Seaspiracy is a modern film that focuses on the ocean and the lasting effects we are causing to it. I will be evaluating the success of this film in terms of the impact it has made to the environment and change amongst people. I will be taking qualitative and quantitative research through using the responses to the film through box office as well as people’s responses which are normally showcased on social media platforms such as twitter. Although it is hard to get an understanding of how the majority were feeling towards the films places which review films such as google which is open to the public is a way to see how the general audience responded to the film. 

Qualitative: Qualitative methods are often used in the social sciences to collect, compare and interpret information, has a linguistic-semiotic basis and is used in techniques such as discourse analysis, interviews, surveys, records and participant observations. 

Quantitative: Quantitative research study delves into a phenomena through quantitative data collection and using mathematical, statistical and computer-aided tools to measure them. This allows generalised conclusions to be projected over time. 

For the secondary research into the current environmental research, I will be using reports such as the Global Environment Outlook 6 by UN Environment to compare the current state of the world to what is being displayed in the documentary. One of the things I want to explore in my dissertation is truth to documentaries. In Seaspiracy it compares how companies are telling the public to use less plastic etc. Whilst 46% of plastic in the ocean is fishing nets. These big companies are masking their destruction to the environment through blame to the average person and this is something I wanted to explore in the documentaries. Seaspiracy is a great example of showcasing the companies doing this which is of course helping the crisis, but others do not. Through comparison of documentaries, I will be able to show this. 

I will also be conducting primary research where I will be showing the documentary and how people’s views change before and after watching the film. I will be sending out a google form to use before and after watching the film to show the impact on a small group of people and their opinions. This is so I can show, once projected, how this film has impacted people and their daily lifes 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0  

IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (49k)  

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health. 

“Some reviewers found the film overly propagandistic and ethnocentric, since after all Americans and Europeans kill and eat animals too” The Environmental
Documentary by John A. Duvall 

Carnage by Simon Amstell (2017)  

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6667360/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0  

IMDb rating: 7.7/10 (1.4k) 

It's 2067, the U.K. is vegan, but older generations are suffering the guilt of their carnivorous past. Writer and Director Simon Amstell asks us to forgive them for the horrors of what they swallowed. 

Mockumentary 

Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2545118/  

IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (65k) 

A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.  

Overt propaganda  

How do things change? 

How to win over hearts and minds? 

Documentaries and The Time We Have Left 

Seaspiracy and Director’s Vision 

Seaspiracy V.S. The World 

Who’s The Real Villian 

Conclusion 

You have cited things like Nanook of the North and the possibility of truth in documentaries. Perhaps more could be made about these ideas more generally, the themes about document vs propaganda (some of the reviews seem to see it as little more than propagandising).

 

The foundation and the structure is here and well laid out. The next step is to deepen the analysis of some of the main themes, truth, persuasion etc and to draw on critical ideas and are search to allow for that. E.g. propaganda is often seen in purely negative terms but is it ok in this instance if the aim is to help the environment?

Overall there is a good start here. Keep the key themes and opportunities for analysis to the fore, don’t get too distracted by being overly descriptive.

Keep up the good work and develop that critical voice more, but this is a string start.