'Comic-Con' Documentary Was A 'Big Challenge' For Morgan Spurlock

As adults with incomes and free will, some of us will eventually make it out West for Comic-Con International, which is commonly thought of as Nerd Mecca (that, and the place where they filmed the upside-down kiss in "Spider-Man.") For those of us who can't, "Super Size Me" director Morgan Spurlock is bringing us "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's A Hope," a documentary that will explore the event from the inside perspective of five fans, all of whom see different things in the multi-purpose convention.

In an expansive Los Angeles Times story about the film, Spurlock discussed a number of things, such as the difficulties of shooting and the process of figuring out what type of movie to make.

"This big challenge was figuring out how you cover something as massive and as crowded as Comic-Con and tell a coherent story," he said said. "And what is that story? We had a huge crew, 150 people and between 15 to 20 cameras that were rolling at any given moment. We shot about 650 hours in about six or seven days over the course of this … then when you're done it's all about trying to find the gold in there."

Interestingly enough, Spurlock's own perspective will be missing from the movie. He's never been shy about using his own thoughts in movies like "Super Size Me" and "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," but this time, he decided to stay out of the limelight and let the fans speak for themselves.

"I didn't want to make 'Trekkies,'" he said, referring to the famous documentary about obsessive 'Star Trek' fans. "I like that movie, but it focuses on the freak show. I think what this film does really well is it humanizes people in a way that is important. What happens over the course of this film is you start to see a little bit of yourself in all of the characters or in their passion or their dedication."

"Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" is out on Friday, while Comic-Con itself isn't until July 12, as usual. Maybe watching the documentary will convince you to dip into your savings and snag a ticket?