There were a few documents that I did not include anywhere else in my report, and although they are not as important as the film itself, I thought that they were important in understanding the full scope of my process. There are four documents below, and they are all from the preproduction phase, in which I wrote the script and developed my ideas for how the film would look, sound and feel.
#1: Sample from research notes (for full research document, see appendix B)
#2: Narration in paragraph form
(This was also written in a word document, and the text below has been copied from that document. Also, I ended up making some small edits after writing this, so what you read below is not exactly what appears in the film's narration.
Narration
#3: A/V script
(This was also written in a word document, and the text below has been copied from that document. Also, I ended up making some small edits after writing this, so what you read below is not exactly what appears in the film's narration.
Narration
Overpopulation of stray cats and dogs is an issue all over
the world. It is estimated that the total number of strays ranges between 20 to
600 million at any given moment. From the Buddhist temples of Thailand to the
Roman Coliseum to the streets of African villages, strays will be there, and
usually they will be hungry, hurt, and sick. Despite frequent encounters with
stray mother cats or abused puppies in our hometown, the issues regarding stray
animals in America are nowhere near as extreme as in other countries. At first
glace it may seem as though the situation is purely dependent upon the
country’s economy and ability to spend time and resources helping the animals,
but this is only partially the case. By looking deeper into six vastly
different countries, we can see how their cultural relationship with cats and
dogs in the past and present has affected the living conditions for the stray
animals.
A society that has fostered what is perhaps one of the
closest cultural connections with animals is Turkey. In Istanbul, strays boldly
roam the streets. They can be found congregating in the marketplaces, hiding in
small alleyways, or lingering outside restaurants, waiting for scraps. Most of
the dogs and cats live comfortably in close proximity to humans, and usually
rely on them for occasional food and shelter. Here the views on pet ownership
are quite different from those in the United States. Instead of one person
owning a cat or dog for him or herself, the animals are free to wander and
receive food from anyone. Although they might sleep in a house at night, the
animals are usually not thought of as belonging to a specific person. There are
not many other countries in which citizens have such a deep respect for the
strays. In 2012, thousands of people gathered in Taksim Square in Istanbul to
protest the new bill designed to keep strays out of cities using inhumane
methods. They argued that the cats have just as much right to roam the streets as
humans do. This loving acceptance of cats can be seen in many Middle Eastern
cultures, including Arab, Greek, Rûm, and Armenian, and has a strong basis in the
Islamic religion. Muhammad’s love of cats is mentioned multiple times in the
Quran, which has inspired a great level of respect for the felines living
alongside these societies. In one story a cat saves Muhammad from an evil
snake. In another tale, a cat is sleeping on Muhammad’s cloak, but instead of
waking the cat up, he cuts away a portion of the fabric and leaves it for the
cat as a bed. There is a popular Muslim saying that reflects this attitude,
which is: “if you kill a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by
God.” This acceptance and love for cats has helped the feline population grow
and is the primary reason for their relatively prosperous conditions in many
parts of the Middle East. A stray would be lucky to live in Istanbul; despite
some harsh circumstances, the cats are fed, cared for, and socialized, and can
rely at least partially on peoples’ kindness. For dogs living in Turkey,
however, the conditions are much less favorable. They are not protected, as the
cats are, by religious tradition, and many people consider them unclean
menaces.
Although in
Ancient Egypt cats were loved to the point of worship, today they are
unappreciated and neglected by both the citizens and the government. Like in
Turkey, the religious protection provided for felines in the past has fostered
an enormous growth in their population. However, in Egypt the conditions for
stray animals have worsened in recent decades due to urbanization and the
government’s efforts to refurbish the cities. The number of homeless cats and
dogs in this country is estimated to be greater than 3 million, and that number
is steadily increasing. In the Egyptian historical period, cats became quite highly esteemed
because they protected people from poisonous snakes, bugs, and disease-carrying
rodents. They were deified and worshipped in the form of the cat goddess Madfet, later called Bast or Bastet, who guarded people from harm. Commonly depicted as a woman
with the head of a cat, Bast came to be known as the goddess of family, love
and fertility. At certain times in history even the individual cats were
thought of as demigods, and when they died, they were mummified and mourned as
an equal member of the family. In fact, killing a cat was punishable by death
under the rule of some Pharaohs. Today, however, the situation could not be more different. Many people
regard the stray animals as nuisances and try to get rid of them using
extremely cruel methods. Many set out poisoned meat or trash, while others
drown or shoot the strays that they can capture. To make matters worse, the
government has instituted mass killings of strays in an attempt to curb the
growing population. Sadly, the dogs and cats that roam the streets are not
accepted or appreciated, as they are in countries like Turkey. The ancient
Egyptian religion is long gone, and with it the loving respect for cats has
disappeared, leaving the giant feline population at the mercy of the
government’s and citizens’ cruel methods of population control.
The situation in Thailand is just as
bad as everywhere else, but, like in Turkey, the stray animals are, in a sense,
protected by the country’s religious beliefs. Many religions of eastern Asia,
the most notable being Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, teach that people must
treat animals with kindness and as fellow sentient beings. Killing an animal will bring down bad karma and violates the
principle of ahimsa, which means doing no harm towards another living creature In
these cultures animals are thought of as being not so different from humans; in
the cycle of Karma, people could be reincarnated as animals and vice
versa. The stray animal population in Thailand, a primarily Buddhist nation, is
extremely large, so people have taken to rounding up homeless dogs from the
streets and delivering them to Buddhist monasteries, where the monks care for
them as dictated by the ethics of their religion. One temple in Bangkok has been turned
into a shelter as well as a monastery. It is home to about 700 dogs, and spends
1,500 US dollars a week to care for them. The monks will often feed the dogs
leftovers from their own meals. Longstanding religious values provide these
animals with stable protection, and encourage anyone who can to contribute
money and resources to support the animals’ well being. If Hinduism, Buddhism
and Jainism did not establish such a close connection between human beings and
other animals, the conditions for the strays of places like Thailand would
likely be much worse. However, this is not to say that it’s paradise for the
dogs and cats living in the streets in these countries. It is estimated that
Thailand is home to more than 10 million stray dogs, many of whom are not
fortunate enough to find shelter at a temple or monastery and often die of
starvation or disease. Another peril for the strays of Southeast Asia is the
illegal trade across country borders for the food industry. In some countries
like Vietnam, dogs are considered as delicacy, and the traders use brutal
methods to transport the dogs, which kills many of them, and tortures those
that survive before they are killed for food.
In India, it is not only the dogs that
are protected by religion – it’s also the cows. Although the country is home to
a vast array of religions and cultures, the dominant religion is Hinduism. In
the Hindu belief system, cows are venerated and, in some states, regarded as
sacred beings. This cultural phenomenon has deep roots in ancient Indian
history, when cows were perhaps the most essential part of nomadic life.
Killing a cow is considered by some to be an act of sacrilege, and even today
cattle are commonly seen wandering through already crowded cities like Delhi,
right alongside the cars. In most of India, cows are well respected, despite their
tendency to cause traffic jams. However, like stray cats and dogs in other
countries, cow overpopulation has become a pressing issue recently, and the government
of Delhi has hired officials to capture stray cows and bring them to the
countryside, where they are safer and pose less of a risk for unsuspecting
drivers.
In addition to an
abundance of cows, the population of stray dogs in India is very high; there
are an estimated 30 million in the entire country. They can be found
frequenting the airports, subways, and other public facilities, as well as the
streets and marketplaces. The system of Trap Neuter Return (TNR) in India is
not as effective as in some other countries, and the strays thrive on garbage
left out in the streets. Over time, the homeless animals have gotten a bad
reputation, because many people believe they carry rabies or other dangerous
diseases. With regards to pet ownership, the situation is similar to that in
Turkey: cats and dogs are not usually one person’s pet. They fend for
themselves and feed off of scraps provided by, kind restaurant owners, citizens,
and tourists. However, many animals, both stray and wild, have been
experiencing more and more trouble in the late 20th and early 21st
century due to explosive urbanization. Dogs, cows, antelope, jackals and other
animals frequently wander into airports and even onto the runways, causing long
delays and presenting an extreme safety hazard, both for the animals and the
plane passengers. Many nations in Asian have a very large population of
homeless animals. As we can see from the examples of Thailand and India, the
animals are, in general, respected and protected because religions like
Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Daoism value non-violence and harmony with all
parts of nature.
In Greece,
similarly, hundreds of stray dogs can be seen living on the streets. Although
they may be emaciated, diseased, or wounded, these animals are nevertheless
welcomed by the general public, many of whom are not able to own a dog
themselves due to financial or spatial limitations, and decide to befriend the
local strays instead. Canines have had a good reputation in Greece since ancient times.
Primarily associated with the ancient deities Hades, Artemis and Hecate, dogs
were highly respected by many famous philosophers, including Socrates and
Antisthenes, because they were believed to be extremely loyal and intellectual
creatures. Despite this glorified view, the life dogs led in Ancient
Greece was not in any way what one would call a life of luxury. In the famous
Greek epic The Odyssey, Odysseus
returns home to find his beloved dog Argos, who has waited faithfully for 20
years for his owner’s return. Argos is described as emaciated, old, full of
fleas, and neglected by everyone living in Ithaca. As Odysseus sees Argos lying
in a heap of manure, the dog wags his tail weakly, recognizing his master. However,
he is unable to greet his master, and, as Odysseus passes into the hall, Argos dies,
content after seeing him one more time. This passage shows a strong bond of
loyalty between humans and canines, a bond that has endured more than 2000
years. The vestiges of the Ancient Greek love of dogs are even present in
the Greek government, which has created a strong animal welfare program.
They established a system for tagging strays and providing them with vaccines,
and even medical attention, when necessary. However, because of financial
limitations, the government has been unable to implement a spay/neuter program,
and hundreds more homeless puppies are born each day. Sadly, and despite
veterinary care, strays exactly like the loyal Argos can still be seen
throughout the country, just as flee-infested, emaciated, and lonely. Stray cats, though not quite as much of an issue in this country, are
still commonly appearances on the streets. They thrive in the warm, maritime
climate, and feed off scraps of meat thrown to them by fishermen.
In Peru and other parts of Latin America,
religious beliefs have also had a significant effect on stray animals, but in
this case, the impact seems to be negative. The principal religion of Peru is
Roman Catholicism, which accounts for an estimated 85 – 90% of the population’s
faith. Here, the general consensus is that keeping a pet cooped up in a home is
actually doing them a disservice. Like in Greece and Turkey, the strays rely
on people for scraps of food, and though might sleep in someone’s home, they
are free to come and go as they please. Most people would argue that one should
not attempt to go against the “natural order” of things; that cats and dogs
should be free to roam. In fact, this anti-spay/neuter mentality is extremely
similar to the Catholic stance against birth control and abortion. Religious
teachings argue that these acts are sinful because they blatantly contradict
the will of God, and the same goes for sterilizing an animal. No matter what
the ethical considerations with regards to spaying and neutering, the reality
is that this attitude has allowed the number of stray animals to grow out of
control. Rough estimates indicate that Peru is home to nearly 3 million stray
dogs alone. Sadly, the pounds are overflowing with homeless animals, and often resort
to cruel methods of population control, like mass electrocutions and gassings. It is important to realize that although
this point of view is widespread in this part of the world, it by no means reflects
what every Latin American citizen thinks. When considering these ethical issues,
the answers are never simply black and white.
Living in
the 21st century in the United States, we are not always aware of
the tremendous effect that religion and cultural tradition have on the world.
It is important to realize that these connections exist in order to provide
better help to the homeless dogs and cats around the world. Religious beliefs
protecting animals in Turkey and India could be used to persuade the government
to implement better animal welfare programs. With proper funding, the leaders
in Thailand could build a shelter program connected with the temples to support
the multitude of strays. The Greek and Egyptian respect for animals that was
present in ancient times could be revived and a mutually beneficial harmony
could be created. Knowledge of culture and religion could be vital to making a
difference for strays every country.
#3: A/V script
The audio/video script was closely based on the above document. It was helpful in formulating a detailed idea of how the film would look and gathering footage, but when it came to editing, I stopped following the script because the pacing was too slow. I only identified this issue once I started compiling the footage, though, and there wasn’t enough time to revise the script. It is interesting to compare the script with the actual film, because they are so starkly different.
A/V script
Animation: split screen – on one side, there’s the US with people with pets on leashes. On the other side, there’s Turkey, with animals walking around the people.
Footage of protest.
Image of protesters. Fade to black.
Need animation idea!
Old image of the story.
Animation, words pop up.
Footage of cats in Turkey.
Image of cats with humans.
Fade to: picture of dogs in the streets of Istanbul, looking thin and sad.
Map: Same as before – blue countries, red Egypt, Egypt pops out.
Shot of stray cats scavenging.
Number pops up on screen, number growing like a population count?
Old photo of Bast.
Photos of mummified cats and art featuring cats.
Animation: Cat with a circle and slash, like a no parking sign OR pile of cats growing and a bar with hands trying to push it down, to stop it from growing.
Footage of more stray cats, roaming the streets. Fade to black.
Map. All countries blue except Thailand.
Narrator: Many religions of eastern Asia, the most notable being Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, teach that people must treat animals with kindness and as fellow sentient beings. : Killing an animal will bring down bad karma and violates the principle of ahimsa, which means doing no harm towards another living creature
Animation: Words Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism flash across the screen, then a person petting an animal, and the word ahimsa fades in.
Picture illustrating the karma cycle.
Image/footage of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. (film if possible)
Image of dogs living in the monastery.
Animation: animal with a halo around it? use a different idea?
Image of strays on the streets, thin, mangy.
Animation: Number comes up on screen, numbers increasing until they reach 10 million, use greater than sign. A dog beneath, looking like a clip art/drawing.
Footage or photo of a van driving masses of dogs across the border
Image of cooked dog. Maybe too graphic? Don’t want to insult other cultures.
Part 5.
Narrator: In India, it is not only the dogs that are protected by religion – it’s also the cows. The main religion of India is Hinduism…
Map: This time it’s India that is red and pops out.
Old photo of sacred cow, some sort of ancient Indian art?
Footage of Indian streets today, one that has cows in it.
Image of people leading cows away
Narrator: In addition to an abundance of cows, the population of stray dogs in India is very high; there are an estimated 30 million in the entire country.
Animation: Number comes up. Use same style as before – whatever that is
Footage of dogs scavenging in the streets, markets
Image of sad dogs in the subway.
Animation: Person feeding a stray dog
Footage of animals in airports.
Footage of someone petting or feeding a stray (if possible).
Part 6.
Narrator: Despite a close geographical connection with the United States, the culture in South America is, in many ways, drastically different.
Map. Peru is the country that is red and pops out.
Footage of strays roaming.
Animation. Anti-spay/neutering sign.
Animation: Number rising rapidly, or an animation with dogs and cats piling up rapidly on top of each other/multiplying
More footage or images of stray animals roaming.
Image of strays in a pound.
Map. Same as before. Greece pops out.
Footage of strays in Greece. Maybe interacting with people if possible.
Animation or split screen into three with photos of the three gods.
Fade to split screen with images of Socrates and Antisthenes.
Image, art of that scene.
Image of Argos.
Image of a sad, emaciated stray dog that looks like it’s from Ancient Greece. Cut to animated screen, words “3000/2500 (or so) years later” float across, then cut to another picture of a similar looking stray.
Image of a cat on an island, maybe eating a fish or with fishermen in the background.
Map: Start at same place as before, zoom out so viewer can see the entire world.
Image of strays.
Photo of strays in Turkey, maybe of protest?
Photo of dogs in a monastery
Animation: words “do something” flash in and flash out. (?)
A/V script
Part 1.
On black:
Narrator: Animal overpopulation is an issue all over
the world.
Fade In:
Narrator:
It is estimated that the total
number of stray cats and dogs ranges between 20 to 600 million at any given
moment.
Shot of stray
cats feeding or stray dogs wandering (depends on if I can shoot this or if
there is stock footage – use shelter footage?)
Image of a cat
in the coliseum. Fade to…
Narrator: strays will be there, and usually they will
be hungry, hurt, and sick. Despite frequent encounters with stray mother cats
or abused puppies in our hometown…
Image of a
skinny dog in a small-looking village.
Narrator: …the issues regarding stray animals in America
are nowhere near as extreme as in other countries. At first glace it may seem
as though the situation is purely dependent on the country’s economy and
ability to spend time and resources helping the animals, but this is only
partially the case.
Random footage
of strays wandering, should not be a recognizable place, should have a lot of
cats and dogs together. One of the more gripping shots.
Narrator: By looking deeper at six vastly different
countries, we can see how their cultural relationship with cats and dogs in the
past and present has affected the living conditions for the stray animals in
each society.
Map: All six
countries lit up in red. Zoom in on Middle East.
Part 2.
Map cont’d: All
countries in blue with black outlines, turkey in red. Animation of Turkey
popping out? Zoom in further on Turkey.
Narrator: A society that fosters what is perhaps one
of the closest cultural connections with animals is Turkey.
Fade to:
Footage of a street lined with stray cats (if possible). If not, image,
tracking in.
Narrator: In Istanbul strays rule the streets. They can be found congregating in
the marketplaces…
Photo of cats
in a Turkish marketplace
Narrator: …hiding in small alleyways, or lingering
outside restaurants, waiting for scraps. Most of the dogs and cats live
comfortably in close proximity to humans, and usually rely on them for food and
occasionally shelter.
Image or footage of: Person surrounded by strays.Animation: split screen – on one side, there’s the US with people with pets on leashes. On the other side, there’s Turkey, with animals walking around the people.
Footage of protest.
Image of protesters. Fade to black.
Need animation idea!
Old image of the story.
Animation, words pop up.
Footage of cats in Turkey.
Image of cats with humans.
Fade to: picture of dogs in the streets of Istanbul, looking thin and sad.
Part 3.
Narrator: While in Turkey a religious respect for
animals appears to have created a better living environment for the strays, a
similar attitude in the past in Egypt has had essentially the opposite effect. Map: Same as before – blue countries, red Egypt, Egypt pops out.
Shot of stray cats scavenging.
Number pops up on screen, number growing like a population count?
Old photo of Bast.
Photos of mummified cats and art featuring cats.
Animation: Cat with a circle and slash, like a no parking sign OR pile of cats growing and a bar with hands trying to push it down, to stop it from growing.
Footage of more stray cats, roaming the streets. Fade to black.
Part 4.
Narrator: It seems as though the situation in Thailand is just as bad as
everywhere else, but, like in Turkey, the stray animals are, in a sense,
protected by the country’s religious beliefs.Map. All countries blue except Thailand.
Narrator: Many religions of eastern Asia, the most notable being Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, teach that people must treat animals with kindness and as fellow sentient beings. : Killing an animal will bring down bad karma and violates the principle of ahimsa, which means doing no harm towards another living creature
Animation: Words Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism flash across the screen, then a person petting an animal, and the word ahimsa fades in.
Picture illustrating the karma cycle.
Image/footage of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. (film if possible)
Image of dogs living in the monastery.
Animation: animal with a halo around it? use a different idea?
Image of strays on the streets, thin, mangy.
Animation: Number comes up on screen, numbers increasing until they reach 10 million, use greater than sign. A dog beneath, looking like a clip art/drawing.
Footage or photo of a van driving masses of dogs across the border
Image of cooked dog. Maybe too graphic? Don’t want to insult other cultures.
Part 5.
Narrator: In India, it is not only the dogs that are protected by religion – it’s also the cows. The main religion of India is Hinduism…
Map: This time it’s India that is red and pops out.
Old photo of sacred cow, some sort of ancient Indian art?
Footage of Indian streets today, one that has cows in it.
Image of people leading cows away
Narrator: In addition to an abundance of cows, the population of stray dogs in India is very high; there are an estimated 30 million in the entire country.
Animation: Number comes up. Use same style as before – whatever that is
Footage of dogs scavenging in the streets, markets
Image of sad dogs in the subway.
Animation: Person feeding a stray dog
Footage of animals in airports.
Footage of someone petting or feeding a stray (if possible).
Part 6.
Narrator: Despite a close geographical connection with the United States, the culture in South America is, in many ways, drastically different.
Map. Peru is the country that is red and pops out.
Footage of strays roaming.
Animation. Anti-spay/neutering sign.
Animation: Number rising rapidly, or an animation with dogs and cats piling up rapidly on top of each other/multiplying
More footage or images of stray animals roaming.
Image of strays in a pound.
Part 7.
Narrator: In Greece, similarly, hundreds of stray
dogs can be seen living in the streets.Map. Same as before. Greece pops out.
Footage of strays in Greece. Maybe interacting with people if possible.
Animation or split screen into three with photos of the three gods.
Fade to split screen with images of Socrates and Antisthenes.
Image, art of that scene.
Image of Argos.
Image of a sad, emaciated stray dog that looks like it’s from Ancient Greece. Cut to animated screen, words “3000/2500 (or so) years later” float across, then cut to another picture of a similar looking stray.
Image of a cat on an island, maybe eating a fish or with fishermen in the background.
Part 8.
Narrator:
Living in the 21st
century in the United States, we are not always aware of the giant effect that
religion and cultural tradition have on the world.Map: Start at same place as before, zoom out so viewer can see the entire world.
Image of strays.
Photo of strays in Turkey, maybe of protest?
Photo of dogs in a monastery
Animation: words “do something” flash in and flash out. (?)
#3: Shotlist
Here is the shotlist I made based on the A/V script. I color coded it to show how many takes I had gotten for a certain clip that I needed. However, because of previously mentioned issues with the script, I still didn’t collect enough shots or images to make the entire film.
Visual evidence from production:
1. Creating the map graphic
(above: adding keyframes to zoom in on a specific country)
2. Screenshots from the editing process
Picture of what part of the timeline looked like
Using keyframes to apply motion to photos
Examples of some of the shots I was working with
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