The Study of Film: My Initial Thoughts

#1 After reading the introduction chapter to Engaging Cinema, what are your initial thoughts as to studying the subject of film?

                     The chapter expressed that films show characters and their problems that resemble the problems that we face, that we can relate to, or that we haven't faced; it deals with people and their behavior, so I think film is interesting. Film has the ability to connect with the audience a express a sense of empathy. I think that film is something that is rather ambiguous, meaning that films can have more than one interpretation. Each person interprets movies differently. So I that the study of film is ultimately unique.

#2 Are movies a social danger or a social benefit?

                     I think that movies are a social danger and a social benefit. In my opinion, movies do influence people, whether it is to do good things or it is to do bad things. Movies that involve heroic or martyr characters may influence a person to help others in situations when ordinarily they might not have thought to. Movies with rated scenes and characters that are bad boys or are violent may influence a person to do bad things, act differently, and crave excitement and adrenaline may do things that they wouldn't have originally done before seeing the movie.
                    Movies could influence a person so much, for example, that if a person enjoys CSI or Law and Order he or she may be inspired to  choose a career path in law enforcement. On the other hand, rated R movies could give ideas to a person and influence a person to act out violently like a character(James Holmes, who killed 12 people in a theatre ,acted/posed as the joker) or recreate the event in which took place in the movie.
                     However, I don't believe that movies are fully responsible for a person's behavior and actions. A person has control over how she or he behaves. I think that a person has the full capability of choosing whether to accept or reject and emulate or ignore the ideas of a movie.
                

First Post on Hisory Through Film

1. What are your thoughts about taking the class History Through Film? What do you hope to get out this class and what strength will you bring to the class that will help us all progress forward as we learn?

I think that History Through Film is a very new perspective of history. This class I think will help me learn the facts in history by comparing films with the real story. It will help me understand how some films don't have the facts and add in false information, while some do have the facts and information closest, if not exactly, to the real events. I will try my best to offer my opinions and my full participation in all that we do.