MICHAEL MOORE’S BOWLING FOR COLUMBINERESEARCH INTO SIMILAR PRODUCTS

THE ON SCREEN PRESENTERMichael Moore takes on the participatory mode in the sense that he is on screen exploring the reasons for the high levels of gun crime in America. He is dressed in casual clothing with a baseball cap and a beard. This casual “everyman” persona makes the audience feel that he can be trusted as he is just like the average person and he appears to be investigating the issue for their benefit. We become aware of his personal history and his past with guns making the audience feel that he is speaking from a position of experience and understanding, increasing his alleged reliability in the eyes of the audience.

SUBJECTIVITYFrom the outset it is clear that Moore believes there is a problem with guns. He portrays his opinion through facts and statistics to give the sense that his personal beliefs are correct. Throughout the film the reasons behind gun crime that Moore explores change but his standpoint on the negative effects of guns does not change. In his interviews he asks people, who’s opinions on guns that are binary opposites of his own, questions that lead them to answers that make them look unintelligent in order t enhance his point.

A SENSE OF ARTIFICIALITY The documentary employs elements of the reflexive mode. For example when Moore gestures for the camera to follow him and moments where Moore surprises high profile people with interviews. In these moments we hear Moore address that he is making a film. By doing this Moore draws the audience’s attention to the investigative nature of the piece and the idea that a camera can not necessarily present life with 100% accuracy.

MEDIATIONIn the scenes filmed in Canada, Moore makes the point that Canada is safer than America. His evidence for this is that people leave their doors open. We see Moore open 3 unlocked front doors before he draws this conclusion. The spectator cannot know if Moore chose to leave out footage of doors that were locked or if these houses were under particular circumstance. Context and information may have been left out in order to make Moore’s point appear stronger.

ARCHIVAL FOOTAGESections of the film are made up of shocking archival footage. The CCTV footage from the Columbine massacre is shown. The footage does not increase awareness of what happened as it is an extremely well know event. It would appear that this footage was used simply for its disturbing nature to shock and horrify the audience and force them to see the realities of gun crime through Moore’s eyes.

USE OF MUSICMoore uses music ironically in the way it would be used in a fiction film. There is a montage of American foreign policy that is accompanied by Louis Armstrong’s “What a wonderful word”. The music leads the spectators interpretation of the footage and portrays the negativity, disappointment and maybe even bitterness of Moore towards the attitude of his country to violence.