Bowling for Columbine – Documentry Scene Anaylsis
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Introduction
The documentary “Bowling for Columbine”, directed by Michael Moore, deals with the problems of gun crime in America. The main purpose of this feature film is to persuade American people to change their ideas about guns and gun laws. However, more importantly, the feature film portrays internationally how inward looking and ridiculous Americas gun laws and view on guns in general, is proving tragic when combined with the other issues such as poverty and social outcast in areas. Moore constantly refers to other countries such as Canada and their gun policies to back up his arguments for increased gun regulation. He is successfully able to counter argue any reason given by pro gun supporters as to the reason why America has the highest gun related crimes and death, even though other countries have similar attitudes towards violence. One of the scenes focuses on the shooting of Kayla Rolland, which presents Moores ability to persuade his audience into his way of viewing gun crime. He achieves this through the use of codes and conventions that persuade the audience to agree with Moore in his own values and attitudes of the issues dealt with in the film. The techniques used include audio/archival footage, interviews, narration, language usage and tone, filming angles and shot sequencing.
However even though the film brought Moore international attention as a rising filmmaker and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, with more in-depth research of the events focused on in the film, it appears not to be as controversial as initially portrayed to be.
Audio/archival footage
The 911 call made by Kaylas teacher would be one of the important and pivotal evidence used in the movie, because it portrays to the audience without visual clues, the emotional enormity of the situation. Allowing the audience to place themselves in the role of the teacher, through the distress in her voice and ponder what they would do it that situation. The viewers respond in the way that Moore would want them to, feeling shocked and scared for the teacher and little girl. The sickening part of this call, is the matter of fact way that the call response centre handles the call, it is obvious that they are quite used to handling these types of distress calls, particularly from this area of Flint. As mentioned the major cause of youth fatality is homicide. As can be expected the archival footage clearly shows the teacher is still affected by the incident and will be for life. This is the reality of every homicide and the people that are involved. Some people get abusive and angry, some upset and emotional, so withdraw from society and some wish to seek revenge.
Interviews
There is a section of the scene, which could easily be the most touching scene of the film, where while interviewing Jimmie Hughes, the principal of Buell Elementary School, Moore apologises to her as he turns away from the camera comforting the woman in tears, the emotion of the moment overcoming her. In this single scene Michael Moore provides the audience with a glimpse of his sense of responsibility for individuals feelings that many of his other scenes lack. During the interviews Moore uses calm, supportive and leading tones to encourage the interviewee to expose their emotions, even when they may have been suppressing them for some time. This gives an insight to their emotional state, and how they have been affected, which makes for good ratings at the Box Office as a result.
Narration, tone, language usage
Michael Moore, plays on our heart strings by the way he speaks. His voice is monotonic and emotionless, which provokes feelings within the audience. He uses simple language “With one bullet that passed through her body, she fell to the floor and lay there dying No one knew why the little boy wanted to shoot the little girl The youngest school shooting ever in the United States”. This statement isnt entirely factual, as Moore knew more than he let on, that would have made sense to why Dedrick Owens killed Kayla. He had a history of violence, including been previously suspended for stabbing another student with a pencil. Also he actually fought with Kayla the day prior to the shooting and once stabbed another child with a knife. So rather than suggesting to the audience an answer to the reasons and background to the crime and situation, Moore presents the audience with various facts, figures and information in a persuasive way allowing the audience to form their own decisions on what the underlining cause of the events was.