This research project explores representations of sharks in wildlife documentaries, from the first murky underwater moving picture of 1914, to the ever clearer, faster, slowed down and close-up shots in the documentaries produced for Shark Week and SharkFest 2022. It critically examines the changing representations of this troublesome animal over almost 120 years since it first appeared on film, surveying a representative sample of documentaries taken from across the research period. It fills a gap in the literature by covering this wide span of years and contributes to several bodies of literature by bringing a cultural perspective to human-wildlife relationships, particularly those involving large predators which can turn humans into food. The research identifies changing portrayals of the fish and links them to the flux of social, cultural, political, and economic factors over the period, also identifying and examining the impact of the tensions inherent within the chosen medium – wildlife documentaries – on the representations of the fish. It found that these representations are changing, although the monster narrative persists. With the continuing threat to the survival of many shark species, this thesis also looks for evidence that the documentaries are constructing new representations of sharks built around research-based understanding, which in turn might support work outside of the industry seeking better ways to co-exist with a potentially dangerous predator.
Mythic, Monstrous, Misunderstood: Sharks in natural history films from 1914 to 2022
Harding, A. M. (Author). 1 Oct 2024
Student thesis: Master's Thesis › Master of Science by Research (MScR)