Blackfish - Documentary Case Study

'Blackfish' is a 2013 documentary film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite , the film exposes the controversial captivity of killer whales and focuses on Sea World in particular and how their exploitation of orcas has lead to the increasing danger of both orcas and humans involved in the corrupt industry that had with held information from the public eye for many years until the release of 'Blackfish'. This documentary effectively exposed Sea World and sparked protest amongst many people eventually leading to Sea World bowing to the criticism and unwillingly closing the park, this being a perfect example of how powerful a documentary can be and the affect it can have on any industry regardless of how much money is involved. Blackfish can be categorised as expository documentary as its only purpose is to inform the audience of a current story that many audience members worldwide will be unaware of due to the story being hidden from the public due to the corruption and illegal activity involved with corporation of 'Sea World'.  

What is Documentary ? - Initial Thoughts

Documentary is a type of film that focusses on various aspects of reality, its aim is to deliver a particular message, or document a focussed biographical account or situation. Documentary's often differ in style due to some documentaries being made with a 'run and gun' approach in order to accurately capture its intended footage, as appose to some documentaries taking meticulous planning and patience to capture the intended footage. I personally think documentary film is much more challenging in production stages as the intended atmospheric moods are only available to capture in real time, meaning if missed the delivery of the message will not be seen by the audience and therefore the subject matter may become un interesting. The topics often chosen by documentary film makers divert from the more usual mainstream topics that are continuously covered through out the film industry, and therefore may cover untold stories or stories the film maker feels passionate about. The drive behind many documentary film makers often being political and the films intention being to spark controversy and conversation surrounding the topic , educating the audience throughout the viewing of the film as appose to entertaining. 

Undefeated - Film Analysis

'Undefeated' is a 2011 sports documentary directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J Martin, the film provides the audience with an insight into the lives of various characters who live in the on going struggle of poverty in inner city Memphis. Themes of poverty,crime and hope are displayed through out the film as coach (Bill Courtney) strives to give hope to the Manassas Tigers football team, nurturing the individuals in attempt to give the them an opportunity to escape their current crime filled living environment. Directors took a 'run and gun' approach to the production of the film meaning the two directors where in charge of cinematography and sound on set as well as the post production editing, this approach to the production resulted in the over 500 hours of footage being accumulated, this allowing the two to hand pick the most effective clips filmed resulting in an extremely emotional documentary which successfully delivered a message through visual means as well as detailed characterisation.  This emotion filled documentary recognised and rewarded  in the form of a 'best documentary' oscar in 2012. I personally thought the cinematography through out the doc was effective in accurately portraying the lives and emotions felt by particular individuals , many establishing shots were edited in a montage manner in order to emphasise the extent in which the poverty stricken neighbourhood expands to, the recurring shots of various locations over and over again clearly displaying this poverty in which the individuals in the film are surrounded by in every day life.