Nature Video Justification
We
chose to craft our final video using a compilation using different seasons in
various locations across the world. We included footage from the United States
including, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, Florida, California, and New Mexico as
well as other countries including Italy, France, and Greece. All of the footage
is from vacations we’ve taken. We acquired some the video using a friend’s
GoPro. All of the video clips depict broad landscapes. Throughout the semester,
we practiced appreciating the details in nature through close observation. We
chose to show big picture views to offer another perspective. We wanted to
reflect on how grand nature is. We used the nature clips in combination with
memorable nature quotes from this semester. The background of the video consists
of three songs, all of which show appreciation for nature. We included authors
such as Henry David Thoreau, Edward Abbey, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Annie Dillard, and Albert Einstein. We selected these authors, because their
quotes best described our scenes. The quotes we included all had a positive
tone and perspective on preserving our world. We intentionally did this to
model our perspective on environmentalism, which contrasts with many negative
views of the authors we read in class.
From
our class readings and discussion, we were inspired to make a video that shows
our appreciation for a vast range of landscapes, including the ocean,
mountains, hills, and lakes.
We
began our video with a song titled Japanese Ceremonial Tea. We selected this
song, because it reflects the ideas of several of the writers we’ve studied in
class. It cautions the listener to observe their actions and take care of the
environment. The song is a realistic view of mankind’s role in nature. Rather
than a harsh discussion about environmentalism like many of our class
discussions, the song is more of a warning to people. The artist wants us to
evaluate our current lifestyle. He acknowledges that change is unlikely, yet
states it’s necessary to preserve the Earth. To reflect the song, we open with
a scene of snowy mountains in Italy. The next scene shows the ocean to contrast
the mountains, to show nature is all around us in many forms. As the song
progresses we show a range of nature landscapes and outdoor activities. The
climax of our video occurs when the lyrics “Which includes, all this.” is
stated during a black screen, which is followed by mountains in Yosemite
National Park. The last lines of the song are “Outside world, no longer left
outside.” These lyrics allude to humans making preservation of the world a
priority.
The
next song we used is Old Pine by Ben Howard. We chose this song as a positive
contrast to Japanese Ceremonial Tea. Several of the lyrics match the scenes, as
the artist describes his love for the outdoors. There’s a slow build to the
song, which matches the happy vibe of rock climbing and hiking. For example the
lyrics “The
summer shone beat down on bony backs” and “Careless and young, free as the birds that fly” matches
the young men rock climbing. They look carefree as they pan the GoPro to show
the view.
The concluding is This Land
is Your Land. We chose to use the instrumental prelude to the song and the
first verse, because it matches the mood of the video. We selected this song,
because it represents we’re all responsible for this land. It unifies all of
the different places we show in the video.
Our
appreciation for nature has grown tremendously while working on this project.
This class has helped us reflect on our previous interactions with nature.
While making this video we have found these places to be much more meaningful.
Moving forward, we will continue to observe and reflect on the vast beauty of
our world.
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