Bowling for Columbine music

One of the most apparent techniques in the movie Bowling for Columbine, is the use of suspenseful music during interviews. Depending on the mood of the director, the background music can either be comical or very serious depending on which images or people are on the screen. It is clear based on the music used wether the director wanted the audience to laugh at a particular person and the responses given or to feel upset at the images flashing on the screen.

This technique has been used many times in documentaries to trick the viewer into connect with the plot. As far as the legitimacy of such techniques go, i feel like in many of the unedited interviews, the humorous music playing in the background is not fair to the interviewee. Just as he tricks the NRA spokesman into meeting with him because he is also a member, we have no way of knowing how the director acted to the people he talked to or wether he lied to them for their honest opinions. Using such music forces the viewer to accept his views and forces one to follow what he wants you to.