The film “Footprint: Where the Towers Stood” by Sara Newens is a short documentary submitted to The New York Times Op-Docs series. Op-Docs is a forum created by The New York Times editorial department where artists submit short opinionated documentaries. In this film, Newens covers activities at the site of the 9/11 terror attack in New York. This attack occurred on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center which featured the land mark Twin Towers. This paper is a rhetorical analysis of the film.
The general impression of the design and presentation of the audio and visuals of this film is that it was very carefully produced to come across as solemn and melancholic. This is befitting given the nature of tragic event that is being covered in the film. After the introductory text, the film begins with eye-level shots of visitors at the 9/11 memorial site. The creator uses primary footage of visitors taking photos, a cleaner wiping the memorial stone, and everyone in sort of a memorial trance. The background audio track is very mellow instrumental music with traffic sounds that characterize New York City. This audio helps in communicating the setting and overall tone of the film. There are random cutaways in between the primary footage to show other activities going on in the city as well the use of low camera angles to film the New York skyline. Dollying camera movement must have been used in this film as there are alternating close-up shots and long range shots in which the general area surrounding the memorial site is scanned. Circular elements are occasionally used in the framing where focus is thrown on the visitor’s faces and the background blurred to communicate the emotions and sad expressions on the visitors’ faces. All these elements of the documentary are carefully edited to complement each other. The background music is initially used as the audience is introduced to the general setting of the film, before giving way to narrations. The narrations are primarily in the form of dialogue between guides and the visitors, as well as the visitors among themselves e.g. parents narrating to their kids how the attack was carried out. Text track is sparingly used in the film: first to introduce the film title and its director, then for English sub-titles throughout the film since the narrations are in different language, and lastly for acknowledgements at the end of the film. This spare use of text helps the audience to focus on the movements in the film, while being able to read and understand what is being narrated. The shots are well lit as it is during the day, giving the visuals a very crisp quality. Some of the visuals are very carefully selected, such as a 30-second long focus on the void that the waterfalls at the site cascade into. This void is symbolic of the deaths that occurred during 9/11.
Sara Newens, the creator of this video, has over a decade’s experience in film and television. Newens has had past experience with the grounds being filmed, which remind her of the first time she visited the place after the terrorist attack. Using her experience helps her draw the important scenes in the picture and convey her emotions, even without saying a single thing. The beginning of the film focuses on what Newens wants people to see, that the area that was so full of sadness and the somber mood is now a tourist site and people just take pictures. The aerial view of the ground captures the exact place and perimeter where the towers stood. The focused workers in the scene and how carefully they carry out their duties may be aimed to remind the viewer just how significant and sacred the place is. She manages to capture a teary older woman just next to a cheery young couple. This contrast symbolizes what the ground means to the older generation and to the young one. The impact of that day is still planted in the older people’s hearts because they have a recollection of exactly what happened and the magnitude of loss that was felt. To the young ones, for example the small kid, its history passed to them since most of them were not born or were too young to comprehend the dreadful news. Nevertheless, the pool and the water falling and splashing show it is no longer ashes and shattered pieces of glass but a beautiful site where the victims will always be remembered.
The intended audience for this film are all people who intend to learn about the 9/11 attack and its impact, those who lost their loved ones, and those who could be planning a visit to the memorial site. These categories of the audience are likely to find the film very informational and perhaps comforting, as the film is very observational and features all kinds of people who share in the grief. It is not entirely sad as people can be seen smiling at the camera and talking, reminiscing about the attack. Depictions of the grounds where the towers stood were made into a beautiful pool surrounded by trees that serves as the deceased’s memorial, and a symbol of hope despite the tragedy. Families of the victims come to this area to remember their loved ones. The film shows how the government and citizens of America transformed something that was awful and sad to a beautiful place where families of the victims can meet. One of the narrators explains what the pool means and why the names of the victims are placed together in the way they are.
There is predominant use of pathos rhetorical appeal in the film to appeal to the viewers’ emotions. The film uses various elements to capture the sad emotions surrounding the 9/11 attack and the sensitivity of the issue. A good example is the woman with the camera tearing up while switching her gaze from up to around, probably remembering the towers. Instructions given to the tourist about not placing anything on the names inscribed on the memorial stone, and the tone used by the one of the visitors explaining to a little girl how the attack was orchestrated are a show of how sensitive the matter is. The male guide says the void represents the hole that was left in the hearts of American over the loss of life. One of the narrator uses the emotional concept of meaningful adjacencies, where the names of the victims inscribed on the memorial stone are grouped in such a way that the names of people who died but used to work together are written together to show the people are together in death just as they were in life. The featuring of individuals who were there at the time of the attack to give some of the narrations could have been the creator’s use of ethos to establish credibility. The personal anecdotes used in the film such as that of the boy whose father was an employee at the World Trade Centre is a logos appeal.
In conclusion, “Footprint: Where the Towers Stood” is a very well-produced film that successfully communicates to the audience the aftermath of America’s most tragic event that was the 9/11 attack. The creator was very intentional in her use of visuals, audio and text track, editing and rhetorical appeals to present a short but very poignant film that is bound impact its audience positively.
Work Cited
Newens, Sara. “Op-Docs: Where the Towers Stood.” The New York Times Op-Docs Season 6, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006050799/footprint-where-the-towers-stood.html. Accessed 20 Sep. 2018.
