A+Crude+Awakening+-+Helinski


 * A Crude Awakening **

1. Title, director and release year? · A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash · Basil Gelpke & Ray McCormack · 2006  2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film? · . The film appears that it will go into the details about the dependency that society has developed on such a limited resources and the consequences that we will go through once the oil supply in the world has become depleted  3. What sustainability problems does the film draw out? · The competition for such a dependant yet limited resources is causing humanity to reach a level where we are in the process of destroying one another as well as causing unbelievable damage to our environment in order to feed our vicious dependency on crude oil as a fuel for everyday life.  4. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? · The amount of man power that is equivalent to one barrel of oil is absolutely amazing. Although it is not renewable it is no wonder why such a dependencies has been grown around it because it is saving so much man power and energy. · The line when the gentleman declared that “oil is our god” seems so farfetched in an everyday conversation, yet in the context which it is presented in this film is nothing less than the truth. Everything that we do in our lives truly does revolve around petroleum. · The visuals that were used during the portion of the talking about the oil in Barku Russia were truly unbelievable to see how people were waste deep in rivers of oil. Not only is that not nearly close to health and safety standards but how it is being treated like such a regular day occurrence and substances where now days it is referred to as black gold. o Then comparing the visuals of these oil rich towns while in their peaks and then changing to the panoramic views of the towns today is astonishing. It kind of reminds me of the coal country video as it showed the depletion of the mining towns and how run down they became. · I believe that oil will become more of an issue to go to war over in the future and this film does a nice job of covering the issue of oil being a catalyst for war to break out, and I appreciate the fact that the acknowledge even wars in the past such as the first waorl wars to have oil as some kind of a pressing issue. · I am glad to see that the touched upon the political views of oil and how it is and endless circle about how we are becoming more dependent on a dwindling resource, yet politicians are not going to suggest the slowing of the economy because they know that it would be the end to their career. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">5. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I found it interesting that one gentleman commented that everyone in the world is well feed and that that is a “consequence” of the green movement, referring to the ability of farm work to do much more agricultural work now days. Although I understand that this film is showing the downside of petroleum and the amount of oil that we use, but I would view the ability to well feed all citizens as a positive aspect that oil has provided for us, although I know that it creates more of a dependency on foods which in turn relies back on oil. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Although it was first interesting to see a lot of older scenes that showed how oil was viewed as in the years in the past when America was one of the world’s largest oil producers, after continual and continual showing of them it became kind of irritating. I would like it more if they showed a few and then stuck with things that have been occurring more recently instead on continuing to return to the older films and footage. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I understand that the concept of peak oil is one that is important to talking about the oil crisis but I feel as though the film is talking about it too much. They are going over every country that produces crude oil and when they are going to reach peak. It would be much more beneficial is more time was talking about what could be done instead of continuing to drill the concept. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I feel as later in the movie it becomes, that the older film clips are becoming less and less applicable to what is being talked about at that time. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 6. What additional information does this film compel you to seek out? Where do you want to dig deeper and what connections do you want to make with other issues, factors, problems, etc.? · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The views of the oil rich cities years ago compared to how they look to day was extremely compelling yet I am wondering how quickly it took for those towns and cities to become run down. A year by year economic report of the towns would be interesting to see the decline. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They talk about how years ago there were only few countries who were heavily dependent on oil but now days almost every country is hooked, I would be interested in seeing a worldwide usage of oil timeline marked with when what countries became major oil consumers. I feel as though the trend out be something that would be interesting. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 7. What audiences does the film best address? What kind of imagination is fostered in viewers? Do you think the film is likely to change the way viewers think about and act on environmental problems? · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I think that the best audience that could be shown this videos are really the none believers that we are dependent on a dwindling resource. This film has so much information on the history of crude oil and focuses so much on what we are doing today that it would be impossible for one to watch this film and not be able to somewhat admit that we have an issue on our hand. There are so few solutions offered in this film that it would do nothing for converting completely dependent people to change their ways, but would be a great first step for opening their eyes. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 8. What kinds of action or points of intervention are suggested by the film? · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Again the film continues to not offer any kind of hope to correct our oil dependency. They are beginning to go over a lot of the alternative sources of energy on the market, yet they are just continuing to bash all of the sources that we are looking into. They begin to express how yeah the alternatives produce energy, but do not compare to what oil does for us. o <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is beginning to irritate me because obviously a single alternative source is not going to rival what oil does, but a combination effect of all of them provides a chance. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The only form of alternative energy that they have some bacon of hope for was solar energy, yet still focused more on the hurdles that need to be overcome instead of the possibilities that are available. · <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The portion titled Life after peak makes it seem as though that they are suggesting that the world becomes Amish or fallows their life style. After talking down every form of alternative energy that we are pursuing now, they are suggestion that relying and purchasing horses is a viable solution. It is just absolutely ridiculous. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> 9. What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value? · There has been way too much in this film about how we deal with it now and how it has been treated in the past to continue to hold my interest. I feel as though if less time was given on a history lesson on oil and solutions were suggested earlier in the film not only would it retain viewers interests, I feel as though it also allow for possible solutions to be absorbed better by viewers. · Some kind of a more factual conversation in the portion when they are discussing the alternative sources of fossil fuels would provide so much of a informative ground instead of spending a minute on each topic and then suggesting horses as a viable solution