Film Analysis: Vik Muniz

1073 Words3 Pages

Vik Muniz was born in Brazil in 1961. He grew up in a poor neighborhood before he attended the Fundacão Armmando Alvares Penteado de São Paulo to study advertising. The neighborhood he grew up in was one of the poorer parts of Brazil and contributed to his ideas of using everyday materials in which no one ever gave much thought. After college, Muniz was put in a situation where he got shot by some random man on the street. He used the compensation money he received from the incident to buy a plane ticket to move to Brooklyn, New York, where he currently resides and works (TED Talk). He seems to not have any true professional training, as he said he only found and learned about art through the books he borrowed at his local library. In the beginning, …show more content…

This attitude was different than the attitude the pickers had in the beginning of the film. In the beginning, almost every single picker mentions how proud they are to be a picker and they actually, in a way, like being a picker. Most of the pickers had started the job at a very young age, so for most of them, that is the only job they really know. Since Muniz gave them a glimpse at work that is far different than being a picker, their attitude shifted towards being a picker. I think that was also one of Muniz’s intentions for this work, to show the pickers that there is more to life, and more in the world than just trash and nothing is too far out of reach for …show more content…

Artists used to be hired for the wealthy to create portraits just for them to show off their wealth, or hired by the church to convey a religious message that they wanted. Today, art also plays the role of conveying a message, but it is a different message. This message may be different and unique to each individual, or just a different message in general. For Vik, the message from doing the Waste Land project, in my opinion, was different for each individual. Although the actual works that the pickers and Vik worked on were cleaned up rather quickly after he photographed them, they still communicated the message he wanted them to. I think this is also similar for other artists such as Bansky, their work may not last a long time, but the message lasts a lot

Show More
Related

  • Film Analysis: Two Spirits

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    On October 14th, 2016 in class we watched “Two Spirits” by Lydia Nibley. Basically the film explored the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder of the main character. Fred was part of an honored “Navajo” youth who was killed at the age of sixteen by a man who bragged to his friends that he was nothing but a “fag”. While walking home from a carnival he was chased by one of his friends. Once his friend caught up to Fred, he pulled him down from a mountain and smashed his head with a heavy rock. Fred laid there for five days straight where two young boys found his body lying there. He was labeled as a “two-spirit” who was possessed of balancing masculine and feminine traits. In the film, there are two parts that are put together effortlessly like the people it discusses. Most of the documentary focuses on Fred’s murder, but the real issues in the film were those of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community and how its members were viewed in a

    Read More

  • Dope Film Analysis

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie Dope, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, follows the story of Malcolm through his senior year of high school in the Inglewood California. He lives in a poor neighborhood, with only his mom, yet he still strives for greatness. He has a couple of friends, and they all love 90’s hip hop culture. They try to do their best to stay out of trouble and away from bullies. Malcolm sees a girl he likes and ends up following her to a drug dealer’s birthday party. When the cops bust the birthday party, he unknowingly goes home with all the drugs and the gun that the drug dealer owns. This sets off a wild chain reaction, as he now has to sell these drugs to payoff the supplier, who happens to be the Harvard Alumni that Malcolm’s needs approval

    Read More

  • Bielski Otraid: Film Analysis

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    When thinking of the word resistance, one gets a picture of a small, weak group of people using guns to fight against a powerful evil. Although this is a correct interpretation of resistance, there are more forms, such as spiritual and cultural resistance, that can be equally devastating to the cause of the powerful evil. A major example of all of these forms of resistance is the Bielski Otraid, subject of the 2008 film Defiance, as they actively resisted the Germans in these ways, become the physical embodiment of Jewish resistance as they drew parallels with the resistance shown by the Jewish people. The Jewish people demonstrated all of the forms of resistance, from the physical resistance seen in the armed revolts seen in multiple ghettos and some death camps, and the spiritual resistance through the attempted continuation of normal life in the ghettos and the acceptance of faith while at the death camps.

    Read More

  • Macario Film Analysis

    2203 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Golden Age of Mexican cinema (1936-1959) produced great films that not only established a national identity, but also helped to spread Catholicism through movies such as Macario (1961), by Roberto Gavaldón, and Salón México (1949), by Antonio Díaz Conde. The film, Macario, follows the story of a man named Macario, a peasant who struggles with his family to survive poverty. After Macario shares with Death one of his most awaited meals, Death rewards Macario with the ability to tell who will die and how to cure those who are sick. Salón México focuses on Mercedes, a woman who works in a cabaret in order to keep her sister, Beatriz, at a private school. At one point, Mercedes wins a dancing contest with Paco, a thief and womanizer obsessed

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Waste Land By Vik Muuniz

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Initially, Vik Muniz displayed an attitude of pity and shock towards the pickers and the landfill when he first encountered the video revealing the horrendous conditions in the landfill. He reveals the map of the landfill to his wife and describes it as “This is the end of their life. This is where everything not good goes” (Walker). The geographical location of the landfill is secluded from the world, so the pickers will not be the most experienced group of people in regards to cooperating with an outsider. The

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Martian

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of The Martian focuses on the obstacles botanist and astronaut Mark Watney must overcome to survive on the planet Mars. His adventure is filled with fictional and non-fictional elements that are most likely difficult for the normal individual to identify what is actually realistic and what is simply fantasy. After taking a closer look, this film contains a lot more realism to actual science and space travel today. This paper will closely analyze and discuss three accuracies and inaccuracies of the film in relation to the content discussed in ESS 102 lectures, labs, and assignments.

    Read More

  • Art Comparison

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Art is a language of its own and with out he proper understanding, people are like expression goes “left on the outside looking in”. In other words, people without the proper understanding of art, technique and form as well as other elements can’t appreciate a work of art as much as when you understand why an artist painted in the way they did and what they are trying to get across to his audience. Despite artists attempts to try and make their works as viewer friendly as possible, without the understanding and knowledge gained from an art class as this one people will never fully understand the a work of art as it is meant to be.

    Read More

  • Griselda Pollock: Article Analysis

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article Artists Mythologies and Media Genius, Madness and Art History (1980) by Griselda Pollock is a forty page essay where Pollock (1980), argues and explains her views on the crucial question, "how art history works" (Pollock, 1980, p.57). She emphasizes that there should be changes to the practice of art history and uses Van Gogh as a major example in her study. Her thesis is to prove that the meaning behind artworks should not be restricted only to the artist who creates it, but also to realize what kind of economical, financial, social situation the artist may have been in to influence the subject that is used. (Pollock, 1980, pg. 57) She explains her views through this thesis and further develops this idea by engaging in scholarly debates with art historians and researcher, and objecting to how they claim there is a general state of how art is read. She structures her paragraphs in ways that allows her to present different kinds of evidences from a variety sources while using a formal yet persuasive tone of voice to get her point across to the reader.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: Fed Up

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.

    Read More

  • Shock Doctrine Essay

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie Shock Doctrine revolves around the concept of the same name. The film begins by discussing psychological research on the effects of shock therapy. It is evident that a person under extreme stress and anxiety commonly experienced during a crisis functions and performs inadequately. It is noted that the studies are conducted by a man by the name of Milton Friedman, from the University of Chicago; the studies took place in the past, and some of the subjects are still recovering in the aftermath. From this research, interrogation techniques were learned and the concept of the shock doctrine was formed. Essentially through causing a crisis, the population of a country can be shocked into complying with accepting laws that favors the United States and capitalism. This theory coexists with Friedman’s belief in that government regulation is bad, and through a crisis a country would better itself with deregulation. The video uses Chile as an example and shows how America allowed a crisis to occur in Chile, through coups, interrogations and subterfuge. In the end a new government is formed that allows capitalism. Unfortunately afterwards violence and riots occur, as the rich gain most of the wealth and poverty rises. In addition to Chile, Argentina, Russia and even Iraq underwent the shock doctrine. Almost in every account, poverty rises and violence ends up erupting. The movie ends by showing how the US was in the process of the shock doctrine, and still is but the population has taken notice. Protests such as Occupy Wall Street are some of the initiatives necessary to bring awareness to the problems of class inequalities in order to prevent capitalism from benefitting the rich and increasing the wealth gap among the classes.

    Read More

  • North By Northwest Film Analysis

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the film, “North by Northwest” we see a series of shots that creates suspense and danger. The point of the film is very vague and it ends without a resolution to the main conflict. The incredible camera work and techniques that Alfred Hitchcock did created a feeling of danger and suspense, making the audience want to see more. Also, Hitchcock's film main character Roger O. Thornhill creates suspense with his mistaken identity and fight for his escape. The film uses a handful of shots, for example, medium shots, close ups, long shots and shot-reverse-shots. I found particularly interesting how a handful of shots can create suspense and the feeling of danger can create a misleading plot.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Prestige

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Prestige is a movie about magicians that turn into enemies when a magician’s wife dies in an accident on stage. Angier’s wife dies when she is doing a trick with him and another magician Borden. Borden is possibly the one that caused her death depending on the kind of knot he tied for the trick. Throughout the movie we see several different parts of what we have seen or read in the recent chapters. Anywhere from love and attraction to aggression to the law; this movie seemed to have it all.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Fifth Element

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most exciting new technologies being developed today is the manufacture of replacement body parts to be used to treat illnesses in humans. Today, this is accomplished in part through the use of bio-printing to 3-D print living cells into more complex structures. In the movie, The Fifth Element, there is a scene that takes this technology to the extreme and manufactures an entirely new human. The process used in the movie starts from a sample of one cell, preserved inside of a metal gauntlet, and then proceeds to recreate the person whose cell that used to be. The print in the movie is physically done by creating one part of the body, such as the skeleton, at a time. The entire print in the movie only takes around two minutes.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: A League of Their Own

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    A League of Their Own (Marshall, 1992) explicitly characterizes an American era when a woman’s place was in the home. Even our modern perspective implicitly follows suit. Although women have gained rights and freedoms since the 1930’s, sexism remains prevalent in America. This film offers an illustration when men went to war and big business men utilized women as temporary replacements in factories, sports, and so on. Here, course concepts, such as gender socialization, gender expressions, role stereotypes, emotion expressions, and language, correspond to the film’s characters and themes.

    Read More

  • Essay On Van Gogh

    1371 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vincent Van Gogh’s well known artwork had a profound impact on the world. After being rejected countless times by other jobs, Van Gogh realized that art was his calling and he begun to research other artists and various artwork. He visited several museums in London and got inspiration from many of the impressionists living in Europe at the time.

    Read More

More about Film Analysis: Vik Muniz

Open Document