Super Size Me – Textual Analysis

I have done a textual analysis on the print work of the documentary 'Supersize Me'; it covers the theme of fast food - a topic which I have listed under my favourite ideas for my own documentary.Supersize me is a successful documentary, created by the American filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, which was released on May 7th 2004. The documentary has been one of the most successful documentaries of it's time, raking in $29,529,368 at the box office.The documentary follows a 30 day period from February 1st to March 2nd, 2003, during which Morgan Spurlock only ate food produced by the fast food company McDonald's. The aim of the film was to document this lifestyle's drastic effect on Morgan Spurlock's physical and psychological health. The documentary also explores the fast food industry and how companies such as McDonald's encourage poor nutrition for their own profit.

A white background has been used in contrast with the other bold colours on the poster. This works well with the high-key lighting by helping the man to stand out and be portrayed the audience as the protagonist.

The red and yellow colour scheme used throughout the poster is consistent and links in with the colour scheme of the fast food company McDonald’s. This therefore helps to connote the main topic of the documentary. These colours are also bold which helps to make the poster more eye-catching.

A close up shot of the protagonist, Morgan Spurlock, has been used to direct your attention to his shocked facial expression. This expression of shock on his face connotes that the subject matter of the film was surprising and possible difficult for him to experience . He is looking directly at the camera which suggests that the narrator/protagonist will be directly addressing the audience.The use of a real life image, in opposed to an animated image, helps to make the documentary seem more realistic by connoting that it is a real life story. This is important; the portrayal of realism is a key convention of documentaries.

The man pictured in the background (Morgan Spurlock) is the main focal point of the poster; he is portraying to the audience what the documentary is primarily about. This is a common convention of documentaries; they usually focus on a specific topic or subject. The vast amount of chips has been positionedinside the man’s mouth to give a visual understanding of what the film is going to include by strongly relating to the subject matter. The chips connote that the documentary is going to be about him living off a large amount of unhealthy foods and connote how he will be forcing himself to eat them. This use of iconographyonce again links in with the topic of McDonald’s; chips are a product which is sold by the company.

Nominations, awards and accolades of the film have been positioned all on the same line, below the title and subtitle to help connote the success of the documentary and give a good sense of balance. The individuality of each award is also maintained by the design surrounding them, helping to separate them and show how each one is different. These have been written in a small black font; they do not link to the narrative and are not key features of the poster.

The poster uses McDonald’s world famous slogan ‘I’m lovin it!’ to connote to the focal point of the documentary to the audience. It has a humorous link to the subject matter and been used to mock the company McDonald’s , emphasising how it is going to ‘supersize’ the protagonist. The thinner smaller font means that it does not detract attention from the title below, however the bright colours ensure it doesn’t fade into obscurity.

The bold font and use of capitalisation has been used to help emphasise the title ‘Supersize Me’. This bold and large font dominatesthe poster and helps to draw your eyes to the title. The title also has a shadow and embossed appearance to ensure it stands out against the picture behind. The word ‘Me’ has a larger font than the rest of the title; this creates a link between the man on the poster and the title, by connoting that the documentary’s narrative focuses on him and his story. The titles have been spread out evenly so that you are still able to see the protagonist’s face.

Two positive quotes from audience viewers, such as ‘Two thumbs up!’ have also been positioned in an eye-catching and location next to the protagonist in yellow font to help connote the documentaries overall success. These 2 quotes have been symmetrically positioned; the two quotes being on the same horizontal level helps to create a sense of balance.

The web address for the documentary is slightly larger and brighter than all the other forms of text on the protagonist’s t-shirt, ensuring that it stands out. It’s centralised placement at the bottom makes it the last thing that people will read on the poster, helping to ensure that it stays with them.

The poster’s subtitle uses a pun on the word proportions by stating ‘A Film of Epic Portions’. This helps to connote the reoccurring theme of food.

The billing card information has been set against a bright red background. This means that the black font used will slightly stand out. However it’s small size means that it does not dominate the poster or make it appear cluttered.

Production companies of the documentary have been made easily identifiable by showing their logos, rather than being written out in text format. Their small size and positioning allows them to be present on the poster without being distracting.

Audience

As fast food appeals to all ages, this poster has a mass target audience of both children and adults. Due to this, it is also designed to appeal to a vide variety of demographic groups, such as different nationalities and both genders.

The poster uses the uses and gratifications theory by suggesting that the documentary is going to educate and inform the audience about the dangers of fast food, as well as entertain them by allowing them to see what will happen to the protagonist.

The poster does not portray Morgan Spurlock, the protagonist as a role model to the audience; fast food is often negatively viewed upon by society and when excessively eaten can be extremely bad for ones health.