Father Geek here posting a great interview by Elston Gunn... but be prepared, you may never look at your burger and fries the same again... Its rather weird that just as this report arrived in my E-mail here at Austin's Geek Headquarters a knock on the door drew me away from my work station... what awaited the opening of the heavy headquarter's Spidey adorned oaken entrance? Ahhhh, a mere whisp of a lass in a UPS outfit holding a large box from Theatrical Distribution Services out in Van Nuys, California. Oh, joy... what tremendous Tinseltown treasures have been sent to the hard working AICN staff this evening, what saucy seductive swag lay within the white shipping carton... its heavy and from the box shape and size my guess is... a large assortment of pre-release DVD's, at least a couple of dozen 2-disc sets... I love this job! NOPE!!! Wrong! The box is cold, very very cold... I rip it open... first I encounter foil, then foam, then DRY ICE (5 lbs of it), then... then infamous White Castle Hamburgers! Yes, my fellow geeks, in their infinite wisdom someone (Director Danny Leiner?) shipped us some of the legendary burgers just as I'm reading the interview below with SUPERSIZE ME Director Morgan Spurlock. Now THAT is weird! I'll say it again... I LOVE THIS JOB!!!Now here's Elston...
BIG MACS, SMALL BUDGET, REGULAR GUY:
by Elston Gunn
Oh, joy... what tremendous Tinseltown treasures have been sent to the hard working AICN staff this evening, what saucy seductive swag lay within the white shipping carton... its heavy and from the box shape and size my guess is... a large assortment of pre-release DVD's, at least a couple of dozen 2-disc sets... I love this job! NOPE!!! Wrong! The box is cold, very very cold... I rip it open... first I encounter foil, then foam, then DRY ICE (5 lbs of it), then... then infamous White Castle Hamburgers! Yes, my fellow geeks, in their infinite wisdom someone (Director Danny Leiner?) shipped us some of the legendary burgers just as I'm reading the interview below with SUPERSIZE ME Director Morgan Spurlock. Now THAT is weird! I'll say it again... I LOVE THIS JOB!!!Now here's Elston...
BIG MACS, SMALL BUDGET, REGULAR GUY:
by Elston Gunn
BIG MACS, SMALL BUDGET, REGULAR GUY:
by Elston Gunn
You may have recently seen the self-explanitory headlines which read "McDonald's Drops Super Size Servings" and "McDonald's Adult Happy Meal Aims To Improve Image." However, the company claims it has nothing to do with the release of the film SUPER SIZE ME, a dark comedic documentary by Morgan Spurlock ("I Bet You Will") wherein the filmmaker subjects himself to a month-long experiment of eating nothing but McDonald's meals three times a day without exercising or taking vitamins. The results, shocking or not, are disturbing. Shot on a shoestring budget, the film shows more than just the cause-and-effect of McEating for a month. Spurlock, a native of West Virginia (which has the third highest obesity rate in America), also manages to look at the obesity problem in the U.S. from multiple angles as well as, thankfully, possible solutions. On top of that, the film earned the filmmaker a documentary director's award at Sundance and will open this Friday, May 7, in limited theaters and will later expand to the largest number of screens ever for a documentary. Spurlock agreed to answer some questions for Ain't It Cool News:
[EG]: What kind of things were you working on before MTV's "I Bet You Will" and SUPER SIZE ME?
[MS]: I was basically directing and producing anything I could, commercials, industrials, music videos. Anything that was paying enough for me to keep The Con alive. I was also still hosting programs on camera like the U.S. Open of Snowboarding and the U.S. Open of Surfing. (I was doing this during the production of the film as well. All the money I made went right into the movie.)
[EG]: You've said you were inspired to do this film on Thanksgiving -- a day synonymous with indulgent food consumption -- when you saw on the news about the families trying to sue McDonald's because their kids were unhealthy as a result from eating there. What was the process like from that moment to the first day of shooting?
[MS]: Beginning the day after Thanksgiving 2002 when I got the idea for the movie, I dove into pre-production immediately. I was knee deep in research before we even returned to NY and by the time we started shooting on the last week of January 2003, I had three research assistants helping me track down information.
[EG]: What was your goal with the experiment?
[MS]: I didn't know what was going to happen, so my main goal from the start was to make the best and most honest film I could.
[EG]: Were you honestly surprised with the results?
[MS]: Of course I was surprised. I had three different doctors tell me that very little was going to happen, so needless to say, I was flabbergasted.
[EG]: Some critics of the film have basically said there is some flawed logic presented. One, in particular, said that no one is going to eat at McDonald's for three meals a day for thirty days. And even if you picked something healthy like broccoli and ate it for the same amount of time, you would most likely get sick as well.
[MS]: First, let me just say that no where in the world does anyone market broccoli as a "meal", let alone a "value meal." Second, I said from the very beginning that what I do is an extreme example, but here's the question: there are people (22% of McDonald's customers who eat there at least 2.5 times a week, 10 times a month, and they call them "Super Heavy Users"). So, are you trying to tell me that these people, who eat at Micky D's 2.5 times a week and up, are going home and cooking up tofu veggie stir fry for their other meals? Are you trying to make the rest of the world actually believe that these people are surrounding themselves with fruit and vegetables for their other meals during the week? Of course not, they're eating like shit the rest of the time as well and that's my point: we live in a nation that overeats and under-exercises. My film is representative of a snap-shot of your entire life, if you eat a high fat, high sugar, high caffeine diet and don't exercise, you could end up with heart disease, liver problems, diabetes and more. The film is a wake-up call to America.
[EG]: So, do you feel the problem is marketing; consumers not knowing all the facts or, simply, not caring; America's love of convenience; not executing "moderation," tasty product; all or none of the above?
[MS]: It's all of the above. We can't just point fingers at one another anymore and say "it's your fault." Corporations are recognizing that they play a part in this epidemic and need to do even more to change their options and educate the public. I love when people say, "it's not the responsibility of the company to educate its consumers." That's complete bullshit. If you feed more than 46 million every day like McDonald's does, you not only have a responsibility, but an obligation to feed your consumers well, market appropriately toward them and children and to assist in the education of proper eating habits.
Will you ever hear a fast food joint tell you how often to eat their food? Of course not, because that will effect their bottom line. Should they put fat / sugar / calorie content on the board where you purchase items? Absolutely. Why? Because when you go to buy a Double Quarter Pounder with cheese and see that it has 690 calories, you will change you're mind, and that's the last thing these companies want.
[EG]: Do you think McDonald's should diversify their menu a little more so people could eat "healthier" if they wanted to stop in for a quick meal?
[MS]: Yes they should diversify their menu. And they should market them appropriately. Targeting kids with healthy options and not junk food and toys. People will buy what you sell them, McD knows this. If they pump and sell healthy food, they will make money, they just have to be more steadfast in their decisions and they should not just turn out junk with healthy looking possibilities, but food that is not loaded with preservatives and that will nurture the body and the mind at the same time (that's right Ronald, you need to dump the sugar fix you have in almost all your food).
[EG]: Maybe include some soy, lentils, fruits, whole grains, green tea, miso soup, etc.?
[MS]: These are all good ideas. Now you just have to get them to pour some of that big McBudget into marketing these things the way they do burgers, fries and toys. People would jump on board if they believed.
[EG]: What was your favorite item on the menu during the experiment?
[MS]: Big Mac, by far. But the problem is I can'y eat that stuff any more. It doesn't even taste like food to me. The French fries taste like smoked plastic and the fountain cokes leave a chemical aftertaste in my nasal passages for hours. In fact, if I smell a Big Mac, I want a bite immediately. Only problem is, after I bite it, my mouth fills with this gummy McFilm and I can't eat anymore.
[EG]: Least favorite?
[MS]: The Filet-o-Fish, by far. These things are terrible, two out of three of the ones I ate tasted awful. Here's another question, here's a company that spends millions of dollars on R&D to make products, they sunk millions into making that "McGriddle" the magical, tasty little evil creation that it is, so what I want to know is why, with all that money, they can't make that damn Veggie Burger even slightly edible?!
[EG]: Have you eaten at McDonald's since you shot the film?
[MS]: I haven't been back in about a year and really don't plan on going anytime soon. We surveyed nutritionists in the film and asked them how often people should eat fast food and of the ones who said that you should eat it at all, most of them said that you should go there about once a month. Based on that number, I've eaten enough McDonald's to last me eight years.
[EG]: I don't think you're really telling audience members "Don't eat at McDonald's," so what are you hoping they leave the film thinking?
[MS]: We as a nation tend to overeat and underexercise. What I hope is that people leave the theatre and actually start to think about and make different decisions about what they eat, how often they eat, how much they eat and how much they do or don't exercise. The movie is really a wake-up call for all Americans.
[EG]: What specifically did you do after the experiment to get yourself back into a healthier state?
[MS]: Alex (my Vegan Chef girlfriend) put me on a Detox Diet to flush me out. She basically cut out all meats, dairy, sugar, caffeine, white flour and processed foods. I was eating a ton of greens and fruits and beans and grains and, before you knew it, she had lowered nearly all my body functions back to zero.
[EG]: Did you ever consider using other restaurants for the film?
[MS]: I did, but I settled on only using McDonald's because:
a. They're the biggest chain in the world (more than 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries on 6 continents)
b. Every other chain follows their lead
c. They are iconic of all fast food and fast food culture
d. They were the ones that I believed could most easily institute change.
[EG]: If you were to do a sequel, who would you like to hit next?
[MS]: How about SUPER SIZE ME 2: PIZZA HUT BOOGALOO?
[EG]: What was your biggest obstacle getting the film made?
[MS]: I gotta tell you, I didn't really encounter any major roadblocks. A rarity, I know, but things on this film just seemed to work.
[EG]: It looks as though you shot a lot of SUPER SIZE ME cinema verite style, just catching whatever happens in a simple, unobtrusive manner. What kind of crew did you have during the shoot?
[MS]: Almost every time we shot it was almost always Scott Ambrozy the DP and me, an that's it. Doesn't get much more intimate than that.
[EG]: Do you think this will open the floodgates for people at home with camcorders and editing equipment on their laptops to produce some engaging documentaries?
[MS]: God, I hope so. Especially at a time when the news is only giving us their angle on the news. We need filmmakers to spread the truth around a little.
[EG]: Any advice for inspiring documentarians?
[MS]: Persistance, Time, Belief, and Patience. Things don't happen overnight, stay the course, be true to yourself and never give up. The road to success gets a lot shorter the longer and harder you work.
[EG]: Do you think the success of BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE opened the door for documentaries as far as getting them distributed to a wider audience?
[MS]: Absolutely. I also think Reality TV played a part by making regular folks in Iowa say "Wow, you know what. A regular story about a regular guy like me is pretty damn interesting. I need to watch more of these!"
[EG]: Like there was a sense of "if I'm going to make a documentary, now is the time."
[MS]: I think the rest of the world has finally caught up with docs. They've been good for a while. I think we've all just caught up with them.
[EG]: What documentarians/filmmakers have influenced you?
[MS]: Michael Moore, Errol Morris, Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky; as well as regular folks like Kubrick, Kazan, Capra and Blake Edwards.
[EG]: I assume your Sundance participation was an amazing time. Other than the Director's Award (Documentary), what did you bring from that experience?
[MS]: I really got an inside look at the greatest festival in America. I know better now how to market and promote a film as well as what to say and what not to (always a great thing to know).
[EG]: Did you meet Mr. Sundance himself?
[MS]: I did and when Redford tells you he loves your movie, you have to go change your shorts immediately. I mean, come on, HE'S REDFORD! It's SUNDANCE! And you what? You loved my movie?!?!? That's all I needed to hear. After that, everything else was gravy.
[EG]: If so, did he say anything insightful?
[MS]: He said "we need more people making movies like this" and "I agree with you."
[EG]: What other projects do you have in the works?
[MS]: A TV show for FX as well as a scripted drama for them. I'm also looking to direct a scripted film next spring and then doing another doc starting next fall. The docs I want to do are very involved and will take at least two years, so I'd like to get some other creative work done first.
[EG]: So, there are more documentary plans in your future.
[MS]: Yes, but if I told you, I'd have to kill you.
[EG]: And you are wanting to move into features and more television.
[MS]: I love the medium. Entertainment is all I've ever wanted to do. I love movies and TV, so if I had to pick between the two, I'd pick movies just because that's something I really want to do and I haven't really pushed myself creatively in that world.
For more information on SUPER SIZE ME (including stills, trailers and more),
visit the film's official website SuperSizeMe.com
SUPER SIZE ME THEATRES THIS 5/7:
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
Father Geek back again... I've just been informed that May is National Hamburger Month... Cooooool!
