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Low Budget Movie Effects Big Business

Small budget documentaries are increasingly attacking the corporate world, forcing many companies to cope with the damage to their corporate image. Starbucks refused Nick and Mark Francis` requests for an interview for a documentary on the poverty of Ethiopian coffee growers but once the movie, Black Gold, premiered at the Sundance Festival, in January, the company invited the two British brothers to its offices in Seattle, as a part of the company`s attempt too ward off bad publicity.

Black Gold is just one example of a genre of documentary films stirring the business community. Movies of this type are transferring anti-corporate criticism from news papers and magazines to cinemas, and are drawing more and more crowds. The genre begun with Roger and Me in 1989 and more recently featured Super Size Me and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. These movies and others have forced corporations to take steps to counter the allegations made, sometimes by changing policy.

These documentaries are generally low budget. Black Gold foe example was produced for a mere $760 thousand and was mostly funded with grants and donations. Despite their low budget, these movies have drawn the attention of viewers and corporations. Many companies complained that the movies were in accurate. Wal-Mart even assisted in the production of a movie to counter the allegations made against it. While changing its menu after Super Size Me appeared in movie theaters, McDonalds denied the change had anything to do with the movie.