Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A Different Way of Looking at Things

One thing that I have learned over my lifetime, is that there are many different ways to look at the same thing. One person may see one thing in a few different ways. Different people may look at the same thing different ways. The end result of this could either be a broad range of perspectives resulting in the development of new knowledge or conflict amongst those with differing views. In the 2008 film, Vantage Point, this concept is seen perfectly. According to the text, "point of view can thus encourage the audience to react in one way or another to the same kind of events" (Brummett, 171). The film is set in Spain, where a controversial president is delivering a speech at some type of parade. The president is then shot and assassinated by an unknown assailant. The rest of the film is chronicling the events leading up to, during and after the assassination as seen through the eyes of various people who were in attendance and as viewers later find out, in some way involved in the situation. On of the perspectives was that of a member of a secret service like security officer, one is of a media reporter who was in the film room at the time that the event was being recorded and televised live for the world, and one was that of a citizen attending the rally who happened to be using a video camera to capture the event, along with many others. As the story progresses and the truth is revealed, we find that each one of these characters has their own motives and motivations for doing what they did. Although they are witnessing and experiencing the same event, each one of their points of view tells a unique story.


 Reference List
Brummett, B. (2011). Rhetoric in popular culture. (Third ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE
Publications, Inc.
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3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2013 at 7:37 PM

    Perception is interesting with how everyone perceives one event. I did not see this movie, but saw the previews. It looked very interesting. If someone perceives an event as negative, but never speaks up; tension builds or crucial information is kept from the public. Until the other person speaks up, its near impossible to know how they interpreted it.

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  2. UnknownNovember 15, 2013 at 9:25 AM

    I have not seen this movie but it sounds very interesting. I find it entertaining when a movie outlines events leading up to the main event. I agree that many people can look at the same thing and perceive it totally different.

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  3. UnknownNovember 20, 2013 at 9:04 AM

    I also have never seen this movie but agree with you in that everyone has their own perception of events. Everyone perceives events differently because that they may have differing opinions or they may have seen something the other didn't. Although some people may perceive the basic information that was directly witnessed there will always be a personal twist in how they thought it occurred and what went through their minds.

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