Student’s worksheet · 2nde · A2+ → B11re · B1 → B2Tle · B2
Food, Inc. (2008)
Robert Kenner · official trailer · Who really decides what is on our plate?
Name:
Date:
Film title:
Director:
Talk and write about the characters and the film, never about your own private life.
1 General identification
1.1 Year of release:
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- « The film was released in… »
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- « The film was released in…, and it is set in… »
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- « Released in…, the film looks back at… »
1.2 Country of origin:
☐ USA ☐ United Kingdom ☐ Other: ________
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- « It is a … film directed by… »
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- « It is a … film, made by a … director. »
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- « This … production, directed by…, … »
1.3 Genre (tick one or two):
☐ Drama ☐ Comedy ☐ Sci-Fi ☐ Historical ☐ Thriller ☐ Social Realism ☐ Other: ________
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- « I think it is a … because the film shows… »
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- « It belongs to … : it shows… »
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- « It mixes … and …, which allows the director to… »
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2 Plot & setting
2.1 Where and when does the story take place? Describe the place and the time.
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- « The film is set in… in… »
- « We can see… »
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- « The story is set in…, at a time when… »
- « The setting looks… because… »
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- « Set in…, the film shows a place where… »
- « The setting reflects… »
2.2 Sum up the main conflict in 3 sentences.
• Introduction
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- « At the beginning, the farmers and families… because… »
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- « The film opens on the farmers and families, who… »
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- « The opening introduces the farmers and families, a character who… »
• Climax (turning point)
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- « Everything changes when… »
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- « The turning point is when…, so… »
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- « The turning point comes when…, which forces the farmers and families to… »
• Resolution
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- « In the end, the farmers and families understands that… »
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- « Finally, the farmers and families realises that…, so… »
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- « The ending suggests that… »
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3 Character analysis
3.1 The main participants: choose one person who speaks (a farmer, Barbara Kowalcyk, Michael Pollan…). What do they want?
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- « The main character is the farmers and families, who… »
- « the farmers and families wants to… because… »
- « The main flaw is that… »
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- « the farmers and families is motivated by… »
- « However, the main weakness is…, which is why… »
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- « The driving force behind the farmers and families is… »
- « This flaw makes the character…, yet… »
3.2 The opposing force: who or what does the documentary criticise?
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- « The opposing force is the big food companies, who / which… »
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- « the big food companies stands in the way because… »
- « But the real obstacle may also be… »
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- « Beyond the big food companies, the film points to… »
- « The real antagonist could be…, since… »
3.3 Cultural identity: how does the film show American values (abundance, choice, cheap food, big business, the consumer’s power)?
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- « In American supermarkets, there are… »
- « The film says that consumers can… »
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- « The film shows that “choice” in the supermarket is… »
- « Big companies control… »
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- « The film questions the American idea of abundance: … »
- « Voting with your fork means… »
4 Cinematic techniques
Use the official trailer: choose one moment from the list below.
- ≈0:15 · an old farm image cut into a grid
- ≈0:39 · a wall of supermarket products
- ≈0:45 · animated corn products
- ≈1:57 · a farmer in a straw hat
4.1 Camera angles & shots: describe one memorable moment. Is it a close-up (focus on emotion) or a wide shot (focus on the place)?
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- « At …, there is a … of… »
- « It shows that… »
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- « The director uses a … shot to… »
- « This angle makes … look… »
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- « The … at … invites the audience to… »
- « By framing … this way, the director suggests that… »
4.2 Soundtrack & lighting: how do the music or the colours make you feel in that moment?
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- « The music makes me feel… because… »
- « The light is…, so… »
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- « The music creates a … atmosphere. »
- « The lighting makes … look… »
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- « The contrast between … and … suggests… »
- « The colour palette reflects… »
5 Critical thinking & personal opinion
5.1 Thematic core: what message is the director trying to send to the audience?
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- « The message of the film is that… »
- « The director wants us to… »
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- « Robert Kenner shows that… »
- « The film warns us that… »
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- « The film suggests that…, because… »
- « Ultimately, it questions… »
5.2 The question of the film: « Who really decides what is on our plate? » Answer it now, after the study.
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- « My answer is… because… »
- « At first I thought…, now I think… »
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- « In my opinion,… For example, in the trailer… »
- « The film made me think again about… »
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- « I would argue that…, as shown by… »
- « However, one could object that… »
5.3 Your review · Star rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Write a paragraph (80 to 100 words).
Write a review (120 to 150 words) with two arguments and an example.
Write a review (180 to 200 words): two arguments, a concession and a conclusion.
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- « I would recommend this film to… because… »
- « What I liked most was… »
- « However,… »
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- « I would (not) recommend this film because… »
- « The best moment of the trailer is… because… »
- « On the other hand,… »
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- « Food, Inc. is a … film which… »
- « What makes it relevant today is… »
- « Even though…, I would recommend it to… »
6 Then and now: Food, Inc. (2008) and Food, Inc. 2 (2023)
Watch the official trailer of Food, Inc. 2 (2:27). Same directors, same guides, fifteen years later.
6.1 Who are the guides in both films, and who are the new voices in Food, Inc. 2?
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- « In both films, the guides are… »
- « In the new film, we also meet… »
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- « Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser come back to… »
- « The new voices include…, who… »
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- « Bringing back the same guides allows the directors to… »
- « The new voices, such as…, show that… »
6.2 What has changed in fifteen years, and what has not?
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- « In 2008,… In 2023,… »
- « One thing that has not changed is… »
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- « Fifteen years later,…, whereas… »
- « The problem is still…, but now… »
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- « While the first film…, the sequel argues that… »
- « What remains unchanged is…, which suggests that… »
6.3 The directors say that « ethical shopping isn’t enough ». Do you agree?
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- « I agree / I don’t agree because… »
- « Shoppers can…, but companies… »
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- « In my opinion, ethical shopping…, but… »
- « The directors want… »
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- « Ethical shopping matters; however,… »
- « To change the system, the film suggests…, since… »