Manipulation Of The Truth In The Film 'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry'

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

Although many historical filmmakers alter some events and use fiction as a tool in providing an accurate historical representation, the makers of “The

The idea of a documentary being an artistic or even personalised expression of a director is long gone, or so it seems in recent times. In Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Bowling for Columbine, he attempts to get across to viewers his, and essentially only his point of view, on the topic of gun laws. Although what Moore is trying to say is not necessarily wrong, he is at the same time not taking into account the other side of the argument either; all he is trying to do, essentially is hypnotise viewers into thinking

Media is so powerful that many people in business and politics have long realised that documentary filmmaking is a powerful way to influence or persuade the masses as to which side they should take on certain issues. Although the media claim their documentaries to be neutral, subjectivity is always an issue. Like any form of communication, including journalism, documentary filmmaking involves interpretation and choice-making on the part of the filmmaker, and is therefore unavoidably subjective. You might set up a camera to record a "day in the life of a Year 12 student” and end up with some interesting footage, but until it is shaped and given meaning by the filmmaker, and until

However, through the intelligent use of film techniques such as Omissions, editing (scene placement) and non-diegetic sounds, there is an obvious bias presented to the audience, as Moore wants to specifically convey a messages which benefits an agenda which he is following. The documentaries, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine will be further explored through the analysis of its film techniques which indefinitely create an obvious bias and the positive and negative outcomes it has regarding Michael Moore’s film message.

A documentary is a genre of film that provides a factual report on a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. In this essay, two documentaries, Bowling for columbine by Michael Moore and Made in Bangladesh by CBC news will be explored to show how persuasive techniques are used to make an audience feel a particular way.

Documentaries are produced in such a way that positions the audience to accept a version of reality. As Tim Hetherington, a British photojournalist once said, “You can construct whatever story you want to. Documentaries are constructions, as is all journalism.” In Fahrenheit 9/11 specifically, viewers are presented with a critical analysis of the political agenda surrounding America’s decision to wage war on Iraq. Directed by American political commentator and filmmaker Michael Moore and released in mid-2004, the documentary’s central premise is that US President George Bush is, and has been from the start of his term, unfit for office and does not act in interests of the American public. Moore presents the idea that President Bush, as a result

As a viewer, the documentary’s intention to inform is more completely fulfilled by research conducted beyond the scope of the camera lens. Had I never written this paper, for instance, the reason for all the violence embedded within the subject matter would remain as enigmatic as the documentary itself.

Documentary films in particular have been the preferred channel for the diffusion of propaganda because of its association with ‘a truthful cinema.’ John Grierson, coiner the term documentary, defined it as “the creative treatment of actuality.” However, Hilmar Hoffman talks about film’s illusory power by explaining that what exists to the viewer is only what the camera ‘sees,’ and due to the absence of alternate perspectives, the viewer conventionally perceives the images shown as reality. In this regard, documentary films are able to influence, represent, and create a particular consciousness by doctoring events, thus making it untrustworthy and, ultimately, the ideal medium to communicate

There are truths such as his body was set aflame and was found with a bottle of peppermint schnapps, but sometimes some truths aren’t as satisfying as others (Jannetta, 2014). According to Bill Nichols in How Do Documentaries Differ from Other Types of Films, “documentary is not a reproduction of reality, it is a representation of the world we already occupy”. We should be able to rely on each story in documentaries, such as 60 Minutes, to be both informative and entertaining

Documentaries also include films which are intended to ‘expose’ and often carry interviews, for example Michael Moore’s films on social concerns

The basis of the documentary was interviews with various professors, authors, and journalists (and the like) who were considered the “experts. News clips, infographics, and documents were also used plentifully to try to build its credibility. Although the “expert” interviews help to appeal to the viewers’ logic, I thought that they didn’t help all that much to build the credibility as

Many documentary makers include their individual cultural assumptions and discourses to distort the truth and position the target audience to react in a desired manner. This

The purpose of a documentary is to promote one's views or beliefs, in order to provoke change in society. This is evident in Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling for Columbine and Louie Psihoyos, The Cove. Both documentaries manipulate the audience into taking the composers side of the argument. Bowling for Columbine uses satirical humour and interviewing techniques to make an extremely persuasive argument highlighting issues such as gun violence levels in America and the Columbine High School massacre itself. Louie Psihoyos’ The Cove uses statistics and archival footage to persuade the audience that dolphins are beginning unnecessarily slaughtered, and there is something underhanded going on in Taiji, Japan.

Since documentary films are made in a great variety of tradition, style, characteristics and purpose, they can be broadly categorized into five schools depending on their chronological existence. Newsreel strictly describes records of the actual events without dramatizing the event. This school follows the tradition of the soviet newsreels e.g. Reisner’s The March of Time. Propagandist school on the other hand, employs pseudo-documentary as an instrument of political propaganda by making full use of the persuasive capacity of this audio-visual medium. This school primarily follows the style of Soviet and Nazi propaganda films. Triumph of the Will is a suitable example in this regard. Realist school portrays contemporary city scene, gives a