Spurlock after learning about a court case against Mcdonalds brought against the fast food chain Mcdonalds by two teenage girls who alleged that they had become overweight because of eating at McDonalds which failed.
The Documentary is full of actuality as Spurlock's method for the documentary was an Experiment to only eat Mcdonalds for 30 days, The Documentary follows Spurlock as his health deteriorates and he explores the various impacts fast food and obesity are having on the country.
Spurlock set himself a list of rules which are as follows
1) He must have three meals a day
2) He has to eat at least one of every item on the menu in the 30 days.
3) He can only eat whats available at McDonalds
4) If he is asked whether he wants to "SuperSize" he has to upgrade.
5) He will not excersise except from walking the average US standard of 5000 steps a day.
Supersize me makes use of VOX questions with random members of the public, these are played throughout the film with relevant questions to what the current topic is which means they were likely filmed near the end of the project when the majority of the documentary was filmed or that the planning was so well done they knew exactly what to ask.
VOX pops
Animations
They also use many animations to help illustrate a point and to add an interesting twist to certian points such as when a artist was talking about how when driving down the road it was almost like a repeated background with McDonalds appearing every few buildings. They then had the background of the artist change in the same way he was describing.
There are many Montages of eating as this is the main focus of the Documentary, they also add empasis on how much Morgan is eating as you watch him eat through a pile of food in a short amount of time.
Sometimes we hear a person speak before being introduced visually to them, interviews are usually done without a personal introduction only text in the bottom of the screen, there are several who recur throughout the narrative making relevant points.
Something I thought worked well was the visual representations of Sugar, Portion Sizes and Fat he ingested, these help put into perspective the amount of food he was eating.
He also had a team of health experts to give info on whats happening and to keep a medical aspect to the documentary which is based on fact rather than opinion.
Talks about children manipulation to enjoy playing at play areas in McDonald's and therefore want to go there when their older as it has good feelings.
He makes good points on how much Fast Food and such is advertised with the Media compared to the healthier options using a comical animation with fat greedy men representing big companies.
Morgan also makes a social experiment where he shows Childeren pictures of famous presidents or Jesus who do not recognise them or hardly know who they are but then when he shows them images of Ronald McDonald they instantly know who he is.
The Documentary is set into different sections which are denoted by artistic interpretations of the title.
Morgan also puts the companies claims to the test such as Food nutrionists saying it could be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, to which only two companies out of a hundred agreed to thus debunking their claim
He also explores the school catering system and shows how unhealthy they can be and then makes a case for healthier alternatives.
GVs ---Typically of Mcdonalds
Overweight people or children
Travel Timelapses
Crowds of people
Something that stood out to me is how the interviewees are portrayed by their backgrounds if they are someone who is considered an expert or well educated
INTERVIEWS ---
Kelly Brownell, PHD, Professor, Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders - Bookcase to show intelligence or education
Interviews with experts, Drs etc - Place of work
Lawyer for two girls - Office - Looks plain and featureless
Former U.S surgeon general who drew attention to obesity crisis - Library which stretches across wall indicating a vast knowledge
Jacob Sullum, Senior Editor, Reason Magazine - Office place of work
John F. Banzhad III, Law Professor, George Washington University - Office Cluttered showing a busy work load
William Klish, MD, Head of Dept. of medicine, Texas Children's Hospital - Children's Area showing his area of expertise
John Robbins, Health Advocate, Author: Diet for a New America paintings of fruit in background showing healthier lifestyle
Don Gorske, Big Mac Enthusiast at a McDonalds
Ron English, Artistic Genius - Mcdonalds Starry Night Painting which he painted himself
Margo Wootan, D.sc., Center for Science in the public interest - Bookcase Indicating knowledge again
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Chair of Nutrition and Food Studies, NYU - Office and books showing workplace and knowledge
Barbara Brown, Sodexho School Sevices - Lunch Hall - Messy, Unorganised and loud perhaps an indication of her work.
Greg Bretthauer, Dean of a Highschool - Hall Relevant to his job
Debra Larson, School Social Worker - Office Relevant to her job
On Phone: Paul Stitt, MS, Founder of Natural Ovens Bakery - GVS
Hon.Marlene Canter, Board of Education, L.A. Unified School District - School Classroom Relevant to her job
Gene Grabowski, VP - Grocery Manufacturers of America - Business meeting room looks cold and clinical makes him seem a bit pompous and reflects him poorly
Dr.Gerald N.Tirozzi, Exec.Dr.,Nat'l Assoc.Secondary School Principals - Office/Photos of himself with famous people behind showing his stature
His Girlfriend - At Home
Neal Barnard, MD, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine - Office with Books and Certificates in the background
Adam Naanab, MD, Laparoscopic Surgeon - Library/Study - Showing knowledge in his field
Carl Geisler, MD, Laparoscopic Surgeon - Library/Study - Same as above
Morgan also documents how he is feeling throughout his experiment, his girlfriend also chimes in describing how he has a lack of energy and sex drive during the diet.
I enjoyed the Documentary but during further research I was made aware of various points which I agree with, Morgan explains the Idea of the documentary as a way of testing the court case that McDonalds makes people unhealthy and Obese.
However he eats almost three times the amount of calories recommeneded for him, he also eats until he is sick in one instance and is constantly over eating, This I feel is not a fair test as he is skewing the results as even if he had eaten normal food in the portion sizes he was he would gain weight.
He also didnt exercise throughout the experiment which will obviously mean he will gain weight and become less in shape.
Whilst he may not have conducted the test in completley fair circumstances his points and statisitcs were correct and whilst exaggereated his point was made.
What I take from this documentary is the set up for interviews, having whats in the background be relevant to the person on camera or indicative of their intellectual or emotional status will help sway the watchers feelings towards them.
I also liked the way the VOX came in throughout the film as we were familiar with the person and had already gotten to know them slightly before in the documentary.
I liked the experiment part as well as it felt more honest than saying "This is what happened" instead it was more like "Here Im going to show you what happens" and you can watch from start to finish the experiment and not just see the results.
No comments:
Post a Comment