Film study sheet · 7 of 11
Super Size Me
Cultural concept: Public health & consumer society
Morgan Spurlock · 2004 · a filmmaker eats only McDonald’s food for 30 days and films what happens, a famous, and much-debated, documentary.
Open the full film study Official trailer
Created by Madame Carole Paoli Pompougnac · https://trame-lycee.netlify.app/films/super-size-me.html
Film credits
| Title | Super Size Me (USA, 2004), documentary |
|---|---|
| Director, writer, producer | Morgan Spurlock (1970 to 2024) |
| With | Morgan Spurlock, Alexandra Jamieson (his partner, a vegan chef), doctors Daryl Isaacs, Lisa Ganjhu and Stephen Siegel |
| Cinematography | Scott Ambrozy |
| Editing | Julie “Bob” Lombardi |
| Music | Steve Horowitz |
| Production | The Con |
| Distributors | Samuel Goldwyn Films, Roadside Attractions |
| Running time | about 100 minutes |
| Release | Sundance Film Festival, January 2004 (directing award, documentary) · USA, 7 May 2004 |
| Rating | PG-13, language, sex and drug references, and a graphic medical procedure |
| Awards | Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature (77th Academy Awards, 2005); Writers Guild of America award for documentary screenplay |
Film language, with examples from the documentary’s style
The official trailer is not freely available online: these examples describe techniques used throughout the documentary. Check them when your teacher plays the trailer or an extract.
Shots
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| establishing shot / extreme long shot | shows the place; people look tiny |
| long shot | a whole body in its setting |
| medium shot | from the waist up |
| close-up | a face fills the frame: emotion |
| extreme close-up | a detail: eyes, a hand, an object |
| two-shot | two characters in one frame: a relationship |
| over-the-shoulder shot | we watch one character through another’s position |
- filmclose-ups of food, trays and cups: the size of portions
- filmmedical close-ups: scales, blood tests, the doctor’s face
Angles
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| eye level | neutral, we are equal with the character |
| high angle | camera above: the character looks small or weak |
| low angle | camera below: the character looks powerful |
| canted (Dutch) angle | tilted frame: unease, a world out of balance |
| bird’s-eye view | straight down from above |
- filmthe filmmaker looks into the camera: a direct address to the viewer
Camera movement
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pan | the camera turns horizontally |
| tilt | the camera moves up or down |
| tracking shot | the camera travels with a character or a car |
| zoom | the lens brings us closer |
| handheld camera | shaky, urgent, documentary feel |
| crane / aerial shot | the camera flies above the scene |
- filmhandheld camera in the streets of New York: a “real life” feeling
Lighting & colour
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| high-key lighting | bright, few shadows: optimism |
| low-key lighting | dark, strong shadows: tension, mystery |
| backlighting | light behind a character: a halo or a silhouette |
| natural light | sun, windows, candles |
| colour palette | the dominant colours of the film |
- filmthe bright red and yellow of fast-food signs
- filmcold clinical light in doctors’ offices
Sound
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| diegetic sound | the characters can hear it (a radio, a piano on stage) |
| non-diegetic sound | only the audience hears it (the score, a narrator) |
| voice-over | a voice we hear over the images |
| score | music composed for the film |
| silence | no sound: a shock, a pause |
| sound bridge | a sound that continues into the next scene |
- filmthe director’s first-person voice-over, full of humour
- filmpop songs that make the subject entertaining
Editing
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cut | a direct change of shot |
| cross-cutting | alternating between two places or stories |
| montage | a fast series of shots that compresses time |
| fade to black | the image disappears: an ending, a pause |
| intertitle | text on screen between images |
| slow motion | time slows down: importance, emotion |
- filma day counter on screen (“Day 1… Day 30”): a diary structure
- filmcartoons and graphics with numbers: calories, weight, cholesterol
Step into the period
Daily life
- Early 2000s: Super Size portions, drive-throughs, soda refills
- Debate about obesity, called an “epidemic” by the US Surgeon General
- In 2002, a lawsuit against McDonald’s on behalf of two teenagers (Pelman v. McDonald’s) was dismissed
Music
- Pop and rock soundtrack; comic songs
Fashion
- 2000s street style in New York
Places
- Manhattan, New York; trips across the USA to schools and experts
- McDonald’s restaurants
Historical landmarks
- 1940 The McDonald brothers open a restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
- 1955 Ray Kroc opens his first McDonald’s franchise.
- 2001 The US Surgeon General issues a Call to Action against overweight and obesity.
- 2002 Pelman v. McDonald’s: a lawsuit on behalf of two teenagers; dismissed in 2003.
- 2003 1 February, 2 March: Spurlock’s 30-day experiment.
- 2004 January: Sundance premiere. March: McDonald’s announces it will phase out Super Size portions (it says the decision is not linked to the film). 7 May: release.
- 2005 Oscar nomination.
- 2008 Linköping University (Sweden) publishes a controlled study of a fast-food overeating diet on 18 volunteers.
- 2010 The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act changes school meals.
- 2016 A new Nutrition Facts label is announced by the FDA.
- 2017 Spurlock releases Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!; in December he publishes a personal statement that raises new doubts about the first film.
- 2024 Morgan Spurlock dies, aged 53.
Sources: Samuel Goldwyn Films, Super Size Me · Kechagias et al., Gut, 2008 · FDA, Food labeling
Sentence starters for your sheet
- The day counter turns the film into…
- The direct address to the camera makes…
- In 2004, fast food in the USA…
To close: a place, then exchange
Where is each character’s place at the start and at the end? Then: political · emotional · general interest · human rights, then go deeper: what passes between the characters, and who do they become?
From the place they find or lose, the deepest exchange in this film is…