Essential Questions Outline:
1. How do [documentaries] affect the rhetorical devices that individuals have at their disposal?
Claim: Directors can manipulate the feelings and opinions of viewers ways that are not possible
through written and orated pieces.
a. Musical selection can help to produce a certain tone that can better convey an individual's
message (ex. slow-paced, soft music contributed to the depressing ambiance of the film when the
doctor told Spurlock that he needed to stop this experiment in order to maintain his health)
b. Facial expressions and mannerisms of Actors/Actresses can help audiences to better understand
the tone of the piece and can provoke desirable emotional responses to the actors. Some things are
better understood visually than through lecturing.
(ex. Spurlock's facial expressions after eating the McDonald's food the 20th day of the experiment)
c. Documentaries are unique in that the images they show help to better illustrate the content being
discussed. Essentially, documentaries utilize both narration and visuals to reach audiences and
portray information. This strategy allows the documentary to be successful in teaching both oral
and spatial learners.
2. How have [documentaries] been perceived and received by the global community?
Claim: Documentaries have met with great success and some even become more successful in
prompting viewers into action than classic written works. But like all other methods of
communication, they have not been without criticism.
Successes
a. Super Size Me was an incredible success earning $30,000,000 in box office. Additionally it cost
only $1,000,000 to film and edit, making this an incredibly profitable endeavor.
b. Within 6 months of the documentaries debut, the "Super Size Me" option was removed in all
McDonald's restaurants. Though McDonald's refuses to acknowledge the documentary as a primary
factor in the removal, the documentary certainly generated and fueled public criticism of the option,
which undoubtedly helped make McDonald's decision easier for them.
c. Super Size Me has been integrated into health education courses across the country. At the
Wissahickon Middle School all 7th grade students are required to take health for a semester. Super
Size Me was used as a supplement to teach the nutrition unit.
Criticisms
a. Many believe that the entire film was staged. There are some theories that Spurlock was not as sick
as he led on.
b. Others dismiss the film's findings because of the lack of scientific research that went into the
documentary. In this manner, Spurlock failed to give him credibility in the scientific community.
c. BBC news states that the "high comedy factor and over-familiarity of the subject matter render it
less powerful than other recent documentaries." This comment demonstrates that documentaries often
have trouble reconciling an emphasis on content and entertainment value.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Super Size Me Part 1
Bibliography:
Super Size Me is a documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock and starring Morgan Spurlock in addition to his spouse, Alexandra Jamieson. In this film, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's from February 1 to March 2 of 2003. The soundtrack was done by Doug Ray, Steve Horowitz, and Michael Parrish. The editing for the film was done by Julie Lombardi. The film documents the devastating effect of this type of lifestyle on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being. The film was released in 2004, and ironically, McDonald's recalled the "Super Size Me" option on their menu only 6 months after the films debut.
Rhetoric Used:
The purpose of this documentary is to bring to light all of the harmful health effects associated with over-consuming fast food particularly that of McDonald's. At the time of the documentary's release, there were already a multitude of studies connecting fast-food to certain undesirable health conditions. Fast-food restaurants have been able to dismiss these studies as flawed and misguided and prompt the public to overlook them. Since most Americans were already knowledgeable about the studies connecting adverse health effects to fast-food, all Spurlock had to do was give credence to the studies. Therefore, most of the rhetorical strategies used in this film were designed to give credence to himself and the video's findings. In the beginning of the film, Spurlock depicts himself as an incredibly healthy person in order to make his change in condition after his experiment with McDonald's appear more dramatic to the audience. He purposely alludes to the fact that his wife is a vegetarian cook. Furthermore, he begins the experiment by going to the doctor's office for a checkup so that we, his audience, knows that he is great shape and none of the changes he undergoes is due to prior health conditions. If Spurlock is successful in doing so, the audience is forced to accept that the main factor in his deteriorating condition is the McDonald's food.
Like all other documentaries, Spurlock manipulates the tone and music of the documentary to move the audience. Quite often Spurlock talks in a groggy and unpleasant manor directly after consuming McDonald's. This change in tone attempts to connect his change in attitude with the food he ate. Additionally, there are several points throughout the film where Morgan Spurlock is seen vomiting directly after eating McDonald's food. Since he does so directly after eating, it reduces the chance that his ailment is due to anything other than the food he consumed. Furthermore, such a grotesque response to food is sure to steer audiences away from eating whatever he ate.
Lastly, if the audience should take all of these responses as simple theatrics, Spurlock goes to the doctor regularly so that he can reaffirm his deteriorating health. Such testimonies are less likely to be staged simply because the doctor's job would be at stake if he lied about a patient in that manner. This serves to give even more credibility to the film.
Super Size Me is a documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock and starring Morgan Spurlock in addition to his spouse, Alexandra Jamieson. In this film, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's from February 1 to March 2 of 2003. The soundtrack was done by Doug Ray, Steve Horowitz, and Michael Parrish. The editing for the film was done by Julie Lombardi. The film documents the devastating effect of this type of lifestyle on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being. The film was released in 2004, and ironically, McDonald's recalled the "Super Size Me" option on their menu only 6 months after the films debut.
Rhetoric Used:
The purpose of this documentary is to bring to light all of the harmful health effects associated with over-consuming fast food particularly that of McDonald's. At the time of the documentary's release, there were already a multitude of studies connecting fast-food to certain undesirable health conditions. Fast-food restaurants have been able to dismiss these studies as flawed and misguided and prompt the public to overlook them. Since most Americans were already knowledgeable about the studies connecting adverse health effects to fast-food, all Spurlock had to do was give credence to the studies. Therefore, most of the rhetorical strategies used in this film were designed to give credence to himself and the video's findings. In the beginning of the film, Spurlock depicts himself as an incredibly healthy person in order to make his change in condition after his experiment with McDonald's appear more dramatic to the audience. He purposely alludes to the fact that his wife is a vegetarian cook. Furthermore, he begins the experiment by going to the doctor's office for a checkup so that we, his audience, knows that he is great shape and none of the changes he undergoes is due to prior health conditions. If Spurlock is successful in doing so, the audience is forced to accept that the main factor in his deteriorating condition is the McDonald's food.
Like all other documentaries, Spurlock manipulates the tone and music of the documentary to move the audience. Quite often Spurlock talks in a groggy and unpleasant manor directly after consuming McDonald's. This change in tone attempts to connect his change in attitude with the food he ate. Additionally, there are several points throughout the film where Morgan Spurlock is seen vomiting directly after eating McDonald's food. Since he does so directly after eating, it reduces the chance that his ailment is due to anything other than the food he consumed. Furthermore, such a grotesque response to food is sure to steer audiences away from eating whatever he ate.
Lastly, if the audience should take all of these responses as simple theatrics, Spurlock goes to the doctor regularly so that he can reaffirm his deteriorating health. Such testimonies are less likely to be staged simply because the doctor's job would be at stake if he lied about a patient in that manner. This serves to give even more credibility to the film.
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