How Do We Change Hearts and Minds Through Emotional Impact?
As storytellers and change-makers, how do we know whether our work makes a difference? How do we reach audiences to have meaningful impact? Every element we include in our creative media — narrative style, characters, tone, aesthetics, form and format — can affect our ability to influence viewers. Whether we want to inspire policy change or raise awareness about an endangered species, there are endless ways to engage — from breathtaking natural history films to thrilling investigative docs to short-form content. The question becomes: what is the best way to tell stories to inspire the change we want to see?
We start with what we call The Impact Spiral¹ outlined in CEF’s Impact Media Research report — three primary, interconnected facets that affect transformative change. The Impact Spiral explores a range of ways to engage audiences and motivate action by interweaving a film’s creative design, collaborative models, and outreach strategies, as each area builds on and strengthens the others.
Emotional Tone
Let’s take a step into the Impact Spiral and explore one of the coils within the creative design: Emotional Tone. A film’s emotional connection is central to changing hearts and minds. Honing in on our approach to the creative design of our environmental, nature, climate, and science media helps generate impact with intention.
Through storytelling, we take viewers on expansive journeys through many moods and build toward a climax that leaves them profoundly sad, inspired, outraged or filled with wonder. Cinematic style, music, sound design, voice, and tone come together to heighten our responses. It is invaluable to consider the power of emotion, and how we create emotional connection influences an audience’s level of engagement.
But how do we know what emotions we want our films to embody and what sort of impact that emotional tone can have? How does visioning of gloom-and-doom compare to stories full of hope and awe? There is a spectrum of emotional approaches one can use to establish a connection with audiences.
Fear, Outrage & Anger
The planet is warming….species are dying….the sky is falling!!! Don’t just sit there!?
Sounding the alarm bell about the disastrous consequences of inaction is a powerful tool. An Inconvenient Truth (2006) shook people in their boots with its overwhelming evidence of mass impacts of global warming. An influx of gloom-and-doom media arose after scientists released new data on global warming in the early 2000s. This messaging appeals to the fears of viewers to spark change, yet researchers show this tactic does not always work and can unintentionally distance or disengage people, leading to feelings of helplessness.² As it turns out, audiences are more likely to act when shown solutions-oriented films,³ particularly when given hope.⁴
Audiences are more likely to act when shown solutions-oriented films,³ particularly when given hope.⁴
For some films, fear approaches are incredibly powerful. Anthropocene — The Human Epoch (2019) reflects on humanity’s massive destruction of our planet. It combines the use of stunning, awe-inspiring visuals with messages that are beyond alarming. Meanwhile, The Story of Plastic (2020) interweaves hard data with personal stories to provide a sweeping portrayal of industrial policies devastating our planet’s health.
The messaging in these films leave no doubt that the planet is nearing the brink of disaster, and left there, viewers may believe it’s already too late. How do these films combat that feeling of hopelessness? Fortunately, these films go beyond the doom and offer specific actions and solutions through their robust education platforms. The fear instilled can be translated into tangible actions.
Fear is one tactic. Triggering outrage or anger is another. Investigative documentaries elicit a sense of moral outrage. Mass killings of charismatic dolphins in The Cove (2009). Breeding and killing of tigers for body parts in The Tiger Mafia (2019). These descriptions alone stimulate a visceral response.
In Peng Yu Sai (2020), we follow 23-year-old wildlife presenter Malaika Vaz as she dives into the illicit Manta Ray trade from India’s oceans. In a similar vein, Sea of Shadows (2019) tracks the world’s smallest whale on the brink of extinction due to the greed-motivated pursuit of the coveted swim bladder of totoaba fish, otherwise known as the “cocaine of the sea.” The extreme risks taken by these investigative filmmakers and their local allies immerses audiences as they infiltrate and uncover illegal practices. This acts to intensify viewers’ sense of outrage toward perpetrators and empathy with those impacted.
Anger is cited as a persuasive tool to motivate action, especially when related to a behavior, policy or issue associated to the restriction of human rights.⁵
Anger is cited as a persuasive tool to motivate action, especially when related to a behavior, policy or issue associated to the restriction of human rights.⁵ If anything, this emotion sparks viewers to become better informed.⁶ For instance, public discourse and action over fracking was dramatically increased following Josh Fox’s Gasland (2010).⁷ According to Fox, Gasland was described by NPR as controversial due to the backlash it received from oil and gas consortiums.⁸,⁹ The backlash propelled the anger felt by the public surrounding the practices of these industries.
Set up as a psychological thriller, the highly popularized documentary Blackfish captures the extreme duress captive marine life face and exposes the dangerous consequences. Disillusioned former trainers become catalysts for changing viewers’ beliefs and perspectives about SeaWorld. While the filmmakers behind Blackfish did not set out to spark behavioral change, but rather to generate understanding of the issue, the mass awareness on the treatment of captive Orca whales provoked public outcry against SeaWorld. Numerous protests, petitions and proposed legal changes from public demand followed the film’s release and SeaWorld’s business has faced tremendous loss, which many now describe as the “Blackfish Effect.”¹⁰
Awe & Curiosity
With stunning cinematography, composed music and sound design, and captivating facts on flora and fauna, classic natural history films engage viewers in the wondrous beauty of our planet. Together, these elements create a sense of awe¹¹,¹²,¹³ that permeates the senses and forms a long-lasting connection to the natural world. But what is it about awe that makes it so effective?
People shown awe-inducing nature videos behaved more generously than those who were not.¹¹
Research shows that awe leads to feelings of connectedness with others, a diminished sense of self, and the sensation of being in the presence of something grander than oneself.¹¹,¹⁴,¹⁵ People shown awe-inducing nature videos behaved more generously than those who were not.¹¹
Our sense of awe is linked to empathy. To put yourself in someone else’s shoes — that is how empathy is often characterized. To feel the experiences of another from their point of view.¹⁶,¹⁷,¹⁸,¹⁹ It can act to lower a person’s guard to information outside of their world view, cited as undoing “otherness” and as a counter to stereotypical representations.¹⁶,¹⁷
With awe and empathy’s ability to connect people to one another,¹² and the ability of nature films to generate prosocial tendencies, such as increased generosity,¹⁵ how might we inspire viewers toward action?
In our Impact Media Research, we developed a case study around the blue-chip nature documentary Nómadas (2020). This film is a prime example of using awe to promote change, taking the audience on an incredible journey of animal migration across Mexico. Expansive drone footage and touching close-ups engage us in the beauty of the protected landscapes and the wildlife existing within them. The emphasis on visual storytelling to connect audiences to Mexico’s magnificent, rich biodiversity and the value of migrating species was intentional on the part of director Emiliano Ruprah. This makes the film’s hard-hitting message about the rapid decline of species ever more poignant, as viewers are fully immersed and awestruck up to this point.
While classic nature films fit the bill to promote awe and wonder, only recently have they begun to expose the imminent impacts of the climate crisis. David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Our Planet are known for their wondrous and engaging footage and only recently expanded their scope for change. In its final episode, Our Planet (2019) reveals shocking realities of receding ice habitats as footage shows walruses falling to their deaths.²⁰
The stunning and awe-inspiring cinematic techniques used in Okavango — River of Dreams and The Elephant Queen immerse us in the lives of wild animals, where we suffer the consequences of global warming alongside them. The Elephant Queen (2019) explores use of camera placement, enabling viewers to experience the natural world from different perspectives — whether at eye level of the elephants or toenail height for smaller critters. The rare intimacy provided by this creative choice inspires empathy in the viewer. See our full Impact Media Research Case Study on The Elephant Queen.
Awe is cited as moving people toward curiosity²¹ while curiosity motivates us to explore our world. Many nature films are fashioned around a series of sequences that reveal awe-inspiring behavior and tap into viewers’ sense of curiosity. After viewing sweeping nature scenes in BBC’s Planet Earth, study participants showed increased awareness of their gaps in knowledge about the natural world and demonstrated enhanced curiosity around scientific topics.¹²
The stunning 2020 Oscar winning feature, My Octopus Teacher, by Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster, immediately hooks viewers through awe and curiosity with the personal connection formed between Foster and the octopus. As the film progresses, viewers’ curiosity grows, wondering where the journey will take them, what will happen to the octopus, why it behaves the way it does, and how similar these creatures are to us. Through Foster’s connection with the octopus, the filmmakers wanted viewers to form a deep connection to nature, seeing humans as a part of nature rather than outside of it. They paired the documentary with a discussion guide to cultivate conversation and further learning, helping to ensure their creative techniques generated desired impact.
Takeaways:
- Fear and anger can be powerful tools, but tread carefully. It is important to bring in some optimism and direction of what steps to take or risk disengaging viewers with a seemingly hopeless cause.
- If hoping to captivate with a beautiful natural history film sparking awe, consider allocating time to also explore how you can use the film to inspire change. You have your audience emotionally invested, what’s next?
- Does your film tap into viewer’s sense of curiosity? Give your audience outlets for further discovery and action, whether through discussion guides, a website or other curated learning tool that promote your impact goals.
- This brings us back to our Impact Spiral as a whole. Your creative design in combination with the collaborations and partnerships you form your outreach strategies all come together to bring forth your impact goals.
Fear, outrage, anger, awe, curiosity, and empathy are just a few key emotions to consider. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the use of relatable characters and narrative transportation to inspire empathy, and for our upcoming post on laughter, hope and resilience. For these posts and more, subscribe to Storytelling for Impact.
What films do you see using emotional tone in impactful ways? On what emotions would you like us to do a deeper dive? Sound off in the comments!
[1] Stogner, M. B., Wackerly, N., Macher, C. (2020). Impact Media Report. Howard Hughes Medical Institute. https://www.cefimpactmedia.org
[2] Boycoff, M. T. (2012). Who Speaks for the Climate? Make Sense of Media Reporting on Climate Change. The International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 24, 546–550.
[3] Mcafee, D., Doubleday, Z. A., Geiger, N., & Connell, S. D. (2019). Everyone Loves a Success Story: Optimism Inspires Conservation Engagement. BioScience, 69(4), 274–281.
[4] Avi Lewis, director of “This Changes Everything” based on the book by Naomi Klein, The Climate Story Lab 2019
[5] Turner, M. M. (2007). Using emotion in risk communication: the Anger Activism Model. Public Relations Review, 33, 114–119.
[6] Griffin, R. J., Yang, Z., Huurne, E. T., Boerner, F., Ortiz, S., & Dunwoody, S. (2008). After the flood: anger, attribution, and the seeking of information. Science Communication, 29(3), 285–315.
[7] Bogdan Vasi, I., Walker, E. T., Johnson, J. S., Tan, H. F. (2015). “No Fracking Way!” Documentary film, discursive opportunity, and local opposition against hydraulic fracturing in the United States, 2010 to 2013. American Sociological Review, 80(5), 934–959.
[8] NPR (2011, February 24). Sparks Fly Over ‘Gasland’ Drilling Documentary. https://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/134031183/Gasland-Takes-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling-Industry
[9] Tabuchi, H. (2009, October 22). Film on the Dolphin Hunt Stirs Outrage in Japan. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/world/asia/23dolphin.html
[10] Doc Society (2013). Blackfish (Impact Case Study). Doc Impact Hi5. https://impactguide.org/static/library/blackfish-report.pdf
[11] Allen, S. (2018). The Science of Awe. Greater Good Science Center, 1–45.
[12] McPhetres, J. (2019). Oh, the things you don’t know: awe promotes awareness of knowledge gaps and science interest. Cognition and Emotion, 33(8), 1599–1615.
[13] Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & Mossman, A. (2007). The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept. Cognition & Emotion, 21, 944–963.
[14] Yang, Y., Hu, J., Jing, F., and Nguyen, B. (2018). From awe to ecological behavior: the mediating role of connectedness to nature. Sustainability, 10(2477), 1–14.
[15] Piff, P., Feinberg, M., Dietz, P., Stancato, D. M., Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899.
[16] Nåls, J. (2019). Making the strange familiar: the functions of empathy in intercultural film narrative [doctoral dissertation]. University of Helsinki.
[17] VanLaer, T., de Ruyter, K., Visconti, L. M., & Wetzels, M. (2014). The extended transportation-imagery model: a meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of consumers’ narrative transportation. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 797–817.
[18] Gaut, B. (2010). Empathy and identification in cinema. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, XXXIV, 136-157.
[19] Brinkman, C. and Korpershoek, K. (2005) The role of empathy in documentary film: a case study. Color and Empathy: Essays on Two Aspects of Film. 173–198.
[20] Stolworthy, J. Netflix defends ‘devastating’ walrus scene in David Attenborough documentary. Independent.
[21] Anderson, C., Dixson, D. D., Monroy, M. and Keltner, D. (2020). Are awe-prone people more curious? The relationship between dispositional awe, curiosity, and academic outcomes. Journal of Personality, 88, 762–779.
