directed by Morgan Spurlock (2011)
Sell sell sell!!! Buy buy buy!! Would you like brands with that?
Supersize Me Spurlock makes a documentary about branding and product placement, by explicating the process. That's the whole enchilada. He films everything, his research, interviews with ad men and agents, the pitch sessions to the various companies he lands time with, and so on.
It's a simple idea and effectively shows how compromised the end result naturally is, because companies won't give money to anything that challenges the image they are trying to create, nor to their bottom line. They don't care about art at all. What they want is to create desire for their product. Whatever kind of media that takes on sponsors, or product placement, is completely beholden to the sponsors, and the companies are comfortable demanding changes that fit their ideas of how their product should be showcased. It becomes a case of the tail wagging the dog, because money talks and the companies make sure to spell every aspect of what they want in the contract before the filmmakers get paid. And what's crazy is this is the norm, and it doesn't sound unreasonable until you see how MUCH of it is going on in every business everywhere, and it's even infiltrating the public sector.
Advertising!!!!
It just might be teh devil.
My favourite part of the film is when he goes to São Paulo. In 2007, advertising was banned. It was amazing seeing a city without ads everywhere. In interviews, business keepers explained that they've had to rely on word of mouth instead of ads to bring in business. Commerce wasn't destroyed. Advertising could be curtailed, but I don't think people are even aware of that possibility as something worth considering.
It's an interesting idea though.
2 comments:
Filmy Residue should be sponsored by Palmolive.
Trivia: At the turn of the century Palmolive, which contained both palm and olive oils, was the world's best-selling soap. Extensive advertising included The Palmolive Hour, a weekly radio concert program which began in 1927 and Palmolive Beauty Box Theater which ran from 1934 to 1937.
Hey just wanted to let you know the name of that song you were looking for in the Goon Movie at sunset its not mentioned in buddies list I was trying to find the same one its:
Ray LeMontagne - Beg,Steal or Borrow
Enjoy :)
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