I chose to explore the issue of plastic pollution. I think this issue is important because it has become one of the world’s most pressing environmental concerns. Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest, however, due to the development of thousands of new products, plastic has transformed and revolutionised the modern age and nowadays, a society without plastic would be unimaginable. Although plastic has reformed aspects of life, the convenience of this material has led to a ‘throw away’ culture. Plastics have overwhelmed our world’s ability to deal with it despite the fact that many products have the lifespan of seconds to minutes yet they persist in the environment for centuries.
My documentary attempts to change and improve society’s use of plastics through highlighting the effects and consequences this issue places on us as a global society. I wanted my audience to understand why plastic pollution is an issue, how it is caused, the realism and severity of the issue and the ways in which we can fix this societal issue through lowering our plastic consumption and switching to other alternatives. My documentary explores the issue of climate change and through the techniques of image contrasts, interviews/ expert opinion, use of facts and statistics and music help encourage and promote action. I decided to use image contrast at the beginning of my trailer to immediately catch and engage the viewers attention towards understanding the severity about my chosen issue. By using an old recording of the first production of plastic contrasted against the devastating effects to current society highlights the contrast between the beauty and destruction of nature. These dramatic visuals are used in order to engage the viewer allowing them to create their first impression of the issue. Using news reports as expert opinion it gives the viewer a sense of realism showing that the thoughts shared by myself are mutually shared by others globally thus making plastic pollution more valid. Statistics play a vital role in presenting the data being used to draw the conclusion that this is an undeniable global concern and is in need of a solution. Using sad piano music in the background on my clip elaborates the reality of this issue causing the viewer to emphasize realising the effect human activity has on the environment. Creating the perfect atmosphere is crucial in order to influence and engage the viewer into the harsh truth.
I used exaggeration and sarcasm throughout my satire to criticise people who don’t care about my issue. By using these tools to exaggerate and encourage the disposal of plastics into the environment I wanted my audience to understand that this is a human caused issue that had the potential to be avoided. I also wanted my users to understand that the environment is not a landfill site and our rubbish shouldn’t be left here to pile up into mounds of plastic waste resulting in the death of both marine and land species and eventually contributing to the death of human existence. Through using exaggeration and sarcasm I was enlarging, increasing and representing plastic pollution beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its results can be clearly seen. Exaggerating this issue evokes strong feelings and stresses on society needing to find a solution to the issue.