FilmBlog

Super Size Me

I used some scenes from Super Size Me with my English for Marketing class. It's a Michael Moore-style documentary about an American, Morgan Spurlock, who eats nothing but McDonald's food for one month to see what effect such a diet will have on his health. No prizes for guessing the outcome! This film is an excellent discussion starter about junk food, obesity and the role of marketing. Who is to blame? What are the limits of personal responsibility? In our next session, we're having a debate on the topic, "Should the government introduce a ban on advertising junk food to children?" The ESC Le Havre is a business school, so I would expect opinions to be divided.

The Corporation

I saw this film at the cinema a few weeks ago and was looking forward to getting my hands on the DVD. It doesn't disappoint. There are over 8 hours of extra material in the form of 165 interview clips. I used Chapter 10 in class today as an introduction to a discussion about ethics in marketing. It's a really good scene as the two opposing points of view are clearly stated. On the one hand, we have the marketer who thinks it's all a game and that manipulating children into nagging their parents is perfectly acceptable. On the other, the Harvard professor of psychiatry who points out that children are not mini-adults and should not be subjected to the same sort of marketing methods.

Matchstick Men

This film tells the story of a neurotic con man and his partner and has several examples of confidence tricks which could be used as a basis for a lesson about ethics in business.

More

"More is the story of hope and inspiration, of the meaning of our routines and what drives us. A short-film created by Mark Osborne, More explores, in six minutes, the nature of happiness and joy in our modern, industrial, consumer-driven society." (source: dvdtown.com). There's no dialogue but viewing More should lead to plenty of discussion about its meaning and message. More is available in Quicktime or for purchase on DVD.

The Secret of My Success

After graduating from High School, Brantley Foster, played my Michael J. Fox, moves from Kansas to New York to work in the mailroom of his uncle's company. Unfortunately, he is laid off almost immediately and has to find a new job. This scene near the start of the movie makes a good introduction to any lesson on interviews. It also raises some interesting ethical questions. The worksheet contains discussion questions, a gap-fill and a re-ordering exercise.
Download Secret_of_my_Success.doc

Legally Blonde

Legally Blonde has a lot of themes which could be exploited for teaching purposes: the American education system, class, success and business ethics to name but a few. I used this scene where Elle attends her first law class at Harvard to illustrate differences between American and French teaching styles.
Download legally_blonde.doc

Three Negotiation Scenes

I did a lesson on negotiating a while back using scenes from 3 movies: Dangerous Liaisons, Wall Street and Local Hero. There's a worksheet and script for each scene and a final role-play exercise.
Download three_negotiation_scenes.doc