Evidence Emotive Language

The oxford dictionary defines a documentary as ‘the use of pictures or interviews with people involved in real events to provide a factual report on a particular subject’ . That Sugar Film directed by Damon Gameau gives insight to the various problems sugar can cause and how companies are doing all they can to keep you from deterring from their products due to its sugar contents. Through the use of evidence, emotive language and appeal as well attacks and inclusive language, Gameau effectively uses the power of language in order to persuade his audience to endorse his views on sugar and how detrimental it can be to one’s life.

Gameau as a director strategically incorporates evidence to within his documentary in order to prove his point. Evidence

throughout the documentary appears in various ways but all plays the exact same role in order to persuade the audience in a way for them to endorse Gameau’s views on sugar. The use of various experts throughout That Sugar Film allows Gameau to provide real life research to within the documentary therefore allowing him to physically show the evidence to his audience. Along with the use of expert’s and their research within the health fields, Gameau uses real life scenario’s to provide evidence on how sugar is damaging our bodies and if we do not stop taking advantage of it what will happen. The filming and inclusion of a mobile dentist in Kentucky provides evidence of the appalling effects sugar can have on our teeth. Gameau introduces ‘Larry’ who is a local teenager from Kentucky who consumes copious amounts of Mountain Dew. The audience is then shown his teeth and witnesses the extravagant pain Larry is going through as his teeth are attempted to be removed. Another source of evidence is the various complex health tests and immense weight gains seen on Gameau. The expert’s undertake various tests every couple of weeks in order to track Gameau’s health which was slowly depleting every day he consumed sugar. The results are then verbally given to the audience but however in a way that the complexity of the results can be understood by a primary school child. Although evidence is a reliable source Gameau is still able to crop sections in order to make the experts say what he believes the audience needs to hear and censors out other parts in order to persuade them to endorse his views. Along with the use of evidence as a power of language to persuade the audience to endorse his views, Gameau is successfully able to use attacks & inclusive language to achieve the same.

Emotive language and appeal is used throughout the documentary to manipulate the audience’s emotions to what Gameau wants them to feel and relate to.

Constantly throughout the documentary Gameau subtly targets the audience’s emotional appeals in order to position his audience in a way to endorse his views on the sugar issue. Various facts are verbally stated about day to day items shown in each household throughout the documentary in order to target the audience’s values of food and sugar. Through doing this Gameau is using the power of language to manipulate the audience to take notice of the issue as it is connecting with them through their values. Along with emotional appeal, emotive language is also used by Gameau. His choice to use this emotive language allowed him to use powerful words to evoke strong emotions from the audience to manipulate their views on the issue of sugar. Throughout That Sugar Film, Gameau includes multiple words such as ‘disgusting’ and ‘outrageous’ to describe what sugar is doing to our bodies and to stimulate strong emotional feelings towards the subject within the audience. Apart from Gameau using emotive language and appeal as a power of language in order to persuade his audience, he is able to effectively use attacks and inclusive language as

well.

The use of attacks and inclusive language allows for Gameau to ensure that he is able to convince the audience about the detrimental ways of sugar and how major companies are betraying us. From the beginning of the documentary Gameau constantly attacks the various studies undertaken throughout society over the years about the sugar and fat debate. It is then stated that fat was deemed an abomination to humans although sugar being known as being just as bad therefore allowing the major companies to load their products full of sugar and diminish fat levels. Although Gameau having little to no evidence to back up his statements, he is able to forcefully assert the point to his audience by using appropriate language and insistent claims. Along with the use of attacks, Gameau consistently uses inclusive language in order to persuade the audience into believing that the issue of added sugar being presented to us is effecting us as a whole community. Gameau uses this as a technique to explore the power of language and how it is able to persuade the audience to endorse his views. By Gameau stating ‘we all know that’ he is making gross assumptions that we all are endorsing his views. The use of this technique engages the audience and allows Gameau to ensure that he can persuade the audience to reject the idea of fat being the only cause of bad health. Gameau is able to succeed in using attacks along with inclusive language as powers of language in order to position his audience in a way to endorse his views on sugar and the many health risks that come with it.

Damon Gameau’s, That Sugar Film, is able to effectively use the power of language in order to position his audience to endorse his views on sugar. Gameau adequately is able to achieve this technique of positioning through using evidence, emotive language and appeal as well as attacks and inclusive language. Through direction of That Sugar Film, Gameau is effectively able to position his audience through the power of language and embrace his point of view on sugar without allowing for another point of view on the subject.