GasLand. Dir. Josh Fox. Perf. Josh Fox. New Video Group, 2010. DVD.
This documentary is an exploration into the harmful effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the United States. Josh Fox, a rural Pennsylvania resident, was appalled when looking in to the activities of various oil and gas companies all throughout the countries and decided to research the potential environmental disasters in Pennsylvania by traveling all around Colorado, Wyoming, Arkansas, Texas, and other states in which the dangers of fracking have appeared. He discovers many loopholes in government documents such as the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act that companies have greatly exploited in the past 10 years.
Fox's structure of his documentary is by far the most effective strategy used in GasLand. He starts by describing his home in Pennsylvania, which is on land that oil and gas companies want for gas production. After Fox first becomes active on the issue of fracking, he moves to a wider lens, exploring the closest drilling sites to his home and interviewing residents with contaminated water. Next, he travels to the west, where fracking first began, examining the long-term effects of drilling through powerful interviews with residents and research into studies, statistics and documents. Later, he has (or tries to have) interviews with company representatives, local officials, and community leaders. Finally, Fox ends with a blatant call to action from the public to rise against the dangers of oil and gas companies' fracking by asking questions on the outcomes of potential fracking in his home state and community.
Also, the director established his credibility at the beginning of the film by introducing himself as a selfless citizen who wants to protect his community as well as everyone's homes from fracking through various methods. Many of the shots of the camera pointing through a window give the audience something to relate to, since almost everyone in the country has looked out of a window of a car rolling down the road before. In addition, the scenes that include Josh attempting to call oil companies and constantly being transferred further connect with the audience. Out of all, one powerful line in the film drew my attention specifically: when Josh was asking for an interview with a company executive, someone on the phone asked who the documentary would be for. When Josh answered "the general public," he made it seem like the companies were completely turned off, leading into one failed attempt at an interview after another.
This documentary is an exploration into the harmful effects of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the United States. Josh Fox, a rural Pennsylvania resident, was appalled when looking in to the activities of various oil and gas companies all throughout the countries and decided to research the potential environmental disasters in Pennsylvania by traveling all around Colorado, Wyoming, Arkansas, Texas, and other states in which the dangers of fracking have appeared. He discovers many loopholes in government documents such as the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act that companies have greatly exploited in the past 10 years.
Fox's structure of his documentary is by far the most effective strategy used in GasLand. He starts by describing his home in Pennsylvania, which is on land that oil and gas companies want for gas production. After Fox first becomes active on the issue of fracking, he moves to a wider lens, exploring the closest drilling sites to his home and interviewing residents with contaminated water. Next, he travels to the west, where fracking first began, examining the long-term effects of drilling through powerful interviews with residents and research into studies, statistics and documents. Later, he has (or tries to have) interviews with company representatives, local officials, and community leaders. Finally, Fox ends with a blatant call to action from the public to rise against the dangers of oil and gas companies' fracking by asking questions on the outcomes of potential fracking in his home state and community.
Also, the director established his credibility at the beginning of the film by introducing himself as a selfless citizen who wants to protect his community as well as everyone's homes from fracking through various methods. Many of the shots of the camera pointing through a window give the audience something to relate to, since almost everyone in the country has looked out of a window of a car rolling down the road before. In addition, the scenes that include Josh attempting to call oil companies and constantly being transferred further connect with the audience. Out of all, one powerful line in the film drew my attention specifically: when Josh was asking for an interview with a company executive, someone on the phone asked who the documentary would be for. When Josh answered "the general public," he made it seem like the companies were completely turned off, leading into one failed attempt at an interview after another.
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