Orgeron 1

Holly Orgeron
Professor Williams
ENG 102
12 October 2014

Bad Apples
In a world filled with diverse corporations, there are bound to be a few bad apples but
what if theyre all bad apples? The film, The Corporation, was written by Joel Bakan, and
directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott in 2003 to expose corporations for what they really
are- psychopaths. The creators use different strategies to show the public corporations for all the
bad they do and all they try to hide and cover up. The message was simply to filter out what
positive message corporations lead the audience to believe and give evidence for the truth that
seems to always be hidden. In the movie, the producers use dark and theatrical music, disturbing
imagery and quick or overly slow movement to show how psychotic corporations are.
The movement of this film had a lot of contribution to making the viewers feel how the
producers wanted the viewers to feel. The movement included the speed of the camera, the
transitions, and what the film wanted to focus on the most. The camera would move
overwhelmingly fast over images when the film makers wanted your mind to race with questions
or to make quick negative judgments about corporations. When the camera would pan over
images exceedingly slow, it gives the viewer to have a minute to take in the information, and
consider what they are seeing or have just heard. When the narrator was speaking in the low,
distressing voice that was used, the videos shown were usually moved slowly, and showed every
little detail that the film intentionally wanted the viewers to observe.

Orgeron 2

The camera seemed to have a pattern of filming a person being interviewed very still and
the main light was on the single person. Right after the interviewer was done saying what he or
she had to say, the camera would transition quickly to a scene of a disturbing image. For
example, in the film, it was stated that Monsanto corporation lied that their product was safe for
humans and cows but Monsanto cause unnecessary pain and distress for the cows and then the
camera slowly panned over a herd of cows that were standing in their own waste or had their rib
cages obviously showing under their fur. This showed how Monsanto is a company that does not
care for their product through slow movement that gives you enough time to take in what the
interviewer said, while watching an example of what he or she just stated. In addition to the
saddening images they showed, the facial expressions on the interviewers were pure mistrust,
anger, and disbelief that corporations can do what they do and get away with it.
This film shows evidence of the concerning imagery to the audience such as the example
that was just used with the cows. Most of the descriptions shown outside of the interviews were
dark colored or black and white. Disturbing imagery is considered to be anything that would
upset the average person, and this film did that very well. The documentary showed films of
sweat shops, factory fires, and the saddening images of hopelessness on peoples faces. This film
gave examples of what corporations are making the public monster and zombie-like which is
ironic because corporations are the real monsters. Frankensteins monster over powered
Frankenstein just like the corporations are doing to us, was stated by the narrator while being
shown the horror of the monster overthrowing Frankenstein. The image put with the analogy to
what the corporations are doing to us puts such a negative thought of these corporations and their
effect on society in the viewers mind, just like the producers wanted.

Orgeron 3

Like the imagery, the sound of the film was definitely not cheery or upbeat, more
dreadful sounding. The music that was played was dark and would always start off quiet. A large
amount of the film had a piano playing in the background noise to build a sort of sad emotion in
the viewers. For instance, towards the end of The Corporation, the commentators were talking
about how Agent Orange caused cancer, birth defects, and deforestation in Vietnam from the
Monsanto Corporation. Meanwhile the slow piano music started playing louder and louder, as
the topic became more intense, and then the piano would stop abruptly.
Even the words being used were just so negative and upsetting, as they should have been.
The beaten down voices of the interviewers talking about such an appalling subject made the
audience feel so mistreated by corporations and really opened their eyes to who is really the bad
guy. The narrator said that most corporations were harmful to human health by the synthetic
chemicals, pollution and toxic waste. That alone hits the ear in an unpleasant way and makes
the viewers cringe at the mental image of their health, and that of their families, being in danger
due to corporations and productions.
The whole documentary consisted of revealing corporations and all the bad they bring to
the public. The Corporation did an excellent job in exposing the behind scenes that most of the
public doesnt see when advertisements are shown. A documentary like this can change a lot of
minds that are consumers of these industries and corporations. The film directors and producers
use dramatic music, troubling imagery, and fast or overly slow movement to give you an idea
about how psychotic corporations are.