The Ghosts In Our Machine Impact Report
Documentary films are an increasingly popular way for animal advocates to learn about new issues and spread their message. Films like Blackfish and Earthlings have made waves with a wide variety of audiences, resulting in varying degrees of personal and political change.
Working with Faunalytics, The Ghosts in Our Machine team made the film available online for a three-day period through the film’s website, to allow as many people as possible to view the film and to gauge its impact on viewers in a quantifiable way. According to the report, “the response was overwhelmingly positive: more than 4,500 people from more than 90 different countries (on 6 continents) viewed the film in just 72 hours.” The viewers were surveyed after watching the film to better understand their position before viewing, and subsequently, how the film influenced them.
The survey found that, although about 58% of viewers considered themselves “already animal advocates” before viewing the film, “96% of those who saw The Ghosts in Our Machine believe that animal rights is an important social justice issue,” and 85% of viewers said that the film had a “great deal” of influence on them. Although many of the viewers surveyed were already knowledgeable about animal issues, “nearly everyone learned something by watching the film. Specifically, 93% of impact survey respondents said they became aware of something new from The Ghosts in Our Machine.”
The Ghosts In Our Machine is a unique contribution to the animal rights documentary field, as it employs a cinematic, artful approach to a subject that is often weighed down by intense images of suffering and death. Though the film does not shy away from this type of imagery completely, its approach to it is careful and measured. The report attests to the fact that an animal rights film does not have to be shocking to have a measurable impact, and this is worth noting for advocates who are looking to deliver their message in new and creative ways.