Stream/buy Under The Stars here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zachaffolter/under-the-stars

STREAM OR BUY THE SONG HERE: http://bit.ly/lightofdawnrelease All profits generated from the song will be donated to ocean conservation organizations (to be decided, will post a comment if enough profits are received to donate stating which organization(s) I will be giving money to). Please share around to increase its impact! Let's make waves! Learn more about the inspiration behind the song and stay up to date here: https://www.risingsunfilm.com/post/lightofdawnrelease

This video is about seeing all the beauty around in the middle of a storm. It was inspired by a quote from Vivian Greene: “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to end, it's about learning to dance in the rain.” The song, originally composed by Rising Sun productions, features a virtual string ensemble and grand piano, and was composed in Ableton Live. CREDITS: Music: Comfort In The Storm - originally composed by Rising Sun Productions. Check out our SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/sun-rising Footage: Licensed or in public domain, and obtained from: Mixkit Pexels Pixabay Sound effects: public domain, obtained from freesound.org DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational purposes only. The rights to any content not owned by Rising Sun Productions remains entirely with its owner. No money is collected by Rising Sun Productions as a result of the publishing of this video. Rising Sun Productions is not an official business or movie studio.

This video is a tribute to the captive orca Lolita/Tokitae, who is held at the Miami Seaquarium, in commemoration of her capture fifty years ago. You can read more information about her, her family, and ways you can take action to help both below. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐞/𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚: On Aug. 8, 1970, Tokitae and her family were driven into Penn Cove, Whidbey Island, Washington State, USA. Violent, deafening explosions were used to herd them into the cove. There, the young members of the pod were separated from their mothers and transported away to various marine parks. On behalf of the Miami Seaquarium, veterinarian Dr. Jesse White flew to Washington to select a companion for Hugo, a three year old who was captured in the same region a couple years before and sold to the park. He selected one female whale to be transported to the park, where then-manager Burton Clark gave her the stage name Lolita. Hugo was eventually moved to the same tank as Lolita, where they performed together for several years. Hugo had a history of ramming his head against the side of their tank, at one point requiring his rostrum to be stitched back together. On March 4th, 1980, he suffered a fatal brain aneurysm during one of these incidents. His body was dumped in a landfill. Since Hugo's death over 40 years ago, Lolita has not seen another member of her own species. She has performed unnatural behaviors for our entertainment day after day in an illegally-sized tank. It's time to end her suffering and retire her to a seaside sanctuary. To learn more about her plight, and her retirement plan, please visit http://orcanetwork.org 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐞'𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Tokitae belongs to the southern resident killer whale community and is believed to be a member of L-Pod with her presumed mother, L-25 (Ocean Sun). This population of orcas frequently inhabits the Salish Sea and coastal waters of Washington State. They are now on the verge of extinction. While there are other threats, one of the biggest contributors to their struggles is lack of food from major declines in Chinook salmon, their main food source. These declines are primarily caused by dams, such as those on the lower Snake River, that inhibit the spawning patterns of the salmon. The southern residents are at their lowest numbers since the captures of the population for aquaria in the 1970s. Researchers have correlated these declines to the reduction in salmon available for them to eat. For more information about the southern residents, please visit: -https://www.whaleresearch.com/ -http://orcanetwork.org 𝐓𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚/𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐞: ▶️ Learn more about her plight, here: https://tinyurl.com/y3cje9bc ▶️ Take the pledge to not buy a ticket: https://tinyurl.com/y3lamc48 ▶️ Add your signature for Lolita here: https://tinyurl.com/yyhet5dy ▶️ For more ways to help her, click here: https://tinyurl.com/y6bver9e 𝐓𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: ▶️ SIGN: Add your signature to the following petitions to help restore critical salmon habitats. • Tell Senators Murray and Cantwell, as well as the EPA, to cool down the Snake and Columbia rivers by breaching the dams. If you're a Oregonian resident, please click this form: https://tinyurl.com/yymafldu. If you're a Washingtonian resident, please click this form: https://tinyurl.com/y6q6dxsy. If you're a Idahoan resident, please click this form: https://tinyurl.com/y55ltmzc. • Stop the Pebble Mine from being developed in Bristol Bay and help protect the critical Chinook salmon the Residents depend on. Please click this form if you're a U.S. resident: https://tinyurl.com/yyhkzg8x. Please click this form if you're an International resident: https://tinyurl.com/y5kdxn5e. • For other ways to take action for the Columbia & Snake Rivers, please click here: https://tinyurl.com/y4ybx6dd . For other ways to take action for Bristol Bay, please click here: https://rb.gy/vsx4mj. ▶️ DONATE: • Help support the Center of Whale Research, who has been monitoring and helping Lolita's pod for over 44 years, here: https://rb.gy/v49waz • Help support the Wild Salmon Center protect the Bristol Bay and ensure it stays a preserved ecological treasure, here: https://rb.gy/xby0tc ▶️ For other ways to help the Southern Residents, please click here: https://rb.gy/sujxln 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬: Original Music by Zach Affolter Footage: British Movietone/AP Archives Center For Whale Research Retroclips search1able Tim Gorski and Rattle The Cage Productions: "Lolita: Slave To Entertainment" All other clips filmed by Zach Affolter at the Miami Seaquarium on January 18th, 2015. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: This video is for educational purposes only. The rights to any content not owned by Rising Sun Productions remains entirely with its owner. No money is collected by Rising Sun Productions as a result of the publishing of this video. Rising Sun Productions is not an official business or movie studio.

Beautiful. Majestic. Free. Killer whales have inspired us for thousands of years with their beauty and grace. However, southern residents, a population that frequently inhabits the Salish Sea and coastal waters of Washington State, are on the brink of extinction. While there are other threats, one of the biggest contributors to their struggles is lack of food from major declines in Chinook salmon, their main food source. These declines are primarily caused by dams, such as those on the lower Snake River, that inhibit the spawning patterns of the salmon. The southern residents are at their lowest numbers since the captures of the population for aquaria in the 1970s. Researchers have correlated these declines to the reduction in salmon available for them to eat. In 2018, one whale from this endangered population named Tahlequah (J35) made headlines after her calf died and she carried it for 16 days after its death. As top predators, killer whales play a key role by indicating the health of their environment. They are trying to tell us something is wrong. Will we listen before it's too late? It's time to remove or breach the dams and prevent the salmon and this treasured group of killer whales before they are gone. If you want to spread the message, please share this video! For more information about the southern residents, the decline in salmon, how dams cause this problem, and what YOU can do to take action, you can check out these links: -https://www.whaleresearch.com/encounters (latest updates on whale sightings and photos) -https://www.whaleresearch.com/orca-population -https://www.whaleresearch.com/orcassalmon -https://www.whaleresearch.com/action -https://www.epa.gov/salish-sea/chinook-salmon -http://orcanetwork.org -https://collaboration.idfg.idaho.gov/FisheriesTechnicalReports/Evidence%20Linking%20Delayed%20Mortality%20of%20Snake%20River%20Salmon%20to%20Earlier%20Hydrosystem%20Experience.pdf -https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/hunger-the-decline-of-salmon-adds-to-the-struggle-of-puget-sounds-orcas/ VIDEO CREDITS: Footage: -Center for Whale Research -IlluminaPhotographic, licensed via adobestock.com -Clips licensed through VideoBlocks The following images were used under the Creative Commons Attribution License (license information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ ): -Pacific Southwest Region USFWS (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/24169854784/ ) -Dan Hershman (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hershman/497293505) -BLMIdaho (source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blmidaho/28130630204/) -US Army Corp of Engineers (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Granite_Dam#/media/File:LwrGrDam1.jpg) Changes made to all these clips or images may include one, all, or a combination of: Lighting effects, brightness/contrast/exposure effects, zooming in/out, resizing, panning across the image, text overlays, and transition effects. Footage behind end credits: Owned by Rising Sun Productions. Filmed at Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Island, WA, USA in 2015. Audio: Moving Emotional Piano Hero Track by Daniel Bordovsky, licensed through AudioBlocks Disclaimer: No profit is received through the release of this video. This film is for educational purposes only and all rights of any content not owned by Rising Sun Productions remains with its owners. Rising Sun Productions is not an official business. Special thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts, perspective, or fact-checking to help with this video! THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THIS VIDEO! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE CONTENT! Feel free to leave a comment, but keep it respectful! Any comments will be deleted if found to be disrespectful or harmful in any way to the rest of the community, as per YouTube's guidelines.

A short narrative film about recognizing all of the beauty that still remains in this world, even among the darkness that we see daily in our lives. Closed captions are available. All footage was filmed off the coast of Rhode Island, USA. Please leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video! Have a suggestion or video idea, or just want to chat? Leave a comment! Thank you!

Please watch and share! Dolphins and other whales (cetaceans) are an intelligent and emotionally complex species we have come to hold dear over the past few decades. But despite the care that marine facilities claim to provide, these sentient animals still are deprived of what their wild counterparts get to experience. While their tricks seem majestic and awe-inspiring, their lives in captivity are far from that reality. Research has repeatedly shown that captive cetaceans succumb to abnormal aggression towards humans and each other, depression and suicidal tendencies, symptoms of stress and boredom, as well as a higher mortality rate. With the understanding that captive cetaceans may not be able to hunt or survive on their own, they should be retired from captivity into seaside sanctuaries where they can still be provided food and care. You can read more about these sanctuaries, and what experts suggest, at the following link: https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/ Wild and captive killer whales alike are under threat from humans, but there is still hope for change in both realms. For more information about the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, please visit the Orca Network or Center for Whale Research web pages. For more information about the emotional complexity of cetaceans, please read this peer-reviewed article: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050139 You can learn more about the captive industry and compare life of cetaceans in the wild to those in captivity through the following website, created by cetacean experts: http://seaworldfactcheck.com/ Thank you for watching this video! Please subscribe to view more content. I am more than open to differing opinions and discussion, please just be respectful to others when you comment. Any comments (regardless of the position held on the issue) will be deleted if found to be disrespectful or harmful in any way. Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only. All rights to content obtained from third parties remains with their respective owners. Credits to these owners are listed at the conclusion of the video, and below. Audio Sources: Marionette by Flyleaf Footage Sources: CherokeePhil stock via VideoBlocks Talbot Productions All other footage of captive killer whales was filmed by Rising Sun Productions at SeaWorld San Diego on July 7th, 2016. You may use this footage for your projects with credit, as long as they do not directly promote SeaWorld or encourage people to visit these facilities. Any video that aims to show appreciation or encourage others to see how awesome orcas, and the oceans are, is okay as long as the primary goal is not to encourage people to visit marine parks. You may contact me to obtain files of footage that are higher quality. Please send me links to your videos so I can see what awesome works are out there :)

Hey everyone! This will be my last video on Toki for a while, so I thought I'd look back at one of the first ones I made about her and take a different approach on it. Please watch, share, and subscribe! More information on Toki and her family, as well as ways you can help, is listed below. Thank you for watching! INFO ON TOKI: Concrete walls have trapped the once-known Tokitae - now known only as Lolita - for nearly 50 years. She lives in solitary confinement, with no other killer whale companion after her only tank-mate, Hugo, committed suicide by a brain aneurysm at 12-years-old after bashing his head repeatedly. She now only sees Pacific White-Sided dolphins in her illegally-sized tank. For the full story of her plight, please go here: http://www.orcanetwork.org/Main/ View her expert-approved retirement plan here: http://www.orcanetwork.org/Main/index.php?categories_file=Lolita INFO ON THE SOUTHERN RESIDENTS: Tokitae belongs to the southern resident killer whale community and is believed to be a member of L-Pod with her assumed mother, L-25 (Ocean Sun). Her ecotype is critically endangered with only 75 members currently alive, which is an all-time-low in over 30 years. Chinook salmon makes up 80% of their diet and their salmon runs have become hindered due to the 4 lower Snake River Dams built in 1961. Politicians have enacted a scapegoat bill known as H.B. 2083 (The Herrera Bill) to cull Stellar and California sea lions in order to protect salmon; they also want to enact a similiar law for Harp seals. But they are only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. HOW YOU CAN HELP TOKI AND HER FAMILY: 1) If you are a Floridian or live in Miami, please contact your Representatives and the Mayor Francis Suarez to help ensure Lolita's ability to retire and start her rehabilitation process in the San Juan Islands 2) Spread awareness about Lolita's plight, and the current struggles of her family from the Snake River Dams. Lolita cannot be retired while her family starves to death. 3) Contact Gov. Jay Inslee to remove the dams and start taking full action to help the SRKWs using this letter: https://www.facebook.com/notes/battle-for-blackfish-the-b4bf-project/letter-to-governor-jay-inslee/452487445223495/ Visit Battle for Blackfish (https://www.facebook.com/B4BFProject/) and Orca Network for more information and ways that you can help! DISCLAIMER: This video is for personal, educational purposes only and I am not collecting a profit from it or from any ads that may appear. I do not claim to own any content that belongs to other parties, and no infringement is intended. Credits are listed at the end of the video.

Black Water is a short, fictional narrative film that explores how killer whales may feel in a captive environment, takes a critical look at the issue of keeping them and other animals in captivity, and above all provides an inspirational message for people who struggle through depression. You will notice that the mood of the film becomes progressively darker – I like to think of it as falling and sinking deeper into the ocean until you hit the bottom, unable to reach back to the surface. The film illuminates our emotions, how they can pull each of us down, and that in the end there is meaning to our struggles and our lives. Its title was inspired by these themes. While the film has this inspirational message, as well as personal reflection and study, there is also an educational element to the film - even though it is a fictional story - that reveals the emotional complexities and intelligence of killer whales and cetaceans in general. I wanted to tell this story to illuminate how someone may feel when they are depressed – to someone who has never felt it, it can sometimes be hard to understand those feelings. It’s also important to know that we all have purpose and value, and that there are still things left in this world that we can enjoy and appreciate. The film is based on my own experiences with depression, diving deeper into the emotions I felt while overcoming it and how cetaceans may feel in a situation like the one portrayed in the film. I hope that you all enjoy this video! Please share it around and subscribe to my channel for more videos! Thank you all for watching. NOTES: - This is a noncommercial film. I am not receiving a profit in any way from its release. - Please keep the comment thread a safe space for people to comment, contribute, and share their perspectives. Any comments that involve bashing and bullying others for their opinion, personal attacks, obscene and insensitive language, promoting harm to others, spam, or any other language deemed offensive may be removed at my discretion, and repeated offenders may be blocked from my channel.