The Whole Hog: Fast Food Films
By Andrea Hayes
Super Size Me, directed by Morgan
Spurlock, rated PG, 100 mins, 2004.
Suits: middle to senior secondary
students.
Ten reasons to teach
Super Size Me
Super Size Me is an excellent way to
explore the documentary form because it:
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
30
1.Deals with subject matter familiar to all.
2.Is fast-paced, fun and informative (and
demonstrates why documentaries are
increasing in popularity).
3.Discusses issues relevant to students,
such as the dangers of unhealthy
diets and marketing that targets
young people.
4.Uses a personal experiment to
address many health-related issues
besides eating McDonald’s.
5.Is primarily told from one point of view
but includes interviews with a myriad
of experts.
6.Mixes statistics, animation, graphics,
fly-on-the-wall footage and interviews
with experts and people on the street
with Spurlock’s ‘video diary’ of his
experiment.
7.Contains graphic images that will both
shock and fascinate.
8.Is highly topical given the rise of
obesity in Australia and other Western
countries.
9. Can be divided into thirteen
sequences for easier
analysis (see Sequence
Chart).
10.Had a significant
‘real world’ impact
on the issues it
covered (see
below, ‘Flash
Forward’).
Flash
Forward
• During the
film’s cinema
release, the
Australian
McDonald’s’
CEO, Guy
Russo,
appeared in
a commercial
deriding
Spurlock’s
findings.
• Following the film’s
release, pieces of fruit
were introduced to
McDonald’s’ menu, while
in America the Super Size
option was dropped.
• In March 2004, the
American Congress passed the
‘Cheeseburger Bill’, making it illegal
for people to sue food companies for
making them obese;
• In 2005, Jamie Oliver tried to overhaul
school dinners in the UK documentary
TV series Jamie’s School Dinners.
Subject/Story
Concerned about the increasing rate of
obesity in America and a lawsuit in which
two teenagers unsuccessfully tried to
sue McDonald’s for making them fat,
Morgan Spurlock embarks on a thirtyday McDonald’s-only diet experiment. He
sets himself four rules:
1. He can only eat things on sale at
McDonald’s.
2. He must Super Size his meal if asked.
3. He has to eat everything on the
McDonald’s menu at least once.
4. He has to eat three meals a day.
Further, he decides to restrict himself to
the ‘average’ amount of exercise, typical
of the American population.
Spurlock, who has good genes, doesn’t
smoke, do drugs or drink alcohol, is
declared at the start of the experiment to
be in ‘perfect’ health by two specialists, a
general practitioner and a nutritionist.
Photos: All Pictures from Super Size Me
Alister Grierson;
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
top left: director
Super Size Me tracks his initial medical
examination and the ‘McDonald’s-only
experiment’ and all its effects. During
the thirty days Spurlock also explores
a number of related issues including:
the fast food companies’ targeting of
children, increasing obesity rates and the
medical ramifications, school lunches,
and the lobbying power of large food
companies. Along the way he interviews
31
The Whole Hog: Fast Food Films
a host of characters and presents a
barrage of statistics. By the end of his
‘little extreme’ experiment, he has gained
11.25kg, his cholesterol has risen by
sixty-five points, he has doubled his risk
of heart disease, and he has a fatty liver
described as ‘pâté’ by the GP.
Issues
• Where does personal responsibility
stop and corporate responsibility
begin?
• The damaging medical, political and
social effects of obesity on individuals
and nations.
• The effects, availability and nutritional
value of food served in schools.
• The influence of marketing on children.
• The political influence and lobbying
power of large food companies.
Setting
The film uses a variety of McDonald’s
venues in New York and locations
at cities in the ‘fattest states’. There
are many interesting people in this
documentary, but writer–director Morgan
Spurlock is the star. He has a fun sense
of humour, speaks naturally and honestly,
and plays the part of human guinea pig
well. He makes jokes and asides all the
time to the camera and his interview
subjects. Spurlock takes his experiment
very seriously and you admire his
bravery at sticking with it even when
he is obviously suffering. He is not as
aggressive as Michael Moore but is just
as effective in giving a personal face to a
nation’s problem.
Style
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32
Spurlock’s style is fresh, personal, honest and fun. His documentary is
event-driven in that it centers on a thirty-day experiment conducted by Spurlock himself. This works as a linking device between sequences and allows Spurlock to explore larger,
related issues using a variety of documentary conventions to get his message across.
Visuals
Super Size Me uses a lot of postproduction visual effects (VFX) and
‘McDonald’s call
people who eat
McDonald’s once
a week, “Heavy
Users”, and
people who eat
there 3, 4 and 5
times a week,
“Super Heavy
Users”.’
slick editing to communicate its many
statistics and maintain a fast pace.
Spurlock’s narration is reinforced by
images that are a mixture of interviews,
video diary, fly-on-the-wall footage and
graphics:
• Maps and graphics identify the fattest
cities and states in the US.
• Statistics tell the audience that ‘twothirds of American adults are either
overweight or obese and almost forty
percent of teenagers have too much
fat in their bodies’.
• Interviews with health officials,
doctors and school administrators
reveal alarming trends and also
function as a dynamic counterpoint to
the rapid deterioration in Spurlock’s
physical condition.
• Jump cuts
help
speed
up
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
interviews and maintain the
documentary’s fast pace.
• There is a funny and informative
animated sequence about chicken
nuggets.
• Music complements the images (eg.,
‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ by Queen is
played over images of fat Amaricans),
or is used to counterpoint them (eg.
the ‘Blue Danube Waltz’ is played
over footage of surgeons performing a
gastric bypass).
• ‘Super Size Me’, the song, was cowritten by Spurlock and mocks the
jargon associated with fast food.
• Footage of Ronald McDonald rocking
with children to the tune of Curtis
Mayfield’s ‘Pusherman’ reinforces the way McDonald’s marketing targets children.
• Frequent shots
of big bottoms and
large McDonald’s
workers reinforce the
message that obesity
is at epidemic rates in
the US.
• Still photographs
used in a ‘who do you
know?’ competition
for children illustrate
the effectiveness of
McDonald’s marketing:
they are more familiar with Ronald McDonald than Jesus.
• Shots of vomiting and
a close-up of a black
hair found in McDonald’s
yoghurt evoke strong
responses from the
audience and provide
memorable images.
• Fly-on-the-wall footage
33
The Whole Hog: Fast Food Films
of a school kitchen shows the vast
amounts of processed foods used in
schools.
• Internal body footage of a gastric by-pass operation emphasizes the
obesity problem in America.
• Documents back up the film’s
messages, eg. transcripts from a court
case.
• Repeated shots of the McDonald’s
arches makes them seem ubiquitous.
• Unanswered phone calls to
McDonald’s demonstrate the
company’s refusal to acknowledge
Spurlock’s concerns.
• Titles announce different chapters of
the documentary.
• Low-angle close-ups with a handheld camera make the film feel
personal and immediate (eg. in the car
with Spurlock).
• Video diary of Spurlock describing
how he feels gives a personal touch
and works as a continuity device that
links all the sequences together in the film.
• Quick, sharp editing of the many
images, graphics and interviews gives
the film its fast
pace.
ISSUE 44 SCREEN
34
Ten Key Quotes
1. ‘Where does personal responsibility
stop and corporate responsibility
begin?’ – Morgan Spurlock
2. ‘The plaintiffs have failed to show that
consumption of McDonald’s food caused their injuries.’ – Lawsuit transcript
3. ‘In March 2004 Congress passed
the ‘Cheeseburger Bill’ which would
make it illegal for people to sue food
companies for making them obese.’
4. ‘Don Gorske has eaten 19,852 Big
Macs. Cholesterol 140. He seldom
eats fries.’
5. ‘You should never eat fast food.’ –
Nutritionist
6. ‘You can’t argue that people should
exercise personal responsibility and
then not give them the information on
which to base it.’ – John Banzhaf
7. ‘By offering junk foods in the lunch
line are we setting kids up to make
bad choices?’ – Morgan Spurlock
8. ‘The world’s not gonna change, you
have to change.’ – Jared Fogel,
Subway spokesman
9. ‘No one eats McDonald’s food three
times a day and no one should. We
believe, and have always believed,
that McDonald’s can be eaten as part
of a well-balanced diet. We’ve been
taking the issue of obesity seriously
for a few years now.’ – Guy Russo,
CEO McDonald’s Australia
10. ‘McDonald’s call people who eat
McDonald’s once a week, “Heavy
Users” (72 per cent), and people
who eat there 3, 4 and 5 times a
week, “Super Heavy Users” (22
per cent).’ The percentages here
refer to the quantity of McDonald’s
cusomers considered
in these
categories.
Sequence chart
No. Sequence: Vision – participants/actionSound
‘Where does
personal
responsibility stop
and corporate
responsibility
begin?’
– Morgan Spurlock
1Introduction
- quote from Ray Kroc, McDonald’s founder
- shots of big bottoms
- obesity trends map
- changing graphics of teenage girls
- court transcript circled
- shots of McDonald’s venues
- Spurlock takes challenge
2Medical check up
- cardiologist, gastroenterologist and general
- practitioner examine Spurlock
- nutritionist and Spurlock consult
3
- ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ by Queen
- results from checkups
The Last Supper
- Spurlock’s vegan chef girlfriend cooks meal - interview
- Spurlock and girlfriend eat meal
- fly-on-wall conversation
4Day 1
- Spurlock eats at McDonald’s, - cites rules (titles)
- interviews with people on street
- John Banzhrat interview in office
- shots of kids in McDonald’s play areas, -
clown, toys, cartoon
- Samuel Hersh, David Satcher interviews
- Lisa Young demonstrates cup sizes
5Days 2 & 3
- Spurlock eats in car and vomits
- Reason magazine cover
- Reason magazine editor interview
- law Professor’s story about lolly cigarettes
- Spurlock plays with kids in McDonald’s - play area
6
- children singing junk food jingle
- narration
The impact
- graphics of obesity impact
- Medical expert speaks about diabetes
- Caitlin is covered by images from mag
- Jared Fogle at conference
- John Baskin interview and stills
- narration
- camera man’s comments
- ‘Rock and Roll McDonald’s’ by
Wesley Willis
- narration
- talks to camera
- narration
- talks to camera
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
7Days 5-10
- nutritionist advises about calories
- hair in food at McDonald’s
- first weigh-in
- interviews with people on the street
- McNuggets cartoon
- Spurlock travels to different McDonald’s
- Don Gorske interview
- first-grade students look at famous portraits
- cartoons about media advertising costs
- Spurlock looks for Nutrition Facts sheets
- first blood test and second weigh-in
- Talks to camera
- narration
- interviews
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The Whole Hoge: Fast Food Films
No. Sequence: Vision – participants/actionSound
8It’s for kids
- Naperville school lunches
- interview Barbara Brown – Sodexho
- Spurlock and cook check out food boxes at Park Middle School
- Appleton High School Dean interview
9Days 13–20
- Fat cities map
- GMA interview
- PE teachers interview in gyms with kids
- girlfriend discusses sex life
- third weigh-in
- GP check up, results sheet
10Addiction
- medical expert interview
- nine-frame screen split - graphics: ‘heavy users’ and ‘super heavy users’
- 2002 French ad
- girls call 100 nutritionists
- surgeons discuss obesity surgery
- gastric bypass operation
11Days 21 – 30
- Spurlock feels sick - GP check-up - interview with GMA’s Gene Gabowski
- family trying to remember oath in front of the White House
- phone calls to Lisa Howard
- Spurlock struggles up stairs
- shot of ‘Morgan’s detox diet’ with girlfriend
- Last McSupper party at McDonald’s
12
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
36
1. Web research
- fly-on-the-wall conversations
- narration
- interview
- tape of phone call
- narration
- interviews
-‘Pusherman’ by Curtis Mayfield
- narration
- phone calls
- interviews
- ‘Blue Danube Waltz’
- talks to camera
- narration
- Lisa Howard phone call
- girlfriend talks to camera
- ‘Fat’ by The Violent Femmes
- fly-on-the-wall conversations Results
- final weigh-in and blood tests
- talks to camera
- call to Lisa Howard
- narration
- transcript of lawsuit outcome
- interviews
- graphic/photo of Spurlock and results
- doctors comment on liver function
- shots of McDonald’s sponsoring sports events
- ‘Premium salads’ poster
- 30lbs of sugar on table
- shots of ambulance, cemetery
- graphic of tombstone
13Epilogue
- shots of John Banzhaf, Don Gorske, Bruce Howlett, Gene Grabowski with updates in titles
- ‘Cheeseburger bill’
- statistics from experiment
- McDonald’s announcements
- Spurlock’s hand over Ronald McDonald’s mouth
Ten Suggested Activities
- ‘Super Size Me’ song
- narration
Ask students to:
a) check out McDonald’s Australian
website (http://www.mcdonalds.com.
au) and list the number of outlets in
Australian capital cities;
b) represent on a map the three closest
McDonald’s to your school;
c) identify the five items on the
McDonald’s menu that are lowest in
fat and sugar;
d) download a menu and estimate what
a Spurlock thirty-day experiment
would cost in money and calories.
2. Food Log
a) Ask students to keep a Food Log of
what they eat for one or two weeks,
noting: cost, types of junk food, fat
and sugar levels (these are listed on
most packeted food, try http://www.
nutrition.com.sg/he/hefdchc.asp for a
chart for other food).
b) Discuss students’ Food Logs in class.
c) Compare Food Logs with the
recommended ‘two fruits and five
serves of vegetables daily’ suggested
by the Healthy Living Foundation.
Does anyone’s log meet this
standard?
3. Advertising analysis
Tape a McDonald’s TV ad (or use a
poster) and analyse it by asking students
to:
a) construct a detailed Sequence Chart
of the ad;
b) identify its target audience;
c) discuss what makes the ad appealing
(colour, sound, composition, text,
graphics, people etc.).
4. School canteen report
Write a report that evaluates the food
offered at your school canteen under the
following subheadings: available foods;
nutritional value; suggested foods; how
to educate the students about healthier
eating habits (500 words).
5. Documentary genre and
conventions
As a class, define and discuss the
documentary conventions used in the
film (shown in bold in the Visuals section
of this article).
6. Sequence Chart
Construct a Sequence Chart with
headings and ask students to complete it
while they watch the film.
7. Sequence Analysis
Analyse the following sequences
separately by:
a)identifying Spurlock’s message(s);
b)identifying the techniques,
conventions and style he uses;
c)explaining how he uses these to
convey his message to the audience.
8. Small group or class discussion/
debate topics
a)‘Nobody would eat only McDonald’s
three times a day for thirty days, so
9. Essay topics
600–800 words. Make sure students
include discussion of the documentary
conventions, techniques and styles used
in film.
a) ‘It’s not the food but the marketing
that makes McDonald’s so popular.’ How
does Super Size Me explore this idea?
b) How does Morgan Spurlock’s ‘little
extreme’ experiment enable him to
discuss more serious issues?
c) ‘Although Super Size Me is an eventdriven documentary, it is Morgan
Spurlock himself who makes the film
entertaining.’ Discuss.
10. DIY junk food documentary
Ask students (in small groups) to do
the pre-production for a 3–5 minute
documentary about junk food. They will need to:
• Construct a sequence chart that
includes song titles.
• Use at least two different conventions,
eg. interviews, narration etc.
• Submit a narration/voice-over script
if used.
• Provide an example of graphics.
• Submit a complete list of credits.
Stage a mini film festival if students
are able to actually produce their
documentaries.
Andrea Hayes is an experienced
teacher, author, film text presenter and
education consultant for Video Education
Australia. She is also the producer of the
documentary Bike Affairs (2004), and the
Skinny film kit (2005), a teacher resource
that introduces film process, techniques
and analysis to Junior–middle secondary
students.
•
ISSUE 44 SCREEN EDUCATION
Sequences
• Days 5–10
• It’s for kids
• Addiction
(You may need to conduct a class
discussion/brainstorm using the board to
ensure all students are on the right track
before they write it up as a Sequence
Analysis).
Spurlock’s film is irrelevant.’
b)‘Where does personal responsibility
stop and corporate responsibility
begin?’
c)‘Junk food companies should not
be permitted to sponsor children’s
sporting groups.’
d)Any of the Ten Key Quotes.
e)‘Why is Super Size Me a clever title?’
f) ‘Super Size Me is a clever piece of
reverse-marketing.’
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