Manipulation in Documentaries - Supersize Me, the Great White.

When it comes down to a film or television series that is known as a popular hit, most people may consider something along the lines of a comedy or drama. No one, in my opinion, gives much thought into viewing a film such as a documentary. A person may say or hear the word ‘documentary’ and particular stereotypical views such as elderly-people-sitting-around-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-with-nothing- better-to-do, or the history channel perhaps come to mind. Not many individuals give documentaries a chance, but I would encourage the viewing of the Academy award-winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning, also known as Un Coupable Ideal, directed by the French-film maker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.

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

A documentary is a genre of film that provides a factual report on a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. In this essay, two documentaries, Bowling for columbine by Michael Moore and Made in Bangladesh by CBC news will be explored to show how persuasive techniques are used to make an audience feel a particular way.

Documentaries are produced in such a way that positions the audience to accept a version of reality. As Tim Hetherington, a British photojournalist once said, “You can construct whatever story you want to. Documentaries are constructions, as is all journalism.” In Fahrenheit 9/11 specifically, viewers are presented with a critical analysis of the political agenda surrounding America’s decision to wage war on Iraq. Directed by American political commentator and filmmaker Michael Moore and released in mid-2004, the documentary’s central premise is that US President George Bush is, and has been from the start of his term, unfit for office and does not act in interests of the American public. Moore presents the idea that President Bush, as a result

As a viewer, the documentary’s intention to inform is more completely fulfilled by research conducted beyond the scope of the camera lens. Had I never written this paper, for instance, the reason for all the violence embedded within the subject matter would remain as enigmatic as the documentary itself.

When the documentary was produced, media exposure was limited to private and expensive mediums such as television, movies and radio. These outlets were plagued with marketing agendas designed to sell products under the guise of authentic music and entertainment. Formerly non-existent cultural archetypes such as the

The 15 minutes of the video that were required to watch covered a few different families and their encounter with obesity. Some of the families were healthy with one child who was struggling with the issue, while others had families that all needed lifestyle changes. These families met together in a support group and talked about their struggles and progress with the disease. One family had a son who was becoming obese and the family didn’t realize that they were to blame for allowing such bad habits. They mentioned how much McDonald’s he would eat every morning, the junk food he would come home and eat while watching TV and the large portions he would consume.

Spurlock uses satire as a way of poking fun and ridiculing the fast food industry, helping to convince the audience of his claims. An example of satire in ‘Super Size Me’ is the quote:

There are truths such as his body was set aflame and was found with a bottle of peppermint schnapps, but sometimes some truths aren’t as satisfying as others (Jannetta, 2014). According to Bill Nichols in How Do Documentaries Differ from Other Types of Films, “documentary is not a reproduction of reality, it is a representation of the world we already occupy”. We should be able to rely on each story in documentaries, such as 60 Minutes, to be both informative and entertaining

Documentaries also include films which are intended to ‘expose’ and often carry interviews, for example Michael Moore’s films on social concerns

As humans living in a modern sociological time period, the truth can be cleverly and ingeniously twisted by film directors to convince us that their sole opinions are factual. This is most definitely no exception regarding Academy- Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore and his documentary Bowling for Columbine. Michael Moore explores the lead up to the Columbine massacre and more broadly, the proliferation of guns and rapidly growing homicide rate in America. Moore also investigates the reason as to why Canada, in comparison to America, does not have the same rate of gun related crimes.

SuperSize Me is a documentary that was filmed in 2004 by Morgan Spurlock that explore the influence of fast food industry within our society. It mainly focuses on the king of fast food, McDonalds, in an effort to argue that people are faced with many weight issues due to the huge food corporations that is founded around us. This documentary was filmed to target adults to change their mind and help them to make a clearer decision on whether they should continue to eat fast food or not. The purpose of my poster is to promote a different/alternative view on the issue that was explored in SuperSize Me. The main idea that explored in my poster is that being overweight or having weight issues is acceptable.

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 documentary opens with black and white footage of Taiji, Japan, this archival footage convinces the audience that their is something underhanded going on. Psihoyos choice of music in the opening scenes highlights to the viewer that the dolphin slaughters happen quickly and under the cover of darkness, as the music is fast paced and the visuals last no longer than three seconds each, an extra level of anonymity is added due to the videos being filmed with night vision imagery. The use of night vision imagery successfully highlights that something dark and subversive is being uncovered in the film. Louie Psihoyos’ The Cove persuades the audience to believe that dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan, is underground and unacceptable, manipulating the audience through the use of archival

A remarkably influential tool filmmakers utilise to portray a version of reality is their assortment of interviewees. These careful selections can severely influence the documentaries depiction of true-to-life