One of my favorite TED Talks is ‘The greatest TED Talk Ever Sold’ by the
filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. He captures the audience with his humor and positive
attitude. The forum, which is 20 minutes in length, is about Spurlock’s new
film project: a movie about branding and sponsorship. Spurlock is a man who
likes to be completely involved in all of his projects, so during the forum he
shows the road he took and the obstacles he faced to finish the film. During
this forum, he discussed his meetings with different marketing agencies and
companies to be promoted in the movie. This was the perfect reflection of the
challenge faced by directors, who produce independent films and are trying to get sponsors
for their films. After watching this forum, I fell in love with the way
Spurlock sold his project to the marketing agencies and showcased it as an opportunity
for small businesses to continuously illustrate their products in different
scenes of the movie. He also introduced the concept of embracing transparency
as he examined the discomfort, which often takes away from a company in being
completely honest when advertising.
Morgan Spurlock is a great example of
persistence. Although many companies rejected his idea, he decided to continue
in reaching his endeavors. In TED Talks, he also talked about the importance of
risk taking. He is so involved in his projects that he risks his own life, and
as a result, the show becomes realized when showcased to his viewers after they
watch his documentaries. The most famous example was in his documentary Super Size Me when he ate fast food for a
month, even though it was bad for his health. Consequently, Spurlock does not
care about generating controversy; he only wants to show the truth to his
audience and analyze different social issues that affect the world.
Spurlock is a very intelligent man so
at the end of the forum, it is possible to figure out that he uses the ‘TED
Talks’ as a promotional vehicle for his movie - ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.’. This movie was very successful,
and it was premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2011.
