User:Samsteen11/The Nuer

The Nuer which was written by Robert H Gardner who decides to follow the lives of the Nuer people who live in Ethiopia and show their daily rituals. Gardner specializes in observational cinema movement which is prevalent within The Nuer which helps to create a deeper and more personal relationship between the filmmaker, the villagers, and the audience. The establishing shot constantly changed and focused on different body parts moving as the villagers completed their daily chores. The film starts with a close up shot of cows and a real man whose body takes up the whole screen. For example, cattle is used as dowry in weddings and is expected back upon divorce. Cattie is also given to the family of the murder victim from the perpetrator as some form of petinence. The film highlights the daily lives and customs of the Nuer people who live an interesting life. This film is an example of an objective film as there are very few incidences where the video is edited and narration is used very sparingly compared to the other films that we viewed for the class. This style of editing also exposes the viewer to as much information as possible that may help to deeper their relationship with the film subjects. The Nuer must not kill cattle for no reason, they have to sacrifice it to god. A big part of their culture revolves around sacrifice and the filmmakers cleverly uses the “voice of god” type of narration to cause the audience to “suspend disbelief” about what is actually occurring in that particular scene.The film also follows the linear narrative structure as it is meant to inform the audience about the daily lives of these sacrificial people. Most of the film was in medium shots and the narration in the film was scarce as the filmmakers opted to let the scene speak for itself in most cases. The long shots were the most effective as they helped to highlight how tall these people are as the young villager's long body takes up the whole shot.