Micheal Moore has brought the genre of documentaries into the mainstream through techniques and controversial issues, discuss.

Michael Moore’s documentaries have fascinated people around the world. They include conventions of a typical documentary such as they contain a good story, contain dramatic suspense and contain confrontation. However it’s the more different techniques he uses that makes his documentaries the most recognisable and popular.

Moore creates typical expository documentaries in which he talks to the audience directly, they offer a particular viewpoint and uses persuasive techniques to influence the audience. Moore’s documentaries have come across as controversial particularly in America, this is because of how he presents them to the extreme, using imagery and theories that could shock or interest his audiences. For example in Fahrenheit 9/11 he openly questions the innocence of the US government and in Bowling for Columbine at one stage subtlety contradicts the Constitution.

Moore’s use of footage and editing is also considered to be innovative, for example, in Bowling for Columbine, Moore uses two contrasting scenes back-to-back, one, and over the top politician claiming Marilyn Manson and everything he stands for is a direct cause of the catastrophic evens that happened in Columbine, juxtaposed with shots of Manson himself, presented with normality, with a large amount of sympathy for the tragic event. When asked what he would say to the students of Columbine, he replied with: “I wouldn’t say a single word to them; I would listen to what they have to say, and that’s what no one did”. The way Moore edited this sequence was very clever, he used the Politician to symbolise the US government, trying to persuade the audience to believe they where trying to push the blame away from them.

Similarly, the “Wonderful World” sequence in Bowling for Columbine directly after an interview with Evan McCollum, in which he states that the vast amount of weapons of mass destruction that where built near Columbine for the purpose of defending the US, Moore shows a montage of the American foreign policy decisions in which the US is the obvious aggressor. For example when Clinton bombed what he believed was a weapons factory in Sudan which actually turned out to be a factory for making aspirin. This sequence is then juxtaposed with the song “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong playing in the background. This scene emphasizes Moore’s views on the US government and uses the key convention ‘the shock factor’ to help the audiences approve of his perception.
Other uses of the ‘shock factor’ includes a scene in which Moore himself gets his hands on a free gun, extremely easily from a local bank, at the same time as showing statistics of US gun-related deaths of 11,127 per year contrasted against Japans 39.

In his recent documentary Sicko, Moore uses a technique in which he shows his audiences real people who cannot afford the treatment they need in the US. He takes them to Canada and the UK where they are given free treatment and cheap medication, the reaction of the group of people he took was the shock factor of the film. They were in tears and disbelief as they realised how poorly treated they had been back home.

Moore’s films contain a large amount of dramatic suspense, making the audience feel different emotions and reactions to what he is presenting on screen. For example at the beginning of Fahrenheit 9/11 Moore introduces his film with a black screen, to emphasize his use of sound; screams, sirens, crashes and people in despair - the sounds of the 9/11 attack. This opening sequence was used to extract the audiences deepest emotions about the event, this makes Moore’s documentaries different and innovative, using extreme footage, sound and editing to attract his audiences into seeing his point of view.

In conclusion although Moore has been criticized for his documentaries being too one-sided, personal and graphic, it does not change the fact that the styles he uses make the documentaries popular in the mainstream, and are very innovative. His films are more eye catching than the normal documentary as he tells a different side to the story, speaking the unspeakable.

Michael Moore Documentary's

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
- Interesting use of interviews.

- Archive footage opening.

- Michael Moore’s voice over narration

- Moore uses a black screen during his documentary with just sound effects of screaming victims of 9/11. This builds tension and emotionally effects the audience.

- Use of archive footage of George Bush to influence the audience to address his point of view.

Sicko (2007)
- Michael Moor’s voice over narration.

- Juxtaposition of conflicting narrative view points.

- Use of archive footage.

- CCTV footage used for proof and evidence.

- The use of mobile phones and showing victims voices helps make the audience sympathise with the citizens of America who cannot afford health treatment.

- Michael Moore expresses his personal beliefs, which makes his documentary’s different from any others.

- Here is an example of an interesting interview showing Michaels supprised reaction to healthcare in the UK. It works well because Moore shows genuine emotion within the interview. It is also interesting because it cuts between the interview and clips of the doctors home and lifesyle.

BBC Documentary - Joe Swash “I believe in Ghosts”

- Lowbrow documentary.

- Shown on TV at 9pm; after the watershed.

- Voiceover has been used.

- The use of interview to gain information to support his argument.

- Night vision was used to create atmosphere.

- The use of subtitles to introduce someone, or when whispering is used.

-The Mise-on-scene of the first shot is Joe Swash introducing his documentary, with Scooby-doo toys and a ‘Scream’ mask in the background. This use of symbolism reflects what the documentary will be about and that it will include a scare factor.

- Symbolism is also used throughout the documentary to scare the audience and persuade them to “believe in ghosts”.

- The sound track that is played in the background is chosen to fit with the dialogue.

- Use of reconstruction used in black and white.

Conventional Documentaries

Conventional Documentaries

Conventional documentaries must include certain factors that conform to different documentary modes. When creating my own documentary I must consider what makes a good documentary and what can attract the right target audiences. A good documentary must tell a good story; taking the viewer along a path of facts with an interesting subject matter, they must convey a personal response usually put across by the voice over or presenter, it should contain some dramatic suspense to make the audience judge or anticipate. Finally a successful documentary should develop an audience’s knowledge while showing confrontation and opposing forces to reach a climax and finally be resolved.

Different modes of Documentaries

Expository:
The purpose is o inform and educate the audience about a subject. The material includes original and archive footage and the camera a crew members are invisible to the audience. The tight scrip is presented by a voice-over narration. An example of an expository documentary is Life shown on BBC1.

Observational:
This is a type of documentary where filmmakers record people in their natural environment with a minimum of fuss; this approach gains a larger degree of naturalness. For example, Underage and pregnant, shown on BBC three.

Fly-on-the-wall:
A Fly-on-the-wall documentary approaches the life of the subject and blends into the background of their daily business. The filming may continue for a long period of time in order to give the audience an unmediated access to the world. An example of this type of documentary is The Family shown on Channel 4.

Interactive/Reflective:
In this mode the filmmakers presence is fully acknowledged, even emphasised. The filmmaker is both the author and a character and will often appear in shots. The aim is to provoke reactions from subjects and audiences. One interactive/reflective is called Roger and Me.

Drama Documentary:
In the absence of archive material or access to witnesses, the filmmaker would stage dramatic reconstruction of events. For example, Hillsborough.

Mockumentary:
Fictional films which parody forms and conventions of documentary, often for humorous effect. An example of this mode is, The office, which parody’s life working in an office block with somewhat silly and stupid characters.

Personal:
These films are often shot on video and generally feature the filmmaker addressing the camera directly, sharing his or her views with the viewer.