The first clip in my mashup immediately establishes that the mashup is going to be about the personal side of immigration, the way it affects families and individuals, by zooming in on what an “immigrant” looks like. This puts a definite face behind immigration issues rather than the numbers that are portrayed on the news.
After the first clip, I work through the types of signs and metaphors that I will use throughout the mashup, starting with “aliens” and “freedom.” The alien images, including spaceships and close-ups, reflect the American view of immigrants – as an unknown force, typically associated with negative connotations and invasions. The images of the statue of liberty are broken or twisted in some way to show that our view of freedom cannot be whole while we treat immigrants with disrespect.
I am including clips of Obama to recognize that he is taking some action against the wrongful immigration policies, but I am going to show his face in sarcastic moments. Winking, for example, will show that not enough is being done.
The last images, of bugs, plays on the “invasion” metaphor. By juxtaposing the bugs with science-fiction alien families, I hope to point out the gap in logic between seeing immigrants as people and as invaders. The bugs, in this contrast, will reveal the first step in “othering” the immigrant families.
More detail, and the purpose for each specific clip, is written in pink under each image.