This video comes in an era at the height of ecological change and environmental awareness, issues that are intersectional with animal rights. When I originally saw this video a few weeks ago it had been shared on PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Facebook Page. PETA as an organization is known as a strong activist voice for animal rights, and a large supporter of the vegan movement - which encompasses issues including animal cruelty, ecological footprint, and dietary health. This videos shows images of whales and rhinos being hunted for their meat and tusks, and baby seals being killed for their fur - all things that would be unnecessary with more people following the vegan lifestyle supported by PETA and the WCFF. The image of the pelican being trapped in an oil spill after an explosion at an oil rig brings attention to the direct impact of our overuse of fossil fuels. The symbol in this piece that stands out to me the most is the style of animation used for the animals in contrast to that used for the humans. The animals are animated with warm lovable features including majestic movement and large innocent eyes. Whereas the humans are animated with sharp lines, drastic features, move more heavily and angrily, and their eyes are simply an ominous glowing yellow light.
I would say that the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival was successful in their goals of engaging and inspiring audiences, with getting the attention of a major international organization and receiving 1.3 million views for the video on YouTube. The fact that it was still circulating almost three years later also shows the effectiveness of the piece. Watching this video multiple times led me to the research question: How do smaller organizations use rhetoric in line with the branding of larger organizations to gain a wider audience for promoting their message, and in what ways does the use of well known literature (such as WCFF’s use of “I Dreamed a Dream”) aid in delivering that message?
This type of research is important to the study of communication because of how the creators of this video were able to take “I Dreamed a Dream” - which carries a very specific context within the story of Les Miserables - and use the language in it to support their own message. Their intentional use of pathos is deeply impactful in the artistic community in which this short film was produced, and the use of musical theatre repertoire expanded the audience from film and environmentalists to theatre lovers as well. Also, by using propaganda aligning with that of larger organizations like PETA or even the ASPCA (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), those companies are inclined to share this media as it supports their message as well. This opens up the door to wider audiences, and builds the ethos of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival. Thus, raising even more awareness of their agenda, and helping them move closer toward achieving their goals and now with an even larger audience.
I believe that there are many instances in which organizations or even corporations of a smaller size use marketing tools and propaganda that align with the message of larger entities with the goal of being shared and supported by those larger corporations to boost their own credibility and audience pool. I would like to continue my research into this topic to find how effective this system of marketing and communication is for groups of different kinds - both activist driven and commercial businesses. Further research could expand and evolve my question as well.
Cited:
WCFF. “Dream,” YouTube, 13 Oct. 2016, m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjMzXykfbm8.
