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  • Essay / Combating Ignorance: The Documentary on Representation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

    The composers of the 2011 social experiment “Go Back Where You Came From” deliberately create a representation of refugees and asylum seekers asylum in order to develop empathy and change our notions about refugees and asylum seekers. They achieve this through a variety of factors within the concentrated plot structure of a social experiment where six 'ordinary' Australians participate in retracing the journeys taken by refugees before their settlement in Australia. They consciously conduct the experiment and the television series to change not only the participants' but also the viewers' perspectives through different representations of the human experience. One of the depictions of the human experience that is consistently depicted throughout the series is challenging ignorance through discovery. There is a common expression “ignorance is bliss”, it is human nature to find comfort in not knowing the bitter truth and assuming that something is a certain way of finding comfort. The participants in this experiment showed exactly this trait because they were not informed about refugees and asylum seekers and began to judge them unfairly, even though they knew little about them. The second representation of the human experience is empathy. Empathy allows humanity to emotionally connect with others. This allows the participants and spectators to feel remorse towards the refugees and helps achieve the composer's goal of changing the viewpoints of the spectators and participants. These depictions are enhanced by a series of cinematic techniques, including camera shots to capture facial expressions, background music and camera movements. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Challenging ignorance through discovery is a major theme throughout the documentary. The aim and purpose of the series is to change the perspectives of the audience and participants by encountering a series of difficult contexts. Raye is a participant who exemplifies this theme. She is presented to viewers as someone who hates asylum seekers because she thinks they are ungrateful and would be better off staying in their home country. In her introductory scene, she says, "I could have gone out there with a gun and shot a lot of them, I don't care how hard it is where they come from." I don’t think what they have the right to come here is to demand, to demand all this freedom, all this generosity that the Australian government has just handed out to them on a golden platter.” The tone Raye uses in this scene is callous and irritated. She sympathizes with certain words and repeats the words to clearly express how she views refugees and asylum seekers. By using the phrase “on a platter of gold,” she implies that they were given a good home without any difficulty or expectation of receiving anything in return. Camera shots are a cinematic technique used by composers to emphasize emotions. The camera is tilted to eye level during a close-up. This allows viewers to clearly see and analyze Raye's facial expressions. When the cameras first show Raye's nearby detention center, they show her on her horse looking down on the residents. This photo summarizes Raye's view of them and shows the audience that she sees herself as having a higher status than them. Raye's ignorance blinds him with his prejudicesand prevents it from getting a true representation of the type of people refugees and asylum seekers are and the type of lives they lead. At first, Raye claims she doesn't care how difficult her home country is. where they came from, but after walking a kilometer in their shoes, she realizes that they did not receive anything easily. "When I came into this adventure, I was a very closed-minded person and I had a tunnel vision, I think, and then I started to see more, to have a broader picture of what was happening to these people.and today, especially today, I would do anything to make my children's lives better and I think if that meant getting on a boat, I probably would She grew up as. person and now understands the importance of having a broader perspective on the world When asked about her journey during reflection, she said she felt guilty for having “left all these beautiful people where they were. were, hopeless.” While making this statement, the camera angle is a close-up so that the focus is only on her face to display her distressed expression. now feels empathy towards refugees and asylum seekers. Her ignorance has been challenged through the discoveries presented by the experiment and she now sees both sides of their stories and understands their difficulties. A big concept of the documentary is the exhibition of empathy. Empathy is encouraged by the composers throughout the raid scene. During the raid scene, participants and viewers are exposed to the devastating raid of a refugee slum in Malaysia. The scene includes controlled camera movements, lighting and dramatic music to enhance the sense of empathy felt by viewers. The cameras shake throughout the raid, showing the cameraman running. This movement allows spectators to feel equally involved in the scene. The lights are focused only on the refugees to ensure that viewers focus on them and their facial expressions. The dramatic music playing in the background also enhances the sense of empathy felt by the viewer as they are held at the edge of their seat with concern. By making viewers feel involved in the raid, the composers allow them to feel greater empathy. When spectators feel like they are part of the raid, they reflect the emotions felt by the participants and refugees in the camp. This allows them to build relationships with them and feel greater empathy. Another area where the human experience of empathy is explored takes place during the participant's first night at the Masudi family home. Mother Maisara shares a heartfelt story about her experience of miscarriage and rape. While telling her story, the cameras are placed in close-up to highlight her teary eyes and sad expression. The cameras use the same close-up so the participants also show their sad facial expressions. This causes viewers to feel empathy towards Maisara. The background music playing was slow and dark. This sound forces viewers to feel distressed and feel a stronger connection with Maisara. The goal is to help the public identify with Maisara. Even though many viewers don't identify with her story, they can relate to her pain. This then allows the audience to see her and other refugees and asylum seekers sharing the same experiences as them, thereby changing their perspective and notion of refugees. Keep.