How Journalists Are Portrayed In Movies

Morality, war, pain and suffering is what is tragically depicted in the movie titled: The Big Bang Club. It is a true life story of four journalists from South Africa who cover the war during 1990-1994. During this time there was a war taking place within Africa because of the elections, just before Nelson Mandela had won. The journalists seek to tell the truth taking photos of the most extreme deaths shown in the movie. They take pictures of the deaths and fights that go on during these years. They get as close as they can to take pictures of the conflict as if it is just a movie.

This movie is strongly based about the lives of journalists, it shows a brutal and panful life that they have to live in. They are exposed to many things that can scare anyone’s minds. The movie at first makes it seem like they have so much free time, they take pictures hand them in and the photo editor will go through each picture carefully picking which ones can be used. It doesn’t show deadlines or stress like what most people would imagine.

However they show clearly how journalists are risk takers, as these journalists would be right in the middle of people fighting and killing each other. No matter how terrifying the situation is they get as close as they can and take the best pictures they can, they don’t back out or turn around. To top this off whatever emotions they have no matter what they see they have to block it out and keep on going. In the movie not only is their work life shown but also their social lives where they hit the bars for drinks and smoke to calm themselves down and to forget about the things they saw during their day at work. They are portrayed to be people who drink a lot and their hours are shown to be all over the place. They don’t have a fixed schedule as they wait for something to happen and they’ll be there right away.

For me I love how they highlight the emotions that a journalists go through. The main character in this movie dies by committing suicide. He cannot take the guilt, the things he’s seen and the pressure put on him. The picture he took that got him his award was a great picture to many but it tests his morals as he did not help the girl he just took the picture. There was also another incident where another character snapped a shot of a man burning alive. The issues arised from this is should they help them? Should they make sure they are ok? As a journalist they are just doing their job. They are getting pictures for the public to see what is really happening. The more outstanding the picture is the more people will understand and it will reach out to the emotions of the audience. They are there for the people and so the first thing they think of doing is taking the shot, making sure they are okay is maybe their last. This is the main portrayal of journalists in the movie.

What these journalists did is bad but I understand them as it is their job, they cannot let their emotions get the best of them. This movie shows a different side of journalists, I chose this movie as it showed the downside of being a journalists. Most movies show the glamorous side but this movie shows that this is not what being a journalists is all about, there is more to what they do.

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