Supersize Me

In this documentary analysis, I will focus on how Supersize delivers cinematography, sound, editing, and mise en scene. Espeically how the continuity flows and use of cutaways.Also the way it attracts the audience using these techniques.

This documentary stars Morgan Spurlock on 30 day challenge to eat only McDonalds food, it discovers this lifestyle’s radical effects(physical and psychologically), and explores the fast food industrial influence, including how it promotes poor nutrition for its own profit.

The opening sequence begins with diegetic sounds of children singing a song connected with fast food, next there’s a dolly shot of the children singing and doing actions to the song, the camera moves further away ending with a wide shot.

Shot of children performing a fast food song

Next there’s sequence of shots of cars, houses, food and people. Voice over explains that America has the biggest possessions and food and people. The journalist emphasises on America having the largest people, this is show in extreme close up lasting few seconds. Cuts go on to show more large people. Voice over say “nearly one hundred million Americans today either overweight or obese, that’s more than 60% of all US adults”

This shows how obesity among adults has grown from 1985 – 2002. Also shows where the most obese people are in America.

The documentary then reveals the fact that Morgan Spurlock ate home cooking and onlyy ate out on rare occasions. During that there is shot showing a collage of photographs of his mum cooking in the kitchen through the years. The voices over mentions how family nowadays eat out all the time and how they pay not only with their money but waistline as well.

Collage of photos

Key fact comes next, (Obesity is now second only to smoking being as a major cause of preventable death in America, with more than 400,000deaths per year associated with related illness). There are cutaways (of a man smoking and people walking with text of 400,000 on the shot as well.

This highlights how shocking the point the documentary is making. This makes the audience in engage in how obesity is a huge problem.

There is a cut (wide shot) of people walking and then cutaways of McDonalds. The voice over comes aside this explaining how Americans ended up suing McDonald, taking aim of the fast food company and blaming them for their obesity anomalies. After a lawsuit was filed at New York on behalf of two obese teenage girls (one who was 14 years old 4ft10 170pounds, the other 19 years old 5ft6 270 pounds). The voice over says, how the unthinkable has suddenly become reality. Also there’s a diagram of girls growing from young age to ages mentioned and it shows how obesity has affected them. All these techniques involve the audience in the documentary.

An editing effect shown documentary is the fast pace of people going and coming in and out of McDonalds. Next there a freeze frame and the bright light around people at the door of McDonalds. Theses effects are very creative and help the audience focus as it is attention-grabbing.

Next the documentary shows how McDonald is global wide and how it is everywhere (Supermarkets, airports, petrol stations, shopping malls, theme parks and hospitals). The many fast pace cutaways of the places mentioned, suddenly it slows down when it get hospitals, zooming in on a hospital. The voice over also says “at least your close when coronary kicks in” during that there’s close up shot of emergency and McDonalds arrows near each other pointing to a direction. This makes audience see how problematic this situation is.

The score music throughout the documentary conveys the tone and mood for documentary. The score music is light and cheery; this draws the audience on what is to occur in film.

There are several examples of great interviews in this documentary. The close up shot below reveals a natural key lighting; this is used for the subject of the interview to be seen. The location builds credibility background connects with the interviewee. He is a professor and there are books surrounding him. The camera work here has helped to construct a perfect interview. It uses the rule of thirds allowing sufficient head and looking space giving thought in mode of address. The interviewee does not look directly into the camera, so this reduces effect of breaking continuity. The man looks off screen at a mind point of about 30 degrees. On screen graphics (title) shows full name, in bold and role in small print and in white. It fades in and out. The audience can see it is clear and readable and adequate of adequate size.

The style of the documentary is Participatory Mode as the journalist engages with the situation.

Overall this documentary has been helpful in showing how to produce a documentary. It has revealed its special effects that has engage the audience in subject. I think the documentary is for everyone it informs us on dangers of eating McDonalds only and how obesity is a huge risk. This is revealed through experiments, cutaways used types of shots, interviews in the document film. Embedding was used where Morgan Spurlock was involved in the whole action. This also builds credibility, it shows his opinions.