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Errol Morris: We’ve Forgotten that Photographs are Connected to the Physical World

ERROL

MORRIS

We’ve Forgotten that Photographs are Connected to the Physical World

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2011/dec/26/errol-morris-photography-video

QUESTIONS FOR A SECOND VIEWING

Before watching this video, read Errol Morris’s essay “Will the Real Hooded Man Please Stand Up?" Below, you’ll find some questions that invite you to work further with the video.

1. Morris says that we have “forgotten that photographs are connected to the physical world.” What might this mean? And what difference might it make should we forget such a thing?

To prepare yourself for a discussion framed by these questions, you might keep the following in mind as you review the video:

How does Morris explain this problem or concept? What are his key terms? his key examples? What are the most memorable things that he says?
What might it mean to remember that photographs are connected to the physical world? How might you learn to look at them with such understanding? What kind of example does he provide of examining photographs in such an informed way?
How might you translate or explain what Morris means? How might you explain what he says in your own terms? By reference to his examples? What examples might you bring to the table?

Question 27.10

undefined. Write down some ideas and a few sentences, ones that you could bring to a discussion in class.

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[Points: 10]

Question 27.11

undefined. Photographs, Morris says, are “neither true nor false.” To talk about the truth of a photograph is, he says, “nonsense talk.” What might he mean by this? How helpful are his examples? What help might you get from the chapter you’ve read from Believing Is Seeing, “Will the Real Hooded Man Please Stand Up?”

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[Points: 10]

Question 27.12

undefined. Morris is interested in “iconic” photographs. You can (and should) use a dictionary to become familiar with the word iconic and its various uses. What does the term mean for Morris? What assumptions does he make about the way such photographs circulate and are received? What from the video might you bring to the chapter you’ve read, “Will the Real Hooded Man Please Stand Up?” How might it help a reader?

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[Points: 10]

ASSIGNMENT FOR WRITING

1. It is safe to assume that this video is intended for those who have not read Morris’s book, Believing Is Seeing. In fact, it is also safe to assume that the video is meant as an invitation to buy the book or to get it from the library, to read on and to learn more. The video offers a capsule summary. The video presents the tip of the iceberg, the sound bite. The video is a hook to catch a reader’s interest. And the chapter, then, should provide something more — something deeper, fuller, or more precise and detailed. The prose will provide something that you can’t get from an 8 ½ minute video presentation.

Question 27.13

undefined. So — what does the prose provide? How might it be seen as a supplement to the video? What are the gains to be found from reading this chapter? Write an essay in which you consider this question. You might begin by offering a quick summary of the video and what it says. And then you could turn to the chapter to consider what it has to offer to a person who has accepted the invitation to read on.

Rich Text Editor

[Points: 10]