Does Michael Moore Use Cinematic Techniques Used In Bowling For Columbine

Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 American documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Moore suggests are the primary causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of violence involving guns in America. It critically analyses themes such as racism, poverty, imperialism, media sensationalism, and consumerism. Moore utilises a range of cinematic techniques in the documentary to push the intended ideology, while still allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. These techniques include several interviews, stock footage, music and sound effects, emergency call audio, animations, montages, self-involvement and specific camera positioning

Juxtaposition is a major technique used in the documentary. Moore uses it in combination with many other techniques in the film to create layers upon layers of contrasting elements that persuades the audience into the invited readings, while never directly telling or forcing them into believing it. Juxtaposition is especially evident in the montages that can be seen at different points throughout the documentary. One of the montages in particular contrasts film footage displaying examples of The United States directly intervening in foreign countries set to Louis Armstrong performing “A Wonderful World.” The imagery of death and suffering is directly juxtaposed to the slow and lilting song proclaiming how wonderful the world is. Moore uses this whole montage to discredit Evan McCollum, while never actually saying that the statement is wrong, he instead uses juxtapositioning

to again engender the audience in his invited reading.

While ‘Bowling for Columbine’ gives audiences the impression of being factual and unbiased with interviews of people such as Evan McCollum from Lockheed-Martin – an aerospace and defence company – as well as Charlton Heston, head of the National Rifle Association, the documentary also uses deceptive tactics to silence these people and twist their words to fit the intended reading.

During a sequence filmed at the Lockheed-Martin manufacturing facility, near Columbine. Moore interviews Evan McCollum, shows missiles being built, and then asks whether knowledge that weapons of mass destruction were being built nearby might have motivated the Columbine shooters in committing their own mass slaying. “What’s the difference between that mass destruction and the mass destruction over at Columbine High School?” Moore intones that the missiles with their “Pentagon payloads” are tucked through the town “in the middle of the night while the children are asleep.” Soon after the documentary was released, this claim was checked and found that the Lockheed-Martin Plant does not build weapons-type missiles; it makes rockets for launching satellites. This is one example of how Moore purposely twisted the interviews of certain people to fit his narrative and further validate his ideology.