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Section 2: Section Diagnostic

Independently watch and analyze a fictional movie, faux documentary, fiction film based on a true story, or a “true” documentary. Having completed Understanding a Movie Tools for the movie you chose and for the documentary Blackfish, analyze and compare the two movies.

Using examples from both movies, write an essay in which you compare the levels of realism between Blackfish and a more “fictionalized” movie you watched and analyzed independently. Consider how the filmmakers for both movies use visual techniques, effects, and storytelling choices to make each movie feel realistic or fantastic, true or untrue.

In writing your comparative essay, be sure to do the following:

  • Summarize the storylines and major character arcs for each movie.

  • Analyze the level of realism of each movie, presenting specific examples of techniques and choices used by the filmmakers to develop the atmosphere, mood, and realism of the film.

  • Present, explain, and support evidence-based claims about the style and message of the documentary Blackfish and the movie you viewed independently.

  • Compare the movie you watched independently with the documentary Blackfish, focusing on the realism, believability, style, and apparent messages of the two movies.

  • Present and defend a claim about the technical and storytelling differences between documentary films and more fictionalized movies, as exemplified by the two films you watched and analyzed.