bechteliftheoilrunsout

** Director: ** Bren Simson ** Release year: ** 2006   This very unique film is a hybrid between a drama and a documentary. The central argument is that the oil era is coming to an end. Petroleum is a finite resource and will eventually run out. This film is primarily concerned with what exactly will happen when it does run out. To sustain our current oil addiction we need to find as much oil per day as we are currently drilling and this task is becoming even more difficult as time goes on. We are at the threshold of the largest global economic revolution in history. The question is, will this change be forced upon us or can we take steps now to avoid the problem? This film describes exactly why we should try for the latter.  ** Who are the key social actors and stakeholders in the film? **  The key social actor that this film follows the closest is the everyday American citizen. This drama depicts what life will be like for a fairly typical family in the future. It also considers what role oil companies will play when oil runs out. More specifically, it focuses on how the petroleum engineers will feel the greatest pressure to find new oil sources.  ** What does the film convey about the matrix of factors that contribute to our dependence on oil? **  This addresses several factors of the matrix which contribute to our dependence on oil; especially those in our everyday lives. Nearly every facet of our lives is dependent on cheap and abundant oil. Transportation is probably the worst. Roughly 98% of our current forms of mobility consume oil. The problem is that people have become used to their nice, easy, over consumptive lifestyles. The ones benefiting most from this, however, are corporations and for this reason they push for even greater consumption. Americans are the worst in this sense. Our country alone uses roughly 25% of the world’s oil supplies. This is drastically disproportionate considering both our population and domestic oil production. This has a number of effects. For one, it also puts firm geopolitical and economic ties around our government and everyday lives. One of the primary sources for all of this is our belief in globalization; that it is man’s destiny to take control of the globe.  ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What does the film convey about the matrix of problems caused by our dependence on oil? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Many problems that are caused by our dependence on oil can be seen in this film. The most obvious is that we are running out of oil fast. According to the documentary this will cause us to put an even higher value on crude than we do now. As a result, it is likely that we will be drilling in ANWR and other environmentally sensitive areas if we continue down our current path. This causes a large amount of damage to nature. Furthermore, oil drilling is not an exact science. In fact finding oil is more of a gamble where the stakes are already high and still continue to rise. As oil supplies run out we be encouraged to take even more high risk ventures. Another problem that the film addresses is that as oil prices rise so will the prices of food and other goods. Not only does food production require a large amount of oil, but the transportation industry suffer the worst. This will affect nearly everything we buy. The director also points out that every world war in the last century has been fought over energy and as it becomes scarcer this will likely be an option. Our oil addiction will also likely force other countries to get vicious over oil they can get and some already are. Not only will there be international aggression over the world’s remaining resources, but the film does an excellent job communicating of how this aggression will be present throughout society. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What does the film convey about the matrix of affects that would be mobilized by a shift away from oil? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">One thing that is very clear from the film is that we will have to make a shift away from using oil at one point or another. If we wait until supply is running out this shift we be much harder to make. Not only will we lack the resources to restructure our civilization, but when the shortage occurs there will be widespread panic that will cause prices to skyrocket and shortage to become even worse. As this point comes closer people will have to learn to plan their days around transportation. It will no longer be a luxury available to everybody. The benefits of more conservative technology will suddenly worth much more and the SUV will likely face extinction. Obviously the better option is to make the shift now. We should prepare for the future ahead of time so that we can avoid the disasters that this movie depicts. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The most compelling part of this film is how believable the “what if” situations felt. This documentary details the smaller, local effects of oil depletion, which are much easier to relate to on an individual level. Even though the actual story told by this movie was fake, there are many lessons that can be learned from it. If nothing else then it gives people something to think about. Furthermore, even though the story was fake, it was narrated by a group of experts who gave many facts about where we are today and how likely this scenario really is. ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why? ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Although I liked this film for the most part, there were several parts that weren’t very convincing. The biggest problem that the film faces is that it leaves room for a lot of skepticism. Even though there are several experts who give numerous facts throughout the film, most of what is depicted is speculation. Another problem with the film is that even though it addresses many problems of our oil addiction, it does not go into very much depth of most of them. It is a good overview, but lacks in analytic character. Lastly this film did not show much in the way of corrective action. It covers the “what if” scenario for if we don’t take action now, but it doesn’t suggest exactly what we should do. (see the next section) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What kinds of corrective action are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective. ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">As stated above, this film does not actually suggest much in the way of corrective action. What it does say is that we need to decrease our dependence on oil. This is fairly obvious today, but is not a simple problem to solve. There is currently no perfect solution to this problem. We can do several things, however, to improve where we are, but the film does not talk about any of them (such as investing in research for renewable sources of energy). The solution that the film does suggest is that we need to look at the actual value of oil today. This is far different from what people are paying at the pump today and would hopefully motivate change. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (2 sources) ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">After watching this film I was compelled to seek out information about exactly what was happening at ANWR and whether it is still on the table for potential oil drilling. The first resource I found was []. At first glance this appeared to be a legitimate source of information about this wildlife refuge, but this could not be farther from the truth. This site is actually dedicated to convincing the public that drilling should be allowed in the refuge and their argument is very persuasive if the reader does not have any background on the subject. It goes into great depth explaining that the wildlife in the region would not be put at risk if drilling was permitted and that there would be significant economic benefits. The site goes into the potential economic benefits that every single state could see from oil drilling in the region. It also states that “less than 2000 acres of the over 1.5 million acres of the Coastal Plain would be affected” and that Alaska has a world-class oil spill response plan. This could not be farther from the truth. The Exxon-Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills are perfect evidence that we are not even remotely prepared enough to handle oil spills. Also the site [] (which actually is a legitimate source of wildlife information) states that the 2,000 acre limitations only include the spots where oil production facilities would actually touch the ground, these acres do not need to be next to each other, and do not include gravel mines, roads or pipelines (except the posts holding the pipes in the air). This begins to reveal the mess of trickery that is really going on here, but it is better exposed by []. This site states that “in 1992, the four major oil corporations operating on Alaska's North Slope - BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco - joined together with the state of Alaska to create Arctic Power to lobby the federal government to open up the Refuge to drilling - a move that would not result in lower gas prices or greater energy security.” The site anwr.org also states that they are proudly supported by Sarah Palin and among others.
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Title: **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> If the Oil Runs Out
 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film? **