Blog #4
The video that we watched in class this week was very interesting and stuck to me in a variety of ways. For one, the setup was super simple but I think that was the thing that stuck with me the most since it revealed a lot. One interesting factor that I took from the video was how it was recorded from waist-length, almost making it seem as if the one who is watching the video is living the moment. As we saw the cameraman moving around the park, I noticed people talking, walking, dancing, working out, walking with their kids, etc. I gave a lot of attention to how people were dressed as well. Nobody was wearing anything too flashy or superficial, it was more simple and relaxed. People prioritized comfort over materialistic luxurious items, which ties back to how different cultures are in different countries. Another thing that stuck with me was the way people reacted to the camera when they caught their eye on it. Some people walked by and went on about their business, while others would stare at the camera. The camera would get uncomfortably close to some people, and they portrayed a sense that they got annoyed that their space was getting intruded. This to me brought up some concerns and internal questions about the practice of ethnographies in itself, because if people are being recorded and it is obvious, then they will start acting a certain way knowing that they are being monitored, and that completely takes away the naturalness of ethnographies, the study of people and societies in a natural setting.



