Selling Out to Prove a Point: Morgan Spurlock on His New Film

[marmar]

from AlterNet:




Selling Out to Prove a Point: Morgan Spurlock on His New Film, 'POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'
The 'Super Size Me' director discusses the making of his corporate-sponsored documentary about the nefarious presence of corporate sponsorship.


.....(snip).....

Emily Wilson: Was this the movie you expected to make?

Morgan Spurlock: The film lived up to and exceeded my expectations. The fact that we actually got brands to come on board and pay for this movie was amazing. The fact that we maintained creative control and were able to rip open this world on our own and get them to pay for it is also pretty phenomenal. I was blown away every time we got into a room and would shoot something and get interviews or comments from people you would ordinarily never get to see or be privy to. It was pretty awesome.

Every conversation in a boardroom, every conversation in negotiations, all the pitches – these are things I’ve never seen in a movie. I think this really shows you how the entertainment business works and product placement and branding. You get a real sense of what the driving forces behind marketing and advertising are.

EW: How did you get to maintain creative control?

MS: One of the best scenes in the film is when you see we pitch them ideas for a spot that’s going to run in the film, and they say, “You know, we’d like you to make this commercial spot.” So they literally pitch you a piece that is so self-serving and manipulating in its message that if you saw it by itself you wouldn’t know any better. But by seeing it in the context of film where you saw the conversations that led to this commercial, it’s eye-opening. Was it eye-opening for you, too?

People say, “Well, everyone knows product placement is out there,” but after you watch The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, you will never watch film and television the same way again. It will change the way you watch entertainment. It will change what you see in entertainment. All the marketing you’ll see on your computer when you turn it on, when you go into a bathroom and all the pictures on the walls in front of the stalls will suddenly have even more impact. You’ll go, “Wow, I’m being advertised to here and here.” You will become so hyper-aware after you see this movie it will really alter your perception. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/150658/selling_out_to_prove_a_point%3A_morgan_spurlock_on_his_new_film%2C_%27pom_wonderful_presents%3A_the_greatest_movie_ever_sold%27/

[Mnemosyne]

1. Looking forward to seeing this film. Thanks marmar. K&R n/t