TOW #28: Documentary

Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive


Usain Bolt, arguably one of the best athletes of all time, grew up in Jamaica, where he still lives and trains intensely pursuing his career as a world class sprinter. Usain Bolt stood out from the start, his lean, towering 6'5 body was unusual for a sprinter. He showed his strength and potential during the 2002 World Junior Championships and won the 200m dash setting a new junior world record. As his fame began to increase, he moved to Kingston, Jamaica, away from his family to get the ultimate training from Jamaican Olympic Coach, Glen Mills. As time and training went on, Usain Bolt became the fastest man in the world. This documentary films Usain Bolt's journey up until the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Beijing, China, is where Usain Bolt began his Olympic gold medal streak. He won the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m, and continued to win most of those events throughout world class events and continuing on into the 2012 Olympic Games. However, the World Championships in 2011 was a little different. Usain Bolt false started in the 100m, immediately disqualifying him  from the race and any contention in medaling. His teammate and biggest rival, Yohan Blake, went on to become the 100m World Champion that year. Frustrated, Bolt came back to win the 200m dash and set the world record with his 4x100m relay team. Usain Bolt will forever go down in history as one of the greatest athletes that have ever lived, and his career isn't even over.

Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive was created to show and describe the intense journey of the fastest sprinter alive. The documentary uses many different strategies to add effect, including the cinematography and sound of the film. Starting with the cinematography, the camera placement throughout the documentary adds emphasis on the more important points making them more interesting. For instance, while Bolt was training, the camera angle up close on his face and body watching his every breath was very effecting because it showed the audience how hard Bolt's training is and how hard he really works. Every part of cinematography plays a role in this documentary, the different lighting during one of Bolt's races adds intensity and the brighter colors change the tone as well. Overall, cinematography helps show and describe Usain Bolt's journey of being the fastest man alive.

In addition to cinematography, the movie's sound plays a key role in the effect of the film. Throughout the documentary, the sound is changing with volume and music. The music that plays throughout the film matches each scene accurately adding an exciting effect in order to keep the audience engaged. The sound, specifically, adds the most effect. For example, while showing Bolt's 100m dash, the entire film goes silent, until he crosses the finish line and the crowd roars as Bolt wins. It adds a really awesome and emphasized intensity to the race and documentary, and helps the audience really feel the emotions and atmosphere of that moment.

In a documentary, or any type of film, the elements, devices, and strategies are very important for delivering a purpose and keeping the audience engaged. Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive successfully uses many, including sound and cinematography. Both devices and strategies helped show and describe Bolt's intense journey leading up to the 2012 London Olympic Games.

TOW #27: TOW Reflection

         Looking back on my very first TOW response reminds me how much my writing has improved over the course of the year. I thoroughly recall not even knowing what a rhetorical device was when I was composing my first TOW. My analysis consisted of a quote and a few words trying to define the significance of my evidence. As I have re read a lot of my TOWS, I realize my progress lies in my analysis of each TOW and devices I chose to use. In the beginning, I really struggled with finding the author's purpose of a certain essay or writing piece. As the year went on though, I challenged myself with harder readings and began to improve my adequateness. My TOWS became more sophisticated throughout the year and I began to sound like a student trying to master the rigorous AP English course and its criteria. I mastered analyzing difficult texts and finding their real meaning. In the beginning of the year, I would stare at an essay or excerpt for hours and not be able to analyze it. Now I am more confident and have more patience to define key words and terms and find the author's purpose. Of course, just because I have improved and mastered certain things doesn't mean there aren't others I still need to improve. Although I have been more adequate, it still isn't 100%. I think the analysis essays will always be my weakness because even though finding the purpose has gotten easier, it's still hard. In addition, I would like to continue to improve my vocabulary. Every AP English test I've gotten there is at least 3 words I am unfamiliar with, and I believe that it would really help me with finding answers and analyzing texts if my vocabulary was varied. Overall, TOWS helped me practice analyzing different forms of literary elements; books, essays, poems, pictures, videos, etc. I personally think that if an essay were assigned to us for each TOW it would be different. Part of my problems with TOWS was finding the write piece of writing to analyze. Also, if the class had the same TOW I could help get more feedback from classmates because they're familiar with the same texts. I like being able to analyze commercials and pictures so I think a few "free choice TOWS" is still good, but it would've helped to have certain essays assigned to us to analyze. I guess overall I did benefit from TOWS because without them I wouldn't have the weeks of practice under my belt before the AP exam.