Supersize Me is an American documentary film about the various problems encountered by Morgan Spurlock as he undergoes a thirty day McDonalds

diet known as the McDiet. Both physical and psychological effects on Morgan are clearly visible and I will be investigating how the film portrays the American society and how the film is produced in a way that is meaningful to the audience. The purpose of the film is to inform and educate the audience on obesity and how fast food, in particular McDonalds, corresponds to this. The film takes an anti-fast food stance encouraging physical fitness through exercise and education whilst promoting a healthy diet within America. The documentary is all the more effective as Morgan Spurlock took it upon himself to do this from his own initiative. Throughout the film there are various negative representations of American society. Firstly, it suggests that there is a lack of physical education, particularly in schools like Madison Junior High school and there is a general lack of knowledge regarding healthy food with an ignorant approach by schools and cooks focussing on the bottom line in turn compromising the childrens health and therefore the next generation of America. Laziness is another issue by cooks in schools, some only cooking six out of thirty six meals on the school menu with the rest simply heated up from a refrigerated box. An emphasis on this corporate influence within the fast food industry has been shown by cartoon graphics showing figures like 1.4 billion dollars spent by McDonalds on direct media advertising in two thousand and one alone. The cartoon graphic is particularly effective as it reminds the audience how children are becoming almost dependent on fast food in America yet also highlights how the problem is apparent in all other generations as well. The vox pop asking around four to five Americans on the street what a Calorie was reinforced their lack of nutritional knowledge. The dominants of fast food is clearly evident with young first grade students unable to identify figures such as George Washington, yet perfectly able to identify Ronald McDonald. But with the ridiculous amount of fast food restaurants all over the country, the worst place being Manhattan with eighty six McDonalds there alone, this is not surprising. This gives the people of America no reason to stop or cut down their fast food binges as there are quick and easy solutions to their hunger everywhere they look. In contrast, there are some elements within the film that portray American society in a positive way. For example, Morgan Spurlocks wife sticks to a strict vegan diet. This shows to the audience that there are still some Americans who do eat healthily and do have a good amount of knowledge regarding healthy food. Secondly, although there is limited health care in America, there is good care for sick people. This was demonstrated in the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital with Bruce Howlett having a gastric bypass in the space of half an hour. This helps the audience recognise just how a situation can be recovered with the specialist medical services that America possesses and how that particular operation saved Bruces life. On the other hand, it also highlights to the audience the full extent of what could happen to them if they follow the same path as Bruce. In juxtaposition to Madison Junior High School, the healthy side of schooling diets in America was shown in Appleton Central Alternative High School which identified how a healthy diet within the school improved the behaviour of these children dramatically. Finally, the friendly nature of the American society shone through when interviews, particularly vox pops, were carried out and all the interviewees were in good spirits and willing to co-operate. Various stylistic devices were put to good use throughout the film. Firstly, the chapter graphic headings with cartoon characters helped to add an element of humour and gave the audience a

slight rest, keeping the audiences full attention in the following section. The use of the mounted tripod was very effective in giving a stable shot yet the handheld camera was also effective, particularly in the scene where Morgan puked and the full extent of the situation was captured using the handheld camera. Throughout the interviews a good amount of looking room was given, making the shot more interesting and also the rule of thirds was taken into account most of the time. There were a variety of shots including close ups of food, long shots of school signs and the low angled long shot of the corridor from the floor which all combined to make it aesthetically interesting. The diegetic and non-diegetic sounds were both equally effective. With appropriate backing tracks used to provoke certain emotions like during the gastric bypass operation an element of humour was introduced through the music. The overall sound was even and consistent with clear voice overs and speech during interviews. Sound effects were used throughout like the bomb coming down when Houston landed on the map graphic again adding an element of humour. The special effects and graphics in the editing were very creative. The flags on the map graphic pin pointed areas of concern in America and gave the audience something more interesting to look at. The conventional straight cut was used throughout yet the odd fade from and to black like in the car at the beginning of part eight. This just added that little bit more variety within the transitions. The Mise-en-scene was put to good use with appropriate costume for interviewees, backdrops for interviews, appropriate interviewees and respectable appearances. For example the books behind the doctors, the leather arm chair for the lawyer and white coats for the doctors. These are all elements that were controlled in order to give the audience a stereo-typical, clear insight into the interviewee, making the audience take the film seriously. Overall the film made good use of technical and stylistic devices in order to show the negative and positive aspects of American society making it meaningful to the audience and interesting to watch. It was biased towards the negative aspects but it did give both sides where appropriate.