THE BLACK SHEEP INTERVIEW: MORGAN SPURLOCK (COMIC-CON)

THE BIG CON
An interview with COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE director, Morgan Spurlock

“Wear comfortable shoes; that’s rule number one.” This is the advice, Oscar-nominated documentarian, Morgan Spurlock, has for you if you are going to Comic-Con for the first time. And he would know. He just made the definitive movie on the subject.

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE is more than just a geeky movie with a cheeky title. Nerd or not, you must know by now that every year in San Diego, masses upon masses of mad fans make their way to a convention called Comic-Con, where they can delight in all things considered even marginally geek-tastic amidst their most ardent fellow followers. You’ve maybe snickered at the parade of costumed patrons reported on the news but you’re missing out if that’s all you think there is to this massive event.

“I think there are a tremendous amount of people out there with this mistaken view that these are people who don’t have any friends. I think the movie shows you that these are actually incredibly passionate people who do have their shit together,” Spurlock tells me when we meet (for the second time over the phone). “These people aren’t losers who waste their time in Mom and Dad’s basement anymore; these are people who are really creative and inspired and driven.”

Spurlock isn’t kidding either. Over the course of just one week, Spurlock and his 160-person, 25 camera crew, followed around a handful of individuals, all of whom had come to the Con with very specific goals in mind. “Our goal from the beginning was to root it in people who had real stakes. Some of the stakes are of course greater than others but they’re still stakes. Whether that’s getting your hands on a gigantic action figure or whether a comic book dealer will be able to keep his store afloat or not,” describes Spurlock.

It isn’t just fun and games either when your concern is that you’re proposing to your girlfriend in front of thousands of people. “Will she really say yes or will she tell him to take his one ring to rule them all and leave?,” Morgan quips without missing a beat. “The more that we could show a real sense of purpose for going to Comic-Con, the more the movie would be relatable to a lot of people.”

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV also features a number of talking heads, from THE AVENGERS director, Joss Whedon (also an executive producer on the project) to CLERKS director, Kevin Smith. There are also fans and writers and artists and actors but the one person you never see is the one person who is always up front and center in Spurlock’s movies, Morgan Spurlock himself.

“We decided we wanted to get people who live and breathe Comic-Con every single year, for it to completely be about them, about their experiences, about their passion,” Spurlock begins to explain of his decision to leave himself out of his movie for the first time. “I’m a huge fanboy; I’m a super geek. These are all things that shaped me into who I am today but we could much better illustrate the story by showing these people than just me going to Comic-Con.”

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE makes its way to DVD and Blu-ray on July 10 and it is a must see for both nerds and the people who love them. Spurlock himself takes you behind the scenes of the demanding shoot and tells a great story about how he and Marvel mogul, Stan Lee, hatched the idea for the movie to begin with. There are extended interviews, as well as interviews that never made the final cut. And depending on availability and where you buy the movie, there are even limited edition action figures of Spurlock, Whedon and Lee sold with the film as a set. Just satisfy your curiosity already and see it.

The truth is, you think you know what Comic-Con is all about but you can’t possibly know unless you go. And until you can do that, there’s this movie. Finally, one last piece of advice from Spurlock if you are fortunate enough to be hitting the Con:

“Don’t be afraid to take a couple of showers a day because it gets very hot in there. Other people also get very hot. You might brush up against someone. You might even get some Wookie sweat on you. Some of those Chewie’s can get a little drippy.”

Be sure not to miss Black Sheep's 4-star review of COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE, as well as my first interview with Spurlock for POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD.

Review copy provided by eOne Entertainment.

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE

COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE
Directed by Morgan Spurlock

Once a year, legions of enthusiasts of all things geeky and niche, make their way from far and wide to San Diego, California, for the only Comic-Con that truly matters. Their passion is untamed and is usually expressed in elaborate dress and costume. This parade of excess and devotion has been captured and also honoured in the now infamous documentarian, Morgan Spurlock’s latest, COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE. Suffice it to say that if you don’t get the Star Wars reference in the title, this film is not for you. For everyone else though, Spurlock has crafted a touching and cheeky look at how the convention and its fans have changed over the years. And he doesn't narrate this one either! I don't ordinarily mind him at all and I commend him for managing to maintain his witty tone without appearing on screen.

Super Size Me (Documentary)

Super Size Me is a documentary that works as both a cautionary tale against eating "junk" food and also simultaneously provides the perfect form of infotainment (Information + Entertainment) to keep the audience interested.

Morgan Spurlock whose The Greatest Movie Ever Sold was recently reviewed by me, went on a 30 binge of McDonald's food to see what sort of effects fast food can have on our body. Not surprisingly, this month long "extreme" experiment results in him putting his physical and mental health at risk and eventually culminates in him having a sort of addiction for the food his body has gotten used to. The biggest surprise factor for him and the doctors who keep a close watch is the fact that his liver is affected the most with food, which was not something they would have expected.

Every story has two sides. Yes obesity is a growing epidemic. I have seen it increase, especially in children, ever since the first international fast food joint opened in India. Yes this food needs to be advertised properly with all the positives and negatives of the food clearly available for the consumer. But then, no one is forcing the food down anyone's throat. If I decide to eat fast-food (which I must confess that I eat, although in moderation), it is simply my responsibility. The same goes for my child too. My daughter is my responsibility and when it came to making a school choice, I did look into the food being made available to her before applying.

I do agree with Spurlock on the fact that fast-food has become the food of choice for most people because of its low cost and easy availability. I also feel that going to extremes to prove a point is sometimes required, so his experiment might seem a tad over the top, but it is effective. As a documentarian Spurlock shines. He doesn't preach but instead gives out all the information and lets the audience decide for themselves. His style is definitely calmer than some other documentary film makers, but nevertheless he manages to get results.

My liking for Super Size Me is because it's documentary film making with a purpose. It entertains, it informs, and in the end it occupies a little spot in your brain that activates every time you even think about eating fast-food. Will I stop eating fast-food? I don't think so. Will I be more conscious of what I eat and how much I eat? Most definitely.  

Black Sheep interviews Morgan Spurlock

THE GREATEST INTERVIEW EVER SOLD

An interview with Morgan Spurlock

In the creative world, there is one sin that is reviled above all others – selling out. But just what is a struggling auteur filmmaker to do in these crazy times of blockbusters and bottom lines to make sure his film is still seen? Heck, how is he even going to get his quirky little movie made for that matter considering the mounting cost of the supposedly independent film? Well, he could give up a tiny bit of creative control and allow a little product placement into his latest oeuvre, but how would he even know how to get to hell if he decided to shake hands with the devil?

Enter Morgan Spurlock; the infamous documentary filmmaker recently made his latest film on location in hell and he can tell you just how you can buy in before selling out. “If you’re going to make a big movie,” Spurlock tells me over the phone, immediately following the Canadian premiere of his third documentary feature, POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD at the prestigious HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, “you need all these promotional partners to drive awareness, to create a mentality around the movie, to make it bigger than life. We bought into this whole idea.” With this in mind, Spurlock set out to make what he calls the IRON MAN of documentaries, coining the term, “docbuster”.

Just like our virgin auteur though, Spurlock did not know where to begin on his quest. To make matters worse, said quest was extremely arduous. “We sat down with people from product placement companies,” he explains of the process. “None of these people wanted to help us.” This was not for lack of any effort on Spurlock’s part; there were other forces at play. “I immersed myself in ad speak to explain to people in a way that would get them excited to work with somebody who was potentially tainted or who comes with the kind of baggage that I do from a corporate standpoint.”

For those of you unfamiliar with any reason corporations might be hesitant to work with Spurlock, you have clearly not seen SUPER SIZE ME. The 2004 Academy Award nominated documentary put Spurlock front in center as the face of the film and found him embarking on a McDonald’s only diet for 30 days. His intent was not to lambaste the fast food giant but rather to look at the health issues associated with an all fast food diet. Regardless, the damage to one specific brand was fairly clear and Spurlock was subsequently branded himself, as an anti-establishment troublemaker.

On a related topic, Spurlock did contact McDonald’s about participating in THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD. It went a little something like this. “’Hey. It’s me, Morgan. It’s going to be really different this time, I promise. Please call me back.’ They never did.”

Once upon a time, it was only known as THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD. The brand above the title would depend on which company was willing to shell out the top buy in price of $1 million. Spurlock contacted hundreds of companies to obtain sponsorship partnering for the film but would only have successful conversations with about 3% of those. “Ultimately we had to reevaluate every day as to why we were doing this,” he confides without any hesitation. “People would say there is no way we are going to let you super size our business like you did that other company.” Abercrombie & Fitch actually asked if they had to spell out to him why he wasn't the appropriate half-naked body, I mean, face to represent them. Ouch.

Spurlock did manage to snag a grand total of 22 sponsors, including major sponsor, POM Wonderful – hence the name above the title of the film. Other sponsors include Old Navy, JetBlue and Sheetz, an American convenience store chain that would get Spurlock’s face on collectible soft drink cups, a first for any documentary. Obtaining those contracts make up the first part of the film and, while accomplishing this goal was difficult enough, what would follow would seem even more insurmountable.

Getting in bed with commercial sponsors, which is where every penny of financing for this film came from, means meeting the demands they make in exchange for their large financing contributions. Sure, Spurlock could fly around the country courtesy of JetBlue and could stay at Hyatt’s wherever he went but that meant he had to include actual commercial spots he made himself for these companies in the finished product. And how is this not selling out exactly?

“We pushed back any time anyone wanted approval or final cut of the movie, which ultimately made the film stronger.” This is Spurlock’s rationale for buying in. As long as you are still calling the shots, so to speak, and the movie you make is still your own, then you are buying in, not selling out. “This way it doesn’t feel like a 90-minute commercial.”

Transparency is a key issue for Spurlock and the film’s success. Applied to advertising, transparency allows you to be clearly informed when you are being advertised to. In the context of the film, that application is expanded to shine a light on the entire process in a more extreme fashion. “We pull the curtain back and when the film is over, it changes the way you look at marketing and advertising in the real world.”

And while this is a great feat, accomplished by a great film and filmmaker, there is one other thing Spurlock has noticed on the minds of filmgoers when they’ve finished with THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD. “When you walk out of the theatre, you also mysteriously have to have a POM right away.”

Money well spent, POM Wonderful, money well spent.