Okay so this is a video made to demonstrate the struggle Syrian people (especially girls) are facing with the war. My class was shown this video multiple times and was asked to explain what was going on, and what we thought the relevance of it was.
What's happening?
So this is a stop motion video. Stop motion just means that it was put together through a series of pictures, not videos. The director of this short video is Amer Albarzawi, and the main female actor is Farah Presley. Throughout the video there are real people used to demonstrate the characters, and fake backdrops used to demonstrate the setting. This video is about one minute long and revolves around one girl. The music in this video starts off friendly and sweet, and quickly begins sounding dark and dystopic. There is a real juxtaposition between the colors, themes, and sounds from the beginning of this video to the end. It is really dark and sad and defiantly leaves an impact on the viewers.
What influence has his video had on the media? What do they have to say about it?
Youtube: "The uprising movement in Syria was stolen by the extremists , this short pixilation Film , tells how the Syrian people's lives turned to black, how their dreams were shattered, and how their future can no longer be thought of."
PBS News Hour:
"The psychological toll of Syria’s war in one breathtaking minute"
As you can see, this video has had a real impact on the media and society. But, why did these individuals decide to make such a touching video? What inspired them?
Read all about Amer's story here. Reading about what inspired him to create this videos really helps me gain a better understanding as to what the meaning of this video is. I like knowing a bit about the background of things before analyzing them, and this website gives a quick, but thorough summary of all the events that lead Amer to create this video.
So, what is the relevance of this video? Why is it so important? And what symbolism is in it?
The relevance of this video is quite simple in my point of view, I think that this video was created to show people that have never seen war what it is like to those who live there. It is meant to give a third world perspective to first world people. I don't know about everyone else, but when I hear of news of Syria, I always think of the murderers, dictators, and terrorists. I think of it as a cold war land; but this video shows what it's like for the people who aren't at war, this video shows the perspective of an average girl, one who has grown up in Syria, and now must face a new harsh reality. Syria is a home to people, much like Canada is a home to me, and I cannot imagine what it would be like to feel unsafe in my own home. I think this video was meant to bring attention to the average person, it was meant to expose the struggle of Syrians, and show that people are in pain over there too. Not everyone in Syria is an extremist, or a fighter. Not everyone wants to be at war. Some people just want to live a normal life, and they are stripped of this dream because of where they live.
This video is important basically just to bring awareness. Maybe after watching this video people will feel more welcoming to refugees. There's not really much we can do, which is unfortunate, but it's true. This video won't do anything, it's the actions of the people who watch it that will make a change, it's the people inspired be this video. I don't really know what can be done at this point, I don't really think anyone knows. We are sending help, accepting refugees, but it's not our country, and sadly that's about all we can do for now.
There was a lot of symbolism in this video, and I probably missed some of it too. It starts off with a blue sky, sunny day, birds whistling, and a happy girl. Clear blue skies are a pretty good sign that everything's going good. Also, the music is calm and soothing, the girls hair is curly, and bouncy, and her clothes are bright. She's looking all around basking in the beauty of the world and boom; thunder cracks. Thunder is never a good thing, you know as the storm starts rolling in the whole story is going to change. Dark clouds begin creeping in changing the once blue sky to grey and black, and the music changes, now it sounds dark. The girl begins to look worried and the screen goes black for a moment. The girl still looks the same, a little sad but still wearing the same clothes, and the back drop is now completely black. The fact that after all of that change the girl is still wearing the same clothes lets the viewer know that the change was quick, and no one saw it coming. People yell at the girl and she begins looking sweaty. A man puts a hijab around the girls neck and it appears that it is choking her. It is denying her air like she is denied her rights, she is being choked with all these new rules, she can't breathe, and she stops fighting. She lets the hijab cover her face and now they have taken her identity. She is not the same girl who started this video, she's just another unrecognizable face. She become coated in back and can't escape as the world become dark, all her hopes, dreams, and wishes are gone;trapped, just like her. Her hand escapes for a moment almost crying for help, but no one else is around to help her, so she slips into nothing, all her aspirations gone, the life that she knew, gone.
The relevance of this video is quite simple in my point of view, I think that this video was created to show people that have never seen war what it is like to those who live there. It is meant to give a third world perspective to first world people. I don't know about everyone else, but when I hear of news of Syria, I always think of the murderers, dictators, and terrorists. I think of it as a cold war land; but this video shows what it's like for the people who aren't at war, this video shows the perspective of an average girl, one who has grown up in Syria, and now must face a new harsh reality. Syria is a home to people, much like Canada is a home to me, and I cannot imagine what it would be like to feel unsafe in my own home. I think this video was meant to bring attention to the average person, it was meant to expose the struggle of Syrians, and show that people are in pain over there too. Not everyone in Syria is an extremist, or a fighter. Not everyone wants to be at war. Some people just want to live a normal life, and they are stripped of this dream because of where they live.
This video is important basically just to bring awareness. Maybe after watching this video people will feel more welcoming to refugees. There's not really much we can do, which is unfortunate, but it's true. This video won't do anything, it's the actions of the people who watch it that will make a change, it's the people inspired be this video. I don't really know what can be done at this point, I don't really think anyone knows. We are sending help, accepting refugees, but it's not our country, and sadly that's about all we can do for now.
There was a lot of symbolism in this video, and I probably missed some of it too. It starts off with a blue sky, sunny day, birds whistling, and a happy girl. Clear blue skies are a pretty good sign that everything's going good. Also, the music is calm and soothing, the girls hair is curly, and bouncy, and her clothes are bright. She's looking all around basking in the beauty of the world and boom; thunder cracks. Thunder is never a good thing, you know as the storm starts rolling in the whole story is going to change. Dark clouds begin creeping in changing the once blue sky to grey and black, and the music changes, now it sounds dark. The girl begins to look worried and the screen goes black for a moment. The girl still looks the same, a little sad but still wearing the same clothes, and the back drop is now completely black. The fact that after all of that change the girl is still wearing the same clothes lets the viewer know that the change was quick, and no one saw it coming. People yell at the girl and she begins looking sweaty. A man puts a hijab around the girls neck and it appears that it is choking her. It is denying her air like she is denied her rights, she is being choked with all these new rules, she can't breathe, and she stops fighting. She lets the hijab cover her face and now they have taken her identity. She is not the same girl who started this video, she's just another unrecognizable face. She become coated in back and can't escape as the world become dark, all her hopes, dreams, and wishes are gone;trapped, just like her. Her hand escapes for a moment almost crying for help, but no one else is around to help her, so she slips into nothing, all her aspirations gone, the life that she knew, gone.
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