Thursday, February 16, 2017

Documentary as a Rhetorical Tool

I'll be honest... Documentaries were never my favorite films to watch.  I never knew why exactly.   Maybe it was because the ones I saw had horrible effects that I just couldn't get past.  Or maybe it was because I never saw one that was interesting enough for me to want to keep watching it.  And then I watched Blackfish (2013).  It completely changed my way of looking at the documentary genre.  Not did it have a message that I strongly believe in, but it was also compelling to watch.  And then I realized that I do like documentaries when it is the right one.

Going into the documentary project, I followed the same guidelines.  I looked for one with a premise that intrigued me instead of one with the shortest run time.  The film I chose, Man on Wire, not only helped cement my appreciation of the genre, it also improved my rhetorical writing abilities.  In my previous writing classes, I was always encouraged to bring myself and my opinions into my writing.  This project taught me how separate myself from my writing.  I was able to be bring the focus off of me and bring focus to what the film does.  This was the first time I had to be objective in writing and it was a challenge I embraced.  It helped me grow in terms of my writing and I feel it is a challenge everyone should face in their writing careers.          

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