So it’s been a tough uphill climb to complete this documentary but I’m excited to say that it’s finally finished and ready to share with you all.
Before I do though I want to take a look back at the process and all of the challenges that have arose. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to tackle an area that would shed light on a subject that hadn’t received the attention that it deserved. Being part of a minority myself, I decided that nothing would be more fitting than undertaking a project based on the biggest minority in the world – people with disabilities. I happened upon this subject by accident when I was googling key words to try and find some inspiration for my chosen subject.
I realised that the dialogue around sex, intimacy and disability was severely lacking and needed far more awareness.
On top of this I was also keen to learn about it myself and understand another minorities struggle. I was instantly passionate about my subject topic which is the biggest thing for me when taking on such a huge task. The passion I had to try and genuinely do this subject justice and make a difference was how I knew it was the perfect subject for me.
The biggest task for me was picking an angle and sticking to it. Even from my pitch, my lecturers feedback showed that whatever passion I had for the subject was severely let down by my lack of planning and confidence in the direction I wanted to go. It was then I decided I wanted to create the documentary about the stigma and taboo around sex and intimacy while having a disability.
The next thing was finding the interviewees, as this was such a tough and sensitive subject this proved to be tougher than I’d hoped. However, with the help of the internet and twitter, I’m really happy with the people contributed to my documentary and what they added to it. They each added a different element to my documentary from both a personal and professional point of view.
Although I’m proud of what I managed to produce in the end my biggest regret was the lack of planning during this project. Even though I got the structure I wanted in the end, in hindsight I wish I’d had a clear plan of what I was doing instead of figuring it out at 3am during a coffee-fuelled epiphany. I mean it’s what’s been working for me so far but in terms of practicality in the real world , I need to sharpen up my research skills and my ability to plan ahead. I tailored this project towards a radio 1/radio 1 extra audience through the use of the music, pacing and conversational style. It took serious trial and error, working and reworking to produce the end result you’re about to listen to but I think I got there in the end.
The single biggest thing I’ve had to overcome during this project is finding my confidence in myself and my abilities. I’m proud of what I’ve produced and proud of how I’ve grown through-out this process. I can’t believe I have managed to create a documentary that I can play and honestly be happy to call mine.
Last but certainly not least I want to give a HUGE thank you to Saleem Juma, Josh Hepple Emily Yates, Sue Newsome and Tuppy Owens. Without these people my documentary would be nothing. Thank you for allowing me to learn from you and participating.
Well, I guess it’s that time, here it is, I present to you – the taboo of intimacy.
Taboo of intimacy final documentary. Music by the passion Hifi (www.thepassionhifi.com) and A Himitsu (@a-himitsu)
