Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, best known for his fast-food culture exposé “Super Size Me,” focused his camera on product placement in his new documentary “POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” The Daily Aztec sat down with him to discuss how little creative control directors have, what he hopes to accomplish as a filmmaker and why “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer” is terrible.

The Daily Aztec: Consumerism is a recurring theme in your work. Do you consider yourself a critic of consumerism in order to promote change or is it more of a personal curiosity?
Morgan Spurlock: I think if you look at my work it does have criticism in it about the way things are. I don’t think there should be tons of advertising and marketing in schools. I think the fact that we are letting the budgets get cut and we consider that the answer is a problem.
I think that I’m also a realist in how I look at the world — as much as I’m a humanist I am also a realist about what can actually be accomplished. And I think that what we do need to have is a healthy dose of skepticism about what we’re told. We shouldn’t just assume that everything we’re told is factual and true. That’s part of what I think my work tries to do, is get you to make up your own mind. I don’t want to tell you what to think. I don’t want to tell you what to believe. I want you to walk out of that theater and form your own opinion about this topic, this issue, this idea, whatever the film may be or TV show may be. “30 Days” is another great example.

DA: Considering that the final cut of “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” was made without the approval of your sponsors, do you think the influence of brands on the filmmaking process is exaggerated?
MS: When you look at these films, where literally people are talking about products in the middle of the movies — like remember that “007” scene, and I love “Casino Royale,” where it’s (James Bond) and Vesper on the train together and they’re having this fantastic duel back and forth and she goes “Your watch, Rolex?” And he goes, “Omega.” And he starts to say something about the watch. And it’s literally right there. I mean, really? Did you really have to put that in there so they could talk about his watch? Was it really that important?

Or in that “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” movie. That movie is so chock-full of product placement it’s unbelievable. It’s terrible. Mr. Fantastic builds the new car and the Human Torch comes down and he looks at it and goes “Whoa! Great car!” And he points at the engine and goes “A Hemi?” And the guy goes (gives a thumbs up) “Yeah!” And there’s the Dodge logo in front of it with the Hemi inside. And I’m like, “Really?” Like Mr. Fantastic is flying around in a Dodge with a Hemi?

And, you know, I agree with (director) J.J. Abrams. We live in a real world where people wear Nikes. People wear Levi’s. They eat Frosted Flakes. I’m more taken out of a film or a TV show when I see somebody drinking “beer.” Or they’re eating there at a breakfast table and it’s like “Fudgey Flakes.” And I’m like “What the f—- is a ‘Fudgey Flake’?” I’m all for there being real products but the real products shouldn’t be what’s driving a story for me. And it shouldn’t be a point of focus unless it somehow serves the story. But 90 percent of the time, or more, that’s not what it is. It literally is a paid placement that is a commercial break in a film.

DA: Do you think filmmakers have the ability to stand up to that?
MS: I think some of them are able to push back. But when you start making big, big, big movies it’s harder to push back on that because you ultimately don’t have that control to say no. When (director) Brett Ratner is talking about people showing up on set with cups saying “You need to put this in your scene.” And it’s like, “What are you talking about?” You don’t have a choice when you start dealing with $100, $150, $200 million budget movies. You literally are playing to those same types of people who are going to put the toys in the Happy Meals and the cups in the 7-Elevens and the endcaps in the Wal-Marts with the stuffed animals on it. You have to play that game with them.

DA: In “Super Size Me” you put your health at risk. In “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” you put your life at risk. In this film, you put your career—
MS: My integrity.

DA: Your integrity at risk. Why do you feel the need to endanger yourself for your films?
MS: (Laughs) God. That’s a really good question. That’s a question for my therapist and my mother. Who’s the other reason why I need a therapist.

After “Super Size Me,” I really love this whole idea of immersive journalism. I love what I personally discovered over the course of making these films and how they affected me,“30 Days” being a great example. I personally, as a human being, got a lot out of making that show and telling the stories we got to tell. For me, I like going on these journeys and I like taking you on the trip with me. When I experience them, you vicariously experience them. When we go into situations I try not to know much about where we’re going. Like when we’re going into a room — if there’s someone I’ve been pitching to on the phone or talking to — if it’s beyond those conversations I don’t want to know anything else. I don’t want to get prepped about tons of other stuff, with the exception of what I’ve personally already prepped myself for, just so I can go in and have a real conversation and have a sense of discovery as things happen. And you have a sense of discovery when I learn something.

“The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” hits theaters tomorrow. For more information click here