'Way back in 1990 we had concerns about a video we were producing to be
a part of our marine mammal exhibition area.  We were concerned that
footage of killer whales harassing and killing a young blue whale or
tossing fur seal pups about and then eating them would disturb our
audience (especially children).  Maybe the footage would be so
compelling and disturbing that they would not get the main message of
the video, which was looking at the diverse feeding strategies of marine
mammals.

We did a quick formative study by showing the clips to visitors in the
public area and asking for reactions.  No negative reaction - the video
was produced with confidence, and has been used successfully with large
audiences ever since.

Can you try out your images with your visitors?

Linda Wilson
Visitor Studies and Evaluation
Shedd Aquarium
Chicago, IL  60605
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