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Roger And Me Analysis

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Michael Moore has been a well-known name in the field of documentaries since his documentary filmmaking debut of Roger & Me (1989). Using a mix of modes and elements of documentary film, he has created many outspoken films that aim to hammer in his ideals to the audience. However, this has many times created the opposite effect of what Moore desires, and many of his critics argue his tactics have discredited him as a filmmaker. This essay will be focusing on two of Moore’s films in particular: a larger focus on Roger & Me (1989) and then the inclusion of Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). These films both created an impact on the issues they were concerned with, whether it be in a positive or negative light, due to the different modes of documentary that Moore pulls from in his films, tactics that Moore uses as a filmmaker and level of persuasion that comes out of these. Moore’s films cannot just be tied down to one or even two modes of documentary film, as described by Bill Nichols. According to Matthew Bernstein, Moore pulls from mainly the expository and the interactive modes of documentary in his film Roger & Me (6), through an attempt to “escape documentary film entirely” – something that Bernstein does not believe he is able to achieve (15). Moore seemingly pulls from …show more content…

In conclusion, Michael Moore has become a canonical filmmaker in terms of documentaries that are able to get their message across in a persuasive way. Through the hybrid of documentary modes he uses for his films and the various elements of documentary film, Moore is able to create an impact on the issues he is concerned with in Roger & Me and Fahrenheit 9/11, whether the impact is big or small, negative or positive. All in all, whether or not the correct message was received by the viewer, he has still been able to persuade them of something, or at least consider an issue from a different viewpoint – even if he was not able to actually talk to Roger or cause Bush to lose the 2004 Presidential

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List of References: American Documentary, Inc. (2002, January 15). Filmmaker Interview. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.pbs.org/pov/fenceline/interview/ American Documentary, Inc. (2002, January 24). Film Description. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.pbs.org/pov/fenceline/film-description/ (American Documentary, 2002)

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Lots of panning shots with dramatic classical music thrown about. It would be easy to make the documentary more factual and frank. But that really isn't what a normal watcher wants. They don't want to learn the specifics, they want to be entertained, to grow a curiosity and then to quench it, to be invested. People are more attracted to opinions, "hot takes" "unpopular opinions".

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Tony Krawitz’s 2011 documentary, The Tall Man features the narrative of Cameron Doomadgee, an Aboriginal Palm Island resident, who mysteriously wound up deceased in a prison cell, just 45 minutes after being taken into custody by Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley. The documentary takes viewers on a journey through the series of events that led to Christopher Hurley being rightfully accused of manslaughter for the death of Doomadgee. The Tall Man is the type of documentary film that allows viewers to formulate their own opinion on the situation. With no narrator present to force personal viewpoints down viewer’s throats or acted dramatization to possibly exaggerate what really occurred, the film relies on archival footage and interviews with

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Rhetorical Analysis of Michael Moore’s “Sicko” Documentary Sicko is a documental film made by Michael Moore in 2007. The director is the main speaker in the movie. Moore is a famous American documentary maker who was awarded for several of his works. There was not any special occasion for creation of this film; it looked like the director collected enough facts from different time periods and social groups and decided to reflect the situation in his new project. Moore mentioned some horrible, contradictory cases, they all had similar level of “severity”; there was not any specific event that could be treated as the trigger for the documentary’s creation.

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In "Idiot Nation", Michael Moore openly and honestly expresses his feelings about the American system and education. He presents this as an essay, selected from his novel Stupid White Men, in which he submits his arguments as a political activist, concerned about the state of this nation. Moore spends most of his time in this selection, proving the sorry situation of American society. His arguments present a current issue that concerns the country today. He aims at politicians and other leaders to make the audience aware of all the corruptness in office.

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Films are a great way of communicating a message to the viewers. One of the most controversial topics conveyed is politics and for this reason, Mr Smith Goes to Washington is a movie that explores the American political system through the life of Senator Jefferson Smith a newly elected politician. He comes out as a radical after realising that he cannot serve the interest of those who elected him to the government. The director of the film explores a radical sense ideological spectrum through a character who maintains integrity in the midst of harsh criticism in the political system. The director is radical trying to anger the political class and then win acclaim from the public.

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