As Steven Spielberg once said, "documentaries are the greatest way to educate an entire generation" (Azevedo, 2013). In Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me, audiences are informed and shown the dangers of consuming fast food everyday. Spurlock has a camera follow him for one month as he consumes McDonalds for each meal thus exposing one to the unhealthy affects of the lifestyle. Relying on images, interviews, and statistics the viewers are informed of how processed fast foods begin to affect people starting from a young age. This documentary style film shapes the perception of the spectator through the use of visual and narrative techniques. Morgan Spurlock's film Super Size Me is representative of the idealized version of film …show more content…
One can see that Spurlock believes that fast food industry is responsible for the rise in obesity hence the reason for his experiment. Through narrative and editing Spurlock removes any biases that may alter the results of his experiment (Cornell, Lecture #12). He films himself as well as others in "uncontrolled situations," the audience is put into his shoes as they watch these situations unfold just as he once did (Cornell, Lecture #12). Spurlock sets rules to control the experiment for more accurate results. These rules include eating three meals at McDonalds each day, only eating or drinking items that are sold by McDonalds, super sizing meals only when asked, and trying everything on the menu at least once. Rather than visiting the same McDonalds and dealing with the same employees, he travels around to different cities and states. In the beginning of his experiment, Spurlock travels to Houston, Texas which is known for being the most obese city in the United States. On his first trip to a McDonalds in Houston he is automatically asked if he would prefer to super size his meal. Throughout his entire 30 day experiment he is asked to super size his meal nine times, five of those times are from employees in Texas. Questioning a vast array of people in schools and on the street, Spurlock attempts to "provoke responses in subjects" being interviewed as well as the audience (Cornell, Lecture #12). Due to the lack of direction and script the questions, answers, and
Spurlock subjected himself to eat a three time day McDonald’s meal for thirty days without exercising to prove why obesity is an epidemic in America. Throughout the
Now, what justification does Mr. Spurlock get for going on a McDonald’s diet for a month? Well before we get to that let's talk about the story that started his McDiet. Two girls sued McDonald's because they felt it was McDonald's fault that they were obese. Ashley Pelman was the young 14-year-old girl who was 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed about 170 pounds. Well the other girl, Jazlyn Bradley was 19 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed about 264 pounds. Multiple courts had all said that the claimants would win the case if the somehow proved that McDonald's is dangerous if eaten on daily basis. After Mr. Spurlock heard about their story he was intrigued, and being a starved director wanting more than 10 minutes of fame he orchestrated an experiment in which he found out first hand how McDonald's would affect the average American if eaten every day for the next 30 days straight.
The United States of America has long been considered a “big nation”, whether is has the biggest cities, houses, and on a negative note, biggest people. In 2003, Morgan Spurlock, a healthy-bodied film director, set on a quest to show America the detrimental effects of the fast food industry and raise awareness on the controversial issue. He produced the documentary “Supersize Me”, where McDonald’s meals were consumed for every meal of the day for thirty days. His film was released to movie theatres so that people could understand the devastating effects of McDonald’s on his body in a very short time span. At the end of his experiment, Morgan gained twenty-five pounds, developed a thirteen percent
The Morgan super-size me film that investigates that if fast food chain, Mac Donald’s is contributing to the obesity in America because of the food that is serves. The director, Morgan Spurlock conveys that, in America, people are becoming more obese due to the consumption of too much fast food. Throughout the film, Suprlock uses several film techniques such as graphics, interviews and voice over and direct narration to persuade the audience of his point of view that a person can get really sick from having a diet that relays on MacDonald’s food in a variety of substantial ways.
As the study continued, Spurlock showed signs of depression, headaches, mood swings from withdrawal from eating the food, as well as gaining twenty-four pounds, increasing his cholesterol by sixty-five, and moving his body fat from eleven percent to eighteen percent over the course of the thirty-day meal plan. This documentary was made in response to the suing of McDonald’s, and the trial was dismissed when no proof that “McDiets” were contributors to Americas increased obesity rates. Yet the results of the thirty-day diet showed detrimental effects, not to mention the people who eat this way for
Morgan Spurlock decided to make this documentary to investigate the fast food companies, and the effects of certain fast food chains products, particularly McDonalds, on the health of society. This Documentary explores the United States growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes as well. Morgan decides to eat nothing but McDonald's food for thirty days. He must eat one of everything on the menu at least once, and when asked to super size his meal he must do so. Another stipulation of Morgan's experiment is that he can only take 5,000 steps a day to replicate the exercise that most average Americans get on a daily basis. He must also eat three meals a day, no exceptions and if McDonalds doesn't serve it
The viewers were able to witness the pain that he was going through and the emotional toll the challenge had on him. Spurlock told Newsweek when the film was released, “My body just basically falls apart over the course of this diet.” (Lambert, 2004). It was also effectively shown in the documentary how Spurlock’s relationship and sexual intimacy with his girlfriend was affected by the challenge, so again, the viewers were able to feel the emotion that he was feeling. As if these were not enough, the documentary also showed how being overweight can have such a big impact on people’s lives as there are around 400,000 deaths associated with obesity illnesses annually (Spurlock, 2004). Spurlock was effective in appealing to viewers when he stated that diabetes is now more common in children every year as a result of fast food and the numbers will just keep rising if nothing is done to stop
McDonald’s is killing Americans, at least that is what Morgan Spurlock believes. In his documentary Super Size Me he embarks on a quest to not only describe and use himself as an example of the growing obesity trend, but to offer the viewers with base-line nutritional knowledge that will allow them to draw their own informed conclusions. Spurlock's primary intention is to prove through self-experimentation that eating solely McDonald's food is dangerous. His secondary intention is to denounce the rising obesity rate in American by using statistics, his own research, and the opinions of experts. His broader message is for a general audience while he tailors select chapters towards more specific demographics such as parents or McDonald's
In a society that is facing numerous problems, such as economic devastation, one major problem is often disregarded, growing obesity. As the American society keeps growing, so does growth of the fast food industry and the epidemic of obesity. In order to further investigate the main cause of obesity, Morgan Spurlock, the film director and main character, decides to criticize the fast food industry for its connection with obesity in America. In his documentary Spurlock performs a radical experiment that drives him to eat only from McDonald's and order a super-sized meal whenever he is asked. By including visual and textual techniques, rhetorical appeals, and argumentative evidences, Morgan Spurlock was able
The purpose of Mr. Spurlock’s experiment was to see how eating McDonald's each day affected the daily lives of the American people and see how eating fast food contributed to the obesity. He travelled and investigated nutritionists to see what they recommended on how much fast food a person should eat and he used himself as a test subject. He went and asked people’s opinions of fast food and he saw that many eat it as convenience.
Contrary to the popular belief of the time, Morgan Spurlock’s amateur documentary “Supersize Me” pushed reform in both fast food culture, and eating habits of citizens, being one of the first catalysts in a new movement in America. This 2004 film, being the first of his works to establish Spurlock as a filmmaker, focuses on Spurlock’s 30 day journey in which he vowed to eat solely McDonalds for three meals a day, and track his overall mental, physical, and social changes over this span of time. Throughout the film, Spurlock consults three doctors (a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, and a general practitioner) as well as a nutritionist to monitor physical change and gather quantitative data supporting his claim. The film often exhibited
Morgan Spurlock’s motivation to create his documentary emerged from a certain court case, in which two teenage girls sued McDonald's for selling them products that resulted in them being obese for their age group (Spurlock). McDonald’s testimony stated that the girls could not fully prove that it was the McDonald’s product that were making them overweight and that eating their products for every meal would be seemingly dangerous (Spurlock). Spurlock to this statement into his owns hands and a decided to conduct a month long experiment, in which he would go on a thirty-day long binge of McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to prove if and how fast food can make a person obese (Spurlock). It is well known within the general public that fast food in not a healthy option for a meal but for many, fast food is the only
Fast food is unhealthy and does not provide the necessary nutrients needed for a daily diet, however Mcdonald's, a fast food empire claimed in a 2004 lawsuit against them that fast food can be a part of a healthy diet. The court ruled that the plaintiffs would have a serious claim if they could prove that eating fast food for every meal is dangerous for the person and their health. Morgan Spurlock, writer, director, producer, and star of 2004 documentary Supersize Me set out to prove that fast food is dangerous for a person's health. The documentary follows Morgan on his 30 day challenge of only eating fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Through Morgan's challenge his weight skyrockets, his health declines and feels terrible all the time. Many people believe that fast food companies are to blame for America's obesity but the individual must take responsibility for what they put into their bodies instead of blaming fast food companies for their unhealthy eating habits .The documentary explores the idea that people should avoid eating fast food because Fast food, although more convenient and easier is worse for you than making your own meals. Fast food leads to many health risks and is not a good substitution for traditional meals. People should avoid eating
In 2003 Morgan Spurlock launched on an experiment of sorts to fully understand the effects that fast food, in this case specifically McDonald’s food can have on one’s physiological and mental health by eating nothing but McDonald’s food for thirty days. Before embarking on this quest, Spurlock visited a general practitioner, a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, a dietician, and an exercise specialist. He began his McDonald’s journey with exceptional health, by the end of the thirty days he had suffered serious health consequences both physically and mentally. From an addiction to McDonald’s food to a major increase in cholesterol levels there is no doubt that Spurlock’s health greatly declined in the month long period. Spurlock documented his journey in a film entitled Supersize Me, which has served as a call to action for the years since its release.
Section 2: Key points. The McDonald's story begins with Morgan Spurlock. Morgan is an independent filmmaker, who conducted an experiment where he consumed nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. He traveled across the United States, speaking with various community groups about the hazards of eating fast food, all while setting himself up as a human guinea pig. He submitted himself to a full medical examination and was determined to be physically fit. After 30 days of nothing but McDonald's, he gained 25 pounds, his liver rivaled that of an alcoholic and his cholesterol level had risen from 168 to 230. He documented his personal journey,