Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Effects of media on society
Impact of media on society
Effects of media on society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Ideology and propaganda within documentaries paying specific attention to ‘Bowling for Columbine’ by Michael Moore.
This essay will analyse how and if an individual’s own ideological beliefs can shape the making and message of documentary films and television programmes. The essay will draw from the conclusions of Bill Nichols, Simon Cottle and Erik Barnouw. This essay will be using Michael Moore’s documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ (2002) as a case study.
The definition of documentary given by the Oxford dictionary is ‘A film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a particular subject.’ (Oxford, Online) Documentaries are carefully constructed to present the reality of a variety of situations. The aim of the documentary
…show more content…
Within the film ‘Bowling for Columbine’ Michael Moore propagates his ideological beliefs by having interviews and confrontations with people involved with the situation of gun violence. Moore himself is a member of NRA which is the National Rifle Association. This association is fronted by the actor Charlton Heston whose members can store ammunition at their homes. Nichols states that ‘propaganda is not as far away as one might think; ideology is always in the air, and the” free subject” is itself a concept of debatable soundness.’ Moore shows that there is very easy access to weapons such as guns and that violent entertainment such as games and movies are not the only reasons for high rates in violence within the USA. Michael Moore remains somewhat biased throughout; he interviews powerful elite figures such as Charlton Heston and K-Mart and the police man in the beginning trying to show them as crazy gun lovers who may not be taking the increase in violent gun crimes seriously. He uses this to create propaganda that persuades the audience that gun crimes are wrong and that people can still own guns but don’t have to be violent with them. Moore uses elements of propaganda to persuade the audience to support his views against the NRA of which will subsequently paint Charlton Heston as one of the
Michael Moore’s documentary, “Bowling for Columbine,” attempts to expose the truth of gun violence in the United States of America. While his argument is persuasive, its impact is lessened with his use of logical fallacies, such as hasty generalization, post hoc, and appeal to doubtful authority. Moore’s film is thrillingly entertaining, but it is hard to look past the gaping holes in some of his logic.
In the documentary “Bowling for Columbine” directed by Michael Moore there are two scenes that share the same idea of questioning the laws they have in the U.S.A. The first documentary that captivated my attention was the Columbine High School massacre, where Michael Moore examines the culture of guns and violence in America. He used archival footage, camera techniques and sound to give authenticity and strength to the disturbing event. Michael Moore uses specific techniques enabling the audience to empathize with the survivors and their loved ones in order for the viewers to feel their emotions.
Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore, has been given numerous awards for the best documentary. For many, such as Jim Ferguson of KMSB-TV, he says, “Moore has done it again, the year’s most powerful documentary. An eye opener" (Bowling for Columbine). Yes, a real eye opener to how Moore will rely on fictitious facts and his audience’s sympathy towards certain events to get his message across. Documentaries have many different modes of presenting their material. Mockumentaries define itself as “fictional films which parody the forms and conventions of documentary, often for humorous effect” (Bowling for Columbine). While Bowling for Columbine does not exactly classify as a mockumentary, it does ridicule many of the events or people portrayed throughout the film. However, Moore shapes the viewers’ thoughts about guns during this film by appealing to their emotions with events such as the Columbine shooting, Kayla Rolland’s murder and the issue of how the United States has the most deaths by guns. Documentaries remain neutral and only present information for the audience’s benefit or to tell history. Bowling for Columbine reflects a bias documentary because all “facts” presented are told only as Moore views it. However, these “facts”, false in nature, do not show both sides to the story. Many like Ferguson believe Bowling for Columbine to be an eye opener and true, it does open eyes to the harsh reality of the United States and how people kill each other because of they live in a “culture of fear”; however, it fails to give the complete truth to many of the events given.
From this quote alone it is apparent that Moore structured Bowling For Columbine in a way that would rally the people of America behind tighter gun control. It’s because of this that it becomes even more apparent that Bowling For Columbine was structured in away to provoke emotion and from that promotes the idea that many of its scenes were structured. This is the clearest indication of Moore’s influence as a filmmaker with in the documentary. However although probably the biggest ethical issues, he certainly raises debate with his lack of empathy when interviewing people.
Crime manifests itself in various ways in society and oftentimes difficult to pinpoint what drives people to commit certain actions. The Columbine shooting was a particular incident that ended in tears and suffering which resulted in numerous research as to what was going through the minds of these young individuals at the time of the shooting. Therefore, this paper will analyze specifically the role of differential association- reinforcement as altered by Akers in propelling Dylan Klebold to commit such heinous act, while also giving credit to Edwin Sutherland for first formulating the framework of differential association.
One prominent rhetorical appeal he uses in the film is ethos. Ethos is the credibility or ethical appeal by a means of convincing your character as an author; in this case, Moore proves himself as a worthy or appropriate person to bring up the claim to install limitations on guns. He first explains the relevance of guns in his life by explaining that was born in Flint, Michigan - where the majorities of the population either owned a gun or were pro-gun advocates. From his childhood to his young adult years, he focuses directly that guns have been a very influential part in his life. For example, Michael Moore is a lifetime member of National Rifle Association meaning he accomplished several requirements and or task to be indicted; also, in doing these objectives, they may have changed his opinion to be pro-gun or for guns control. In fact, when the viewers of the documentary were informed of his members, probable suggestions came up that he will favor guns and lean to the opposition of gun control; in actuality, he takes a neutral, unbiased stand towards gun and collects data and statistic to p...
Firstly, Moore does not interview anyone with credentials, a reliable background, or a professional with great insight on this issue. Rather, he interviews normal individuals, leading his film to be less credible. In fact, in one of the scene, he interviews three students that he finds in front of McDonald’s that are skipping school. Discussing an issue with such gravity with these students and other ordinary people is not sufficient to lead audiences to fairly balance the pros and the cons of having an easy access to guns. Furthermore, Moore also misrepresents several facts in the film, namely, the statistics of the deaths caused by gun violence in each country. To specify, he does not take the population or the number of deaths caused by other matters into consideration, making the information misleading. Most importantly Moore’s primary tactic for addressing his message is through pathos rather than logos. He shows heart-wrenching videos of a school shooting, evoking fear for guns in the audience and uses the shooting of a sweet six year old girl to capture the audience’s sympathy towards the victims of gun violence. As demonstrated, Moore presents distorted information and turns to pathos as his main method of persuasion, rather than facts, diminishing its
Various documentary filmmakers attempt to change or improve society in some way with their documentaries. Their overall goal is to bring to light a certain cause or injustice with the hope that their film will help stimulate the masses to demand change. The hard hitting documentary and bureaucratic documentary filmmaker Michael Moore explores the circumstances that lead to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and, more broadly, the development of guns and the high homicide rate in America. The 2002 documentary focuses on America's love affair with firearms and the unhealthiness of destructiveness in the United States, which has the highest gun-murder rate in the world. The use of film techniques and editing the style of filmmaking that makes
This poses the question: should we be so critical of Moore’s manipulative techniques and substantial amounts of prejudice as to disregard his films? Or should we accept his version of the truth on the grounds that Michael Moore’s films aim to change America for the
Bowling For Columbine starts with archival footage of the National Rifle Association. It is included to imply that the film is endorsed by the NRA but as the footage is in black and white, compared to the rest of the film it seems that Moore has already begun positioning us. This archival footage implies that the NRA is outdated and the inclusion is therefore seen as another form of irony or social
Assumption about documentaries being true, educational only, no imagination needed aren’t correct . There are several documentaries we watched in class that show that documentaries don’t all fall under the same assumptions. A common assumption about documentaries is that there is no imagination needed. “ In a time when the major media recycle the same stories on the same subjects over and over, when they risk little in formal innovation, when they remain beholden to powerful sponsors with their own political agendas and restrictive demands, it is the independent documentary film that has brought a fresh eye to the events of the world and told stories, with verve and imagination, that broaden limited horizons and awaken new possibilities.” (Nichols,1) “Not all documentaries, of course, are sober-minded, stodgy affairs any more than all political speeches or all scientific reports are dull. Wit, imagination, and persuasive rhetorical skills come into play in many cases.” (Nichols,38) Imagination does exist in documentary, Nichols talked about how documentaries weren’t only just informational or political speeches. An example of a documentary that involves a lot of imagination is Man with a Movie Camera . It was not filled with information or dialogue but it does involve a story being told without any words. The camera angles used in this film are creative and something ahead of its time. It has several scenes that seem like modern day special effects, such as the seen with the camera under the train, a shot of a cameraman setting up his camera atop a second, mountainous camera, superimposing a cameraman inside a beer glass, filming a woman getting out of bed.
... point blame) toward the violence on television (fictional) rather than the real violence being shown on news programs or documentaries. “Another argument is that the very idea of media agenda setting is the result of conservative ideology and paranoia” (Freeman, 4).
1. Nichols, Bill. ‘Why are Ethical Issues Central to Documentary Filmmaking?’ Introduction to Documentary. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2001, p1-20
What is ideology? And how can it help our understanding of media? There are many different theories as to what ideology is, from being about people’s beliefs and how people see themselves in the world. In this essay I shall be looking at different theorists and how each of their theories helps us to understand what ideology is, and how ideology can help us to understand media.
Jones, Jeffrey P. "Fox News and the Performance of Ideology." Cinema Journal 51.4 (2012): 178-85. Print.