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Week 7: Syrian hero boy

Syrian hero boy

Recently on the internet we can see the heroic attitude of the Syrian boy.
The  video has been available from Monday and has been re-uploaded many times

Let’s watch: 

What is your first thought?


http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/78997000/jpg/_78997396_2.jpg

I have to say you that it is a fake movie and everything was directed.


http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/79001000/jpg/_79001408_syriaboycrew.jpg



The whole idea was created by a Norwegian directors Lars Kleberg, who was inspired by the events taking place currently in Syria. He says he deliberately presented the film as reality in order to generate a discussion about children in conflict zones.

"It was not a cynical way to get attention. They had honest motivations," - Lars Kleberg

A professional team and young actors, everything closed in a low budget of about £27,000£. It was filmed in Malta

What is more interesting, the video was posted on YouTube twice. The first time it wasn’t a spectacular success”.  Adding the word "hero" to publish the movie again began the waves of comments and publications on Twitter. The film was shown even in many TV reports that present the current situation in the Middle East. This time the film gained publicity, and creators felt they achieved something.

The purpose of the project was to show the problem without the need of filming drastic scenes in areas of the conflict.

The director says it is easy to record a video showing the reality, it is harder to direct life. 


In my opinion, according to the filmmakers:

"We are really happy with the reaction,"
"It created a debate…"

Sometimes the Internet, beyond the wave of hatred, can get people’s attention. A laudable purpose that shows the problem of children in the middle of war. It's not their fault that adults instead of talk, often reach for a weapon.


Questions:
Do you think this is a good way of getting people’s attention?
whether we, free people, can somehow help them?
Do you know any other way to get international attention?


Comments

Unknown said…
Is it good way of getting people's attention ? I'm not sure. Im not following youtube's top lists, so I haven't got chance to see it before. Moreover, spending 27000 pounds for faking reality ? Wasn't it smarter to put those money in real help ? I suppouse that simillar movie could be made be soldierss smartphones, and would have bigger impact.
Unknown said…
I'm not sure how I feel about it. I partially agree with Tomasz, I am not a fan of spending so much money on recreations of events, but hey, I guess there's demand, since that cash comes from the people (or people watching ads in this case, which is another evil mechanism btw.).
Anonymous said…
It looks soooooooo fake, that it hurts to watch.

Do you think this is a good way of getting people’s attention?

It worked, so it must be a good way to get people attention, altough I am against fakes of any sort and they annoy me very much.

I would answer to last two questions if my answers weren't too politically incorrect.
Anonymous said…
Also the director isn't very successful one, so for me it was just an idea to get more famous.
PrzemekM said…
Tomasz, perhaps the smartphone is a good weapon, but then people really die, in movie nobody :)

Robert, you don't believe in people :)
PrzemekM said…
These aren't big money for a movie, for the entire team. The whole was sponsored by the TV channel.
PrzemekM said…
I say the same (fake) when I watch movies from russia :D

Go ahead, but try not to use illegal words :D
Julia Osiak said…
I really don't think that this a good way to get people's and medias' attention. There is already enough real material that making this to me is not pointless but... unnecessary. I particularly don't like the fact that they posted this movie without saying that it is not a real scene. I get that their intentions were good and that they want to somehow help by raising awareness, but this method just doesn't seem appropriate for me.
MartaSB said…
I think that it would be better for them to add some info about the purpose of this video at the end or as a description on youtube. The video would still be viral just because of the title, but it wouldn't be misleading.
Can we help them? Most of us don't have a chance to help them directly, but we should all focus on changing our local environment, rising awareness of what is going on in the world.
It's hard to get international attention when there are so many areas of conflict. it's not possible to focus on all of them at the same time.
I completely agree that additional info in this type of videos is a must. Otherwise, people who watch this video might be feel a bit misled and it could backfire to the creators. In addition, I think that there is nothing much we can do besides spreading this information.
rf. said…
The link is no longer working, movie got deleted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y027OLiE9Pw
This one is a description of the viral and has some ot the scenes from the original one.
Marcin Lyzwa said…
It was definitely not a good way of getting people's attention. There is already in the Internet a huge amount of real videos, so making another one, especially fake, and spending 27,000 Pounds was pointless. It is hard to say how we can help them, personally I have no idea. Conflicts have already attract the international attention, but we have so many conflicts in different part of Earth so it is impossible to be focussed on all of them.
Well I definitely can't say it's such a good way to get people attention... I never heard about this video before reading your presentation. Was the idea good in general? It's probably better than doing nothing, but as others have mentioned before me, that money could have been spent in a better way. Still, the intention counts and is very valid.
Seisyll said…
I don't think the main problem is the attention. People are generally aware of what is happening there, and even if they are not, those movies won't do much. Why is that? Because people mostly care about their own well being, Things like sending an text or giving a like on facebook only makes them feel good about themselves while they are still not bound to do anything. I think that only way to really get people's attention is to make them experience the conditions in which the people in need of help are living.

I know that there are exceptions from what I said, but lets be honest everyone. Did you send a text or gave a like on facebook for those in need and felt good about it? Have you really done something to help those people?
I think it's a good way because people all around the world are the same - they love moving stories about children or animals...
You're right. I think we can assume that almost all gave at least one like to such cause and that's it. And no I haven't done something to help people in Syria. But I've help some polish people in need. I perfer to help in more personal way, not by sending money to some big organisation or something like that...
Unknown said…
I can't see the video because it was deleted by the administrator so it is really hard to say anything now.
Unknown said…
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Syrian+hero+boy :P
Unknown said…
Directior wanted generate a discussion about children in conflict zones, but making fake video he generated discussion abot fake videos.
Mateusz Frycie said…
I never heard about this video before reading this. I've got mixed emotions about it. Im not a big fun of this kind of stuff and as many of You mentioned before - it looks fake.
Unknown said…
Do you think this is a good way of getting people’s attention?
Well, I think that it's good that someone is trying to bring up some discussion, get some attention on this, but I have some doubt's he chosen the good way to do it. Generally, people feel angry when they realize that someone tricked them into thinking that something fake was real ;)

Whether we, free people, can somehow help them?
It's really hard to help unless you get really involved.

Do you know any other way to get international attention?
I dont think that "getting attention" should be considered as a main goal, I would rather say that making people reflect on something should. Getting attention is easy and has "short-time" effects.
Unknown said…
I am not sure that it is a good way of getting people's attention, there are a lot of non-fake stories where children are involved. But we must understand that people who are interested - they are involved, those who are not - you can show a mass-graves full of children they will say that it's not theirs business.

I think there is no way to help, because they are living in such reality. We can see the same thing with Ukraine and what is going on the East - children are suffering because of some guys decided to play real war, but there is no actual way to help them because they are living there. Money and humanitarian help will not help them to return broken childhood, will not heal theirs wounds and definately will not return their lifes. If someone wants really to help - he should go there, however there is a very small chance that person could change something a lot. The only thing that we should face - is reality, that it is great that we are living in the place where human and personal dignity are no repressed, where human rights are combined with actual law, where you can walk on the street and not to be afraid of some cut-throats that will decide to hunt you down like an animal because they are feeling like that and we should face the fact, that there are places where human rights just an empty sound, law is the power of the stronges and the way how easy you can kill is the way how you are respected in society.
Unknown said…
I don’t think this is a good way to get people’s attention but on the other hand every way is good for people from countries like Syria. It is hard to think about actions which are interesting/moving enough to get people’s attention worldwide.

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