Randi+Steiner+reflection

Satire: reflective argument

When this project was first assigned, I had no clue what I was going to do. About a week before it was due, Nina expressed desire to make another video, much like the dystopian movie trailer we created earlier in the year. After reading the book, the symbolic green belt, or girdle, gave me the idea to film an infomercial selling the green girdle. After doing some research on medieval girdles, I learned that, in literature, girdles typically protected a woman from sexual or other attack, or were a sign of virginity. In the book, the girdle protects the wearer of death, and is used as a symbol of shame. Armed with all of this information, Nina and I began writing a script for the infomercial. I decided to play Oprah Winfrey for two main reasons: for the satirical element of a young white girl playing a middle-aged black woman and for Oprah’s known position as a trendsetter for women nationwide. I also constructed multiple “girdles” (I’m not sure that one could really call them that) using household objects such as long necklaces and ribbon. Once the props were ready and the script was finished, we set up my camera on a tripod and started filming. Nina filmed all of the takes, and we both had lots of suggestions so we made a lot of changes along the way. After the filming was concluded, Nina edited all of the clips, put them together, and added music before submitting it.

The main element being satirized is the girdle. By putting a popular 13th century trend in a modern setting, a degree of ridiculous is added. We also made fun of what the girdle represented, which has a bit of magic included in it. The unrealistic expectations were also satirized in that sense. We also added the axe at the end as a humorous allusion to the Green Knight’s axe.

We believe that this project should receive 40/40 points because we went beyond the expectations of the assignment by creating a two-minute long video, which took hours. The infomercial is well-done and somewhat professional looking (we do not have our own studio yet). The editing is fantastic and took Nina hours to complete. In addition, it is unmistakably satirical of Sir Gawain and the Green Night, and it is definitely funny (at least we laug hed).