When I viewed the documentary When Lambs Become Lions, I noticed unique visual storytelling unfold. The components of the film such as the plot, structure, visuals, characters, dialogue, scenes, and editing seamlessly fit into the elements that bring a compelling story to life through sound and video. From the two frameworks we looked at in class, both worked for this particular story. The theme of this film could be poverty, and the motivation is money. The dramatic arc is the controversy of acquiring money. Then there is the exposition which is the introduction of the ivory trade and its downfalls. The rising action is the hunts. The turning point is when the government tightens on the consequences of the illegal practice. The falling action is how the trade becomes too difficult to keep practicing, and finally, the denouement is how the characters find different forms of labor to provide for their families, thus giving up the trade.
The film also follows the circle framework since there is a main character who pushes the story forward. The you was the ivory dealer, referred to as X. X’s need was money, and to get it he had to go into the illegal ivory trade. His search was for elephants he could hunt and poach, and his find would be the profit he receives from the ivory to use it on his family and leisure. The price he has to pay for this money is to take the guilt, shame, and curse that comes with poaching elephants, as well as the consequences of getting caught by rangers and the law. He then returns to finding a different occupation when it gets too dangerous to continue the hunting, and he changes by giving it up and becoming a ranger in the end.