Wednesday, March 4, 2009

This American Life

I am so glad this class has introduced me to this television series. I have never heard of the show. I only heard about Ira Glass, because I have some friends who have a crush on him. Anyways, this show is a great example of how we are all surrounded by magnificent stories full of emotion. The stylistic methods of This American Life helps to accentuate the smallest of themes into a question the audience can ponder. All the stories were so deep. Many would start off funny, but would go beyond the limits to find out what emotional truths are beneath the characters. I found this an effective story-telling technique, grabbing the audience and creating depth.
One of my favorite segments consisted of a house of care for the elderly in California. This is no ordinary home. It houses creative individuals with talents ranging from singing to painting to scriptwriting. The story emphasizes the desire to start a new life at an old age. Following a 63 year old woman who longs to be a successful scriptwriter, Suzanne Knode writes a short script to be filmed, edited and submitted to Sundance Film Festival. The show follows the auditions held among the residents and part of the shoot held in a convenience store. What's different about this type of filmmaking is the passion expressed among the older men and women. It shows that goals and aspirations are not just for the young, but the old have them, too. And for them, it's even more heartfelt because time is so limited.

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