Cameraperson: Film Analysis

I went into seeing Cameraperson without any knowledge of what it was about. I did not look up reviews of the film nor did I know that it was a documentary. I just went because it was the only screening that fit into my schedule for that week. It was also my second time ever going to the Wexner Center so my friend and I got lost when we tried to find the theater. I also found out then that the director of Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson, was going to be there to speak and answer questions.
I really enjoyed the documentary. The friend that I went with fell asleep for most of the film, so I am not sure if he enjoyed it too. However, he said he did like the parts of the film that he was awake for. I thought the idea of clips used to tell a story …show more content…
I especially found the clips of Foca, Bosnia interesting not only because Johnson went there several times producing several clips of the Bosnian family but also because there is a big Bosnian community where I am from in Sugar Hill, Georgia. I has several Bosnian friends in highschool and I could tell that they were discriminated against due to their practicing of Islam. I found it more relevant to the females than males who experienced the discrimination. This experience of mine further resonated the message of Johnson’s …show more content…
I forget the question that lead to Johnson speaking about her subjects but I found her statement about it interesting. Johnson has noticed that she had shot white people and white bodies inside housing or in more favorable locations as opposed to black or brown people and black or brown bodies outside or in less favorable locations. She explained that even these subtle details depict underlying biases that she has and therefore became projected in her work. I found this statement interesting because it sparks conversation in which we question everything shown to us in media we consume. I for one will notice subtle racism but never address it but I find it encouraging that Johnson did that especially in front of an audience. One audience member asked Johnson why we as humans are alive. Johnson replied back saying she thinks humans are animals and we do things because we are animals. She mentions that when she was pregnant, she felt the most animalistic. Johnson also spoke about how people become aware of the camera and either feel uncomfortable or act differently. I found this interesting because when audiences view the film they often forget that they are looking at images captured by a camera. I know that during Cameraperson I felt so immersed in the images that I forgot that they had to be captured by Kirsten Johnson and her