Topic > Fighting Ignorance: Documentary Featuring Refugees and Asylum Seekers

The composers of the 2011 social experiment "Go Back Where You Come From" deliberately create a depiction of refugees and asylum seekers to create empathy and alter the our knowledge on refugees and asylum seekers. They achieve this through various factors within the concentrated structure of the plot of a social experiment in which six "ordinary" Australians participate in retracing the journeys undertaken by refugees before settling in Australia. They consciously conduct the experiment and television series to change not only the participants' but also the viewers' point of view through different representations of the human experience. One representation of the human experience consistently depicted throughout the series is the challenging of ignorance through discovery. There is a common phrase “ignorance is bliss”, it is human nature to find comfort in not knowing the bitter truth and to assume something is a certain way to find comfort. Participants in this experiment showed exactly this characteristic as they were uninformed about refugees and asylum seekers and judged them unfairly, regardless of how little they knew. The second representation of the human experience is empathy. Empathy allows humanity to connect emotionally with others. It allows participants and spectators to feel remorse towards refugees and helps realize the composer's goal of altering the opinions of spectators and participants. These depictions are enhanced through a variety of cinematic techniques including camerawork to capture facial expressions, background music and camera movements. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Challenging ignorance through discovery is a major theme throughout the documentary. The entire goal and purpose of the series is to alter the perspective of the audience and participants by encountering a series of challenging settings. One participant who exemplified this theme is Raye. She is presented to viewers as someone who hates asylum seekers because she believes they are ungrateful and would be better off simply staying in their home country. In his introductory scene, he says, “I could have gone down there with a gun and shot a lot of them, I don't care how hard it is where they come from. I don't think they have the right to come here, it's a demand, we demand all this freedom, all this generosity that the Australian government simply offers them on a golden platter." The tone Raye uses in this scene is callous and irritated. He empathizes with certain words and by repeating the word requires him to clearly express how he sees refugees and asylum seekers. Using the phrase "on a platter of gold" implies that they have been given a good home without any difficulty or any expectation of receiving anything in return. A cinematic technique used by composers to emphasize his emotions is shots. During close-ups the camera is angled at eye level. This allows viewers to clearly see and analyze Raye's facial expressions. When cameras first show the detention center near Raye, they show her on her horse looking down on the residents. This shot summarizes Raye's view of them and shows the audience that she sees herself as having a higher status than them. Raye's ignorance blinds her with prejudice and prevents her from getting an accurate representation of the kind of people refugees and asylum seekers are andthe type of life they lead. At first, Raye says she doesn't care how hard it is to go back to where they came from, but after walking a mile in their shoes she realizes they didn't get anything easily. "When I first embarked on this adventure I was a very closed-minded person with limited vision, I think, and then I started to see more, to have a bigger picture of what was happening to these people and today, especially today, I would do anything to make my kids' lives better and I think if that meant getting on a boat, I would probably go ahead and do it.” She has grown as a person and now understands the importance of having a broader perspective of the world .When asked about her journey during reflection, she states that she feels guilty for "leaving all those beautiful people where they were without hope." the focus is solely on her facial expression to show her emotions. Her anguished expression shows the audience that she now feels empathetic towards refugees and asylum seekers. His ignorance has been tested by the findings presented by the experiment and he now sees both sides of their stories and understands their difficulties. One of the key concepts of the documentary is the demonstration of empathy. Empathy is encouraged by the composers throughout the raid scene. During the raid scene, participants and spectators are exposed to the devastating raid of a refugee slum in Malaysia. The scene is composed of controlled camera movements, lighting and dramatic music to increase the feeling of empathy felt by viewers. The cameras shake during the raid showing that the camera person is running. This movement allows viewers to feel involved in the scene too. The lights are focused exclusively on the refugees to ensure that viewers focus on them and their facial expressions. The dramatic music playing in the background also increases the feeling of empathy felt by the viewer as they are kept on the edge of their seats with worry. By making viewers feel involved in the raid, composers allow them to feel greater empathy. When viewers feel part of the raid, they mirror the emotions felt by the participants and refugees in the camp. This allows them to relate to them and feel greater empathy. Another area in which the human experience of empathy is explored takes place during the participants' first night at the Masudi family's home. Maisara, the mother of the family, shares a touching story about her experience with miscarriage and rape. As he tells his story, the cameras are held close to add emphasis to his teary eyes and sad expression. The cameras use the same close-up to show participants their sad facial expressions as well. This makes viewers feel empathetic towards Maisara. The background music playing was slow and dark. This sound forces viewers to feel distressed and feel a stronger connection with Maisara. The purpose of this is to help the audience relate to Maisara. While many viewers may not identify with her story, they can identify with her pain. This then allows the public to see her and other refugees and asylum seekers share their own experiences, thus altering their views and notions of a refugee. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayIn conclusion, the composers of the.