perspective: Book of Jer3miah.

In the short series of 3-5 minute episodes of The Book of Jeremiah, I noticed a very strong theme of perspective, especially emphasized in the very first couple of episodes. As Jeremiah navigates his freshman year at college, his life changes dramatically and very suddenly without any warning. He keeps his video camera on him, the last give he received from his parents before their untimely death, and records different parts of his interactions through video recording. This type of filmography is interesting because it allows the viewers to watch the events directly through the eyes of the one holding the camera.

In the first and second episodes, his father is chastising him for having “one of those feelings” that Jeremiah claims is from the Holy Ghost. From Jeremiah’s perspective, these feelings are very real and very consequential.
By using his camera as a device to show his perspective (or at some points, the perspective of others depending on who is holding the camera) the ones making the film literally have Jeremiah holding the camera. The viewers are watching parts of the episodes through what he is directly seeing in the moment. At one point, Jeremiah’s father takes the camera and is the one whose perspective the viewers are watching the events through. This is one of the first times we see Jeremiah ‘in action’ with the camera intentionally recording him, his mother, and another lady walking through a dark hallway.

This changing of perspectives of the camera adds a dynamic to the episodes that demonstrates thoughtfulness and intentionality. It becomes an invitation to the viewers to really be a part of the episodes, as they are not just viewers but a crucial element to the making of the series, as well as meditate on the implications that exist for the changing of perspective.