Food Inc Documentary

Food Inc. interviews notorious authors, farmers, and food advocates. Each interview’s credibility is gained by the movie maker because he acknowledges experts from both sides of the argument. The interviews demonstrate the individual’s knowledge of the food industry. The audience can now make an informed decision on the view after seeing both sides of the argument. Additionally the film makers include a depressing interview that depicts the

• Those who work for a Smithfield hog processing plant say the company has the same mentality towards workers as they do the hogs

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

A variety of camera techniques are used throughout the beginning sequence to enhance the mood and involve the audience. Camera techniques are harmonized with lighting effects to culminate this dramatic scene. I will begin by discussing examples of this. In the village, many close-ups and long shots are used to enhance facial expression and to set the sombre mood.

In 2009 a movie by the name of Food Inc. was released that challenged the production of food we eat. The movie examines everything from the science of seeds all the way through the consumption of the food, the food’s often negative effects on the body. The movie ends with the line “You can change the world with every bite”. This quote embodies the heart behind movie that change starts with the individual, and how they make food choices. This sort of change that Food Inc. invokes implies that top down change that the consumer can bring about change to the seed level. Food Inc. challenges the processes that allow companies like Monsanto to feed the world. We must understand how media like Food Inc. effects this mission to feed the world by examining the movie, the history of Monsanto as a company, and looking at the response from both sides to these challenges made in the public square to better combat and address issues brought forth.

Body mass index, or BMI, is used by doctors and health physicians to measure excessively high levels of body fat in relation to lean body mass in an individual. Having a BMI ratio that is considered above average or too high normally denotes persons at risk to several health adversities such as heart attacks, liver damage, diabetes, and even more widespread, obesity. In 2005, the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimated that over half of the adult American population was either overweight or obese, and many of these health concerns were correlated with a person’s diet and type of food consumption. In an attempt to assign blame for the cause, political and social commentators’ claim that long standing farm subsidies on particular food commodities correlate with rising obesity trends in America. In a documentary titled Food, Inc., opened to audience in 2008, award winning filmmaker Robert Kenner argues that current agricultural policies on these subsidized food commodities are allowing major food corporations to mass produce products that negatively affect the health of consumers nationwide. He contends that commodity crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans are heavily subsidized by the government to produce snack foods that are high in calorie content but low in cost, becoming the prime choice for Americans looking for cheap and readily available foods to eat. Kenner believes that government subsidies need to either be

An additional film technique is how Sunny Abberton decided to film the documentary. The shots included close ups for example, in the car on the way to Koby's court hearing they used this technique to make us feel as though we were there in the car too, and we were feeling the emotions he was feeling. Hand-held shots were also used quite frequently. The hand-held shots were there to provide us with primary sources of information. Abberton wanted the audience to see fisrt hand the facts of the court case and for the audience to make up their own

Everyone has the right to know what's in the food that they are eating. It's upsetting how these massive corporations dominate American citizens. If everyone knew how much brutality was required to meet the demands of the fast food industry, I like to think the public would simply not tolerate it and demand that animals stop being designated property in law. I find it impossible to believe that if people knew the reality that they would not want animals to have recourse to legal protections from enduring lifetimes of nothing but abuse.

The film Food Inc., like many other films of its category is not so much of an informative documentary, rather more of a slanderous exposé which blows the lid off of the food industry and its operations. To say that the film is neutral and tends towards more of an educative approach would be a misinterpretation to say the least. Throughout the entire movie it is always evident that the movie aims not solely to educate its audience about the truth of their food, but to convert the misinformed and inspire a rebellion against food industry practices. The movie does this through a tactful approach of bombarding its audience with gruesome clips, facts and testimonial story lines. The film asserts it claim through a thrilling critique of the horrific meat production process which is most prevalent in the U.S food industry and its impact on humans and the environment, while extoling alternative practices which seem to be more sustainable and humane, yet are underutilized. The film goes on to highlight the different players in the food politics arena, emphasizing the role that government agencies play. Also the film divulges the reality that is the monopolization of the food industry by big multinational corporations such as Monsanto Company, Tyson Food, Perdue Farms, Smithfield Foods, etc.

Food Inc. is a documentary going into the troubling culture surrounding mass market food production in the United States and around the world. The meat industry ibas the horrific practice of factory farming. Which are huge areas of land that are run like factories by multinational corporations to push out as much food as possible. Food is no longer being produced on small family farms but by large scale operations that harm both the workers and the animals. All of this is being covered up by the agriculture industry so we can continue to buy their products.

This documentary has a voice which is the most important part of any movie, furthermore, it has it own way of living and breathing and speaking to

One issue the documentary highlights is the abuse of animals and workers by the food companies, in order to reveal how the companies hide

The film starts with the following quote, “There is this deliberate veil, this curtain that’s drawn between us and where our food is coming from. The industry doesn’t want you to know the truth about what you’re eating because if you knew, you might not want to eat it.” I believe that that is the whole point of this film-reveal the truth about where our food comes from and how it is made. This film provides an unbiased point of view about the downsides of the industrialization of the food system in the US. I like this documentary because it goes behind the scenes and conducts interviews with people directly related to this problem.

In the first five minutes of the documentary Camera angles were used effectively. A way they made it effective was by using a close up shot of the ice screw slowly going into ice this makes it seem important because there is such a focus on it. They also made the mountains look big and treacherous by using lots of different camera angles like low angle, bird’s eye view and extreme long shot, by using these angles it also makes you feel insignificant. Worm’s eye view was used a lot to make the climber seem strong and powerful on steep ice, it was also used to show how far they had to climb. Zoom out and pan was used to show the scale of the mountains and landscape. In the documentary a time laps is used to show something happening fast. At one point you could see the back of people and donkey to show them walking towards the mountains and walking away from civilisation. The interview with Joe is close up this make us feel he is important, is telling the truth, nowhere for him to hide and he can’t escape the eye of the camera. The interview with Simon is further away to show he is not as important as Joe. Richards’s interview is even further away to make him look even less important.

There are many unique and innovative techniques used throughout the film. Some were sequencing which are different shots that represent purpose like flashbacks to another time period. Another that was interesting was the use of the newsreel footage. Also the many different angles that were used, and how the lighting and shadows were a big part of the film.