Directed by Stephanie Soechtig, ‘Fed Up’ is a documentary about the obesity epidemic and its effects that America is currently facing. The documentary invites viewers to believe that the consumption of unhealthy foods and accessibility to fast-food menu options is the root cause of America’s battle against obesity. Stephanie Soechtig’s ability to combine evidence in the form of statistics, interviews with relevant stakeholders and archival footage coupled with complementary musical backing produces a text that will leave audiences unsettled and eager to review their weekly trolly content. The documentary confronts viewers with unsettling images of obese children which positions the audience to feel uncomfortable with the food they are consuming and their everyday food choices.
The documentary uses a problem and solution formula to inform viewers about the dangers of excessive food consumption and the relating factors contributing to obesity in America. ‘Fed Up’ is a documentary that informs viewers about the problems and solutions of the obesity epidemic. The documentary begins with thrilling news headlines which kickstarts the documentary and has the viewers feel uncomfortable and unsettled. The audience is encouraged to view on because of these effective techniques. The use of problem and solution throughout the documentary connects to display the audience with the problem that causes obesity and the solution to fix it. This helps the audience to explore deeply into the topic of the documentary and feel like they are encouraged to view on. The director does this really well and presents the documentary with and effective structure and sequence.
Many features were used throughout this documentary. Features such as interviews of medical professionals, unsettling images of obese children and file footage. The interviews of medical professionals regarding the obesity epidemic, gives the viewers an insight into the condition and the risk of obesity. This feature starts with shocking facts presented from the doctors regarding the obesity epidemic. This positions the audience to feel shocked and worried and puts them in a position to want to watch on. The director purposefully does this to encourage the viewers to watch on. Stephanie Soechtig portrays the medical professional with low angle view showing that they have power. Unsettling images of obese people also were a key feature used throughout the documentary. These images position the audience to feel uncomfortable and unsettled. The director uses this feature very well. File footage is also used throughout the documentary. The file footage the director uses is in black and white imaging and is very sad and dull. The director does this on purpose to show the effects the obesity epidemic is having on people.
The film techniques used in the documentary ‘Fed Up’ play a key role in portraying this documentary. Techniques such as, camera angles, close ups and music all were used during the documentary. The use of camera angles was presented when the director played footage of an obese person. The director used a high angle to look down on the person as if they are helpless and useless. This positions the Audience to feel sorry and feel sympathy for the person. The use of close ups also plays a key role in portraying this documentary. Close ups were used to show obese children. This positioned the audience to feel sad and disheartened for the children. This is a very effective technique used by the director during this documentary. Music also played a vital role in depicting this documentary. Tense and upbeat music was matched with file footage of obese people and children. The music was tense and upbeat which positioned the audience to feel nervous and worried about the future of these people. The director wants you to feel this way and does this very effectively.
In conclusion, Stephanie Soechtig’ ‘Fed Up’ was a very well structured and clearly showed the relationship between the food we eat and how it is causing obesity in America. The film techniques used in this documentary portrayed this very well and positioned the audience to now start thinking about the food we are consuming. The features and techniques have all enabled the audience to want to keep watching the documentary. The obesity epidemic is a major issue in today’s society and ‘Fed Up’ highlights this very well. We need to do something about the food we are eating and if it is healthy.