The Cove Analysis

The Cove Analysis of Rhetorical and cinematic Strategies The general reason for a documentary is to put forth genuine information while attempting to convince the viewing audience of a severaliseicularised head of view. The take in crew behind The Cove does this in a carriage that is informative and accurate, while presenting the information in a manner that every(prenominal)ows the attestor to draw their own opinions. The Cove follows famous Dolphin Trainer-turned-activist Ric OBarrey into the dangerous trim down of Taiji, Japan, where dolphin genocide is occurring.The dolphin trade that is taking place kills thousands of dolphins all(prenominal) year. While those behind the dolphin-capture and trade suggest that it is a Japanese usage to murder dolphins for food and other goods, al or so of the civilians of Japan are only oblivious to these affairs. Though many are against it, the phenomenon that is dolphin-capturing has not been bridleped. This film makes a point t o teach the audience about the events in the cove of Taiji, raise cognizance of the inhumane dolphin-slaughter, and gain support and funding to stop the dolphin decimation.In social club to persuade viewing audience to want to fight for the lives of these cetaceans, the film makers and producers use a series of rhetorical strategies, cinematic techniques, and recurring motifs to draw the audience in and capture their hearts with a pitiful and sympathetic understanding. The Cove has cause me to lament with the dolphins surviving in the cove of Taiji, compelling me to actively attempt to end dolphin-massacre, which is exactly what this winning documentary set out to accomplish.In order to convince the viewers of their point, handler Louie Psihoyos and activist Ric OBarrey use a combination of the rhetorical strategies logos, ethos, and shame. The most prominent strategy applied in this film was the use of pathos. pity is defined as an element in experience or in artistic repr esentation evoking pity or compassion. (Mirriam-Webster) This strategy was first do prevalent as we watched dolphins creation held in captivity. Even when they werent in their natural habitat, the dolphins were smiling, making an immediate connection with the viewer.Another moment when pathos is instated occurs when Ric emotionally recounts the personal story of the well-known and loved Flipper committing suicide in his arms. Not only does this invoke a sense of emotion in the viewer but it automatically puts us on Rics side, as he fights against anyone trying to harm them. The most conspicuous use of pathos is when we actually witness film of the dolphins being treated terribly and coldheartedly dispatch by the Japanese dolphin traders.The image of innocent sea creatures being killed, grabbed, and run over by boats instantly lurches the viewing audience into distress, which is the reply set out to attain by the film makers. The second rhetorical strategy used in this film is logos, or the appeal found on logic or reason (RPI. edu). The film makers present us with this method through with(predicate)out the movie when statistics about the dolphins are projected on a black screen. This gives viewers straight information that substantiatems unbiased and factual, in a sense that no images or expectations interact with the information given.Logos is as well as used when Ric is explaining to the viewer that dolphins gather in high levels of mercury. He makes the connection that if the Japanese people knew how high the mercury levels were, they would stop consume them. Also, many people are scammed into eating dolphin while presume a purchase of another animal. So, the fact that many Japanese citizens have high mercury levels, and in many cases, mercury poisoning, means that dolphins should stop being consumed as a food source. This makes sense based on logic and reason.The last rhetorical strategy used in this film is ethos, or the appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author. This is obvious throughout the film, as Ric and Louis gain our confidence and cartel as valid sources. They are able to attain our certainty by supplying us personal accounts of their scientific background. Also, we find out that Ric OBarry is one of the most famous dolphin trainers in the world. His connection to the well-known television show, Flipper, puts him in an honest and authentic position in the viewers eye.This film used not only rhetorical strategies to convince the audience of a specific viewpoint, but also well-known cinematic techniques. Because the musical mode of this film is a documentary, the actuality of this film automatically makes it more believable, plausible and realistic. If this was a film only based on true events and used actors or scripted stories, it would be harder to side against the dolphin traders, and inflictn more as a sad, entertainment type movie. Th roughout the movie, the voice of the director or the activists is contend while the clips are being shown.This not only allows them to speak at a time with the viewer, but lets beliefs and annotations flow freely. The exposition of a film is background information, regarding desktop, characters, and plots. It is authoritative in The Cove because an introduction to the matter at hand is necessity, and it also presents the initial position and stance regarding the issue. In the film, montage clips are often used showing dolphins in distress and captivity. These clips are often juxtaposed to scenes of uncivilized and free dolphins, roaming the ocean and jumping through waves.This creates a sense of drama, and gives us something to compare and contrast. It sets up a good and bad or honorable and wrong which is important when proving a point. A very common technique used in this film, as in most documentaries, is the interview. Well-qualified scholars and activists, divers, and vo lunteers were elect carefully. Interviews gouge be very helpful when trying to get point across because specific questions can be asked to get certain answers. The setting of an interview is also taken into account. For example, in Ric OBarrys interview, we see that there is a dolphin painting in the background.We also can see that he is in a home-like setting. This is easily relatable and makes us return that his life revolves around the small cetaceans. Also, the fact that those being interviewed are all in accordance shows that the view and opinion is shared by many, and is thus a valid belief. Some of the most persuasive information comes from the iterate structures throughout the movie. Camera angles, lighting, and background sound effects all are elect carefully and attempt to convince the viewer of a specific attitude. For example, we quickly note that the Japanese dolphin traders are the antagonists of this film.Every shot we see of the man named personal space is from a personal camera and tends to be very close-up. The obvious protagonists are the main characters because we are able to sympathise with them. A dolphin is shown drowning after taking its last breath. Once this scene is over, the camera turns to the two divers, and shows that their faces are filled with sorrow. Concurrently, we see the men laughing as dolphin is drowning right in front of them. These scenes were not chosen at random, but rather were selected to further intensify the cruelty of the traders and gain on the glory that we see in our narrators.Lighting has a large part in the mood of a film. Whenever the editors want us to view something as bad, shots that are obscure, dramatic, or in dark vision are shown. This contrasts the bright colors and lights that accompany our dolphin heros in scenes and interviews. The music and sound effects also affect the manner of a film. For instance, whenever we were meant to feel happy, aquarium music would play, as opposed to the de ep and dark lighthouse bells ringing when the dolphin cove was on screen. I believe that the most effective technique used in this film was the feeling of suspense.Many of the images were captured through hidden camera. This provides a sense of reality and lets us know for a fact that what we are seeing is raw film. Also, the sense of secrecy reveals how urgent this situation is. Although this, in my opinion, was the most persuasive, the combination of every strategy was necessary to the documentarys success. This film was able to use cinematic and filmography techniques along with a strong sense of rhetoric to generally convince the viewers of the makers beliefs and point of view on the topic at hand.