(This is my Assessment on The Power of One, My thoughts and reflections will be below).
During the first 35-46 dreadful years of apartheid, it was at it’s strongest point, people who had darker skin were labeled as “coloured” people. It was racial segregation created by the Afrikaaners. In the film The Power of One, directed by John Avildson, during the scene where Peekay and Gideon Duma were running through the village narrow pathways, whilst passing through the crowd Peekay notices a prolonged extended line which had confused him, so he questioned Gideon about it, saying “What’s the queue for?” “toilet” Gideon replied, “Toilet?” Peekay questions, “The government only allows one of every 200 people”. In this scene you can see the racial differences made and you can see how white people were juxtaposed to black people, this scene, for example, you can see how the people in Alexandra have to share one toilet between 200 people, whereas the Afrikaaners or Englishmen had a toilet in each home, maybe even two if they wanted.
In this scene, we have a glimpse sight of a dolly shot, which can also be known as a tracking shot. This is validated by, when Gideon and Peekay are jogging to the drinking fountain, the camera is seen following the main characters first from in front, then from the side, this being called a tracking/dolly shot. Avildson’s purpose of this shot was to keep the main protagonists in the scene whilst moving into another area or atmosphere. This helps us come to an understanding of how the director wants us to mainly observe the scenery, their body language and the dialogue. This scene can be juxtaposed from when the raid happened and when all the Afrikaaners such as Sargent Borman, were looking for Peekay and so they jostled their way through Alexandria, harming those who happened to be in the way, until he finally found Peekay, just to try eliminating him, but failed miserably.
In this scene, Avildson had chosen a warm homely atmosphere and particular diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. This is exemplified when Peekay and Gideon were running through the village, the non-diegetic sounds that can be heard are the sounds of a happy town, people having normal conversations, cars turning on and everything you'd see in a happily natural town. The diegetic sounds that can be heard, are a faint sound of a happy melody played by a flute. Avildson’s purpose of using both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds, was to help set the scenery, showing that people of Alexandria were in their own calm environment and that they also feel happiness even though they were treated differently. This technique impacted because, even though there were racial segregations against coloured people, if they still had each other, then they were accepting of how things were and were able to carry on living in peace as long as they stayed quiet. The sounds that are used can be contrasted to when everyone was screaming for their lives whilst the Afrikaaners raided their city.
In the film The Power of One, long shots were used very effectively. For example, in this scene, just before they begin running, both Peekay and Gideon were to be seen in a long shot with the students and Gideon’s wife also known as Miriam Sisulu. The director’s purpose of using this type of angle is to show the characteristics of the person and their body language, also to show everyone who seems to be talking and the atmosphere behind them. This helps the audience come to an understanding of how he wanted to show us how he would perceive them to be. He is also trying to show us his perspective on how he thinks they would act, their body movement and clothing. This can also be juxtaposed to close up scenes, whereas in those particular scenes, you cannot see their costumes and you are unable to see their body language.
Overall I think that the film, The Power of One, was a very eye-opening film that was well related to the past and was like a vivid imitation of what actually used to happen during apartheid and racial segregation. I think Avildson had a wild but powerful imagination on how he has seen apartheid back in the early 1900s. I feel like this film is a direct message to the world, telling and showing them what the world used to be, and how “coloured” people were separated from white people. The film itself includes more than just apartheid but, racial segregations, wars also between white people, for example, when the Germans had a war against the Englishmen which happened to carry on for months. This particular film also shows parts of normal reality, such as how people treat each other just because looks may be different. This is a really good movie that should be showcased in all schools over the globe, this being so students of each generation should know what has happened in the past and what can happen in the future, showcasing this film to students can make them think about how each person is treated differently, and that a single person can make a big change.
My Reflection.
One thing I'm proud of in my assessment is I'm proud that I got my work finished on time and I am proud of my scores from it. Another thing I am proud of is that I stayed on task and I achieved my goals towards making the assessment. One thing I enjoyed about my assessment would have to be, being able to watch the movie twice, and how I learned more about Afrikaaners and Apartheid. For example, I didn't know what apartheid was and what it meant, now I know when it happened, how it occurred, the reasoning for it, and how long it has been around for, this assessment helped me also learn new camera techniques and camera angles. Something I found challenging about this assessment may have to be writing everything in a body paragraph, in a SEXXY formation and when I had to write my conclusion. Things I found helpful and useful for this, would have to be the example sheet my teacher had given us, I hope it will be given again for the next assessments because it is very useful. One thing I am wondering about is when am I going to use these tactics in real life and does it really help.
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(image taken from google)
