Super Size Me

What are the different types of filmmaking, how are these used to present information? 

In this extract of the documentary, they have used such types of filmmaking as:

Interviews-

These present information well as the interviews presents opinions and facts  from professional dieticians, food researchers and doctors and average American citizens.  

Recorded footage of fat people and children-

These present information well as they are examples of the points that are being discussed in this segment

Animated picture-

Animated pictures make complicated and professional information being given easy to understand and consume

Video diary-

The video diaries are like demonstrations of the points being made about how unhealthy the fast food, just like proving a point.

List the interviews in this extract, describe the mise-en-scene of each interview, what kind of connotations does this create for the audience. 

Kelly Brownell-

Brownell is a professor at Yale for eating and weight disorders, so his surrounding are very professional, possibly filmed in Yale as you see books in the background. This makes the audience trust his opinions and facts as he.

  

Jacob Sullum-

In this interview Jacob is in an office, which make the surroundings of this interview professional and highlights the fact that Sullum has knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

John F. Banzhaf-

This interview uses a clever contrast because he is a law professor in a suit, someone you would expect to see in a high-end office or restaurant, but here he sits in McDonalds, which is the complete opposite to formal, this sort of evokes the thought that everybody eats from these fast food restaurants.

William Kilsh, MD-

In the interview with William Kilsh the background setting is formal, but there are certain childlike elements of it such as the toy beside him and coloured curtain, this emphasises the fact that the main subject of this part is the younger generation 

Caitlin-

This is the only interview where the person being interview is the average teenager that is being talked about, she is shown sitting in the park as she talks, this only emphasises the realism to the interview and the person being interviewed, which allows the audience to relate easily to her

What is the relationship between the voiceovers and the images? How does this affect the way the audience interprets what Spurlock is saying?

The images in this extract match what the voiceover of Spurlock is saying (e.g. when he is explaining all the side effects of unhealthy eating, all the animated image examples pop-up). These give the serious and complicated subject matter a more easy to understand and calming approach and allows the audience to take in the information easily so they know exactly what is being said. And because the

What music features on the soundtrack? Which group of people is most likely to enjoy this type of music?

The music being featured in this section of the documentary is very pop (Indie), it has very patronising lyrics and tone, which suits its target audience (teens and children). This also links in with the subject matter of the section

What mode of documentary is Super Size Me? Are there elements of more than one mode? Provide evidence for your answer.

 Super size me consists of two different modes, which would be expository and participatory. This is evident as contains expository modes such as images, music and mise-en-scene used to illustrate subject matter, interviews, voiceovers (of the actual documenter), and the documentary maker is present in the documentary. And participatory features such as location shooting, use of archive material,   

Who do you think the documentary is aimed at? Can you define the audience in terms of age and gender?

I think that this documentary is aimed at teenagers and adults of both genders. Though they have used different techniques such as music and colour to try and appeal to a younger group I believe that the subject matter is far to complex for children, and I believe that teenagers and adults between the ages of 15 and over can only take the subject matter into notice and consideration.

Does your identification of the audience suggest that there are some film styles that are more suited to a younger-and others therefore the older- audiences?

I defiantly think that there are some film styles that are more suited to a younger generation than an older generation because some filmmaking techniques work better with different ages (e.g. animation and music appeals more to a younger audience whereas a voiceovers and still life photography might appeal more to an older audience).

Which techniques does Morgan Spurlock use to persuade the audience of his argument? Were you aware of these techniques the first time you watch the film

Spurlock seems to use the best technique of persuasion to make argument, which is point, example and explanation. Throughout the whole film he seems to make a point about the subject matter and then he goes into detail explaining about it, he shows evidence of his point either through his own experiments or through pictures and footage. This is a great technique for him to use because then it’s hard to argue with his points.  

What examples does Odeh give back up his claims that super size me is derivative (unoriginal)?

Omar gives examples of documentaries such as "History of the United States of America" as an example of similarity (especially the history of the chicken nugget part) and lack of uniqueness between this documentary and similar ones.

According to Odeh, what are the differences between Super Size me and Michael Moore’s film?

When Odeh states “Spurlock's performance feels modelled on the genial, occasionally grating mix of good-natured populism, reckless impertinence, and self-congratulation that Moore has perfected,” Odeh suggests that the difference between Super Size me and Michael Moore’s films is that Michael Moore’s film are better in terms of uniqueness and geniality of performance.

What are the main points of Omar Odeh’s argument?

Odeh is highlighting the fact that in the documentary, they bring up questions and subjects that they cannot provide a good enough answer to, which leaves questions in the audience minds that are left unanswered and wasted.

What do you understand to be the difference between activism and documentary as referred to in the article?

Activism is different to documentary as documentary gives you information about a cretin subject and sometimes gives opinions from two separate parties allowing you to make up your own opinion on the subject, whereas activism feed you with information and doesn’t allow your input of the subject matter.  

Do you agree with the criticism made in the article?

I agree with one point that Omar makes and that is the lack of originality of the documentary, but besides that I think it’s a good documentary, which Omar Odeh is judging to harshly, I believe it has great morals to it and contains great persuasion techniques that can draw in a variety of audiences