A documentary is a film that incorporates real topics. These films have a variety of goals; to record events and ideas, inform and persuade viewers, convey opinions and create public interest. A number of common persuasive techniques are used in documentaries to achieve these goals. For example: music and foley, irony and repetition, live and archive footage. The two documentaries we will discuss in this essay are The Cove and Bowling for Columbine. The Cove is a documentary by Louie Psihoyos that explores the slavery and massacre of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, and Bowling for Columbine is a documentary by Michael Moore that explores gun violence in the United States and the circumstances that led to the massacre of the Columbine High School. The persuasive techniques seen in both The Cove and Bowling for Columbine are emotional appeal, live and archival footage, and irony. Through the use of these techniques, the makers of these documentaries, Michael Moore and Louie Psihoyos, help convey their message and persuade audiences. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In both The Cove and Bowling for Columbine, emotional appeal is used to persuade the audience. Emotional appeal is a method of persuasion designed to provoke emotion in a viewer or audience. This technique highlights emotional factors, sometimes instead of logical or practical factors, manipulating the audience's feelings. An example of this in Bowling for Columbine is when the victims of the Columbine High School massacre are shown distressed and crying immediately after the shooting. They explained through tears how they had to beg for their lives with a gun pointed at their heads and as other students were shot around them. This scene transfers this anguish and emotion to the viewer, helping us emphasize the victims and making us feel like we should do something to help. An example of this device, found in The Cove, is when Ric O'Barry shares with the audience the story of Flipper's suicide and how he could no longer bear life. This story fills the viewer with strong emotions for Flipper and the other dolphins in the same position, as well as the intelligence he must have had to do such a thing, driving the viewer to want to help. These scenes from both documentaries convince the audience through emotion to side with the arguments of Michael Moore and Louie Psihoyos. Such high emotion corresponds to low intelligence, meaning the viewer cannot rationalize why this might be happening and quickly jumps to the point of anger at the opposing party. Emotion is used to persuade the audience to agree with the argument, and in both The Cove and Bowling for Columbine this technique is successful. Both The Cove and Bowling for Columbine use live and archival footage to persuade the audience. Live and archival footage is the use of footage, as well as audio, such as newsreels, CCTV, or other footage taken during and at the time of the event that reinforces the validity or facts of what is being presented. An example of this in Bowling for Columbine is through the use of CCTV footage which captures the terrifying shooting that took place in the school dining hall. It shows Columbine's students hiding under tables in the dining room while the two antagonists walk around very casually while holding cocked guns. In addition to the images on the screen, we can hear emergency services calls from students and teachers in the background.