Contemporary Documentary Films Showcase the “Real” America and Who and What Is In Control

Paper by Claire Waterhouse. Viewded on DVD.

The United States is a vast place, similar to a large puzzle, it’s a million little pieces, some large, some small, but all are crucial. There are many people and factors that contribute to the nation and how it runs efficiently and effectively and there are just as many aspects that have led to its more recent downward spiral. When is the last time you weren’t surrounded by labels of major brands or some form of advertising? Companies and corporations surround us and control a variety of services that span cities large and small. There is no easy escape, but there is hope. Documentary films have become more political and are pushing more boundaries then ever before. Filmmakers are increasingly making films that both challenge and examine present society and how companies influence the way we live. The three films I will examine and evaluate begin with the 1989 film, Roger & Me (Moore, 1989) and then escalate into the 2000’s, with The Corporation (Achar & Abbott, 2003) being made in 2003 and Food Inc (Kenner, 2008). In each of the three films that I have selected, the film and its voice act as investigative reporters and we as an audience begins to question the status quo.

There are many truth claims and the issue of trust between the filmmakers, social actors and the audience is a huge and crucial aspect in each of these films. Each film establishes a sense of trust and trust is the base for any documentary film. They each fulfill the three C’ s of filmmaking, which are its credibility and a film’s ability to be both convincing and compelling. Each film accomplishes this, capturing the audience’s attention within a matter of minutes. In each film, the filmmakers know the outcome and there is informed consent, meaning that the people and social actors involved know the possible outcomes for the film. This adds an additional layer of confidence and assurance to the film. I will focus mainly on Food Inc. and its structure as well as its vast use of emotional proofs. Roger & Me, a 1989 film directed by Michael Moore, was a highly successful film and one that has inspired many filmmakers to investigate and show audiences what’s often purposely kept hidden from us the viewers. These companies and major corporations control us and all that we do. They are growing forces and ones that are not easily accessible, making the journey towards change a harder and more difficult process.

What if more people were to learn about what goes on in these large companies? This is a huge topic for contemporary documentary films and truly began to become more present after Roger & Me. In Roger & Me, Michael Moore exposes General Motors CEO Roger Smith for his choice to leave thousands of people without employment. The Corporation is a film that tackles the major corporations and the ways they’ve taken over. Food Inc. explores farming and the hidden side the food industry. Each of these three films take on the largest and most influential corporations in America and unveil the dark secrets that various industries have tried to keep hidden. Our environment plays a huge role in all three films and in the last 20-30 years, films have become more focused on this subject.

A common theme in these films is companies wanting to expand and be the most efficient they can be. In being this efficient and by cranking out such a large number of products, the quality therefore decreases and the workers and amount of pay are both lessened. Both Roger & Me and Food Inc. focus on efficiency involving food, cars, factories and workers. They also focus on the advancement in creating multiples. In leaving behind old strategies and focusing on producing cheaply for the masses, these companies abuse their employees as well as our planet; everyone suffers. This focus on the environment in more recent years has sparked a documentary film category called ‘Eco-cinema’ which is described by authors Robin Murray and Joseph Heumann as being “actively seeking to inform as well as engage participation by addressing issues of ecological importance”(Heumann, Murray, 2014) and this is a subject and field that is becoming increasingly more prevalent in today’s society.

The camera work, mise-en-scene, music, footage and interviews are all crucial aspects of what makes these films persuasive. Camera work throughout all three films is vital in telling the stories. The camera movement often reflects the scene and the feelings of the social actors and or the event taking place, depending on the director and the choice for camera proxemics. Music is crucial in each film and contributes to the telling of the story and has a large effect on how we feel when we listen to the people involved. Music, depending on the scene can make us tense, like in Food Inc. and The Corporation or sad and hopeful in scenes from Roger & Me. Music has the ability to set a mood or adjust the tone in a scene, it is a powerful resource which is used intelligently in all three documentaries.

The opening to a film often, if it the director has carefully planned his mise-en-scene, will show us a glimpse of what lies ahead in the film. The implied meaning or theme can be subtle or burst from the screen and directly tell us what we can expect to see and how we should feel about it. Credits and the opening are the first thing we see, so this puts a lot of pressure on the filmmaker as well as the film. Due to the vast amount of electronics and media that surround us, we have grown accustomed to constantly being entertained. In turn, people quickly grow impatient and their attention spans are decreasing. This makes it imperative in all forms of media and especially film, to capture the audience’s attention immediately, that is, if we want them to stick with that which we want them to watch in its entirety.

The Corporation starts off with a bang, introducing the film by throwing hundreds of logos towards us. This truly shows us the impact and high volume of companies and brands that are commonplace in our world and everywhere we look. In Food Inc., the film opens the camera flying through and over an aerial shot of farmland. The camera then closes in on a barn, but as the camera backs away from the barn, the truth is revealed. The barn was not an actual barn or out in nature, we were zoomed in on the label for a popular brand of butter. The camera continues to move back and it is revealed that we were not in nature at all, that what we though we saw is a lie. Instead, we are in a large supermarket surrounded by brands, bright, blinding colors, lighting and an endless array of logos. All of the labels claim to be “natural”, using pictures of farmers, fields and similar looking barns, creating the allusion that this is where the food and products you are purchasing are coming from. The camera pulled away from supposedly “natural” image and back into the bustling room filled with unlimited amounts of consumer products, giving off the feeling that things may not be, as they seem. These enhanced and computer generated labels act as a veil, similar to the corporations in that they do not reveal the truth about the products. We are once again being lied to and it’s only going to worsen if we don’t buy locally grown or educate ourselves about the products and brands we purchase. After we are taken through the supermarket, the camera takes us back again into a field. Although we are still in a pasture, this time we follow men walking towards what looks like a barn. As we get closer to the men walking, it is visible that they are wearing suits and what once appeared to be a natural site, turns into the United States Capitol Building in the back of the field. This leaves a heavy impression and tells us that the government and the food industry are behind what issues will soon be shown and discussed. To make the scene even more compelling, a re-vamped version of the classic folk song “This Land Is Your Land” is playing in the background, hinting at America and our so-called commitment to the well-being and future of our country and planet.

Proofs are also a critical aspect of any filmmaking and of the three films I selected, each make great use of emotional and ethical proofs. In Roger & Me, Michael shows the deterioration of the city of Flint, Michigan and its citizens. General Motors had laid off around 30,000 people and it took a large and drastic toll on the lives of many. At the beginning of the film we are shown footage of Flint in its prime and the success of General Motors through footage from years before. Moore then goes on to explain the choice by Roger Smith to shut down these plants and get therefore eliminate countless jobs and destroy the local economy. He drives around Flint and shows us the ruins of what used to be a happy and bustling city. He takes on the streets and into the homes of some of the families and employees hurt by General Motors.

Food Inc., like Roger & Me, also uses a significant amount of emotional proofs. We first hear Barbara Kowalyck tell the story of the loss of her two year old year old son Kevin. Kevin died shortly after eating a hamburger contaminated with E. Coli and his mother has been fighting back ever since. It is difficult to hear and watch Barbara talk about Kevin and his story. She explains to us that the company has yet to apologize and take responsibility for their deadly product. We are shown video footage of the young and beautiful Kevin shortly before his death and this we are shown as we are told his story. Hearing and seeing a parent talk about the loss of their child is heartbreaking. Hearing and becoming a part of the story draws us closer emotionally, making us more attached to the film and its point.

Another example of an emotional proof from the film is the interview with Maria Gonzalez and her family. We are introduced to her husband who is suffering from Diabetes and her two children, one of whom is at high risk of also becoming diabetic. We are taken on a trip with the family in the morning and it feels like we as the audience have joined their daily routine. They stop at a Burger King drive-thru and order for the entire family. Maria then goes on to explain that ordering this cheap and fast-food is the best financial option for their family, being that healthy supermarket foods are nearly double in price and they would not be able to get as large of an amount of food. We also hear from Maria’s older daughter who regularly attends town meetings with local teens who are also just as concerned about their health. Money and income is scarce and Maria explains that in order for her husband to take the medicine he needs for his diabetes, they must continue to purchase from the fast- food dollar menus.

John Grierson wanted to educate people in order to have a better world in which people were more understanding and appreciative and he accomplished just this. Grierson and his methods and films have been extremely influential and significant in the world of documentary filmmaking and contemporary cinema. In Food Inc., Robert Kenner takes on both the ‘We speak about us to you’ ‘I speak about them to you’ in that Kenner is telling us about the horrors of the food industry and our government (‘them) and is also telling us that ‘we’ have the power to force and change the system. He does this throughout the entire film but emphasizes it greatly in the opening and especially the ending scene (sentence) of the film, “You can change the world with every bite”(Kenner, 2008), leaving us with a thought provoking and lasting impression. The text that is shown in the last two minutes of the film reads “ You can vote to change the system, 3 times a day. Buy from companies that treat workers, animals and the environment with respect. When you go to the supermarket, choose the foods that are in season, know what’s in your food, buy organic, and read labels.” (Kenner, 2008) Kenner emphasizes the word ‘you’ and leaves it to us to make the choice to take our part. This technique is meant to be make us think and ask questions. In The Corporation, a number of different influential people speak and Michael Moore ends the documentary by saying that he is convinced that we, the viewers of the film can and will put the world back in its place. This is a powerful way to end the film, for by stating this; he is encouraging us and putting the power into our hands to change society and the way it has become structured.

The United States is a vast place and one that along with its values, is rapidly changing. In the last 20 years, documentary filmmakers have began to truly challenge society and what we are told we can do. We are standing up for what we believe in and are trying to spread the truth as much as we can. We want to be informed and trust the cars we drive, the companies we work for and the food we eat. We must continue to ask questions and push necessary boundaries. I look forward to what the future has in store for documentary film, I, along with director Michael Moore and many others, have strong faith that it’s future will be bright. I know this because people want to hear the truth. People are “sick and annoyed with fakeness…they want to engage with the wider world. What’s going on in Africa and Asia…People have a huge appetite to soak up real stories with real characters that tell you how it really is.” (Quinn, James) Well, you know what? We have a huge plate to serve them.