War in Afghanistan – Media Perspectives by Keren Ighalo
The media source I liked the best was the documentary: Waging Peace on Canada in Afghanistan by Richard Fitoussi. This media source has the most information on its topic, it gives true facts on the events throughout the war, and the documentary doesn’t cut out any important information just because it isn’t dramatic or cinematic enough. The narrator’s voiceover is scripted and provides context for the on-screen picture. The video is shot with a hand-held camera, so it is a little shaky, however, this adds to the element of realism that the Hollywood movie on Canada in Afghanistan lacked. Another effect towards realism is the smoke and sand in the foreground, this would never be in a professional film …show more content…
Another aspect of this media source that pushed me to favor it over the other sources was the writer’s and director’s ability to ‘diverge from the mainstream’. This is especially noticeable in the beginning of the film, when Fitoussi articulates, “We all know the story by now. We know the setting and we know the characters […] played out in the media every day – used by politicians and TV networks looking for headlines and ratings” he further exposits, “But this isn’t that story, this isn’t that setting, and these aren’t those characters; because this isn’t Iraq, and these aren’t Americans” (Waging Peace: Canada in Afghanistan Documentary 1:06-1:39). This introduction into the events in Afghanistan is followed by a close-up of the Canadian flag as it is sown onto the shoulder of a soldier’s army jacket. The aforementioned section of the documentary, however miniscule in the 53-minute feature is largely powerful due to its elegant summary of why and how Canada in Afghanistan is not the same as America in Iraq. It isn’t being drowned in public relation smokescreens and labelled with a pretty headline, “David Eubank Runs Through Gunfire in [Iraq] To Save a Child”
The media source I liked the best was the documentary: Waging Peace on Canada in Afghanistan by Richard Fitoussi. This media source has the most information on its topic, it gives true facts on the events throughout the war, and the documentary doesn’t cut out any important information just because it isn’t dramatic or cinematic enough. The narrator’s voiceover is scripted and provides context for the on-screen picture. The video is shot with a hand-held camera, so it is a little shaky, however, this adds to the element of realism that the Hollywood movie on Canada in Afghanistan lacked. Another effect towards realism is the smoke and sand in the foreground, this would never be in a professional film …show more content…
Another aspect of this media source that pushed me to favor it over the other sources was the writer’s and director’s ability to ‘diverge from the mainstream’. This is especially noticeable in the beginning of the film, when Fitoussi articulates, “We all know the story by now. We know the setting and we know the characters […] played out in the media every day – used by politicians and TV networks looking for headlines and ratings” he further exposits, “But this isn’t that story, this isn’t that setting, and these aren’t those characters; because this isn’t Iraq, and these aren’t Americans” (Waging Peace: Canada in Afghanistan Documentary 1:06-1:39). This introduction into the events in Afghanistan is followed by a close-up of the Canadian flag as it is sown onto the shoulder of a soldier’s army jacket. The aforementioned section of the documentary, however miniscule in the 53-minute feature is largely powerful due to its elegant summary of why and how Canada in Afghanistan is not the same as America in Iraq. It isn’t being drowned in public relation smokescreens and labelled with a pretty headline, “David Eubank Runs Through Gunfire in [Iraq] To Save a Child”