Topic > Analysis of Filmmaking Techniques in Bowling for Columbine

It is often said that Michael Moore's film Bowling for Columbine is one of his most famous films and can be considered one of the most polarizing films ever made. With any documentary, for it to create meaning successfully, all techniques and additions must be well planned, thought out and executed. This essay will explore some of these techniques used, you will be able to better understand the topic and how effects such as camera, sound and editing can further enhance ideas or give new meaning to a scene. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The opening scene of the film is a great example of how a scene can change by using one of the cinematic techniques, sound. It starts with archival footage from the NRA, giving the audience the impression that the NRA is supporting the film, which is a joke due to the age of the footage. Moore uses this to begin the film in a tongue-in-cheek manner, giving the audience an idea of ​​what to expect from the film, which led to the conclusion that the film will not always be shot so seriously. Moore then continues with this theme by using a cartoonish American anthem in the background, while visual clips of everyday American life continued to play along with the sound. This segment of random everyday American clips included things like the president bombing another country and a blonde woman, barely covered and holding a large gun, showing us how ingrained violence is in American culture and the woman who represents the stereotype of the main desire. of the typical American man, guns and sexy women. Without the background sound, these scenes would have been much more difficult to analyze. The anthem helps the audience see the mockery behind the "American Dream" and how patriotic the country can be, despite the violent aspect. James Nichols was a man connected to Oklahoma, to the bombing of the city. When Moore interviewed him, the interview seemed very informal and more like a normal everyday conversation. The audience is given this feeling through the use of eye-level perspective used in the medium shots to include both Moore and James in the scene at the same time. This was done so we could get a clear view of the person's facial and body language and how they would react to certain questions. Another way they kept the interview more relaxed was to film it in everyday settings like the farmhouse, kitchen and James' bedroom. Each time Moore asked more serious questions relating to the bombing, the camera would take a close-up shot, showing the audience a more detailed reaction to these questions, being able to show how nervous he would quickly become, adding a more dramatic effect. . One of the questions about the bombing of the building, with no downtime, was eliminated from the scene. This was to show how long it would take James to answer the questions. As a result, this caused suspicion on James. Moore did this to show that James was trying to think about what he was going to say before he said anything, to ensure that he wouldn't say something that could be used against him in the future. In the entire film, the footage of the Columbine shooting had to be easily the most confrontational scene in the entire film. This has a lot to do with how Moore decided to edit the scene. This scene was mainly made with footage from the school's CCTV cameras, all stitched together. The quality of the film is very.