The Art of Noticing Caribou

Introduction to the Analysis of Being Caribou

• Previous discussions included the heroic monomyth and its adaptation in the story of Being Caribou.

• The focus now shifts from narrative elements to film form and visual storytelling.

• Utilizes Katarina Pashkiewicz's article, "The Arts of Noticing" for deeper understanding of filmmaking.

• Promotes an active engagement with the film rather than passive viewing.

Core Concepts and Questions from Pashkiewicz

• Critical questions posed:

  1. What do particular films and their aesthetics do to the audience?

  2. How do they orient, disorient, or reorient us?

  3. What emotional responses do they elicit?

• Importance of emphasizing the action of film on the audience's emotional and intellectual engagement.

• The film presents a scientific argument about preserving caribou habitats yet also engages viewers emotionally.

The Impact of Cinematic Techniques

• The art of persuasion includes both emotional and intellectual facets.

• Mental and affective journeys reshape audience understanding of life and death on a damaged planet.

• Challenges the perception of separateness between humans and nature; films express complexity in these relationships.

• Focus on cinematic identity, affinities, and emotional engagement with the film's content.

Opening Sequence Analysis

• Preliminary activity: watch the first twelve shots of Being Caribou to analyze aesthetic techniques.

• Elements to notice:

  • Initial shots begin with blur and transition to clear focus on flowers, drawing viewers into the story.

  • Utilizes close-ups of baby caribou to evoke emotional responses of warmth and tenderness.

  • Contrast between emptiness and fullness in the landscape through various shots.

  • Sound and music enhance emotional engagement, creating a mystical experience.

Techniques Used in the Opening

• The focus pull draws the audience deep into the field and story, enhancing the intimacy of the narrative.

• The effectiveness of baby animals as a universally appealing element that triggers emotional responses.

• The use of landscape imagery (mist over mountains) suggests a spiritual connectedness.

The Complex Relationship with Nature

• Explores the film’s aesthetics to reflect on the audience's complex relationship with nonhuman life.

• Positions the human experience within the greater ecosystem, challenging anthropocentric narratives.

• Discusses the decisions made by filmmakers regarding filming in calving grounds considered sacred by the Gwich’in community.

• Emphasis on the importance of minimal human disturbance during the caribou calving season.

Mobile Camera Work and Postcontinuity

• Pashkiewicz identifies mobile camera techniques and fragmentary editing as methods of creating relational reciprocity.

• Explaining how these techniques encourage dwelling over grasping; recognizing interconnectedness rather than exploiting nature.

• The montage sequences represent the relationships between human and caribou movement, imbuing the film with vitality.

Emotional Engagement and Film as Creative Work

• The filmmakers' emotional journeys resonate with the audience, prompting reflection on personal human-nature connections.

• Engaging with films can catalyze more profound attention to one’s surroundings and relationship to nature.

• Examines a poignant moment showcasing the realities of nature and the emotional impact of separation between a mother and her offspring.

• Concludes with differences in human-driven environments versus natural landscapes, highlighting emotional discontent upon returning to civilization.

Conclusion and Future Discussions

• The film advocates for acknowledging and navigating the interconnected relationships between species.

• It prompts viewers to re-evaluate their roles within ecosystems, grappling with both emotional and logical understandings.

• The next unit will include further discussion on the connection between the filmmakers and the Gwich’in community, broadening the analysis of Being Caribou.