Blackfish

When most people envision Seaworld they probably remember their spectacular orcas. For years Seaworld promoted the orcas heavily in their advertising, but heavy promotion was disastrous for them in the end. Ever since 2014 the Seaworld orcas have been associated with scandal. This association is thanks to the movie Blackfish, which exposed the terrible treatment and cover-ups surrounding the orcas at the theme park. This expose style documentary changed the world’s views on Seaworld and whether it is ethical to keep orcas in containment. Blackfish contains many essential elements of a documentary, but it also provides an excellent example of bias in film. To begin, we must look at the movie’s goals and how it achieved that goal. Blackfish was created with a goal of drawing awareness to the mistreatment of captive orcas, and the clandestine practices of Seaworld. To achieve this objective the documentary used both primary and secondary sources to provide exposition and establish the case against the theme park. The secondary sources are primarily interviews from former employees of Seaworld and scientists knowledgeable in the field. These sources provide the thoughts and experiences of those who have worked up close with the animals this documentary wants to protect. By allowing the events to be retold by people who agree with the message of the film subtly maneuvers the audience view things as the director wants the audience to view them. There is also prevalent use of primary sources such as court documents and video footage. The court documents are from the case in which OSHA sued Seaworld for putting the lives of its trainers in danger because of unsafe working practices. The statements of Seaworld representatives are used to cast doubt on the credibility of the company, along with footage of them leaving the court smiling, implying their ambivalence to the horrific events they were discussing. Footage of the trainers with the orcas along with footage of violent incidents comprise the rest of the primary sources. This footage provides the viewer with factual evidence of the points of the documentary, while allowing them to get a clearer picture of the horrifying events being described. This footage is overlaid with audio from interviews, which shrewdly influences the viewers interpretation of what they are seeing. Thus the movies combined use of primary and secondary sources shape the viewers feelings into a desired viewpoint, thus achieving the director’s goal. After the documentary aired Seaworld’s stock dropped and the park almost went bankrupt. Public opinion on the captivity of orcas and other cetaceans were changed, and protests rocked Seaworld. Seaworld first tried to contest the arguments made in the movie, such as in their article “The Truth About Blackfish” (which is now taken down), but that tactic proved ineffective and Seaworld had no choice but to wait out the storm. Currently Seaworld has promised to end their orca shows in 2019 and no longer breed them, and their stock has almost returned to pre-Blackfish levels. This film and its fallout is an excellent example of how a documentary can change the world and impact the public’s opinions. A distressing documentary can change an entire industry and debilitate a major organization.  A savvy filmmaker can use their skills to make an audience believe anything, but it’s also important to discuss the bad side of this ability. This damaging side is of course biased filmmaking. Despite humanity’s best efforts every person has bias, because every person has their own beliefs and values. When making a movie only some footage can be used, and the filmmakers must decide which to include, and their personal biases effect that decision. This film is heavily affected by such an issue. While the film does bring many serious issues to light, it does not go about it in an unbiased way. The way they filmed the documentary meant Seaworld or its supporters could not provide a rebuttal against the claims, which means viewers only witnessed the information from one side. Even if the creators of Blackfish were trying not to create bias, their inherent dislike of Seaworld and their methods of information collection mean the documentary has an implicit bias. Overall, the documentary Blackfish is an impressive and great lesson in how a well-made film can have a brutal impact, but also how our bias may creep in even if we do not intend it.