These following ideas were born during a class exercise a few weeks earlier. The impetus for the brainstorm was to think about an idea/concept that could be explored as a documentary without interview providing the structure and essence of the piece. In any case, hat was my understanding at the time at and how I remember it now as I write.

With the parameters set up for the exercise I immediately began to sort through a number of ideas that were visually engaging particularly thinking of the visceral. My reasoning behind this was I believe to look at visuals that could then have story or at least some structure added to them. Alternatively story or structure could be born within the act of capturing these visuals or the visuals themselves.

ABATTOIR:
Whether this idea would be most powerful explored in the confines of a butcher or abattoir the idea of preparing meat for consumption is one I believe would be visually powerful. In terms of visual impact I feel that an abattoir would bear more weight but also serve as a challenge to film and then to edit. However, situating the documentary in a butcher would prove to be more intimate and potential serve to highly the human aspect of the profession. Here I am more interested in the process and the various stages that take a living animal to the table. Whether this become more of instructional documentary or poetic would be dictated by the images of the process.

The visuals would purely document the process that is taken to slaughter an animal and then to wash, butcher and package its meat for sale. I find the idea of the having a butcher or abattoir worker narrator the process emotionlessly would serve to show this is necessary profession. Conversely the process could be taken out of context and juxtaposed alongside the cheery tones of a television chef who outlines the butchering process in a clear positive tone. This would not serve as a critic of the current foodie trend but rather to reveal that the process of slaughter and butchering is essential to any recipe and the act of cooking (non-vegetarian) food.

Alienation should be evoked in the audience providing them with the impetus to re-evaluate their stance in regards to eating meat. Not serving to promote a vegetarian or alternative lifestyle but to reassess how they see meat.

KINESIOLOGY
Kinesiology is a health practise I known very little about but I’m intrigued by some of its principals and the various treatments offer. I know a few people who see/have seen Kinesiologists and what they have experience has been incredible varied and in all honest I’m just intrigued and want to learn more.

Using the audio of session with a kinesiology as blueprint I would gather various different footage to create a poetic film. In some ways I would want to attempt to replicate and maybe heighten the experience of someone seeing a kinesiologist in a film.

Voice over of a session with kinesiologist and then utilising images, titles and a variety of archival footage to help to illustrate the patient’s experience. Instead of an interview we listen as the kinesiologist describes their process to the patient. This I believe would promote a greater understanding of the profession, as the audience are able to imagine themselves experiencing a similar session. Here the visuals may not necessary be connected in any way to kinesiology or the patient but will provide a point to explore the process in a poetic or symbolic fashion.