Blog 4: Kirsten Johnson Guest Lecture

 Kirsten Johnson was deviated from a conventional guest speaker and definitely exceed my expectations. She entered the room and immediately demanded attention because of her height and loud prints and colors she wore. She made these characteristics central to her lecture which emphasized her point of the power of holding a camera. She mentioned how as soon as a filmmaker picks up a camera and begins to film, there is a power dynamic in which the filmmaker is bringing attention to themself and it is up to a filmmaker to decided what they will do with this power. I enjoyed the level of empowerment her lecture gave everyone in the room, underlying how unique each of our perspectives were, how we all have something to say and show the world. I believe this also tied in with how often she moved around the room because filmmaking requires a lot of movement of oneself and the camera. Perspective is essential to filmmaking because different angles convey different tones and meanings, moving around will allow us to see things differently. This is true with cameras but also with traveling, as Johnson has an extensive travel history that she incorporates into her filmmaking and I don't think she'd be the person she is today if she wasn't able to experience the different parts of the world she has visited. Her traveling influences how she sees the world today, what she wants to say with her documentaries and even what she said to us in lecture and that is truly inspiring.