The destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, and the immediate and lasting reaction of the media to this event was the main focus for this week's reading (King, 2005, pg. 47-56). The reading draws on different aspects of the media coverage of the disaster, and is states that this real-life event can be distinguished from common 'disaster film' sequences by the obvious use of hand-held camera equipment and a lack of continuity whilst filming the sequence (King, 2005, pg. 49-50). While many of the earlier big budget disaster style films do make scenes of destruction particularly clear and unmissable for the viewer, recent computer generated images technology has meant that film makers no longer need to spend such high amounts on pyrotechnics and explosions. The recent film 'Cloverfield' (2008), is shown in its entirety as a hand-held style of filming and, like the 9/11 coverage, does not show many of the destruction sequences at the most visible angle to the audience. This style of film making is done here deliberately, to give the film a more authentic feel.
In comparison to real disaster footage and 'breaking news' coverage of events, simulated disasters made by directors and film makers for entertainment can sometimes seem quite cheap and offensive to those affected by real life events. An example of this could be the humorous portrayal of nuclear meltdown as seen in several episodes of the television series 'The Simpsons' (1989 -) which may now be seen as distressing by many who have been affected by the recent disasters in Japan, including threat of nuclear radiation (Demetriou, 2011, The Telegraph Online).
References
Demetriou, D. (2011) Highly radioactive water leaks outside Japan's nuclear plant building, The Telegraph.co.uk
Groening, M. (1989-) The Simpsons
King, G. (2005), "Just like a movie"?: 9/11 and Hollywood Spectacle
Reeves, M. (2008) Cloverfield
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