1930's Film Analysis

Given the presence of photographic approaches and documentary evidence in the 1930’s, it seems as if the events of the Great Depression took place in black and white. Artists were forced to react to the changing times, or risk losing their job. In response, the 1930’s became a time of documentary photography and expression. Artists began to explore alternate routes of showcasing their talents, all with the intention of revealing the reality that was the Great Depression. Seeing this new opportunity, the government began getting involved with the photography aspect. Photos taken during the 1930 's, often funded by the Federal Government, helped showcase the declining conditions of average citizens while also posing an uncertainty of the validity …show more content…
With the goal of setting up a public department to explain to Congress the problem it was trying to solve, the organization commonly turned to photography (“FSA Photographers 1”). The FSA sent pictures to numerous newspapers and publishing houses in an attempt to raise a certain kind of awareness of the ongoing conditions. The photos were supposed to bring about some governmental action to the increasing number of social ills. However, the organization quickly became a subject of substantial controversy. Was the FSA simply giving information, a reminder that Americans desperately needed, or did it constitute propaganda? The organization used photographs to accomplish a specific political goal, but its content was favorable to its cause in such a way to assert beliefs and opinions through the iconic images being published. When the arguments become too persuasive or the statements are actually false, the photographs qualify as propaganda (“FSA Photographers” 2). It can be argued that the FSA didn’t truly have American 's best interest at heart if the organization itself was guilty of misleading its people with subjectivity, fabrications, and …show more content…
Journalists have struggled to achieve a balance between magnifying the truth and reducing the amount of harm to the viewers (Irby). For an image to be communicated as a political message, the scene cannot simply be portrayed; the point is that the scene naturally occurred. The FSA did the same thing as their photos-pretended to be authentic to support a cause. Were the people in charge wrong to recreate significant scenes in order to spark action in America? The photographers who worked for the program produced extraordinarily powerful photographs that, because they were photographs, appeared to be an indisputable account of the truth. Historians and viewers need to scrutinize the validity of visual representation just like they would a written or oral account of