1365
I am Morgan Spurlock. Time to ask me anything.
Hi, Morgan here. My new movie COMIC CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE comes out on April 5 in select cities, and April 6th on VOD, iTunes and countless other digital platforms, but you probably already knew that. AMA
verify THIS!: https://twitter.com/#!/ComicConMovie/status/187241198765879297
I have not stared at a computer for that long in...I don't even know. Now get all your geek friends together and throw a Comic-Con party at your house this friday. Send us pix of the costumes and we'll put them on our sites! Just post on Facebook or Twitter with #comicconcostume
Thanks for the time guys.
MDA123405 karma
Which episode of 30 Days did you find most eye-opening? I always thought this show was interesting and way under-appreciated.
IamMorganSpurlock535 karma
My favorite episode is the Animal Rights show - NC hunter moves in with family of Peta activists in LA ... hilarity ensues.
Frajer392 karma
Have you seen Doug Benson's Super High Me? If so what did you think about it?
IamMorganSpurlock692 karma
Love Doug & love that movie. That guy's a rockstar. He's working on his new film: Chronic Con Episode One - A Fan's Dope
thatsnomoon87321 karma
In "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" how scary was it to be at the Pakistan/Afghanistan border?
IamMorganSpurlock428 karma
Pretty scary - my girlfriend was about to pop at that point as well, so I was ready to get home
[deleted]248 karma
Please share some ideas for new movies you have been debating.. Also, do you play video games? If so, favorite?
IamMorganSpurlock540 karma
Just play the last Mass Effect- was pretty sweet. I really want to do a film about education. As my kid gets older, I know it will be more and more of an issue for me.
IamMorganSpurlock587 karma
I would eat at a Cinnabon in an airport before I would eat at a McDonald's
[deleted]221 karma
- What was the worst thing about living on minimum wage? 2. What kinds of projects do you fear you might never get around to?
IamMorganSpurlock612 karma
Worst part of living on Minimum wage is that fact that if one thing goes wrong, you're fucked. You'll be in a financial hole that could take you months or years to get out of. I really want to make Brave New World into a movie ... still believe that could happen.
IamMorganSpurlock312 karma
Still going strong - I think he just ate more than 25,000 big macs
drylungmartyr190 karma
If given the opportunity, would you expand your film-making horizons by making a full length feature film that was not a documentary?
MDA123163 karma
Have you ever actually used Mane & Tail Shampoo, and can you report on its effectiveness?
IamMorganSpurlock320 karma
I still have 2 giant bottles in my shower, those things last for ever. They're giant, one horse bottle = 3 years of shampooing in balding documentarian years.
MDA12391 karma
My wife has that stuff in our shower and when I figured out what it was, I couldn't stop laughing. When we watched POM Wonderful, we got a kick out of the Mane & Tail scenes.
IamMorganSpurlock228 karma
Sadly no, show got cancelled a few years ago - we 18 though, and I'm really proud of those
eloyjackson141 karma
On your FX Show "30 Days" What is something you never got the chance to experience for 30 days, but wanted to?
IamMorganSpurlock252 karma
Good question - we never to to go into bigger ideas for another season, but if I could do it today, I'd love to work in a bank or a mortgage lender to talk about the financial crisis.
baddaddvice140 karma
Any 30 Days ideas shot down because of safety/legal/boardroom issues that you think would have made for good TV? I really enjoyed the show!
IamMorganSpurlock331 karma
In the immigration show, I wanted to have a coyote sneak me across the Mexican border, but Fox legal would have none of that.
johnjohnjohn777115 karma
When filming Supersize me did you cut out a lot of barfing? If so, about how many times did all the McDonald's make you barf?
IamMorganSpurlock239 karma
I only barfed that one time that is in the film. I think it was day three and my body was trying to tell me what a bad idea this was - needless to say, I didn't listen
DougBoutabi106 karma
I saw you speak in Illinois. You mentioned that you were given the opportunity to be the host of The Biggest Loser. Do you regret turning it down?
IamMorganSpurlock263 karma
I regret the ongoing giant Jeff Probst size checks I'd be getting to day, but I don't regret turning it down
Calabs94 karma
You're known for doing shocking documentaries; do you choose a subject to research based on whether or not it will shock people, or whether or not you are interested in it yourself?
IamMorganSpurlock193 karma
I only pick topics that interest me, if people are shocked by them, then that's an added bonus.
noobicide6185 karma
Just to start, I'm a huge fan, and I loved your movie "Supersize Me". Follow up with a question, during your series "30 days" which of your various endeavors were most hard and which were most life changing for you.
IamMorganSpurlock147 karma
I would say being in prison was very hard, as was working in a Coal mine (for very different reasons). Living on the Navajo Res was probably the most life changing.
noobicide6152 karma
Are there any that you would be willing to do again, or any you wished lasted more than the 30 days?
IamMorganSpurlock143 karma
I wish the prison episode could have been turned into a feature length movie - there was so much content we couldn't put into the show.
itscoredawg77 karma
Mr. Spurlock I'm a big fan of yours and all your documentaries and shows are amazing! The other night at dinner I was even telling my mother about your stuff. But one question was bothering me during your film "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold".
Were you seriously carrying POM around everywhere and drinking it, and was it tasty? Thank you very much.
IamMorganSpurlock156 karma
Its pretty damn tasty (and yes, I was paid to say that). We would take it everywhere, even when we traveled to countries that didn't have it just so we could have it in the interviews, which were made 18% funnier with POM.
Teh4est71 karma
Why did you choose Comic-Con for the setting of your next movie? Last year was my first year and I fell in love with the place. I'm excited to be coming back to the Con this year as well. Also, what are your thoughts on the rise of geek pop culture? Is this movie a result of that?
IamMorganSpurlock127 karma
I had the same experience when I went in 2009 - I loved it - and I immediately thought it would make an amazing backdrop for a movie. The film is definitely part of the rise of geek culture, its now cool to be a geek!
IamMorganSpurlock164 karma
No, this is brought to you by Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope, in theaters this Friday (AND NATIONWIDE ON DEMAND, iTUNES, XBOXm etc!)
IamMorganSpurlock132 karma
Michael's always been very nice to me, very supportive. And so what you like about him, when he makes a movie - its gets everyone talking. What more could you want as a filmmaker?
deeptime59 karma
Have you ever considered doing an expose / reality investigation on some of the OWS issues? e.g. Money in politics, insider trading, or corporate handouts?
IamMorganSpurlock179 karma
I would love to do a film about the dollars and cents of politics, especially since we're about to elect the first Billion Dollar President. We truly have the Greatest Democracy Money Can Buy.
[deleted]56 karma
what advice would you give to a young filmmaker? can i have your internet autograph?
IamMorganSpurlock195 karma
I tell all young filmmakers to be persistent and not to give up. This is a tough business, but tenacity goes far. And here's my autograph: Morgan Spurlock
[deleted]18 karma
thank you i have been making short films on youtube and its hard not to get down when im called a faggot in all the comments how do you deal with negative feedback?
IamMorganSpurlock44 karma
I grew up the youngest of three ballet dancing brothers in West Virginia, all I experienced as a kid was negative feedback. My parents are rockstars.
Norrsken52 karma
What are your favourite documentaries?
Any film- or documentary makers that you admire?
What is your next project?
Is there anything you've wanted to do, but hasn't been able to?
IamMorganSpurlock151 karma
My have doc of all time is Brother's Keeper - amazing movie. I love the guys who made it: Joe Belinger & Bruce Sinoofsky. I also really admire Steve James, Errol Morris, Barbara Kopple, Nick Broomfield, Michael Moore. My next doc is all about male grooming - we did it with Will Arnett & Jason Bateman - its called: Mansome.
not_your_ex51 karma
I use 30 Days and your methodologies in my classroom all the time. Any plans for another documentary-style TV show?
IamMorganSpurlock64 karma
We're developing some shows now that should hit the air soon. Have you seen our Hulu show "A Day in the Life" or the series I do for Yahoo called "Failure Club"? Those are both great doc series
stubbyarea48 karma
What do you feel about the recent raids at Oaksterdam and other dispensaries?
I_Conquer45 karma
Do you feel that there is an underlying theme tying your documentaries together? Do you have a worldview or scheme that you're deliberately trying to uncover for your audience? Or are they a series of ideas that you find interesting despite being more-or-less unrelated?
IamMorganSpurlock57 karma
I think they all tie together ... will have to wait a few more years to see what the final pieces form, but I think they are all interconnected
Comicspedia30 karma
Big fan of all your work! We met briefly after your talk at the University of Illinois back in 2005, and I've really enjoyed all your projects since and including Super Size Me.
Can you comment on the results of The Greatest Movie Ever Sold? I'm a psych professor and I showed it to all my classes to generate discussion on neuromarketing, primary reinforcers (fear, craving, sex, as it's described in the movie), the psychology of advertising, and so on. I've also shown it to other psychologists and friends.
Probably the most frequently-asked question I've been asked have been about whether the movie met its intended goal financially. Along those lines, I also get asked how that goal has resulted in you/your company receiving funding or not receiving funding from the partner companies.
Thanks again for all the great work!
IamMorganSpurlock63 karma
We hit all our benchmarks except worldwide gross - film was in profit before it ever opened in theaters.
NeoShockWave26 karma
What's the best television show you've been interviewed on? And did you take interviewing tips from any of them for New Britannia?
Also - Tuuuuuuuuuubes! Congrats on the third Soccer AM appearance.
IamMorganSpurlock81 karma
Love me some Tubes & Soccer AM. Best show I've ever been interviewed on was an Australian show called "Enough Rope" with Andrew Denton. Brilliant show.
truhig23 karma
What would you say has been your worst experience while working on a movie? (and/or best experience?)
IamMorganSpurlock39 karma
Getting as sick as I did while making Super Size Me was a pretty terrible experience. That may be the worst.
pzer022 karma
HUGE fan of yours. Loved Super Size Me, the 30 Days TV show, and Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden.
I'm originally from Columbus, OH, which is where you and your girlfriend (now wife, I believe?) spent time for the episode of 30 Days that talks about living on minimum wage. Since all the other questions I wanted to ask have been asked in the AMA so far, I am wondering if you have any salient memories about your time in Ohio, or stories about what it was like trying to live with next to nothing... if I recall, this was before the minimum wage was increased, so I think you guys were making like $5 something an hour. What was it like?
IamMorganSpurlock35 karma
Was difficult making that show. My girlfriend and I have since split up, my work being one of the contributing factors, but I love Ohio. We've shot there many times. I think its a great representation of the country, so we will shoot things there because I think they translate well to a large audience.
pzer09 karma
Wow, thanks for responding! Sorry to hear about you and your lady :-\
I agree that Ohio is very representative of the everyman, we used to get a lot of product trials in Columbus because it apparently provides a good cross-section of consumer acceptance of a new product or service. Apparently we also have generic accents.
Just out of curiosity, what do you think about the minimum wage increases? I remember making $5.15 an hour working at Radio Shack in the late 90s, and I find it unconscionable that it didn't increase until 2007 (at least on the national level). Do you think it should increase more than it does/has?
IamMorganSpurlock10 karma
It can always be more, and some states are already higher than federal, but its still really low.
travass12 karma
Were you nervous at all while making Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? Did you ever fear for your safety while on or off camera?
Also, I loved The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
IamMorganSpurlock17 karma
Got very nervous at different times in Afghanistan & Pakistan. We were in a Taliban ambush, that was pretty f'ing scary.
lockthegates1203 karma
Not a question, but when you paid my old hometown (Altoona, PA) to rename the city to "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold", I answered the phone at my job by saying, "Thank you for calling (Store name) in Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold." Then my manager found out and I had to stop. :(
View HistoryShare Link