Reflection on English 318

I’ve really enjoyed being in this class. I look at films differently now. I think a little more in depth about the films I watch. For instance, what’s the premise or what was the director trying to portray to the audience. This class is very different from the film class I took previously. In that particular class all we did was watch a film each class then write a paper. I felt like I wasn’t learning anything. I like the fact that Dr.J broke everything down for the class. I watched movies I didn’t think I would ever watch but now I’m interested to watch more. My advice for future English 318 students is to not miss any class like I did. If you miss at least one class you will miss a lot.

What Do Films Teach You?

I believe films teach me valuable everyday lessons. Films teach me how to dream and believe in the unexpected. They teach me how to have hope, how to love, how to feel, and that anything is possible. Sometimes you can relate to the films you see. Depending on what films, you can see your life on the big screen. But unfortunately mainstream Hollywood doesn’t t have valuable lessons in their films anymore. Films can also be dangerous because they teach you how to think. In the past, Hollywood did not show black people in positive light. In the beginning the media only showed the white perspective on the black community which was ignorant because it manipulated viewers into thinking all black people were a certain way. It wasn’t until early stars like Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel that black people got recognized for major roles.

 If you’re the type of person like me then you enjoy Indie films more. I admire the Independent film industry but directors have the free will to portray their visions the way they want. There aren’t any boundaries and films come out a lot better that way. I appreciate black independent film makers like Spike Lee and Ava DuVernay because with each film they seem to never disappoint. The directors take a small vision or experience and reveal it through the lens. The Ava DuVernay film that stood out to me the most is “The Door”. Ms. DuVernay is extremely talented and is amazing at what she does. I’ve never seen someone create a film with no dialogue but just with music and still have the audience understand the message.  Her films are realistic and displays the black community’s realities. You can tell she just doesn’t come up with these movie ideas but really portrays real life experiences. Not all of her films have a happily ever after but they still depict black people in a positive light.