Taylor+Hoff+Dudley

[|signs of drug addiction] [|drug addiction recovery] Documenting the Art of Michael Moore

Michael Moore’s adult life has been dedicated to making movies that provide commentary on many provocative and also very important social issues. Moore’s perspective on social issues stems from growing up in the factory dominated environment of Michigan. I also was born in Michigan and have observed the collapse of the auto industry and have known friends and family who have lost jobs related to the factory closings in Michigan. Moore started directing and producing films because of the increasing globalization of General Motors in the 1980s, leaving factory workers jobless as the company closed more costly factories in cities such as Flint, Michigan and opened less costly factories in Mexico. Moore, through his movies, provides a forum that questions society’s assumptions about certain social issues. The films usually coincide with important social events in the United States, such as the Columbine shootings, health care, or more recently the economy. I chose to analyze Michael Moore’s work because I believe it is important to hear all sides of the debate, especially when it comes to critical social issues that could potentially change the United States for better or worse. Moore’s ability to connect with Americans that can relate to the topics under consideration within his films is the key to the effectiveness of his documentaries. Moore’s use of methods such as montages and personal interviews in //Sicko// and //Bowling for Columbine// create pieces of art that directly provide commentary during critical political times for the United States of America.



Throughout his career Michael Moore has used documentaries to provide a public forum for debate and questioning the status quo. //Bowling for Columbine// approached a very delicate topic directly, connecting the documentary with the violent high school shootings in Columbine, Colorado. Michael Moore saw the massacre as an opportunity to use a documentary to open up dialog about the increasing nature of gun violence in the United States and encouraging people to look at the causes and consequences of the violence. The formation of the United States was partially a result of the guns of militiamen. The Wild West was a lawless land ruled by guns. The second amendment, although once thought to only allow the right to bear arms to state militiamen, was recently interpreted in //District of Columbia v. Heller// as allowing all individuals the right to bear arms. In short, the Americans have a fascination for guns, gun culture, and increasingly gun violence. //Bowling for Columbine// through interviews, actions taken by Moore, montages, and a critical examination of United States policy explicitly shows the consequences of a culture based on fear and the acceptance of guns.

Throughout all films powerful imagery and aesthetics are used in order to effectively connect with an audience. This is even more important in a documentary, where the plot is not a fantastical tale. A Documentary is essentially an analysis of usually a social topic based on a thesis supported by evidence until reaching a conclusion that attempts to persuade an audience to understand and accept the thesis. The thesis of //Bowling for Columbine// focused on the causes and consequences of gun violence in the United States which Moore emphasized using various methods. One method that Moore employed in //Bowling for Columbine// is the use of montages. A montage is a combination of rapid, clean editing set to music and often including special effects. Moore is one of many filmmakers that use montages to deliver a thematic scene in a shorter amount of time necessary than a structured scene. Often times a montage is much more powerful than a typical structured scene as the imagery combined with music forms a very pointed message. A montage allows the audience to focus on the set of images conveying an overarching theme. The first montage in //Bowling for Columbine// was set to the song “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” by The Beatles. Although the song was thought to be about drug addiction or other themes it showed that Moore was acutely aware of all the pieces that formed to make the montage. The montage included images that were meant to shock. Images shown included residents of Virgin, Utah where it is a law that everyone must own a gun; Denise Ames firing an assault rifle while wearing a bikini; a blind gun enthusiast; and a suicide and two murders. Each scene was carefully picked as the collection of images formed a montage that caused the audience to become engrossed, sickened, shocked, angry, or to experience other powerful emotions. Michael Moore understood how to use a montage to support his thesis while he made a direct appeal to the audience without an explicit narrative.

media type="youtube" key="V4u_2X4k4Vg" height="344" width="425" align="center"



Another example of a major documentary released by Michael Moore was //Sicko//, which discussed the topic of health care in the United States. Among Americans there is a perception that everything in our country is superior to the rest of the world, including health care. While the United States uses some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, Michael Moore believed that there were some serious deficiencies causing the average American citizen to be unable to afford health care. Universal health care has been a serious debate in the country for the past two decades with many believing it is unattainable without having government-run health care; others view this as socialist and therefore unacceptable. //Sicko//, through interviews of average Americans, compared the health care system of America to other health care systems in the world, which included government-run health care in Canada and the United Kingdom. The most effective method for Moore to relate to average Americans in //Sicko// was telling the stories of Americans who were not able to get the health care they needed.

Although there are many effective ways to appeal to an audience, one of the most valuable ways is the use of personal appeals that allow an audience to empathize. Empathy is a very powerful tool for Michael Moore to exploit, because appealing to an audience’s pathos allows them to connect more closely with the documentary and thesis being supported. In order to appeal to emotions, Moore needed to understand his audience. Moore realized that //Sicko// was not going to appeal to wealthy Americans who could afford health care, but instead to average Americans who could relate and understand the hardships that are caused by insurance companies and inefficient health care in the United States. Interviews in //Sicko// were conducted with Americans who were denied coverage by insurance companies, even though they were insured, juxtaposed with former employees of insurance companies who discussed how bonuses were awarded for finding ways to deny health care to increase profitability. In addition, Michael Moore interviewed 9/11 rescue workers that were denied government funds to pay for resulting illnesses such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and respiratory disease. This appeal to pathos was very powerful as it directly related to the worst terrorist attack in United States history, which unified the country patriotically for a length of time after the attacks. These personal interviews of average Americans were spaced throughout the film, reinforcing the themes of //Sicko// while persuading the audience to question the status quo of health care in the United States.

media type="youtube" key="p9U8kEcccc8" height="344" width="425" align="center"

Because he has spent his career dedicated to making documentaries to provoke social commentary throughout the country, Michael Moore has had a lasting impact on our nation. Moore’s body of work allows the country to debate these social issues whenever he releases a documentary. Although many do not agree with his views, he is still seen as a credible and intelligent human being by most. A documentary always offers an opinion or underlying thesis that the filmmaker is trying to express and share with an audience. There are methods filmmakers use to create a powerfully thought-provoking, and hopefully effective documentary. Moore’s use of the montage in a powerful scene in //Bowling for Columbine,// showing images of gun culture and violence, deeply connected with the audience’s pathos creating an emotionally charged response. Moreover, Moore’s use of personal interviews of average Americans interspersed throughout //Sicko// allowed him to connect with the audience on a personal level. This connection forced the audience to put themselves in the position of Americans unable to obtain quality health care in the United States, which made //Sicko// much more valuable as a work of art directed toward social commentary. Using these methods in both documentaries showed the effectiveness of Moore’s ability to create works of art that stimulate Americans to begin and continue to question the status quo of our culture and government.

Sources:

"Bowling for Columbine". Wikipedia. 13 Oct 2009. . "Happiness is a Warm Gun". YouTube.com. 10/19/2009 . "Plot Summary for Bowling for Columbine". imdb.com. 13 Oct 2009. . "'Sicko' Factual Backup". MichaelMoore.com. 13 Oct 2009. . "Sicko - www.documentary-log.com". YouTube.com. 10/19/2009 . "Sicko". Wikipedia. 13 Oct 2009. .