“A Life on Our Planet” by David Attenborough offers insight into our planet’s past and a vision for its future. David Attenborough is a British broadcaster and natural scientist who has visited every continent on Earth. With his passion for the planet, Attenborough created this documentary with Netflix to show the world the effects of climate change and what we can do to save our planet. Attenborough has made many documentaries and docuseries in the past, but he calls “A Life on Our Planet” his “witness statement.” In this documentary, Attenborough discusses the effects that deforestation and overfishing have on animals and our environment as a whole. He also discusses how humans have contributed to climate change and the steps people can take to try to make our planet a healthier place for both humans and animals alike. Although “A Life On Our Planet” by David Attenborough is potentially his last documentary, it is an influential documentary because it utilizes personal connection, purpose, and statistics to engage the audience.
Unlike the traditional position of a narrator, Attenborough is seen routinely in the documentary. This helps the reader feel more connected to the topic of the documentary. He routinely makes eye contact with the audience and maintains a relaxed posture which makes the film feel more personal. The article “Connecting with the Audience” by Grand Valley State University states how vital personal connections to your audience are in presentations of any kind. The article highlights something it calls “immediacy.” Immediacy consists of both eye contact and the posture of the speaker. Attenborough displays a relaxed demeanor throughout the film. This aids in making the audience feel comfortable and naturally allows the audience to focus on the topic at hand. Eye contact was a tremendously effective tool used in this documentary. Several times in the documentary, Attenborough looks directly at the camera and speaks to the audience with his complete attention. During these moments, the audience can witness how much Attenborough truly cares for the environment and our planet’s future.
Having a direct purpose is a crucial component of what makes this documentary effective. For many years of his life, David Attenborough has dedicated his time to educating the public about the climate crisis and the natural world. This documentary had a clear purpose. “A Life on This Planet” served as Attenborough’s witness statement about the environment and how he has experienced the world over his lifetime. An article called “What Are The 5 Elements of A Good Documentary” by the Film District of Dubai discusses how effective the purpose is in attracting the audience’s attention. According to this article, having purpose is also used when the documentary captures the problem instead of just discussing the problem. While watching the documentary, the audience can see how the images that are shown match Attenborough’s purpose. For example, when talking about deforestation, Attenborough will show the audience one place before deforestation, and then he would show that same place after deforestation. This is extremely helpful for the audience to see the actual change climate change was brought on. The use of purpose in the documentary effectively absorbs the audience’s attention and informs the audience about the climate crisis.
Since this was a documentary that revolved around the issues that stem from climate change, statistics were crucial in backing up Attenborough’s experiences with scientific facts. Since climate change can be a controversial topic, it was even more critical that strong and honest statistics were brought into this film. While the audience may question Attenborough’s experiences, it’s harder for the audience to question scientific facts. The article “Why and How to bring Statistics Into Your Speech” by VIRTUALSPEECH discusses the importance and efficacy of statistics in speeches and presentations. According to the report, statistics increase the credibility of the presentation. In “A Life On Our Planet,” statistics about how the climate has changed are used to make Attenborough’s experiences more credible. Statistics also aid in helping the audience remember key takeaways from the presentation. In the documentary, Attenborough displays statistics of the world population in relation to the percentage of untouched wilderness left. These were robust statistics which he backed with his own experience, having traveled for most of his adult life. Statistics strengthened Attenborough’s documentary by backing up Attenborough’s claims and relaying key scientific facts to the audience.
Although David Attenborough’s “A Life On Our Planet” may be his last documentary, it is a successful documentary because it uses personal connection, purpose, and statistics to absorb the audience’s attention. This documentary was Attenborough’s witness statement as someone who has experienced raw nature and traveled the world for most of his life. He, himself, has witnessed the consequences of deforestation and overpopulation. “A Life On Our Planet” uses personal connection through using David Attenborough on the screen, instead of just as a narrator. Using Attenborough on the screen helps make the documentary personal and emotional to the audience. The purpose of this presentation is clear, and Attenborough uses purpose to document the issue at hand instead of just spreading information about the topic. Seeing the problem makes the documentary more memorable and authentic for the audience. Statistics were applied throughout the film to enforce Attenborough’s experiences and findings. From the audience’s perspective, statistics help boost the speaker’s credibility. The factual statistics used also serve as vital takeaways that the audience can remember once the film ends. This documentary is powerful and necessary because it documents the effects of climate change first-hand from the perspective of someone who has been traveling for sixty years. From this, people can learn about climate change and what they can do to help our planet’s resources, animals, and humans.
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