The trailer for the movie, Food, Inc., caught my eye because the sequence of shots went from the beauty of food growing to the harsh conditions of processing food. I don’t know if we thought about food as something potentially harmful since Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, as much as we do today.

Food clip

The first shot, an example of a wide shot(:12-:15) of lush wheat growing, acres upon acres, reminds me of the line, “for amber waves of grain,” from the song, “America the Beautiful.” You are taken in by the wide expansive field.

From You Tube trailer Food Inc. example, wide shot

The next shot is a medium one (:16-:18) and takes the viewer into the grocery store. It gives you the impression, this is where food goes: from the fields, to the store, where you shop. You are going down an aisle, as if that is the next step. Much like one of the examples in class, from the movie, “About a Boy,” when the actors are bounding up the steps towards the door, behind it is more. This shot shows a long corridor and takes the viewer on a journey.

From You Tube trailer Food Inc. example of medium shot, food aisle

The final shot is jarring. Its a detail shot (:20-:23) more than a tight shot and shows cattle in unclean conditions then the chickens hanging from a conveyor belt.

From You Tube trailer, Food Inc. example of tight/detail shot

The sequence takes viewers from the farm to store to factory, in less than 10 seconds.  As if to say, the field is the beginning, the store is the end but you may not know the middle of the story.