Feeling Blue

This thesis explores the potential of conservation films to drive engagement for ocean protection, emphasising the ocean’s critical role in our climate and human survival. Recognising the limitations of purely scientific communication, this thesis highlights the potential of persuasive narratives to create personal resonance and foster activism through emotional engagement. Moving beyond classical anthropomorphic portrayals of nature, it advocates for an anti-anthropomorphic approach to persuasive narratives in conservation films that acknowledge the differences in human and animal cognition and avoid projecting human emotions onto animals. Instead, it advocates for centering narratives around human protagonists, such as scientists or conservationists, making them the subject of attributed emotion. This strategy was then applied in the making of a conservation film, which addresses the potential effects of offshore wind farm noise on plankton communities and accompanies this thesis.