MEDI 236 Introduction

Hello and welcome to my new blog workbook for MEDI 236 A.K.A the Documentary Project.
In this module I will be creating a documentary on a subject of my choice with regards and references to other practioners work and styles.

Having already learnt we were going to be doing this module in the second year I originally thought I would do it on Buddhism, as I learnt a lot about it during my A-Level in Philosophy.
However this idea felt too safe to me and I decided to start from scratch, and if I couldn't think of anything better I would come back to this.

Below is my list of other ideas I had taken from my initial ideas and notes. I would normally upload the notes but to be honest they're very messy and also a couple of my coursemates have drawn penis' all over them so it's not the most professional approach to explaining my beginnings!

Initial Ideas List:

Buddhism - Go to temples and ask a major question/try to answer it
Improve on this idea and have my own journey!
Spiritual? Go to different religions e.g. Buddhist temple, Church, Gurdwara (Sikh Temple)
Modern Travllers/homes
Lifeboat down Exmouth
Dad's new Puppy Bea and the RSPCA
Fishermen/seamen and their lives down Exmouth
Plymouth in general (history etc.) (Crap idea)
Challenges!
Gym Challenge E.g. since probably gotten bigger over Christmas, documentary of me getting healthy again?
Learn a trick? I.e. Juggling?
Riding a Bike guy (bloke from another year in Media Arts who learnt to ride a bike for the first time as his documentary)
Volvic Challenge
Growing Plants
Finally getting a Tattoo? Scabbing etc. WHOLE PROCESS?
Haircut/hair growing?

FOR ALL KEEP VERY SIMPLISTIC - THINK "SUPERSIZE ME" by Morgan Spurlock

It was only when my girlfriend Eden said that my beard was getting a bit scraggly after that final idea that she realised how good it would be as an idea for me to grow a beard from scratch and do a photo each day!

This idea from such a beautiful creature is what I have concluded to do for my documentary. The challenge of growing a beard is already a social event which me and a few friends have taken part in before last year called DECEMBEARD.
Taking the words DECEMBER and BEARD, those who take part must shave on the last day of November and then resist from shaving all december until they can style and shape whatever facial hair has grown in January (although to stay in style with the other title, most called it MANUARY, MAN and JANUARY since it is mainly men who are growing the beards, unless any women take part who have Hirsutism!).

As I've said above, my main influence for a challenge based documentary came from Morgan Spurlock's "Supersize Me" in which he ate only Mcdonalds food for a month.
However along side this initial challenge he included a history and back story to many of the points and subjects which arose in his documentary.

For my own project, I am going to be taking part in this challenge of Decembeard and explaining what and why it exists, as well as why people have beards and what they have meant over the years.
Already I knew that a big beard (such as Merlin's) has been associated with wisdom etc. but what else have beards represented and been connected with?

From here on in I will be preparing firstly my proposal of my idea (which I'll post next along with the photos of my ideas which don't have willies on them!) and then getting an early start on the project by getting myself ready for taking part in Decembeard since it's November now and the early bird catches the worm etc. :)

Take care,
Joe.