'Disruption' Reflection
Hundreds of thousands of people, amassed in the streets of New York, all united by the common cause of ending worldwide complacency on climate change. 2014's People's Climate March is the ostensible climax of Disruption, only it occurs offscreen and two weeks after the documentary's release. Produced by PF Pictures, the "producer of strategic campaigns" for 350.org, which is the collective of environmental organizations that organized the march, the film, which was distributed freely as to gain maximum distribution, operates on two trajectories which combine to argue that the stakes of deciding to participate in the march are, in effect, potentially saving the fate of the world.
The trajectory that gives the film urgency and power is the organization of the People's Climate March to coincide with the September 2014 meeting of the UN Climate Committee. As the number of days until the event ticks down, the calls of the activists featured throughout, the scientists' affirmations of the cataclysmic potentials of climate change, and the striking visuals of the film all intensify. This is no mistake, of course, as the film's main purpose is to serve as a stunningly beautiful, arresting, and clarion piece of propaganda for the march. Nowhere is this purpose more clear than in the film's final moments, where drone footage of past climate rallies and a booming score serve as the background for a drawn-out countdown from 14, the number of days between the film's release and the march. This propaganda has two clear audiences, aiming both to convince those who are already planning to attend the march to rally more protesters (hence the inside-baseball shots from inside march planning meetings) and to attract new protesters on its own.
The second trajectory of the film is perhaps more effective in rallying this second group. Interspersed throughout the film are interviews from scientists, politicians and historians which aim not only to highlight the severity of the climate change problem, but also how precipitous the risk of every single day without meaningful change is to our planet. With the immediacy of this problem, the People's Climate March is presented as perhaps the last chance to protect our planet against the next of many tipping points outlined in the film's most effective scientific moment.
In my opinion, this second intended audience for the film is its most crucial. Made up of people who understand climate change as a problem but who do not take daily actions to combat it or understand its immediacy, this group of potential protestors are the rare viewers who have a real potential to dramatically shift their lives on the basis of a documentary. Participating in the People's Climate March, or even coming to a realization of the comically short timescale of our impending doom, may be all that this group needs to permanently shift their opinions and actions with respect to the climate.
The success of the film in reaching its climax can be judged by the metrics it gave itself. The People's Climate March saw an estimated 311,000 protestors in New York alone, reaching the goal outlined in the film of being the largest climate protest ever. Additionally, the stated goal of convincing legislators to keep the threshold in the Paris Climate Agreement to under 2 degrees Celcius was also achieved, though the significant departure of the US from the agreement calls this success into question. Ultimately, though, when judged on its effectiveness as propaganda for the People's Climate March, Disruption cannot be see an anything short of evocative, powerful, and, therefore, effective.
The trajectory that gives the film urgency and power is the organization of the People's Climate March to coincide with the September 2014 meeting of the UN Climate Committee. As the number of days until the event ticks down, the calls of the activists featured throughout, the scientists' affirmations of the cataclysmic potentials of climate change, and the striking visuals of the film all intensify. This is no mistake, of course, as the film's main purpose is to serve as a stunningly beautiful, arresting, and clarion piece of propaganda for the march. Nowhere is this purpose more clear than in the film's final moments, where drone footage of past climate rallies and a booming score serve as the background for a drawn-out countdown from 14, the number of days between the film's release and the march. This propaganda has two clear audiences, aiming both to convince those who are already planning to attend the march to rally more protesters (hence the inside-baseball shots from inside march planning meetings) and to attract new protesters on its own.
The second trajectory of the film is perhaps more effective in rallying this second group. Interspersed throughout the film are interviews from scientists, politicians and historians which aim not only to highlight the severity of the climate change problem, but also how precipitous the risk of every single day without meaningful change is to our planet. With the immediacy of this problem, the People's Climate March is presented as perhaps the last chance to protect our planet against the next of many tipping points outlined in the film's most effective scientific moment.
In my opinion, this second intended audience for the film is its most crucial. Made up of people who understand climate change as a problem but who do not take daily actions to combat it or understand its immediacy, this group of potential protestors are the rare viewers who have a real potential to dramatically shift their lives on the basis of a documentary. Participating in the People's Climate March, or even coming to a realization of the comically short timescale of our impending doom, may be all that this group needs to permanently shift their opinions and actions with respect to the climate.
The success of the film in reaching its climax can be judged by the metrics it gave itself. The People's Climate March saw an estimated 311,000 protestors in New York alone, reaching the goal outlined in the film of being the largest climate protest ever. Additionally, the stated goal of convincing legislators to keep the threshold in the Paris Climate Agreement to under 2 degrees Celcius was also achieved, though the significant departure of the US from the agreement calls this success into question. Ultimately, though, when judged on its effectiveness as propaganda for the People's Climate March, Disruption cannot be see an anything short of evocative, powerful, and, therefore, effective.
Comments
Post a Comment