Weekly Blog #32

This week in ISM has been filled with refining my final product and combining all of the elements of my documentary into a single piece of work. After completing my documentary script and making the changes instructed by Mr. Winn, I was able to record voice memos to lay over live footage from the four countries represented in my documentary (Myanmar, Venezuela, Cameroon and South Sudan). My introduction summarized my perspective on the definition of international human rights law, after all of my research and acquired knowledge this year. After creating a concise yet powerful introductory segment of my documentary, I was able to review my work with Mr. Winn. He helped my refine my ideas so that they were tailored specifically to the focus of my final product.

After typing up the introduction, I moved on to the synthesis of multiple human rights reports from a variety of credible sources (i.e Amnesty International, U.S Department of State, etc.), in order to create a detailed and all-encompassing overview of the human rights situations in each of the mentioned nations. Within each explanation, I made sure to touch on the specific components of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that were being violated by the governments and extremist organizations in the mentioned countries.

Towards the end, I focused on tying together the arguments made throughout the documentary. This was done by expressing that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while it is an ideal document for an ideal world, it does not fit the intricate and chaotic mold of the current state of humanity. I emphasized that the components of the Declaration, while they serve as the principles and standards for a cohesive and united world, it only serves as an intangible representation of thought. In addition, I made a point of adding how there is still hope for a more protected world, and that individuals can make a difference by participating in grassroot movements and joining the cause of organizations such as ALARM and IJM.

After the creation of my documentary script, I accumulated a variety of footage that depicts a vivid representation of the state of humanity within these countries. These clips were played in the background, while I voice recorded my script over them. In addition, I layed a track of purchased music over the video clips and voice recordings, in order to gracefully unite the pieces as a holistic project.