Hopefully by now you will have had an opportunity to listen to episode 83 otherwise known as the episode where we review the film “POM Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold” the new docu-buster by one of my all time fave film makers Morgan Spurlock of “Supersize Me, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden” and one of my all time much loved shows “30 days” fame.
So not only were moviewallas lucky enough to meet with the docu-master himself, but I was fortunate enough to catch a live chat when Mr. Spurlock attended a session a few weeks ago on TED.com. I discovered TED.com through tweeting. TED is a nonprofit organization “devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading” and puts on events with people who literally change the world. All talks and live chats are available online so check them out if you get a chance. In addition, a link to the live event that Morgan Spurlock did on TED.com below
http://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_spurlock_the_greatest_ted_talk_ever_sold.html
The live chat was open to the general public and provided an opportunity to have a live exchange with Morgan Spurlock. As promised in our podcast, below excerpts from the live chat where I was able to ask a few more questions related to the now released “POM Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold”
Rashmi: Hi Morgan, hope you are well and not too exhausted from all the travelling; do you have a list of documentaries that you want to make or do you wait for inspiration to hit?
Morgan Spurlock: I’m always writing down new ideas for films, but most of them come from things I read or see in the news or am just excited to tell the story. My next film, “Comic-Con Episode 4”, is just about something I’ve loved my whole life: comics
Rashmi: I loved “POM Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” one particular part I enjoyed was the piece in Sao Paolo – did you actually like not seeing adverts everywhere and do you think that’s a good way for cities in the US to go?
Morgan Spurlock: It was a pretty overwhelming thing to see. It will never happen in NY or LA or Chicago…but it would be really inspired for a US city, one with a real tie to the landscape like Seattle or Portland or SF, to try something like this
Rashmi: Why do you think documentaries aren’t so popular in the US?
Morgan Spurlock: It’s an uphill battle here. Network TV doesn’t champion them the way they are in Europe and Asia and they’ve been tainted with an image of being “boring” or “medicine”. When “Supersize Me” came out in theatres, I met theatre owners who booked a doc for the first time ever. More are getting out there, but we need more outlets than one or two outlets to say they are valuable.
Rashmi: Agree, this was a stark difference we felt in moving to the US and were hungry for documentary – that’s why “30 days” was a revelation for us. Is getting funding for documentary easier for you now?
Morgan Spurlock: It’s easier but you still have to hustle. You’re still producing TV and film at a fraction of what they give narrative, but every new doc that gets on TV is one more that wasn’t there a week ago
Rashmi: You just indicated that you think targeted advertsing may be the way forward, did your research for this film show what the role of celebrity endorsement will be. These days it feels like many celebrities can make a healthy income from endorsing just about anything vis-à-vis Brooke Shields?
Morgan Spurlock: I think that will continue to happen – believe me as long as there are things to sell, there will be famous people willing to hold them
Some other person: Who are your documentary heroes and why?
Morgan Spurlock: I love Steve James – he’s an amazing filmmaker and person. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky made my fave doc of all time (“Brother’s Keeper”) and Michael Moore and Errol Morris changed this world for all of us
Rashmi: LOVE Michael Moore because he is SO polarizing – don’t you think he has become a little bit of a dirty word though?
Morgan Spurlock: To some people yes but as a filmmaker, when you look at what he does you can’t help but admire him, whether you like him or not. When he makes a film, it becomes front-page news, it becomes a lead story. We want our films to ignite a conversation and no one has done that better than Michael
Given the session was an hour, I didn’t get to ask all my questions (OMG you had more you ask?) but this was a great medium to directly interact with one of my all time documentary heroes.
PS Just catching up with my other favorite program “Gossip Girl” and now that I am highly sensitized to product placement, I discovered sneaky placements for the following:-
Page six, Prada, “lucky” Doc Martins, Blackberry, pirogues in Queens thanks to Bing.com and Zagat and they were just te obvious ones in one episode, I wonder what else is hitting us subliminally 😆
