Apply one filmmaker’s theory of documentary film you have studied to your chosen documentary. How far does this increase your understanding of the film?

On the one hand, studying Michael Moore’s documentary theory increased my understanding of the film Amy. This is because, there are elements of Amy that align with the theory. Such as, the use of editing, like the Ken Burns effect, which is a way of manipulating the footage to tell the viewer what to think and feel – this links in with Michael Moore’s way of making documentary, contrasting say to someone like Longinotto. Such as, in Amy, there is a park scene which includes a long shot of Amy in a provocative outfit, and the Ken burns effect is used, along with voice over talking about Amy’s provocative behaviour. This is inviting a certain viewpoint of Amy, and therefore links in with Michael Moore’s theory and way of film making. This could be seen as a negative thing, however, this moment can also be interpreted as a way of the documentary commentating on the media’s representation of Amy, rather than trying to convey a connotation itself. This is emphasised by the photo being a paparazzi picture, as well as many other photos in the film.

This isn’t the only moment in the film that has been used to create a specific emotion. Such as, the shot that goes from Amy’s house and up into the air, signifying how Amy was forced out of her own home. This was taken using a drone, and could only have been done using digital technology. The shot also conveys the unfair way that Amy was treated, which is therefore purposefully conveying something to the spectator, which links in with Michael Moore’s way of film making. Moreover, the film also uses fake/edited lens flare in multiple occasions, such as the singing booth scene, which has happy and other positive connotations, therefore trying to sway the audience emotions.

Further more, the opening of the movie is full of film form elements that fit in with Michael Moore’s film making theory and documentary style. Such as, the opening found footage being of Amy singing at a friends birthday, and the person we seen not even being her. This is a way of representing her as a every day person, contrasting to the media representations of her. Moreover, there is slow motion of Amy after she explains that singing is something she can just do, while her ‘performance’ is happy. This paints a positive picture of Amy, which links into Moore’s documentary theory, especially when you consider how the director may have chosen to be biased to contrast preconceived media idea and representations of Amy, which is something that Moore does too, except he’d never focus on a specific person, more likely an industry for example.