Impacts of Immigration in Film

The main argument I am going to be focusing on throughout this video essay is going to be how immigration serves as a great example of how film can be an educational tool that speaks volumes to the masses. Through the many films we have watched throughout this course I have come to look at film as something other than just entertainment. Film has become a resource to learn about differing cultures and customs that occur all around the world. I think it is vastly important that others also see this opportunity within film and that’s why I chose to focus my project on immigration and how it shifts the intentions of film.

I would like to go ahead and use a voiceover style of narration for my project. Basically, I am just going to show scenes from a few select movies and have it continuously playing in the background while I talk. For a few select parts, however; I am going to pause my talking so the viewer can hear important parts of some scenes. By having a voice over type style of narration I will be able to show people how the example of immigration can be used to serve as a source of cultural education while also still speaking and explaining. More specifically, I will do my video essay in the vlog style type of format. A vlog style is best for my specific situation because it allows for a lot of voiceover and typical is used to deliver an explanation to the argument at hand.

With my main argument in mind, I thought it would be an appropriate decision to now go ahead and pick some stills and scenes that would go hand in hand in making my point more visually clear.  The order and details in which the actual video would be made can be found below

• To start I am just going to have an introductory section where it’s a clip of me introducing myself and the argument I am going to present.
  • This shouldn’t take longer than a minute
  • I would like to use some soft instrumental music in the background while I talk
  • I want to use a fade style transition into the next part of my video

• The first film I am going to choose to use is one by the Lumière brothers as this is one of the first films that depicts the real and daily life of factory workers just walking out of the Lumière factory in Germany. This particular example sets the tone of the rest of the examples. This scene shows how people could see what Germans and what Germany looked like without the need to travel.
  • Time: start till 1 minute in
  • While this scene is playing, I am going to go ahead and mute it and do a voice over here. This particular scene is actually a silent one, so it is the perfect opportunity to go ahead a read what I wrote just above. Like I said above, this will give some context that will help support the idea that film can be used as a tool of education about other cultures.
  • Once the scene is done playing and I am done talking the video will quickly transition back to clip of me talking and the context of what I will be discussing can be found in the next step.
• Next I am going to dive into the more immigration side of the presentation. Here we see a film from the movie Almanyawhich is about a family who has immigrated to Germany from Turkey in hopes of a better life. In this particular scene that is about to play, you will give you an understanding of how Christmas is celebrated in Germany. While this is a more lighthearted example of how many immigrants faced struggles regarding identity when going to a new country, it still gives us a decent depiction of the daily struggles they face. This further supports the idea that through film based on immigration we can learn what a particular country might be like without traveling and we gain a slight understanding of what it might be like to immigrate without immigrating ourselves.
  • After the clip of me speaking is done playing the scene from Almanya will play
  • 1:02:30- 1:03:57
• To end I will have a short clip of me reinstating how film can serve as a source of education through the use of immigration within film.
  • I would like to use soft instrumental music in the background that I used on the first shot of me.
  • This clip is just for summarizing purposes and to restate the argument at hand.

Sarah Bonchick

Professor Tovey

German Cinema

29 April 2020

Nosferatu vs The German Society

• Title Page: “Fear vs The German Society- By Sarah Bonchick”
  • Narration on title page: The film that I will be focusing my final on is Nosferatu. One of the main themes that is presented in this film is fear.
• Slide 2: Theme: “The film Nosferatu shows that when people feel fear, they act on that fear by finding someone to blame it on, or immediately thinking the worst.”
  • Narration on Slide 2: The film Nosferatu shows that when people feel fear, they act on that fear by finding someone to blame it on, or immediately thinking the worst.Nosferatu helps us to compare this underlying theme of fear to the German society at the time this film was created. Post World War I, the German society was struggling to get back on its feet again. Nosferatu shows examples on how Germans projected their fears. Here are some examples to help emphasize these fears:
• Slide 3: Picture of Count Orlock
  • Narration on Slide 3: Count Orlock was a person from a foreign land. He was made to look very frightening in order to emphasize the fear that Germans felt during this time period. His character had a hooked nose, long fingernails, his face was rat like, and he had bushy eyebrows. These are the depictions of a stereotypical Jew. Jews have been considered scapegoats all throughout history. Once Germany lost the war, they needed to find someone or something to blame their losses on, so they can be proud of their nation and come back from this depression.
• Slide 4: Picture of Germany in shambles after World War I
  • Narration on Slide 4: Germany was in shambles from World War I and people were very on edge with the new government system, the Weimar Republic. This was the beginning of when Jews started to become the scapegoat for all of society’s problems. The Germans put this blame for all of the society’s problems on the Jewish population. This is why Count Orlock is depicted to look like a Jewish person, but in a more sickening way.
• Slide 5: Picture of Hutter traveling, and of Count Orlock’s Castle.
  • Narration on Slide 5: People were frightened about Count Orlock moving because they did not know anything about him. People set their fears into this newcomer because they were wary after losing the war, and not being in a stable country. There was a social consciousness of fear and unsteadiness at the time because of losing the war.
• Slide 6: “Examples of foreshadowing throughout the film”
  • Narration on Slide 6: This film reveals that all films have an underlying theme. It may be more prevalent in some films than in others. Films put a lot of thought into the way the characters look, how the actions of the characters come across, and the different scenes that are shown to reveal what the theme is. Nosferatu uses foreshadowing to help create fear for the viewer, as well as in the actual film itself. Here are a few examples of how foreshadowing is used in this film.

• • Slide 7: Picture of Ellen saying goodbye to Hutter.
    • Narration on Slide 7: When Ellen, Hutter’s wife, hears that he is going to Transylvania, also known as the land of phantoms and thieves, she looks terrified. Not knowing about where he is going and what he will encounter mirrors how Germans during this time treated people and places they knew nothing about. Fear overcomes them and they immediately think the worst.
  • Slide 8: Video clip from Nosferatu at 00:08:50-00:09:20
    • Narration before the clip starts on Slide 8: Here is a short clip from the film that shows how mysterious Transylvania is portrayed to be.

• Show video clip on Slide 8.

• • • Narration after video clip on Slide 8: The estate agent that Hutter works for tells him “you might have to go to a bit of trouble… a little sweat and maybe… a little blood”. This is foreshadowing that Hutter will come in contact with Nosferatu, the vampire. The estate agent also looks very mysterious in this scene, foreshadowing how mysterious of a place Transylvania is.
  • Slide 9: Picture of the book titled “Of Vampires Terrible Phantoms and the Seven Deadly Sins”
    • Narration on Slide 9: This book title comes up a few times before Hutter reaches Count Orlock’s castle. It is shown in the room he is staying at while he is traveling to get to Count Orlock. This scene foreshadows that Count Orlock is a vampire. When Hutter mentions he is going up to Count Orlock’s castle to the people around him, they all shudder in fear. They explain to Hutter the rumors they have heard, and that Count Orlock is known to be a vampire. But, no one is certain that he is one. People fear things that they do not know a lot about, as we have seen in the German society.
  • Slide 10: Video Clip from Nosferatu at 00:26:35-00:26:49.
    • Narration before the clip starts on Slide 10: This is an example of how the music plays a major role in producing fear into the viewer.

• Show video clip on slide 10.

• • Narration after video clip on Slide 10: The music riffs are short and sudden when something that is not good is about to happen. It is supposed to instill fear, and can also be shown as blaming Count Orlock for being bad before he does anything. Although Count Orlock does do something bad, the music makes us automatically assume he is a bad person. This scene depicts that when you do not know a lot about someone, you do not know what they do or are capable of doing. Hutter accidentally cuts himself on a knife, and Count Orlock immediately jumps and goes to his hand that is bleeding, and is going to suck the blood off. Hutter runs away in time.
• Slide 11: Picture of Count Orlock in his coffin.
  • Narration on Slide 11: The fear of death is shown when Hutter sees the casket that Count Orlock is sleeping in.mRight when Hutter sees the coffin, he immediately becomes scared. He becomes even more scared when he realizes that Count Orlock is inside. This shows that death is near, and that Hutter is terrified of it. This can relate back to the German society post World War I. Because Germans had faced a huge loss in their population from the war, they were afraid of death, and facing even more casualties.
• Final Slide: Picture of the cover of Nosferatu

Narration on Final Slide: This film helps to show that people in real life were afraid of death, just like in the movie. During World War I, lots of people had died, and there were many casualties that happened. Germans were afraid of having that happen again, and not having their national pride back. They tried to blame whoever they could for their problems, and the Jews happened to be their easiest target. Nosferatu does a great job in showing all of these different things, and comparing everything in the film to the German society at the time.

This film in general truly reflects the immigrant experience. Even in Germany, which is a very liberal country there are still stereotypes that are difficult to over come for any immigrant. Germany has made made unground, yet still had controversy with Jerome Boateng being suggested in the media as the next captain of the national team. A country that as so progressive as Germany still is not ready for a black captain of the pride of the country. The film plays off of this fact. It does not matter how far Germany has come, there still is a massive ugly shadow lurking, waiting to peek its nose out at the lease opportune moment. 

Sex trafficking is an ugly facet of Europe in general. There are red light districts in most major cities in Europe. While devils advocate might say that legal sex trade would be more safe for the professionals, it is simply not the case. The cycle within the film reflects the general circle of life in a way. The way that people are recruited and then have to be in charge is a major theme within the industry. It is a terrible cycle of abuse that ripples affect everyone a part of. 

Both of these films reflect the powerful nature of Mother Earth. Encounters at the Edge of the World is a true nature documentary, where as Fire at Sea revolves around a completely different topic yet still holds those themes true. Fire at Sea is able to weave in those ideals into a greater narrative. Encounters at the Edge of the World screenshot reflects the awe inspiring the nature of Antartica, but it does not only focus on the nature, the film examines the people involved with the continent. Fire at Sea focused on people which is the other side of the coin. The duality between the two vastly different films is what attracted me to comparing them together.

I picked a screenshot of an explorer underneath the dangerous ice from Encounters as it is so vastly different from Fire at Sea. Even though Encounters at the Edge of the World is a documentary, it maintains a surreal quality to it. Fire at Sea is more grounded in nature, which is why I picked the scene directly discussing nature. The weather in Antartica is naturally more miserable, making it the perfect juxtaposition of two polar opposites. I think that these two screenshots play off each other in a meaningful way.