The Cove Documentary

In the documentary “Blackfish”, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, she discussed the harmful events that have occurred when keeping killer whales contained for show and entertainment purposes. Cowperthwaite argued the fact that the killer whales become aggressive when held captive in an area too small for them and separated from their families. Throughout the documentary there were many horrifying stories about the attacks told by people who had saw the tragedies first-hand.

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in the documentary, Blackfish (2013), argues that captivity triggers aggression in killer whales. Cowperthwaite supports her argument by demonstrating shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these animals in captivity and for human entertainment. The author’s purpose is to show the problems that are caused by captivity in order to aware the audience that keeping killer whales in captivity affects their behavior mentally and physically. The author writes in resentful tone to Sea World, the people who visited Sea World, and those who were present during the killer whale incident. Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld affects their mentality due to how they are being treated. She makes this argument by applying pathos, ethos, and logos.

Media is so powerful that many people in business and politics have long realised that documentary filmmaking is a powerful way to influence or persuade the masses as to which side they should take on certain issues. Although the media claim their documentaries to be neutral, subjectivity is always an issue. Like any form of communication, including journalism, documentary filmmaking involves interpretation and choice-making on the part of the filmmaker, and is therefore unavoidably subjective. You might set up a camera to record a "day in the life of a Year 12 student” and end up with some interesting footage, but until it is shaped and given meaning by the filmmaker, and until

A documentary is a genre of film that provides a factual report on a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. In this essay, two documentaries, Bowling for columbine by Michael Moore and Made in Bangladesh by CBC news will be explored to show how persuasive techniques are used to make an audience feel a particular way.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish explores the harm captivity causes to whales and their trainers. Throughout the film the orca whales undergo a transformation from defenseless creatures into molded killers. The orcas in the film are portrayed as intelligent and caring creatures who are capable of grief. Through this character the development the documentary has affected how these animals are treated, as well as the public’s opinion on the issue.

A documentary is film dedicated to recording an aspect of reality for informational purposes. Documentaries can cover a wide variety of topics, such as the wildlife in the world. A major topic that has become relevant is the discussion of endangered species and the human impact on their lives. In the movie, The Cove, the portrayal of Ric O’Barry creates pathos and ethos to gives the audience a sense of urgency to help the fight against the slaughtering of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Ric O’Barry, in the 1960’s, was a famous capturer and trainer of dolphins for the popular TV show, Flipper.

The Cove (Louie Psihoyos, 2009) is a documentary, which follows activist Ric O’Barry and The Ocean Preservation Society to expose the brutal dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. The film constructs a sense of realism through naturalistic aesthetic codes and conventions. These conventions relate to the texts content, style, form and audience response and reception. The Cove employs these four levels of realism to construct a sense of authenticity and to position the audience into understanding a negative point of view portrayed about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. The convention of content in the documentary concerns the implementation of true events, as well as the casting of real people. The style of The Cove focuses on the manipulation of

[fact]In countries outside the EU, dolphins live in conditions that make Attica (prison) seem like paradise. In September Ric O'Barry, former trainer of the TV dolphin Flipper, travelled with a animal welfare and conservation group to Turkey to help save two dolphins. At an unlicensed park in Hisaronu, on the Aegean, O’ Barry and others found Tom and Misha, two bottlenose dolphins, bobbing around in a stinking soup of excrement, rotting fish and worms, in a pool measuring 19 metres by 12 and just 4 metres deep. The owner bought the two dolphins and would charge 55 Euros for ten minute swims with the dolphins. Marine aquatic shows are suppose to be a source of knowledge not entertainment. Marine parks were made to conserve and help animals.

In the documentary, Blackfish, the director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite demonstrates through three times of appeals, ethos (emotional), logos (logical), and pathos (emotional) about the unethical practices and treatment of killer whales while in captivity at SeaWorld. She informs the viewing audience through interviews with experienced SeaWorld trainers, marine experts, seasoned whale hunters, and eye witnesses of the unethical treatment and environment of these majestic, highly intelligent mammals. These facts are presented in well placed order allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about what goes on behind the scenes at SeaWorld from the capture of Orcas in the wild, to the covering up of evidence of accidents and deaths and placing blame on the experienced trainer themselves, or by inhumane treatment of the animals themselves. Through advertising footage, graphs, and interviews she emphasizes that SeaWorld is focused on the well-being of the staff or animals but merely the reputation of the park along with ticket and merchandising sales.

Under the aspect of Narration, we have 3 basic modes of film making which is your Narrative film, or your everyday films, Experimental films, which are your Avant Garde Films, but then there’s one type that is overlooked by most and that is your Documentary film whose purpose is to inform and influence the audience perception on an issue or topic that is usually factual. In the movie, Blackfish, we can really see how documentary film differ from those of other narrative films. In the movie, Blackfish, the director of the movie is trying to inform the public of what is happening to the Orcas, or Killer Whales, in captivity and the how a multitude of trainers who swim with those Orcas have been injured and how at least 3 or more have died from interacting with the Orcas.

The enemies in The Cove are obvious. They’re the committees set up to bring about change but who get so caught up in legislation that they create little progress. They’re the fisherman and multi-million dollar companies who feel their livelihood threatened by the activists determined to make a difference. With all these enemies for the activists to face, it’s good that we have a hero to root for and in this film it’s Ric O’ Barry. For years, O’ Barry was known as the best dolphin trainer in the world, having trained many of the dolphins who appeared in the Flipper TV series. It was this particular job that convinced him that dolphins were not meant to be kept in captivity but to be free in the

This documentary has a voice which is the most important part of any movie, furthermore, it has it own way of living and breathing and speaking to

October 19 2009, Paul Sheehan wrote an article on “A Bloody Mob of Hypocrites.” This story is absolutely disgraceful about the herding and slaughtering of dolphins near the Japanese fishing town of Taiji. This story was airing on channel nines ’60 Minutes.’ The viewers of this story were horrified, and absolutely irritated.

People and dolphins have shared New Zealand’s coastal waters for centuries. In recent years there has been increasing awareness of marine mammals and the threats they face within our coastal environments (Department of Conservation1, n.d.). The Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary was implemented in 1988 as a result of conflict between local and commercial fisherman, and the endangered Hector’s dolphin. Due to increasing concern despite the sanctuary’s set up, the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan was drafted in 2007 to place further restrictions on fishing practices within the area. The formation of the sanctuary has created a safer habitat for the local dolphin population, but in the process has negatively affected the livelihoods of many local fishermen within the region.