Here's the short film I mentioned to you during our first class meeting. You can learn more about Matt Harding by visiting his website, called "Where the Hell Is Matt?" The film is about 3½ minutes long.
On the Frequently Asked Questions portion of his website, Harding responds to the question "What is the message of your videos?" by saying "Up to you. I'm just dancing."
Leave a comment by clicking on "Comments" at the bottom right of this post. When you are asked to "Choose an identity," go ahead and select "Other" and then type in your name. (Don't leave an anonymous post.) I'm very interested to hear what you think might be the "message" or "argument" of this short film.
In the near future I plan to give everyone in the class "publishing" rights to the blog. That means you'll be able to submit your own posts (and not just comment).
11 comments:
After watching this clip, I cannot believe that I have not heard of this guy sooner! Anyways, I think that the message of this clip pertains to the variety of different places on Earth and also the different cultures found in these places. Through the film, I saw places all over the world, and although these different locations varied widely in aspects such as the plants, elevation, and weather, they were all on Earth and accessible to any random person, such as this dancing Matt. I think the message is simple: there is much more to this world other than the place in which you live.
Wow...I think that Matt is trying to show that no matter where you are you can be happy and just dance. In some ways I think it shows that humans are, at the core, the same, in that we can all 'dance' where ever we may be. The other thing that I think this clip shows is how one man can influence others. This is shown through the end of the video when others begin to join him in his dancing. It just goes to show you that life is what you make of it, where ever you are and that if you lead by example, others are bound to follow!
Throughout the movie, there were many different situations, whether it be a poverty-ravaged country such as Rwanda or a bustling metropolitan area such as New York. However, no matter where Matt was, he was always dancing with the same goofy expression on his face. The message that I took was that no matter what situation you find yourself in, it is what you make it. If you can keep the right attitude, it can make almost any situation seem bearable.
While watching this clip I noted that there were many things different about the places where Matt was dancing, and many things the same. The many things that were different included the country and culture, but the one thing that remained the same was Matt and his dancing in the same spot. I think Matt is trying to tell the world that although we may all be different by our beliefs, cultures, and even climate were we live, we still are the same in that we are all men trying to live our lives as best we can in this world.
After watching the clip, I am envious of Matt because he was able to travel and experience all of those different places in the world. Whereas, I have never been outside of the United States. The message that I got out of it was that no matter where you are, no matter how good or bad the circumstances there are, you can always bring joy and life to those around you.
The song featured in this short film was originally sung by natives of the Solomon Islands a very long time ago. So long ago, in fact, that very few natives still fully understand its lyrics. However, according to the official website of the band Deep Forest ( http://www.deepforestmusic.com/lyrics.htm#lyric_sweetlullaby), "[t]he song is about a young child crying because he does not see his father with the family. In response his elder sister sung this song to comfort as well as tell him the reality, with an appeal for their deceased father to protect this child in the land of the living." It is surprising that Matt chose this song to be the background music for a video meant to inspire joy and happiness. I agree that Matt is trying to show that happiness can be found in any location, but maybe he is also trying to show that it can be experienced even while listening to the saddest of songs. Or maybe he is just a dancing fool. Who knows?
This guy is just dancing, and not very well at that. He seems to imply on his website that he did not mean to impart anything profound through the video. It might mean something to some, but that is purely coincidental. There is nothing wrong with finding meaning where none is intended, but we must acknowledge that we might as well look at Dr. Harris' color scheme for the blog and try and figure out what that means.
Amanda Jones-
Matt implies that this video has no particular message. However, the video does depict many different places suggesting just how large the world really is. The fact that he was able to visit so many places implies that everyone is connected and idividuals can have great influences upon many people.
While the short clip only shows Matt dancing, there still is a deeper meaning which it holds. The culture which is expressed is amazing and shows that it is possible for one to see many a different places on Earth. No matter how far fetched the idea is and no matter how many miles it is between here and there, there is definite experiences to be had and sights to see. I think the objective is to motivate people to travel and see the magnificent things this world has to offer.
I think that the video symbolizes life and how you begin alone and you have to experience different things in life and get to know different cities and cultures. Another aspect that makes me think about this is that at the end two small girls dance with him, this made me think about how it is important to know people and reproduce in life.
anonymous - "the video does depict many different places suggesting just how large the world really is."
It seems to me like the world couldn't be all that large if a regular joe has such easy access to anywhere in the world.
Perhaps this movie shows the intrusiveness of the American way of life, and how we dance all over other cultures.
Or maybe its just a guy with too much time on his hands.
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