This essay will examine the following two N.F.B. films directed by Terre Nash: /f you Love this Planet (1983) and with the help of Caldicott it's easy to imag- Who's Counting?: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies & Global Economics (1995). Nash is an independent filmmaker ine it happening again. Maybe this time in who's first NFB film won an oscar for best short subject documentary. | will be presenting facts and personal obser- your own backyard. vations, as well as analyzing the filmmaker's ability to make documentaries that inspire social change, promote global consciousness and offer communities alternatives to effect change through direct action. Vivian & Thomas Sobchack suggest that "...Documentary film, the representation of Let me begin by giving a brief description of each film. If You Love This Planet documents a lecture given by Dr. actual eee and people on the oe Helen Caldicott, the national president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. She discusses the ever present possibili- Places it's major emphasis on educating and ty of Nuclear War. The film was made in 1983 and is twenty-five minutes in length. The second film, (Who's persuading viewers." (Sobchack 347) To Counting?: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies & Global Economics,) was completed in 1995, and it is ninety-three minutes this | would add that Terre Nash takes her long. This film is based on Marilyn Waring's book, published in (1988), If Women Counted : A New Feminist documentaries a step further by providing a Economics. Marilyn Waring "is an internationally recognized leader in feminist economics" (CA Magazine 9), who in humanistic approach through real life expe- 1975 at the age of twenty-two was elected an MP with the conservative National Party of New Zealand. She riences, factual information and the effects remained in Parliament until 1984, when her political life came to an end. Unable to support her party's willingness of such events on a global and personal to harbour American nuclear warships in domestic waters, she voted against them and brought down the govern- evel. ment. One of the contributing factor's that makes If you Love This Planet successful is it's appeal to the basic human concern for survival. The overall impact on the viewer is tremendous; the film succeeds in rousing all out of their so-called comfortable middle class reverie. Knowledge of past warfare and the omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation was and still is a common fear. The viewer is hooked and merely wants to be informed as to what action they can take to stop the madness. The structure of the film is literally captivating and very effective in get- ting it's message across. We the viewer become the film audien- ce, "trapped in the lecture hall," (Latimer Who's 40) of which we cannot leave and in fact do not leave throughout the film. When \ / \/ € shown archival footage, instead of O S O U i i ; : : g providing relief from the experience of by France Queyras being trapped in the lecture hall, the expe- rience becomes metachoric. This term, The style of filmmaking used in both pieces is very similar. Each film features professionals constructed as credible who coined by Cecil Green for "an experience in deliver both personal opinions and professional knowledge via documented lectures on their respective subjects. which the entire environment is replaced by Adding further credibility to the lecture topics, both Caldicott and Waring present to what appears to be a University _ hallucination," is in this case a-collective audience, and neither presenter is interrupted during their address. Both films are intentionally biased and make no hallucination. "A waking dream, where attempt to disguise that bias. In fact, in a Herizons interview with Joanne Latimer, on Who's Counting?..., when asked the transition between ordinary awareness why "the film doesn't show any pundits taking Marilyn Waring to task," Latimer says Nash "was criticized for the same and the completely hallucinated world of thing in If You Love This Planet. Some people said she should have included the pro-war side, but the pro-war side has the metachoric experience can occur imper- all the weapons." "They have the power," Nash counters. "It's time for dissenting voices." ceptibly and if the metachoric world is a replica of the physical one [ie. authentic If you love this Planet is primarily comprised of Dr. Helen Caldicott's anti-nuclear lecture, heavily interspersed with archival film footage] the hallucinator(s) archival military footage, which includes the bombing of Hiroshima and scientific military studies of the after-effects of may not even realize that anything unusual an atomic bomb at ground zero. The viewer is shown actual and re-enacted footage of a nuclear explosion, as well as has occurred." Thereby | propose the archival footage of victims of the Hiroshima atomic blast. Included with this horrifying selection of imagery is footage audience's potential to accept as well as of Ronald Reagan (the then President of the United States), whose Hollywood-like portrayal in the U.S. military 40's adopt the filmic experience as part of their propaganda film Jap Zero (Sweet c1) of a World War Il pilot, depicts an eager, happy-go-lucky, boy-next-door kind of own memory. "A metachoric experience guy, who's only desire is to participate in the bombing action. Reagan's film character mimics the President's off-screen can happen while one is awake or in an persona so closely that it could almost be taken as fact. The impression of President Reagan as the naive trigger-happy altered state of consciousness." The latter | bomber is etched permanently in the viewer's mind. Accompanying all of the found footage is the ongoing voice-over suggest being the very state in which the of Dr. Caldicott, in which she graphically describes what to expect before, during, and after a nuclear blast. The combi- viewers experience /f You Love This nation of the real (archival footage) and imagined (her scientific presentation of the aftermath) is so powerful that it is | Planet.(George 176) hard to separate the two, and once again is received almost as fact by the viewer. It's already happened once, and @- This essay will examine the following two N.F.B. films directed by Terre Nash: /f you Love this Planet (1983) and Who's Counting?: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies & Global Economics (1995). Nash is an independent filmmaker who's first NFB film won an oscar for best short subject documentary. | will be presenting facts and personal obser- vations, as well as analyzing the filmmaker's ability to make documentaries that inspire social change, promote global consciousness and offer communities alternatives to effect change through direct action Let me begin by giving a brief description of each film. if You Love This Planet documents a lecture given by Dr. Helen Caldicott, the national president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. She discusses the ever present possbili- ty of Nuclear War. The film was made in 1983 and is twenty-five minutes in length. The second film, (Who's Counting?: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies & Global Economics,) was completed in 1995, and it is ninety-three minutes ong. This film is based on Marilyn Waring’s book, published in (1988), If Women Counted : A New Feminist Economics. Marilyn Waring "is an internationally recognized leader in feminist economics" (CA Magazine 9), who in 1975 at the age of twenty-two was elected an MP with the conservative National Party of New Zealand. She remained in Parliament until 1984, when her political life came to an end. Unable to support her party's willingness to harbour American nuclear warships in domestic waters, she voted against them and brought down the govern- ment. by France Queyras Ww Os ounting The style of filmmaking used in both pieces is very similar. Each film features professionals constructed as credible who deliver both personal opinions and professional knowledge via documented lectures on their respective subjects, ‘Adding further credibility to the lecture topics, both Caldicott and Waring present to what appears to be a University audience, and neither presenter is interrupted during their address. Both films are intentionally biased and make no attempt to disguise that bias. In fact, in a Herizons interview with Jo why "the film doesn't show any pundits taking Marilyn Waring to task," Latimer says Nash “was criticized for the same people said she should have included the pro-war side, but the pro-war side has Nash counters. *It's time for dissenting voices." thing in If You Love This Planet. Some all the weapons." "They have the pow. er," !f you love this Planet is primarily comprised of Dr. Helen Caldicott's anti-nuclear lecture, heavily interspersed with archival military footage, which includes the bombing of Hiroshima and scientific military studies of the after-effects of an atomic bomb at ground zero. The viewer is shown actual and re- archival footage of victims of the Hiroshima atomic blast. Included enacted footage of a nuclear explosion, as well as with this horrifying selection of imagery is footage of Ronald Reagan (the then President of the United States), whose Hollywood-like portrayal in the U.S. military 40's propaganda film Jap Zero (Sweet c1) of a World War Il pilot, depicts guy, who's only desire is to participate in the bombing action. persona so closely that it could almost be taken as fact. The im bomber is etched permanently in the viewer's mind. Accom of Dr. Caldicott, in which she graphically describes what to an eager, happy-go-lucky, boy-next-door kind of #Reagan's film character mimics the President's off-screen pression of President Reagan as the naive trigger-happy ipanying all of the found footage is the ongoing voice-over expect before, during, and after a nuclear blast. The combi- nation of the real (archival footage) and imagined (her scientific presentation of the aftermath) is so powerful that itis hard to separate the two, and once again is received almost as fact by the viewer. It's already happened once, and @-2 anne Latimer, on Who's Counting?..., when asked with the help of Caldicott it’s easy to imag- ine it happening again. Maybe this time in your own backyard. Vivian & Thomas Sobchack suggest that "...Documentary film, the representation of actual events and people on the screen, places it's major emphasis on educating and persuading viewers. "(Sobchack 347) To this | would add that Terre Nash takes her documentaries a step further by providing a humanistic approach through real life expe- riences, factual information and the effects of such events on a global and personal level. ‘One of the contributing factor’s that makes If you Love This Planet successful is it's appeal to the basic human concern for survival. The overall impact on the viewer is tremendous; the film succeeds in rousing all out of their so-called comfortable middle class reverie. Knowledge of past warfare and the omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation was and still is a ‘common fear. The viewer is hooked and merely wants to be informed as to what action they can take to stop the madness. The structure of the film is literally captivating and very effective in get- | ting it's message across. We the viewer become the film audien- ce, "trapped in the lecture hall," (Latimer Who's 40) of which we cannot leave and in fact do not leave throughout the film. When shown archival footage, instead of providing relief from the experience of being trapped in the lecture hall, the expe- rience becomes metachoric. This term, coined by Cecil Green for "an experience in which the entire environment is replaced by hallucination," is in this case a collective hallucination. “A waking dream, where the transition between ordinary awareness and the completely hallucinated world of the metachoric experience can occur imper- ceptibly and if the metachoric world is a replica of the physical one fie. authentic archival film footage] the hallucinator(s) may not even realize that anything unusual has occurred." Thereby | propose the audience's potential to accept as well as adopt the filmic experience as part of their ‘own memory. "A metachoric experience can happen while one is awake or in an altered state of consciousness." The latter | suggest being the very state in which the viewers experience /f You Love This Planet.(George 176)