Gregory McLaney

Using ‘Super Size Me’ (2004) as a basis, identify the ways in which American Society is represented, both positively and negatively. In doing so, analyse the ways in which the producer utilises stylistic devices in order to create

meaning for the audience

Morgan Spurlock’s documentary, ‘Super Size Me’, follows him on a 30 day binge eating nothing other than McDonald’s. In doing this, he pursues the truth in the fast food industry, whilst putting his body through the most grotesque diet. The documentary conveys various different angles on American society and how fast food is affecting the lives of the nation. Spurlock identifies both positive and negative aspects of American society and addresses some of the most important factors such as the ever growing issues concerning children’s school dinners. Due to the documentaries characteristics and being presented in cinemas the target audience is middle class viewers, C1 and B.

Initially, the documentary opens with a shaky handheld shot capturing a large group shot of young children chanting a fast food song (shown in the screen shot below). This is then followed by a close up of the American flag, which is juxtaposed with a voice over saying “everything is bigger in America”, this is then quickly followed, stylistically, by a montage of all the large aspects of American society, again this is explained through voice-over. This opening is then swiftly followed by an introduction to statistics and figures on how American are the fattest nation in the world. Through this opening of thematically linked cutaways, graphical images showing statistics, and voice-over, the topics of the documentary are initiated. Additionally, through the first two minutes of the documentary, the audience identifies the negative portrayal of America. This is clearly identified due to the nature of the images shown on screen and the factual research illustrated to create an incontestable view of American society.

Following on from this, the exposition is illustrated and the documentary introduces the voice-over, director, writer and presenter, Spurlock, this is shown through a medium-long shot of Spurlock starring directly at the camera and asking the rhetorical question “what would happen if I ate nothing but McDonalds for 30 days straight?” (shown in the screen shot below). Through this shot, Spurlock is addressing his plans and expressing the area of investigation, which leads the documentary into motion. This also introduces theorist Bill Nicholas’ notion of documentary modes in which he defines documentaries themes and

Gregory McLaney

attributes into 6 different modes. The mode being conveyed, initially in this documentary is the ‘performative mode’ in which the filmmaker is playing an autobiographical subject in the documentary. The documentaries exposition is then closed by a montage containing various forms of fast foods being eaten, served and presented. This montage is juxtaposed with contrapuntal music, as the music is upbeat and joyful; this conveys a very ironic contrast, as the American nation being obese is not a very joyful matter. This again develops a negative approach to the portrayal of the American society and the obesity issue.

The documentary then follows Spurlock in his quest to discover how dangerous fast food really is, through this he consults various professionals and identifies several statistics. The first instance in which Spurlock consults medical professionals is shown through a series of straight cut shots, in which he discusses health issues and his general health with three different personnel. All the shots are fairly shaky as they are handheld camera shots and the shot compositions show a thematically linked mise-en-scene of a professional working environment for health consultants (shown in the screen shot below). A positive portrayal of America is illustrated in this instance, as the very intelligent professionals identify the notion that eating fast food will affect the body in a negative way. This notion of understanding that there is an issue with eating fast food is conveyed in the later part of the documentary too, when Spurlock questions various members of public through voxpop shots. In doing this, he identifies that even though the American society have issues with obesity, they are still aware that fast food is in fact very unhealthy for the body.

Gregory McLaney

Alternatively, Spurlock uses the stylistic features of voxpop shots to convey a negative element of American Society. For example, the documentary holds a scene in which Spurlock asks various members of the American public if they know what a ‘calorie’ is, all the voxpop shots show that the public are unaware of what a calorie actually is and they cannot define it (voxpop example shown in below screen shot). It is finally revealed when Spurlock asks a food professional with a PhD to define the true meaning of what a calorie is. This then conveys that the majority of the American society is uneducated in this field, due to not knowing the basic fundamental measurement used to calculate food.

Furthermore, throughout the documentary there are several references to schools in association with food, health and diet. Through Spurlock’s investigation of these schools there are both negative and positive portrayals of the American Society. For instance, Spurlock interviews a school that sells unhealthy school meals and snacks to children and he integrates them into why they do this. This is illustrated through shaky handheld shots and not very well composed frames; Spurlock demonstrates this to show that the schools in question are not very willing to answer questions and additionally not proud of what they serve. In Spurlock foregrounding and identifying that the government and schools of America sell these unhealthy foods to their children, develops a negative notion in which the American Society are imprinting the obesity epidemic upon themselves. On the other hand, Spurlock investigates a school that serves healthy meals and through this the school are more willing to speak about their healthy eating campaign. Stylistically, this allows the interviewing shots to be well composed and less shaky, leading to the audience identifying with the positive notion that American schools can move away from the negative elements of society and take their own path to eating healthier.

In addition, another somewhat positive element of the documentary is the occurrence in which Spurlock identifies a man who eats Big Macs at least twice a day. The man's choice in eating two Big Macs is not a positive portrayal of American society. However, the illustration of him not being overweight and not having high-cholesterol shows to the spectator that in fact you can eat fast food, you just have to avoid constantly bingeing. This therefore develops the notion that it is not America as a society with obesity problems it is the individual.

Gregory McLaney

Stylistically, the documentary holds shocking yet reasoned imagery, for example the scene in which an obese male is having a gastric band fitted, which is shown through very graphic operation. This operation is juxtaposed with a straight cut to images of overweight people ordering McDonalds, in doing this the editing subconsciously conveys that if you eat fast food you will end up in the position of the male getting the gastric band fitted. In addition, there is contrapuntal music used; the ironically added elegant and classical music is used to convey a sense of distance from the man and to draw the audience away from feeling sympathy, because the man brought this health issue upon himself.

Moreover, the stylistic features of the documentary are consistently drawing the audience away from wanting McDonalds. For instance, all the titled sections of the documentary are of evil looking characters within the McDonalds franchise (example shown in screen shot below), this has been placed to dissuade the spectator away from buying McDonalds.

To conclude, the documentary follows Spurlock and ultimately conveys that fast food for 30 days straight has horrendous consequences on the body as well as the mind. Through this journey Spurlock identifies various features that convey the American Society in a negative way. Even though there are instances that portray the nation of American in a positive way, the most dominant notion conveyed in the documentary is that America are in a state of obesity and they are unaware of the sheer impact that fast food has.