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Comparison between movies
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How have the filmmakers of The Cove and Blackfish used techniques to generate empathy for animal rights?
A documentary intent is to educate and inform their audience on a certain topic or social change. Blackfish (2014) directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite strongly argues that Orcas should not be held in captivity, and having the Orcas in captivity is not only harmful to the animals, but also to humans working with them. It focuses on showcasing how killer whales are highly intelligent, social and emotional animals that should be kept in the wild. The Cove (2009), directed by Louie Psihoyos, explores the town of Taiji which from the outside looks like a Japanese town with a love of dolphins, but showcases the horrible truth of the slaughter
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The Cove uses Ric O’Barry former trainer of Flipper; which was a TV show in the 60s that made the world love dolphins. Psihoyos uses O’Barry as a huge persuasive technique with him changing sides from the commercialisation to the conservation of dolphins. O’Barry is shown as an example if he can change sides, then so can the viewer. Likewise, Blackfish uses this same technique with numerous interviewees from former SeaWorld trainers to show us that people who worked so closely with the animal in captivity loathe how SeaWorld treats them and so should the viewer. Cowperthwaite uses interviews to evoke emotion with John Jett one of the formal trainers saying in an interview “When you look into their eyes, you know someone is home. Someone is looking back” He has tried to make the viewer no longer see the whales as animals but to try to humanise them. In The Cove when the interviews are with the protagonist the interviewee has had time to plan their answers, which gives the impression of well-informed, truthful and educated answer. When the interview is with the antagonist interviewee they are given questions on the spot and they have to scramble to answer portraying them as less credible. These examples show how the documentaries are very deliberate in how they choose to interview others to further their …show more content…
Psihoyos uses music as an extremely influential technique with a scene of dolphins shown swimming free in the wild. “You have to see them in the wild to understand why captivity doesn’t work” Wondrous music (harp, piano) plays in the background. Psihoyos uses this technique to try to showcase that dolphins belong in the wild. Another example is when Ric the protagonist of the documentary takes on the IWC triumphant music is played in the background which makes you want to side with Ric and fight the bad guy. Cowperthwaite uses music throughout the documentary is suspenseful, portraying the whales in captivity as “ticking time bombs”. Anything could happen, at anytime. It keeps you on edge. These examples show how documentary filmmakers can use music to manipulate their audience to feel a certain way about the content and therefore persuade the opinion of
Blackfish is a well-known film about how whales were kept in captivity while being mistreated. This film explained the situation in more of a sequential order stating each event one after another from occurrence. This film was made to inform people of all the cruel and monstrous things that Sea Land and Sea World were doing to the whales.
An authority figure or experts are people who have a high standard of knowledge in a certain subject, or a very well known in their expertise. By using an authority figure or an expert the audience feels like they know what they are talking about, therefore they believe what they have to say. Examples of authority figures or experts used in this documentary include OSHA expert witness and whale researcher Dave Duffus, Howard Garrett an Orca researcher, and Lori Marino a Neuroscientist. In this film these experts express their concern for the Orca species, and explain the things that SeaWorld failed to educate their trainers. For example, SeaWorld trainers were taught that an Orcas life span reaches a maximum of approximately 14 years, when in reality, Orcas have human life spans, which means they can potentially pass at the ripe age of 100. Not only that, but they were taught that it is natural and common for Orca dorsal fins to bend, when in reality only 1% of Orcas have a bent dorsal fin. This information was passed on to visitors of
Cowperthwaite begins Blackfish by discussing the biggest accident SeaWorld is known for. The audience is introduced to a chilling 911 phone call regarding one of the whales and the trainers. It appeals to shock factor by stating “a whale ate one of the trainers” (Blackfish, 2013), this phrase is repeated a second time which adds emphasis to the context of the film. In contradiction
The documentary, Lost Sparrow, is a very compelling production of one man’s quest to not only help his family deal with some of the trauma’s they had long been suffering from, it was also created to tell the story and hopefully shed some light on the conflicting story of the disappearance and death of his Native American adoptive brothers, Bobby and Tyler. Initially my overall takeaway from this documentary was a mixture of curiosity which quickly turned into confusion. “How did the boys (Bobby and Tyler) end up on the tracks?” and “Why were they running away in the first place?” were two questions that confused, lead me to be curious, and slightly suspicious very early in the viewing. Upon initial completion of the documentary my sole thought
uncovers the truth about the fish, and how it and its environment was abused by the old
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary attempting to elevate public awareness regarding the orca that are being kept in maritime amusement parks, specifically SeaWorld, and the inherent danger of their captivity. The film is effective because it raises a set of important ethical questions for the viewer while presenting with a necessary fact-based style of documentation that does not evoke gratuitous scenes of abuse in order to inspire sympathy, unlike some of the other films that are intended to raise awareness about animal abuse. The film focuses on one orca, commonly referred to as a killer whale, in particular by the name of Tilikum. The documentary begins as a group of contract fishermen hunt a family of killer whales off the coast of Iceland.
In the article “A change of heart about animals” author Jeremy Rifkin uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade humanity in a desperate attempt to at the very least have empathy for “our fellow creatures” on account of the numerous research done in pursuit of animal rights. Rifkin explains here that animals are more like us than we imagined, that we are not the only creatures that experience complex emotions, and that we are not the only ones who deserve empathy.
Imagine yourself living in a bathtub for 25 years and you could do absolutely nothing about it. Wild orcas, better known as killer whales have been captured to entertain audiences world wide at aquariums. The most popular location being Sea World. Growing up in Miami, I could not control my excitement when it came time to go visit Lolita the killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium. To be able to see such an amazing creature right in front of me was mind blowing. How amazing is it that you can be face or face with an animal of that size? Well, I wish I'd known then what I know now. In the following paragraphs, I will start off with the difference between the life of a wild orca in the wild versus their life in captivity and I will end with reasons as to why families should not participate and give their time and money to these companies who commit such inhumane acts. I hope that towards the end of this essay, you will change your view on wild orcas and not look at them as just an animal that is used for entertainment purposes.
Project, The OpEd. -. " Exposed: Blackfish Documentary Affects Big Business and How Anyone Can Help Make a Change." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Jan. 2014.
In the documentary, The Black Atlantic, the narrator explores the beginnings of slavery and the impact slavery had on the new world up to 1800. The black Atlantic is the first episode of a series of films called The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in which African American culture is analyzed since slavery up to the election of the first African American president. The purpose of the documentary is to inform viewers of what slavery was like by providing stories of those who lived through slavery. For example, a ten-year-old girl named Priscilla who was taken from Sierra Leone to South Carolina in the mid-18th century. in the documentary, Henry Louis Gates Jr discusses the slave trade after the discovery of America while doing so he incorporates the experiences of certain slaves for example the slaves who arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. Additionally, the narrator talks about the first known African in America, Juan Garrido, who was brought along with Spanish explorers in 1513. The filmmakers reveal the story of another black man, Esteban the moor, who crossed a Texas desert with three other men while taking part in a Spanish expedition. Eventually throughout the documentary the filmmakers discuss and illustrate how slavery transformed from an informal arrangement to a racial system.
Millions of people visit Sea World each year (The Fate). They crowd into Shamu Stadium to be entertained by the killer whales as they perform. Their eyes widen, and they sit in awe, as these enormous creatures effortlessly propel themselves out of the water. The children in the audience squeal with delight as the orca’s giant tail sends a wave of ice water over the crowd. But these fast-paced, high-spirited shows hide a darker reality. They are designed to mask the reality of the bare, cold concrete walls that the Orcas are forced to call home. It’s time for people to realize the plight of these mammals. Keeping Orcas in captivity is both harmful and cruel.
In 2008, Prop 2 in California was supported by groups such as the HSUS and other groups. Prop 2 has enforced “… Packer/processors, grain producers, suppliers and those in the business of selling food, must recognize this, the organization focuses on different types of animals, such as: dolphins, whales, cats and dogs (Lovvorn & Perry, 2009).” Prop 2 was a law concerning animal holdings. It declared that animal holdings, such as cages, must be large enough for the animals to have room to extend their legs, move around, and not be cramped.. The Humane Society of United States and PETA supported the organizations to inform the people on the sidelines about the different tactics one could take to save the animals. The Humane Society of United States used the ability to spy as a tactic. Therefore the organization used a small pen sized video camera. In the The Barnyard Strategist, “The HSUS released the video in San Bernardino County, district attorney, the story made national headlines.” This can be related to the movie we watched in class “The Cove,” in which a group of men broke into a slaughterhouse of dolphins and whales to catch the ones who were slaughtering the animals. They did not know about the cameras. This helped provide footage to show how the animals were actually treated. The HSUS used merging different organizations such as the smaller animal welfare groups together, this was able to help the organization increase their money to help the company be able to inform others about animal abuse. Pacelle’s strategy consisted of creating a ballot measure that will allow those who are vegetarian and vegan to help reform the ballots. They use media to help get their point across by using a male who is vegetarian who strokes...
As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.
First of all, the audio is used brilliantly in the sequence. Sound is one of the most powerful tools in cinema. Sound cues us to form expectation and opens up the possibility for the editing. In the beginning of the sequence we see the indigenous people dancing and Willard resting on the boat. However, he is getting ready to complete his mission. When his voice-over comes into play, the audience starts to realize that Willard is becoming insane just like Kurtz, he is becoming part of the jungle and so is the audience. The scene cuts to Willard rising slowly from the water, accompanied by the song “The End” by The Doors. The tribal beat and the song mix together, intensifying the suspense. The odd thing is that the tribal beat is a diegetic sound and the song is a non-diegetic sound. The combination of these two sounds invades each other’s boundaries and creates a hypnotic feeling. “Filmmakers carefully choose which sounds to include on the soundtrack, knowing that emphasizing a particular ...
There are thousands of movie composers in the music industry, a few who triumph and whose work is well known to almost half of the world. One example of that can be the famous Maestro John Williams. John Williams is the musician for Jaws, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T and lots more. But there is a piece which everyone recognizes, and that is the theme from the movie Jaws. Imagine Jaws without the music. People would not feel scared; they would laugh at the plastic shark. And that is why music is one of the most important elements in cinema. John Williams in a late interview said this: “The music is part of a whole, which if I try as a composer to take that part of the whole, like in a concerto. I would not succeed, because the attention would go only for the music and not for the picture” (John Williams Interview). In Jaws, the music blends with the picture and acting; there are no imbalances. The picture and the music need to be in perfect harmony. Therefore, in Jaws, every time the daring melody comes out; the audience knows something bad is going to happen, and the music may anticipate a particular situation, but without the music overpowering the actors and sound effects.