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Media Literacy Concept
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Application to the “Passion Of The Christ”
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Follow up questions
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| All media are constructions |
Mel Gibson used all of the tricks and tools of the cinematic trade to create a narrative based on his religious beliefs and his reading and understanding of several source documents. |
What would have been the effect on the audience if the violence of the scourging scene had been implied rather than so emphatically stated on the screen? |
| Audiences negotiate meaning |
Each audience member, based on their own knowledge, religious affiliation, belief and value system, experience, and environment, will interpret the narrative and it’s relation to history in a way that makes sense to them. |
When a traditional Christian, Jew and Muslim see this film, and each one reads and understands the roles and responsibilities of the characters differently according to their religious knowledge and beliefs – might one reading of the narrative in the film be more correct than another? |
| The media construct versions of reality |
Mel Gibson did not set out to make a documentary about the last hours of Jesus’ life; and because this is not a documentary it doesn’t claim to present a balanced view of differing political, religious, or sociological perspectives or “takes” on the events. |
The different characters are given screen time to provide their perspective on certain events within the entire narrative, but is there an overriding objective or reporter voice in the narrative?
If not, then is the film a documentary or the telling of a narrative from the perspective of a single and specific theological position?
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| Media messages have commercial implications |
This film cost Mel (depending on which version you read or subscribe to) over $25 million of his own money to make. Can he afford to lose that amount of money? If he does, how will this affect his future earning power in Hollywood? |
It costs money to make money. Therefore the audience encounters marketing, publicity and public relations onslaughts. Mel made the movie for several reasons, one of which was to have people see it and experience things that he experienced in his acceptance and internalization of the narrative. If he is to maintain his position as a Hollywood box office success story – and therefore maintain his ability to attract an audience to his more commercial films – then this movie has to make money. Therefore, does the saying – all publicity is good publicity –apply to the marketing of this film? Why was the film specifically released on Ash Wednesday, even though it was ready for release before this date? Why were the focus group sessions and their results so widely publicized? |
| Media messages contain ideological and value messages |
This film is a reflection and statement of Mel Gibson’s reading and understanding of his personal religious beliefs and his personal interpretation of specific religious sources. |
How might the film have been different if it had been made by one of the following people or if any one of them had been a consultant in the making of the film: Homer Simpson, Dr. Phil, Lloyd Robertson, Pope John XX111, Geraldo Rivera, Hitler, or a returning crusader?
What elements of the narrative would have been deleted, added in, emphasized, shortened, or lengthened? |
| Media messages contain social and political implications |
Mel has stated that the film is his explanation for his spirituality and belief and therefore his way of life. The film is also his invitation to other people to accept and embrace his vision of his religion. |
Strip the narrative of the film down to its most basic and historically accurate points: for example:
- A man named Jesus lived.
- He preached.
- A man named Jesus died.
- Jesus’ followers continued preaching his teachings.
Now start adding adjectives, adverbs, clauses, sentences etc. to describe how these events are treated in the film. Do these additional descriptive elements demonstrate Mel’s version of the implications of these events?
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| Form and content are closely related in media messages |
Mel used the form and grammar of feature films to build to a narrative climax and then state a resolution of the events and the implications and ramifications of the resolution. |
In the building to the narrative climax, how does the audience know whom to see, or understand to see, as the "good guys" and the "bad guys"? What filmic and narrative techniques were used to help the audience see Mel’s version of the good guys and the bad guys? |
| Each medium has a unique aesthetic form |
The film was made in the style of a Hollywood box office picture and not in the style of a documentary or news story. |
How different would the narrative be if it was filmed and edited as a documentary? How would this change affect the viewers’ perceptions of the cast of characters and their roles and responsibilities in the events depicted in the film? |
| Maureen's conclusion: Mel Gibson risked his money on a film to explain why he feels that his religious experiences are the right ones and why others should adopt them. In order to do this as successfully as possible, he has used all of his knowledge, skills and resources as an actor, filmmaker and film markerter. |
