Introduction
Documentaries are films that are based on the facts as seen in real world. They range from history to prospects or projections. Documentaries are aimed at raising awareness and giving the viewer a side of the story they may not know. Also, they are used to educate and entertain. Due to this, the films are created with techniques that works of fiction do not have. In this paper, I will discuss the documentary “Blackfish” produced in 2013 and directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.
Blackfish was created to heighten public awareness concerning the orca that is being kept in marine entertainment parks, particularly SeaWorld, and the natural risk of their imprisonment (Rhodan, 2015). The effectiveness of the film is based on the fact that it makes the viewer form important ethical questions and on the presentation of the fact-based technique of filmmaking that is not aimed to produce gratuitous scenes to gain sympathy, as seen in other films created with intentions of creating awareness on cruelty against animals (Brammer, 2015). The focus of the movie is on one orca, which is commonly known as the killer whale. The name of the orca is Tilikum. In the beginning, we see a group of contract fishermen set out to capture a family of killer whales off an Iceland coast. The hunt is for making the whales a display in the entertainment arenas primarily aquatic parks all over the world. The fishermen successfully catch Tilikum, a large male killer whale, alongside other two females. Immediately, an important question can pop up the head of the viewer: What rights do we have as humans to separate aquatic animals from their natural habitat and families? In advancement of the film, Tilikum becomes frustrated and develops an aggressive behavior because the tank in which he is kept when not on display is a small one without any comfort. This (mis)treatment eventually leads to him killing one of the trainers. The trainer is dragged to the bottom of the performance tank where she drowns. It is at this point that another question pops into the viewer’s mind: Is this behavior of aggression exhibited by the orca a result of nature, and the adaptation of killer whales as a species, or due to captivity?
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The course of the documentary includes interviews with animal activists, former SeaWorld employees, and experts (Brammer, 2015). The creators of this film have used several techniques to ensure the attention of the viewer is captured. In this documentary, the beginning part uses haunting music and a dark screen while people made calls to the police to report the murder of the trainer at SeaWorld Orlando. In the middle of the calls, the creators use cross-cutting technique between the underwater footage of the killer whales eating the instructor and the dark screen. This conversation and the flick is horrifying. It leaves the audience in grave shock. Upon hearing that the trainer is eaten by an orca of their own is spine-chilling and automatically makes the audience to the edge of their chair. The audience thus wants to know what became of the trainer, because the concept of a whale feeding on human beings is foreign.
In Blackfish, however, the anecdote on this issue leaves the audience with anxiety and feelings of hatred towards killer whales. The scene is lightened when the interviewee comes and start praising the job when they began as trainers in SeaWorld. The background music is also lively and joyful. However, the feeling is short-lived as the death of Dawn, a fellow teacher. The music becomes sad as Thomas Tobin explains the ordeals. He states that there was no blood in the tank as Dawn was scalped and the whale swallowed her arm. Further explanations arise to feelings of sickness in the stomachs of the viewers (Brammer, 2015). There arises another question: Why should we keep these animals in captivity if they are this deadly to the workers working with them? At this point, the creator of this film has succeeded in keeping the viewer more interested in watching the film and understanding the severity of orcas and can now experience the grief of losing a human being in the name of entertaining others using hostile animals in captivity.
To additionally show the mutually destructive consequences for people and orcas, because of captivity, Blackfish consistently incorporates visual film. All through numerous scenes of the movie, whale-on-whale animosity is depicted to show the antagonistic relationship inside the tanks. In one scene, there is a nearby shot of the side of a whale's body. It is significantly raked up, and blood can be seen seeping out into the water. This symbolism of blood and enduring of the creature makes the viewers concerned about the orca (Rhodan, 2015). This aligns with animal welfare since people do see themselves as better than animals, yet their agony is a genuine worry of our own. Another visualization that captivates the audience by the stomach is the point at which a trainer, Tamarie, is seen interacting with the orcas. In this portion, Tamarie sets her foot down on an orca and rapidly lifting it over and over.
Minutes after, the two killer whales take Tamarie by her feet and drag her to the bottom of the tank. Your heart stops as you see her being assaulted by the whale and not knowing whether she will come out alive. All of a sudden the prevailing whale, Kasatka, was let into the tank and the whale that was clutching Tamarie, released her. When she was given up, it is seen that her arm was bowed in a U-shape with blood leaking out. It is hard to visualize the agony and pain she was in from the attack. By observing this appalling circumstance, you can't resist the opportunity to feel afraid for Tamarie's life. When you are left in the position to figure out whether she will make it to out or not, you begin to feel sick and horrified to your stomach (Brammer, 2015). This strategy is additionally utilized later in the film, with a male mentor, keeping in mind the end goal to emphasize on a similar terrible reaction.
Because of consolidating realistic content, the viewers can envision the destructive outcomes of holding orcas hostage. This film demonstrates the contrast between living in imprisonment and living in nature. One of the primary parts of this documentary, is the wrong treatment of the orcas in captivity, in the examination of the free existence of a wild orca. It puts the sizes and manners of the orca natural surroundings into a point of view and indeed encourages you to feel sincerely associated with the orcas (Rhodan, 2015). The film also humanizes the creatures to create a sense of attraction to them. We see some sad scene where a mother whale (Katina) is separated from the offspring (Kalina), and it is sad. We can relate to this as humans. The anxiety and fear of separating from a parent and knowing you will never see them is a grave feeling. For any mother, this scene is grievous. This is evident as the mother lies immobile in the corner of the tank with loud cries. Just like humans, it devastating for the children to be taken away from the mother whales at a young age. Thus the trainers and the management does no justice to the animal. This affects them psychologically and leaves the audience helpless as they cannot bring back Kalina.
In conclusion, the film reveals the suffering that the orcas undergo in captivity and how it affects them. By using the visuals and music, the creators capture the attention of the audience and helps create awareness that may contribute to solving the problem of hunting animals and using them for entertaining. By shedding light on the mistreatment the animals get, further activism can occur to make their lives better in captivity or avoid capturing altogether. In fact, after Blackfish, the profits of SeaWorld dropped by 84 percent (Rhodan, 2015).
References
Brammer, R. (2015). Activism and Antagonism: The" Blackfish" Effect. Screen Education, (76), 72-79.
Rhodan, M. (2015). Seaworld’s Profits Drop 84% After Blackfish Documentary.
