Michael Moore’s ‘Slacker Uprising’: Get out and vote against BUSH!
“Slacker Uprising” is a 2004 pre-election documentary about Michael Moore’s 42-day, 62 city tour to remove President George W. Bush from office. While his attempt failed, the true message of the tour was to get young and non-voters out to vote for the first time. In 2004, young adults age 18 and older did vote in greater numbers than ever before. Despite the Bush campaign to smear John Kerry’s name, in the 18-year-old voting group, John Kerry won.
“Slacker Uprising” is about how non-politicians can spread a message in non-traditional ways including concerts, events, story telling, humor, parody…
The documentary is definitely skewed toward a younger demographics of new or non-voters with liberal views. The set up of the film is clear, it features the premise of Bush creating a smear campaign against John Kerry’s war record. The campaign worked and Bush was re-elected for four more years.
Moore targeted college campuses in an attempt to get the 50 percent of non-voters to vote in the presidential election. He called for people to knock on doors, to register voters, to use their voices, to get 56 percent of the public to vote, which had not happened since 1968.
The documentary used self-generated and news film clips of Michael Moore asking for people and non-voters called “slackers” to vote. The film clips show people pledging to vote for “Ramen” noodles or a clean change of underwear. Some law makers claim Moore’s offer of “Ramen” noodles and clean underwear was equivalent of a bribe. Moore countered that the Republicans had lost their sense of humor. Added to the mix of the clips of the rallies are clips of individual interviews with people who are registering to vote.
Michael Moore was asked if his movies were “propaganda.” Moore claims that the nightly news was pushing the Bush agenda and the “weapons of mass destruction” managed and manufactured news, he claims is the propaganda machine of the Bush administration. He says his movies are “anti-propaganda.”
I think the “reality” of the message came across very well. The documentary was “real.” It was clear that it was an anti-Bush film, so viewers could not be confused as to what the message they would receive would be.
Like any political documentary, this film represented itself and was what it said it was…an anti-Bush film. There was no doubt as to its message: remove Bush from office. While the “Slacker Uprising” did not work in 2004, four years later, Barrack Obama was elected.
Moore also is distributing his film free of charge. It is available at http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=51889
Lost Lightning: The Missing Secrets Of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla “the gatekeeper of lightning” is one of the world’s greatest inventors who is probably the least known. This documentary highlights just a few of Tesla’s brilliant ideas, which include Alternating Current and the “Death Ray,” a device Tesla believed would end all wars. Many of Tesla’s ideas are now a reality including the Internet and wireless technology.
This documentary is targeted to students and others who are interested in learning the history of electricity and broadcasting. Even though Tesla died a broken man, his inventions have been developed and he has been proven to be a true man before his time. He developed more than 700 patents that the US government microfilmed, but now denies any secret weapons technologies. Tesla’s inventions are part of our daily lives and include the radio, broadcast systems and the internet. Tesla said, “The present is theirs, but the future is mine.”
See this film at:
http://documentaryheaven.com/lost-lightning-the-missing-secrets-of-nikola-tesla/
Documentary News Creation for a Cause
After viewing a selection of documentaries
(See http://www.Documentary Heaven.com) in the same category of your project, choose a cause in your town, county or state, and attend one or more meetings, rallies, or events.
1) Film each one and put together a short news piece suitable for airing on the evening news in your area.
2) Tell your news story in 2:30 minutes or less.
3) Your goal with this project is to tell the viewer in the first 15 seconds what the cause is and why it matters.
4) In the remainder of the documentary, provide support for the cause and end it with ways views can support the cause.
Sample:
You can create “simple” documentary news pieces by asking simple questions. For example, in Englewood, Florida, there is a struggling cat rescue called Puffy Paws Kitty Haven. By asking a simple question or saying, “Tell me about…”… a simple documentary can be created and promoted via YouTube or other video services.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri5cdFOZvK8
After viewing the above sample, answer the following questions.
1) Define the primary point/ “message” of the documentary and intended audience.
2) Does it succeed in convincing you as the audience of its position.
“Slacker Uprising” is a 2004 pre-election documentary about Michael Moore’s 42-day, 62 city tour to remove President George W. Bush from office. While his attempt failed, the true message of the tour was to get young and non-voters out to vote for the first time. In 2004, young adults age 18 and older did vote in greater numbers than ever before. Despite the Bush campaign to smear John Kerry’s name, in the 18-year-old voting group, John Kerry won.
“Slacker Uprising” is about how non-politicians can spread a message in non-traditional ways including concerts, events, story telling, humor, parody…
The documentary is definitely skewed toward a younger demographics of new or non-voters with liberal views. The set up of the film is clear, it features the premise of Bush creating a smear campaign against John Kerry’s war record. The campaign worked and Bush was re-elected for four more years.
Moore targeted college campuses in an attempt to get the 50 percent of non-voters to vote in the presidential election. He called for people to knock on doors, to register voters, to use their voices, to get 56 percent of the public to vote, which had not happened since 1968.
The documentary used self-generated and news film clips of Michael Moore asking for people and non-voters called “slackers” to vote. The film clips show people pledging to vote for “Ramen” noodles or a clean change of underwear. Some law makers claim Moore’s offer of “Ramen” noodles and clean underwear was equivalent of a bribe. Moore countered that the Republicans had lost their sense of humor. Added to the mix of the clips of the rallies are clips of individual interviews with people who are registering to vote.
Michael Moore was asked if his movies were “propaganda.” Moore claims that the nightly news was pushing the Bush agenda and the “weapons of mass destruction” managed and manufactured news, he claims is the propaganda machine of the Bush administration. He says his movies are “anti-propaganda.”
I think the “reality” of the message came across very well. The documentary was “real.” It was clear that it was an anti-Bush film, so viewers could not be confused as to what the message they would receive would be.
Like any political documentary, this film represented itself and was what it said it was…an anti-Bush film. There was no doubt as to its message: remove Bush from office. While the “Slacker Uprising” did not work in 2004, four years later, Barrack Obama was elected.
Moore also is distributing his film free of charge. It is available at http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/?p=51889
Lost Lightning: The Missing Secrets Of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla “the gatekeeper of lightning” is one of the world’s greatest inventors who is probably the least known. This documentary highlights just a few of Tesla’s brilliant ideas, which include Alternating Current and the “Death Ray,” a device Tesla believed would end all wars. Many of Tesla’s ideas are now a reality including the Internet and wireless technology.
This documentary is targeted to students and others who are interested in learning the history of electricity and broadcasting. Even though Tesla died a broken man, his inventions have been developed and he has been proven to be a true man before his time. He developed more than 700 patents that the US government microfilmed, but now denies any secret weapons technologies. Tesla’s inventions are part of our daily lives and include the radio, broadcast systems and the internet. Tesla said, “The present is theirs, but the future is mine.”
See this film at:
http://documentaryheaven.com/lost-lightning-the-missing-secrets-of-nikola-tesla/
Documentary News Creation for a Cause
After viewing a selection of documentaries
(See http://www.Documentary Heaven.com) in the same category of your project, choose a cause in your town, county or state, and attend one or more meetings, rallies, or events.
1) Film each one and put together a short news piece suitable for airing on the evening news in your area.
2) Tell your news story in 2:30 minutes or less.
3) Your goal with this project is to tell the viewer in the first 15 seconds what the cause is and why it matters.
4) In the remainder of the documentary, provide support for the cause and end it with ways views can support the cause.
Sample:
You can create “simple” documentary news pieces by asking simple questions. For example, in Englewood, Florida, there is a struggling cat rescue called Puffy Paws Kitty Haven. By asking a simple question or saying, “Tell me about…”… a simple documentary can be created and promoted via YouTube or other video services.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri5cdFOZvK8
After viewing the above sample, answer the following questions.
1) Define the primary point/ “message” of the documentary and intended audience.
2) Does it succeed in convincing you as the audience of its position.
