Reading Notes: Video A

Reading Notes: Video A

Video
Made by: Question Copyright (Channel)
Published: Oct 23, 2009

Meme

Part A:

0:00 Lakshmi rises from the sea with a phonograph.

-The beginning is a bit creepy. I don’t think that it would be useful to my storytelling

0:03 The cosmos: Shiva in a ring of fire, Brahma, Lakshmi and Vishnu resting on Shesha, Surya the sun god, Chandra the moon god, the beating heart of the universe, and Bhumi the earth goddess.

-This is very psychedelic. Also, these characters are very sexualized which is a bit uncomfortable. These stories also seem to be pretty sexist with the women at the man’s feet it may be nice to make the characters more equal in my stories.

0:05 San Francisco. We see Nina, her boyfriend Dave, and their cat. They are all very happy. The boyfriend gets a job in India.

-I like that they do something that Pixar does with their storytelling(ish). It shows what their life is then blank happens and because blank happens a different blank happens.

0:07 The three narrators argue about the date of the Ramayana. They also argue about whether it is true or not, and about where the story took place.

-I like the humor that they use. They also make the story told through a conversation. I also like that they keep correcting each other it is so funny.

0:08 King Dasharatha has three wives and four sons. Sita, daughter of Janaka, is Rama's wife. Queen Kaikeyi makes Dasharatha send Rama into exile. He dies of grief after Rama leaves.

-They continue to correct each other and they are struggling to get their facts straight and it is just a weird way of storytelling.

0:11 Despite Rama's warnings about the rakshasas in the forest, Sita goes into exile with him. The phonograph plays a song while they go into the forest where they live happily while Rama slays rakshasas.

-I do enjoy that it shows what they are saying then zoom into to see what is going on in there head.

0:14 San Francisco airport: Nina kisses her boyfriend goodbye.

-I like that this is told through song. I don’t think the art matches the song. But I do think that this is similar to rhyme n=because it has a bit of rhythm to it. I do like that they are in love and they cannot be bothered by monsters. They are like excuse me I am in love and in the middle of my ballad…

0:15 The narrators discuss Ravana who stole Sita. Ravana some say was a good king, but they also compare him to Mogambo the Hindi film villain. Ravana was so devoted to Shiva that he played the veena (lute) for him with his intestines: this refers to the legend that when a string on the veena broke, Ravana used his own guts to continue playing so that he would not interrupt the song. He was the king of Sri Lanka, and there was an ancient land bridge connecting India to the island.

-The conversation story is back. It is really amusing. I think that this must be one of my favorite versions of the storytelling in this video so far.

0:17 Surpanakha is Ravana's sister. Angry at Rama, Surpanakha tells Ravana about Sita. Maricha tells Ravana to leave Sita alone but Ravana commands Maricha to become a golden deer to distract Rama so he can grab Sita.

-They are just objectifying Sita. I think that Sita is a locus. The sound that he makes thinking about Sita is uncomfortable.

0:18 Sita is enchanted by the golden deer. Rama suspects a trick, but Sita begs him to pursue the deer.

-I like the comedy that it is less than a foot away from him and he is like to stay in the hut while I hunt.

0:19 Sita sings about her love for Rama, while Ravana sneaks up on their forest hut.

-He is holding the arrow right in front of him and he is so bad at aiming that he has to take a step forward if it is more than an inch away.

0:21 Ravana abducts Sita in his flying chariot.

-All of these characters are so sexual. This doesn’t show her struggle which I dislike. She is just like whoops I was taken.

0:22 Sita drops her jewelry as a sign; Rama seeks her in the forest.

-this is the conversation again. It is a bit of a Hansel and Gretel story. She is lucky that she wears 50pounds of jewelry. It would be fun to make this a comedy story.

0:23 Hanuman: The narrators discuss Vishnu's incarnation as Hanuman, and one narrator

mentions Shiva's incarnation as Hanuman (the other narrators had not heard about that, and it is indeed a later tradition).

-They are still funny. I like that they are learning along with the listener.

0:24 Rama and Hanuman become allies. Rama sends Hanuman to look for Sita.

-We meet and now I am your slave. It is just silly.

0:25 San Francisco: Dave calls Nina to invite her to India.

-It is just so mean that he has been in a long-term relationship with this woman and he didn’t contact her. She should break up with him. This is such a sad story!

0:26 Sita is held captive in Lanka, and she weeps for Rama. She rejects Ravana's advances.

-       “Your ass is grass” that is so funny. I think that this type of story-telling has a better appeal to older audiences.

0:27 Hanuman finds Sita in Lanka while Sita sings the blues. He sets Lanka on fire and then returns to Rama.

-I love dramatic zooms. It really adds so much comedy. He basically said you have 2 months until she will be raped. Then she says I would destroy but my husband didn’t tell me I am allowed to so I will just wait. I would re-write it to have her destroy him.

0:31 The narrators argue about why Sita did not escape with Hanuman. Meanwhile, Nina goes to India. 

-It is great to value your significant others' strength but in that kind of situation you need to try t- save yourself. I don’t think it is good to put these ideas into little girls' or boys' heads.

0:32 The narrators argue about whether the monkeys were monkeys or half-monkey and half-man. Rama leads his monkey army to Lanka.

-They are basically describing hominids. You could combine a bit of science into the story maybe.

0:33 Sita sings with joy while Rama battles the rakshasas and slays Ravana.

-She sings all of her lines. I like like the line talking about if she was wrong she would die because she would literally, be eaten if Ramayana didn’t save her because she would try to save herself.

0:36 Nina arrives in India, but Dave tells her not to kiss in public. They don't kiss in bed either.

-What happened to dave? Why are all of these so sexual?

0:37 The narrators discuss how Rama was cold to Sita after rescuing her.

-I like that they said just to make you why in a story. That could be fun to throw at the end of a story.

0:38 Sita and Rama are reunited, but he rejects her because she lived in another man's house. He sends her away. Sita despairs.

-I don’t understand why he saves her if he doesn’t even like her anymore. He knew that she was there. She did not choose to be taken. This is victim-blaming and it is gross. story. “I have no more use for you” That is just so freaking gross I hate it.

0:39 Sita asks for a funeral pyre. The narrators argue about how to interpret this part of the story. 

- She is “pure” but that is just gross. I would have to completely change it to where Rama is an actual human being and is sorry for what happened to her and consoles her.

0:40 Sita sings the blues while she undergoes a test by fire, protected by Agni the fire god.

-I like she says are you being mean to me? You like to see me cry. That means that she deserves someone better that is another option. She could just find a new love who is. A good person.

0:43 Rama asks for Sita's forgiveness.

-She should not forgive him. And “I live only for you in a different context may be better but it sounds like something a man wrote of what he thing a woman thinks about..” I would want to make Sita a bit more independent.

0:44 Nina and Dave are working in the same office in India. Nina goes to New York for a week.

What is Dave's deal?

0:45 The narrators discuss the flying chariot, Pushpaka, that takes Rama and Sita back to Ayodhya.

-The girl seems to know the actual names of things. It is so weird.

0:46 Sita sings the blues again: if you want the rainbow, you must have the rain.

-This idea could be cool to try to do with a modern song. And have it with illustrations to show how it relates