I am not very fond of ants, but I really enjoy this documentary about ant farming. The Texan high school students who produced this film do a fantastic job drawing the viewer in to this unique and unusual world of ant farming.
I also like the use of light in this film. The single side lamp on Casey during the interview creates almost a dramatic atmosphere. The viewer does not have a clear picture of either Casey or the ant farms but we sees enough to know what's there. This is very effective because the viewer is not distracted by looking at the person interviewed, staring into the aquarium, or looking at some picture on the wall; we are focused only on the interview. The shots of the faucet during the "how-to" section of the video was also very interesting. It is one of the only times that an inanimate object is shown onscreen. It juxtaposes nicely with the busier shots of ants bustling around. In the final scene of Casey explaining his obsession with ants, Brandon gives the viewer evidence by focusing on an ant poster above Casey's bed. It makes me itch just thinking about it!
The music is fantastic as it draws you into the film with the drum beats, keeps you going with a tambourine, and gradually builds up with percussion. Throughout the film, various percussion instruments and guitars play in the background. This propels the viewer onward and adds interest and continuity throughout the film.
I also like the use of light in this film. The single side lamp on Casey during the interview creates almost a dramatic atmosphere. The viewer does not have a clear picture of either Casey or the ant farms but we sees enough to know what's there. This is very effective because the viewer is not distracted by looking at the person interviewed, staring into the aquarium, or looking at some picture on the wall; we are focused only on the interview. The shots of the faucet during the "how-to" section of the video was also very interesting. It is one of the only times that an inanimate object is shown onscreen. It juxtaposes nicely with the busier shots of ants bustling around. In the final scene of Casey explaining his obsession with ants, Brandon gives the viewer evidence by focusing on an ant poster above Casey's bed. It makes me itch just thinking about it!
The music is fantastic as it draws you into the film with the drum beats, keeps you going with a tambourine, and gradually builds up with percussion. Throughout the film, various percussion instruments and guitars play in the background. This propels the viewer onward and adds interest and continuity throughout the film.
Some of my favorite quotes from the film:
• "Fire ants are...your best bet because THEY'RE FREAKIN' EVERYWHERE!"
• "Yahtzee!"
• "We struck nerd gold--and I mean queens, baby!"
• "They're so cool! YEAH!"
• Credit: "Special thanks to God for making ants so freakin' awesome"
3 comments:
Lisa, I really enjoyed this video and your analysis of the techniques employed. What's critical is the strong interest in ant farming by the producer--he conveys that interest through his enthusiasm and expertise.
As you note, he also employs titles/language to organize the different sections of the video, as well as, again, to convey his enthusiasm, for example, when he finds the queen ants.
You could use this to model the importance of selecting a highly visual topic for student videos--in this case the scurrying ants.
Because it's so cool, YEAH!
Great viedo find, Lisa. I think part of what made it great was the excitable interviewee.
Also, like the close ups of the camera on all the steps.
I would like to have an obsession like this! All good nerds should have one, I think, to put themselves into creating something!
I absolutely love how the host's name was called Maniacal Deno and it was surrounded by fire...symbolic of fire ants, aw!
Post a Comment