Documentary Essay – Question 1: Gasland
Gasland is a documentary looking into hydraulic fracturing in America. It uses many documentary techniques but one of the most prominently used ones is the character construction and selection of detail used to create a sympathetic and understanding response. From the use of Josh Fox’s past and childhood as a sympathetic and relatable technique, to the hatred the audience develops of EPA representatives displaying their ignorance of any harm done by fracking, to the huge amount of sympathy and attachment the audience feels to the middle to lower class families and groups interviewed, Gasland uses many techniques of character development to encourage a particular response from the audience in relation to the issues raised.
In Gasland the characters significantly influence the audience to agree with Josh’s point of view. Josh himself uses his past experience and his childhood to make him more relatable to the audience and therefore develop himself into a likeable character for the audience. The fine selection of detail Josh uses in his documentary creates a connection between the audience and Josh himself, appealing to the ethical values, such as the love for nature, and the meaningfulness of childhood and livelihood. After receiving news that gas fracking would be affecting his homeland, Josh, the narrator and protagonist of Gasland travels across America to get a first hand experience of the issues other people in his situation have faced. Before he does this however he gives a run down of his experience and attachment to the land itself. He states how he grew up on the land and next to the stream and that he feels so much attachment to it that the thought of losing it is heartbreaking. This causes the audience to develop an attachment to Josh himself and his plight. This attachment that the audience develops to Josh as he progresses through the documentary it further emphasized as he always relates back to his...