#4

The situation of uncertainty comes into play many times throughout the journey of life. Where does one turn when this obstacle comes to block the path of hope? When one’s identity is in jeopardy, and it is covered by something, either emotional, physical, or relational hardship, they turn to other forms of concrete substance to make their true identity shine bright. Some turn to drugs and alcohol, some to sex, some even to gambling. Some teens, however, turn to film-making.

Many times, teens have no idea how to come to terms with the reality of their seemingly upside down lives. So much so that they must turn to the use of other mediums of expression. One of these is film making. For many teens, film making provides the sense making stability that they need in order to express their feelings about their lives. In the article “Film as Identity Exploration: A Multimodal Analysis of Youth-Produced Films”, Erica Rosenfeld Halverson makes it evident that this film making by teens creates a space that can allow them to show what exactly it is they see in their lives, and how that represents their personal reality.

            At the beginning of this particular article, Halverson begins with the concept of storytelling. Storytelling has been used for many generations as a way to make things that are not so concrete, graspable such as parents’ divorce, abuse, and financial hardship. She gives the reader descriptions, parallels, and examples that show that storytelling is not just a way to pass the time, but you can create whole other world within the realm of a story. If one can make something real when it was originally just imaginary, why couldn’t one be able to make something reality that already is?

            Halverson’s main goal throughout the article was to emphasize the different ways in which teens used different aspects of the video making process to represent different kinds of emotional aspects of themselves. From transitions, to camera angles, to lighting, all these aspects of a single piece of work contribute to the big picture of the inside of a teen’s world. This medium is but a window that allows others to see into the abstract world of a teenager. Halverson mentions the use of storytelling as a key player in this concept. To make this point hit home, multiple examples of teens’ screenplays were analyzed and described in very concise detail. This insured that the reader was made aware of the reason behind each of these stylistic film-making choices, and therefore could draw their own conclusions on how the directors of the pieces were putting the stories of their lives on the big screen.

            Due to the hardship teens face in their lives today, Halverson believes that the use of film for expression is “important for youth who feel marginalized in mainstream institutions and who do not have opportunities to explore a positive sense of self in traditional institutional contexts.” In short, teens do not have the opportunity to feel a positive sense of their identity in the basics of life. Family, school, church… the list goes on and on. The positive side to this is that teens are being encouraged to take hold of this effective “therapeutic” video making as it will help to “bring new literacy practices to youth who are most in need of alternative mechanisms for engaging in positive identity work.” Throughout this particular section of the article, Halverson uses logos and pathos to turn the reader into sympathizing with these teens who, realistically, have no where else to turn to in their time of need.

Towards the end of the work, Halverson wraps things up by applying a concept that allows this whole idea of a “looking glass” into a teen’s world to make sense. She states: “The function of this analytic framework is to understand how youth filmmakers use the medium of film to address complex issues of identity, particularly the construction of a viable social identity.” She then makes the tie to one teen’s work entitled “Rules of Engagement”. This one film was not just solely about a particular teen’s life, but opened up a gateway so people could see and understand not only what happened in the director’s life, but also the reality of what it is love to be in the Muslim American teenager social group. This is true not just of this work, but all of the other works of teen movie makers, Halverson explains.

Through this massive cry for help, teens are making a large “in your face” statement. Through this, this issue of identity crisis will be understood by all, and as time continues, and as people step up to the plate, there will be no more cries for help because none will be needed.

           

Sources:

Halverson, Erica R. "Film as Identity Exploration: A Multimodal Analysis of Youth-Produced Films." TCRecord: Article. Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=15948>.