Mission Blue caught me by surprise. I was anticipating a National Geographic type of documentary with visuals that are static. However, the images presented had a lot of movement associated with them. The information was presented through beautiful imagery, but what made it even more enticing was the narration behind the footage. Multiple interviews were done during this documentary as well. They narrate how bad the coral reef is while showing footage of the coral reef. Sometimes, words are not enough for the viewer to understand it emotionally.
These visuals had a huge impact on the general theme. Emotions are what keeps the viewers entertained and will remember what they are watching. If you do not get the viewer emotionally involved, it will not be as impactful. These images complimented by strong words and music were key to the film.
The images presented were very relative to the narrative because Sylvia Earle is so passionate about the ocean. The underwater footage had great angles and showed hundreds of beautiful fish. These fish were then shown later on in a fish market in Tokyo with Sylvia being there. This was a great emotional connection with the viewer and made us understand her even more. I also felt like the music foreshadowed how Sylvia was going to feel before the image was shown. The audio was essential for the viewer to feel emotionally connected.
The film was very successful because Sylvia’s life correlated with the ocean so much. The production team did an amazing job telling her life story and relating it to the ocean. I think what captivated us even more was her speaking about her own life, not another narrator speaking for her. The footage they also showed incorporated symbolism whether it be intentional or not. Sylvia Earle is 81 years old so she is getting older and her time is diminishing. The footage they showed from her revisiting the coral reef recently was almost telling the viewer that she is like the coral reef, deteriorating with time. I hope to see more documentaries about her and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next.
