Film1

1. Title, director and release year? “The Oil Runs Out” was directed by Bren Simson and was released in 2006

2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?

The film tries to depict what the United States will be like in 2016. The film shows that there is going to be a limited supply of oil effecting our everyday basic needs and that the cost of living will rise dramatically. The movie tries to depict an almost worst case scenario.

3. Who are they key social actors and stakeholders in the film?

The stakeholders in this film are all the people that will be alive in 2016. The main focus is on a husband and wife. The husband seems to try to do whatever it takes to get gas so he can drive around in his truck. He will go to great lengths to steal oil. At night he will go to lots where truck are parked and siphon off gas. He is constantly bickering about how long the lines at the tank are for oil. Also, he does not like having to give rides to his neighbors so they can go shopping.

4. What does the film convey about the matrix of factors that contribute to our dependence on oil?

Everything we use relies heavily on oil. We need to drive from one place to another which uses oil. We depend on oil to drive to the grocery store to buy food. The groceries are transported from the farm to the grocery store using oil. The film does an excellent job depicting how the price of oil effects the price of groceries by showing the high prices for milk and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Oil companies are also a contributing factor of why we are so “addicted” to oil. Big oil companies are driving the prices higher so their profit margins will not diminish. These companies make sure they are the only source for energy. They have strong political ties which ensure there are few entrants into the energy business. With all the money these firms spend lobbying maybe they should try to use that money to create an alternative fuel source

5. What does the film convey about the matrix of problems caused by our dependence on oil?  If we do not come up with an alternative energy source, we will have a shortage of energy and demand that is way too high. This can cause problems like long gas lines at gas stations. It can cause us to have more illness. We will no longer be able to afford to eat all the healthy fruits and vegetables that keep out bodies healthy. Finally, people will need to start to work from home or move closer to urban areas because the cost of commuting is too high. With so many people in living and working in urban areas disease can easily spread.

6. What does the film convey about the matrix of affects that would be mobilized by a shift away from oil?  If we shift away from oil we can save ourselves from living in densely populated communities. People can still drive their large vehicles because there will be a renewable source of energy making it still affordable to drive. Currently, more and more people are looking at compact cars. The reason is that they get more miles to the gallon thereby reducing the cost to operate a car. Maybe we could strengthen our public transportation systems. We could expand the trains into the suburbs and build a high speed rail system.

7. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?  The thing that I found most compelling about this film is that people will do whatever it takes for oil. They will fight over having enough fuel. I first thought that it makes no sense, but our society sees oil as a necessity. The movie highlighted that oil keeps our society going and people at peace. Another thing I found compelling was the amount of stealing that could occur. I can quickly recall that during Hurricane Katrina, unfortunately, looting was commonplace. If we do not correct our actions soon our dependence on oil will eventually lead to chaos and violence in our society.

8. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?  What I did not find compelling was the film predicts that oil was only going to be $160 per barrel and prices at the pump was predicted to be $4.59 cents. I can’t believe this because in 2008 oil was almost $160 a barrel. In this film it made it sound as if oil was extremely scarce thus it should be at least twice that current price. There was not a significant number of facts and figures in the film. The world discovery of oil has already peeked and now we are just tapping reserves to keep the price of oil down. The problem with this strategy is that one day people are going to realize we have less than ten years of oil left and the price of oil will be driven up so fast. There will be more fighting and fires than the film has predicted.

9. 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.  The film did not highlight any specific actions. It made reference to cities closer together and of course, alternative fuels. What needs to happen is a government environmental mandate of when we will be no longer using oil. Next, we need to come up with more efficient car engines. This will allow us to save oil and let people keep buying the big SUVs. Another thing that we can do is have people use less energy. In the United States we abuse our energy with all the electronic devices we use. Also we can move away from the incandescent light bulb and use LED bulbs instead. Something needs to be done before it is too late.

10. What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out? (Provide at least two supporting references, explaining what your learned from each reference.)  I wanted to learn more about when oil was going to run out. There are been no definite time limits. The range is between 40 and 50 years. Also “Today we consume an average of 85 million barrels daily. According to the most conservative estimates from the International Energy Agency that figure will rise to 113 million barrels by 2030.” That means that more people will be using oil. The reason could be developing countries like China and India. [] 

Another thing I researched was food transportation costs. According to the Wall Street Journal article “Consumers Start to Feel Pinch From Higher Grain Prices,” the reason for the high price of food transportation cost is due to a rise in gasoline prices, but there also becomes a greater demand for ethanol. With more biofuels there is less of a supply of certain produce that would go to supermarkets thus raising the prices. The USDA predicts that food prices will inflate by 2% to 3% this year. And if this is linear than by 2016 food prices would increase by 10% and 15% of today’s prices. http://oilpoliticsrpi.wikispaces.com/page/edit/Film1?responseToken=0b26ff288be333a3216275cb7abbe6802