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Kony 2012 - Must See

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Chris McKechnie

Chris McKechnie

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I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but I thought I would share it because it deserves your time. It's sad that tragic things like this are happening in the world around us and it takes years just to bring awareness to our nation/communities.

http://vimeo.com/37119711

My wife and I contributed to the cause, and I contacted the co-founder of Invisible Children to offer my production services for any need that may arise. It would be great to get other supporters of RED to help contribute whatever they can and show the world what a great group of people we have in our reduser community.
 
You might want to do a bit more due diligence before committing so completely.

Mods: why close this subject? It is about all the things filmmakers are presented with when being involved in "documenting" a story and who we partner with and support. Kony is a complex subject that is very relevant to our industry and selves.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-deibert/joseph-kony-2012-children_b_1327417.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-deibert/how-invisible-childrens-k_b_1334410.html
 
This is alas what happens when "documentary" slips, with the best of intentions, toward propaganda. Don't get me wrong, I am in total sympathy with the cause, but not so much with this particular "message" about the cause for reasons there are links to.

It's a very slippery slope when people get vested in their righteous outrage and find that certain truths are inconvenient (like Kony hasn't been there for six years)-- but figure the means justify the end. I'm sure most of us are in in total agreement that Kony and the LRA is evil and should be squashed.

Ultimately adhering to the truth of the matter, without unnecessary slant or hyperbole, seems to produce the most committed response. Perhaps not the most sensational. But sensation evaporates very quickly. Alas, all of this terrible business has been revealed much more accurately and profoundly for years. But the response from the international community was tepid. Now that the LRA is marginalized and virtually defunct, we have the outcry.

I just think, as filmmakers, the privilege we enjoy always carries the responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest standards.
 
rod bradley said:
This is alas what happens when "documentary" slips, with the best of intentions, toward propaganda. Don't get me wrong, I am in total sympathy with the cause, but not so much with this particular "message" about the cause for reasons there are links to.

It's a very slippery slope when people get vested in their righteous outrage and find that certain truths are inconvenient (like Kony hasn't been there for six years)-- but figure the means justify the end. I'm sure most of us are in in total agreement that Kony and the LRA is evil and should be squashed.

Ultimately adhering to the truth of the matter, without unnecessary slant or hyperbole, seems to produce the most committed response. Perhaps not the most sensational. But sensation evaporates very quickly. Alas, all of this terrible business has been revealed much more accurately and profoundly for years. But the response from the international community was tepid. Now that the LRA is marginalized and virtually defunct, we have the outcry.

I just think, as filmmakers, the privilege we enjoy always carries the responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest standards.
Click to expand...

Very well said.
 
rod bradley said:
This is alas what happens when "documentary" slips, with the best of intentions, toward propaganda. Don't get me wrong, I am in total sympathy with the cause, but not so much with this particular "message" about the cause for reasons there are links to.

It's a very slippery slope when people get vested in their righteous outrage and find that certain truths are inconvenient (like Kony hasn't been there for six years)-- but figure the means justify the end. I'm sure most of us are in in total agreement that Kony and the LRA is evil and should be squashed.

Ultimately adhering to the truth of the matter, without unnecessary slant or hyperbole, seems to produce the most committed response. Perhaps not the most sensational. But sensation evaporates very quickly. Alas, all of this terrible business has been revealed much more accurately and profoundly for years. But the response from the international community was tepid. Now that the LRA is marginalized and virtually defunct, we have the outcry.

I just think, as filmmakers, the privilege we enjoy always carries the responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest standards.
Click to expand...

Slow down there. Marginalized and defunct? In Uganda, yes but they've moved on and gotten bigger.
Revealed more profoundly? Do you remember anything else about Uganda getting this big, this fast. Do you know the names of ANY other war criminals in Africa? Most don't.

I agree with the whole financial back story, and negative impacts of a military response but that's the whole point in taking part in a social experiment like this:
1. Social media is free. The video is made, and if arresting Joseph Kony is something people want then all we have to do is say so. In numbers. Don't give money to Invisible Children - going viral made monetary contribution unnecessary (unless you believe in that specific organization rather than the cause of arresting bad people and bringing them to justice).
2. Social media, makes it the people's cause, not Invisible Children's. Don't want military intervention? Say so. A loud enough cry will either change the way the government thinks about this stuff or make IC realize that's not something people are going to get behind if all you're wanting to do is throw guns at an already bloody situation.

I think in this case, the viral contrarians who are crying out to ignore the cause have some valid points. But the negatives they are pointing out don't justify killing a movement to arrest and try the bad people of the world.
 
kony2012.jpg


That's the pose I want in my next report on how the "relief" is being spent.
 
I'm just picking up on this today, probably along with several million others. It's refreshing to see posts like the OP's and the second poster too.

This meme puts me in mind of many Avaaz campaigns, many of which strike right at the emotional heart of all that's seemingly 'righteous and good'. But in too many cases (it only takes one) they have their facts wrong or tilt the bias so far to one side, that you can't help but question what they are saying. The 'truth' is usually a few google searches away.

Having only watched a portion of the film, interrupted by life, loves and other things, in a span of 4 hours, I know more about the problems of the charity than I do about Kony.

As another poster stated here, documentary film-makers have to hold themselves to the highest standard. It doesn't matter that 7 million people watch the film, if that 7 million people feel like the cause is questionable.
 
I still think it's a good organization and it sucks to see these public comments/disputes, attempt to negate the work they have already completed and have yet to accomplish, to encourage people to stop their support. It's nice to see Invisible Children publicly address these comments and allow people to make "their choice," if they want to support, and it what way they see fit.

I have a big heart for things like this, and I get excited about the possibility of being a part of making an impact...globally. Who knows if Kony will be arrested this year, or in 5 years to come. What I do know is that Uganda is better off with Invisible Children than they were without them.
 
This is a tough one. I've spent the week trying to look at both sides objectively, without letting the passion surrounding both sides shape my opinion. First and foremost, is it wrong for an organization to put all of its resources into awareness rather than direct action?

Of course not, awareness is probably the best thing you promote and is money well spent rather than throwing a few bucks at the problem.

On the other hand, no one wants to think that the founders are living in solid gold mansions off the back of this, or if the situation they are putting forward isn't exactly as it has been promoted.

What I want to know is how they plan to extract Kony without killing the very children they are trying to save. Or what happens to those children once liberated. Certainly can't just send them home, they will need serious deprogramming, counselling and compassion.

Anyway, I'll stay on the fence for the moment. I have no desire to condemn or drink the koolaid until I research myself.
 
The Film at 01:38

"The Game has new rules. The next 27 minutes are an experiment."

I'll say. It is a revealing exercise in several areas:
1. The power of Film making
2. The power and use of myth - see Joseph Campbell
3. The desire for humans to feel and to do the right thing - and the potential misuse of this trait
4. The power of social media to advance a cause or subject and be an agent of change
5. Our blind spot when it comes to quickly acting on emotion instead of searching for a complex, balanced truth
6. Our Western ignorance of the daily realities in Africa - there is nothing new in the film
 
The most beautiful part of this whole KONY thing is that it shows the possibility that we are all stemming out of "OUR" countries with care for others. There will always be lies and deceit in every endeavor, so we cannot expect anything to be perfect nor smooth. This is one small step in the human species realizing how communication can bridge the continents.
 
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