Through Whose Eyes?

I would like to open this post with a question: Through which point of view do you think that a story is most effective and why? Does this differ for different kinds of film and why? Think this over as an initial reaction and then reevaluate at the end of this post.

Point of View
In The Art of Technique, John S. Douglass and Glenn P. Harnden use Chapter 3 to discuss the idea of point of view. They list the three different types and the characteristics of each as listed below.

• POV shot- the camera shows what the subject as seeing; a shot from their point of view; usually portrays an unforeseen predator/monster; commonly used in suspense films
• First person- portrayal of a specific person's personal view; commonly used in documentaries; frequently uses direct narrative from these people to dictate visuals; great example are documentaries by Michael Moore who uses his controversial topics and opinions to gain public attention

  

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• Second person- less common idea or portrayal; displays a personal message that directly addresses "you;" used in advertising occasionally such as Billy Mays with Oxiclean

• Third Person- most common portrayal of characters in film; "not omniscient;" use action and dialogue to figure out plot and make connections
• Character Point of View- narrative that comes from multiple points of view; more versatile in literature than in film; a possible example could be Toy Story 3 when the movie switches between Woody's viewpoint and the rest of the gang's view point. 

Attitude

• Each production is going to have a bias toward whatever their opinion or view of the topic is
• Purpose of production is to get a message across
• Propaganda: "whenever we undertake a fiction or nonfiction production with the major purpose of convincing our audience of a particular set of principles, beliefs, or opinions"
• Easily seen in most documentaries (refer to previous post to view the video of Supersize Me)

Defining the Audience

• Important to identify the audience in order to use the most effective means of communication
• Need to establish type of film from the start so that audience can be mentally prepared and react accordingly
• Informed and active participants
• Make sure that communication is effectively decoded by the audience

My personal favorite point of view is that of first person. I like to hear how the person thinks and what their own opinions are and why. I feel like I can relate more by actually seeing and hearing the person that holds these viewpoints. I do have a soft spot for third person rom-coms though, but probably because they don't make me think at all. In response to my second question, I think that point of view needs to fit the type of film. For example, to me, it would be weird to watch someone fall in love from an intimate view of first person (though it could be argued that the Bachelorette does just that-so my argument wouldn't hold since I love that show). Thus, point of view needs to not only fit the film style but also the audience. Showing a documentary to kindergarteners just isn't a good idea. Once again I ask: Through which point of view do you think that a story is most effective and why? Does this differ for different kinds of film and why? It differs for everyone.