Blackfish Analysis

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Blackfish
The documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite released in July 2013, explores the mistreatment of killer whales and the relationship between the killer whales and trainers as well as the significant problems of the sea-park industry, with a focus upon SeaWorld. Cowperthwaite positions the audience to feel sympathy towards the killer whales by making deliberate choices in sound, visual, language, and structure through the representation of trainers as unprofessional, and whales as mistreated, also experts as reliable information source.
Firstly, Cowperthwaite uses effective language techniques to position the audience to view the trainers as undertrained and unprofessional. By using the particular interview with a former trainer which he stated ‘I always thought you needed, like a master 's degree in marine biology to be a trainer. It takes years of study and experience to meet the strict requirements necessary to interact in the water with Shamu. Come to find out, it really is more about your personality and how good you can swim. I went and tried out, got the job right away.’ This reveals that most of the trainers were ill-prepared and undertrained to deal with such creatures. Furthermore, this can be the cause of all the incidence including to what happened to Dawn Brancheau who was completely mutilated by a whale. Despite the interview with a former trainer, from a document which was published after the release of Blackfish by SeaWorld to object

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