Review of Reading 27: Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film

I thought that Seeing Green: Knowing and Saving the Environment on Film was a very interesting article. It began, by explaining to us why mass media was so important and crucial in getting the world about environmental problems and solutions out there. I enjoyed the part right away in the article when it stated "In other words, we can be told that rain forests are disappearing at alarming rates, but the often-cited statistics (Picture taken by Ashley Penrod) are not as compelling until one has actually seen the destruction." I think that this is important, because it shows how until we, as humans see something, we don't really believe it usually. This is the reason why documentaries and films are so important, because it shows us what's going on in the world and not just hear about it.

The Fantasies of Natural History Film
This section of the article talked about how environmentally committed documentaries include wildlife and natural history films. It starts by talking about two books, both of which challenge the notation. This section talks a lot about how Americans probably think that and expect nature films to be like the real thing, when in reality they are very "made up" and not very well portrayed, much so like a fantasy. Most films on wildlife are focused on Darwinian topics or on animal relationships. Because of this portrayal, it can be hard to have boundaries between the use of these films as entertainment or for the sciences as an educational tool.


Framing Environmental Degradation
This section of the article discusses how films go about showing the deterioration of the environment. It said that most of the time, it's easiest to establish a problem briefly, while all the while examining the solutions. It gave an example of keystone species in an area, in which they are indicators of a healthy ecosystem, because they require more space and more resources. The article gave two examples of films that talk about degradation. In the movie, Since the Company Came, a Malaysian logging company has been cutting and exporting tropical limber. In the film, they talk to the loggers, the townspeople, men and women, and get their thoughts on what the logging is doing to the culture and environment. The film depicts women who are not for the logging for the purposes of wanting clean water and wanting to continue to be able to eating fish from the water. The loggers themselves often said that they were thinking about the future and how this would effect their lives. The second film, Second Nature: Bulding Forests in West Africa's Savannas, focused on how they differed from the normal narratives and broader aspects of environmental degradation. A quote from the book said that the film "uncritically place blame on local ecological mismanagement and overpopulation" rather than thinking about the problem in a more worldwide tone.

Visualizing Green Crusades
Films often raise questions of how and what strategies will work to help us to save the environment. Save the Panda and The Rhino War are both documentaries which use images of wildlife, music, and dramatic story lines of destruction and redemption to get peoples attention. The article stated however, that they both brought a new aspect to the film, a person who is trying to help save the animals and their environment. "These films confirm two basic points famliar to natural history film audiences: (1) that proper conservation is to set up pakrs managed by experts and patrolled by armed guards, supported by efforts to educate locals about natural resources while keeping them separate from each other; and (2) that individuals, with the appropriate knowledge (science) and equipment (radio transmitters and guns) can make a difference." I think that in saying that, the films are trying to show that anyone can go out and make a difference and help, all you need is the proper equipment and training. Another type of film that is used is "green primitive." In these films, it is shown that we can live in harmony with nature. They often create romantic visions of what the environment and its surroundings can be like. The problem with these types of films, is that the people in it claim to represent the agency and often deny the voices.

My Thoughts
I thought that this article was very intereresting to read. It showed that we do need documentaries and films on the environement and environment related topics, but how and what to put in them is still very contraversial and may not always be relevant to what we actually need in them. I really liked this quote from the article, "So there is growing realization that conservation is not simply about what kind of nature activists imagine or know they want to preserve or restore; it is also an important arena in which they, explicitly, project and reimagine community, political-economic relationships, and social justice." With this growing knowledge, hopefully we will be able to see a really effective way of getting the word out about the environment and how we can help it! There has to be a way that we can get out the important topics and show the need for them. This article definitely made me open my eyes to the fact that we need to find these ways as soon as possible.

Some Terms
nonmediagenic mechanisms: I couldn't find nonmediagenic... but I found medagnic, so I'd just put the word not in front of it to take place of the non.
Not attractive and appealing to viewers and readers of the news media

archetypal: A stereotype or oversimplification

Environmental Degradation: The deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.

Matrilineage: Line of descent as traced through women on the maternal side of a family.

I found this website called, The Environment A Global Challenge, that I thought was pretty cool. It talks about Environmental degradation, something that I'm interested in! Check it out!