the people asking the questions to see them, and in a sense have a better connection with them. Not only did she walk up to them, but she also was able to zone everyone else out as if no one else was in the room. Essentially, she transformed the group Q and A into multiple individual conversations.

Furthermore, another part that stood out was when she was talking about having the camera and she mentioned that it requires a sort of balance. She can’t just be behind the camera not engaged. She also cannot be too engaged and not trying to get good film. KJ basically has to connect with the people she wants to film but also not connect too much that it hindered her filming. I found it interesting that she brought up this point just because it seems like a tough task. Her work, amazing and very skillful, digs deeper than most documentaries. She develops a personal connection that obviously ends up holding a special place in he heart.

There were two lines that stood out to me when reading Kirsten Johnson’s Director’s Statement. “I can and will leave a place I film (a war, a refugee camp) when the people I film cannot”. “I follow stories the director I work for does not need and/or want me to follow”.  These two lies spoke to me because I could relate strongly. I enjoy traveling and learning about different cultures though, in most cases, I know I have a lot of privilege. I often take those experiences and all that I have for granted. Additionally, Kirsten has a sense of ambition. She takes initiative with her work in order to produce excellent pieces. She had a drive to fund what is important and document.

Last Monday was my very first day of this class. Everyone, except those who came from my school, of course, was a new face and new name. But I was easily able to interact and bond with my video group. One of the members in our group decided it would be better to make a video on the pets so it would be comical and not at all controversial. Then, as we were telling our stories they seemed to have a common theme. The making of the video was smooth and very little trouble. We did, however, have trouble with the original camera we picked, but after receiving a new one, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Having very little to no experience at all with making film and editing, I felt like I wasn’t able to help very much. Even still, my group was very knowledgeable, so I picked up a lot of tips and points as the night went on. Overall, I think it was a successful project with a great outcome, considering the circumstances.