Argumentative Essay On Blackfish

Words: 496
Pages: 2

With compelling, tragic, and disturbing accounts of the internal machinations of SeaWorld's killer whale exhibitions, Blackfish is an effective documentary by film maker, Gabriela Cowperthwaite. The film depicts graphic images, testimony, and data aimed at the public’s assumption that these cherished amusement parks are fun and safe.
Blackfish is a 2013 animal captivity and cooperate documentary detailing the renowned marine theme park SeaWorld. The film was made in the aftermath of a trainer fatality: the death of senior trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010 sparked an OSHA lawsuit that revolutionized the marine mammal performance industry by prohibiting trainers from entering pools. Blackfish has sparked much controversy and debate; animal activists are demanding the park be shut down, whilst SeaWorld officials have counteracted their claims with promotional campaigns.
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This sets a dark tone for the rest of the documentary as well as introduces the focal theme of Dawn Bracheau's death. The dark background of the text graphic connotes the idea of the ocean, with the glimmering text representing the killer whale; this connotes mystery surrounding their true strength and their lifestyle, as we are unsure of how they truly feel in captivity (Barthes Codes of Engima) The phone calls cut to home video footage of a whale performing a trick, with a positive and celebratory tone conveyed; this creates a binary opposition with the serious nature of the phone call, connoting how the fantasy world of SeaWorld shows shrouds the dark activities behind the