Frontline: Bush and Obama.

The Frontline specials about Bush's War and Obama's War were very enlightening. To say the least, this should be a staple in history classes across the nation. It definitely opened my eyes to an event that was a big part of our nation's history. Aside from the historical significance of special, I was really intrigued by the film making aspect of the special as well.
Some areas that definitely stood out to me was the beginning, since it was the start of the special, all our attention was fresh and focused. The starting piece opened with the 9/11 attacks and the voices of callers calling in about the attacks. Goosebumps were everywhere and chills were sent up my spine. I think by only allowing the viewer to only hear the voices of the victims, it made the audience definitely feel the sense of terror and fear they were experiencing since what we got was pure emotion.
The interview method they used really reminded me of Hearts and Minds, with the mixing of clips and pictures with real footage. I think I like this documentary style interview the best out of what we've seen because it is not a constant screen. We are not on the same kind of frame throughout the whole film which adds excitment to it and changes it up. The straightforward approach is informative but monotonous to me, by adding clips and pictures we keep it fresh with new images and video footage while still getting our point across.
With Obama's War, I had similar opinions as my classmates had. The noticeable beggining difference caught my eye, since it was more direct and started with a speech, it had an overall different tone to it than Bush's War did. It didn't start with emotion as it did character. I felt less attached to Obama's War than with Bush and I think part of the reason was that you barely saw Obama, with Bush you saw him, saw his speeches and it was like he was talking to you; but with Obama it just wasn't the same, it felt disconnected from the start.
One thing I did like about both videos was that they used a lot of people. There were many different point of views to the story and they all had a part in providing information and justifying the points and message the film was trying to get across. I think we should take that into account because more reliable resources does make our story more believable, since I feel like it worked for these documentaries.