Relevant Quotes

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
- Albert Einstein


"It is...idle to pretend, as many do, that there is no contradiction between religion and science. Science contradicts religion as surely as Judaism contradicts Islam - they are absolutely and irresolvably conflicting views. Unless, that is, science is obliged to change it's fundamental nature."
- Brian Appleyard


"Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but both look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, neither is complete. Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect."
- Freeman Dyson


"Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is the belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence." 
- Richard Dawkins


"Science is an effort to understand the creation. Biblical religion involves our relation to the Creator. Since we can learn about the Creator from his creation, religion can learn from science."
- Paul H. Carr


"Science makes major contributions to minor needs. Religion, however small its successes, is at least at work on the things that matter most."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes


"For the belief in a single truth is the root cause for all evil in the world."
 - Max Born

Research Day Three

Although my research into the subject of science and faith is fundamentally to make my documentary as part of my Creative Media Course, I will take advantage of it to go on my own journey and come to my own conclusion regarding the material. As an atheist I am very much in the corner of science at the moment and find it hard to believe there is something else out there working on a different level. However I do not want this to come out in my film and I want it to be as impartial as possible, therefore I need to keep an open mind. The books and videos on the subject, that I have read and watched, have certainly interested me and I want to explore this further. 

However, while they have stirred an interest in the subject for me, they have also opened my eyes as to how difficult this project is going to be. There is a minefield of problems I will need to explore before I have even began filming. Starting to feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew and the subject is way too big for me to successfully fit into a ten minute documentary. What I need to cover and what can be left out will take a lot of consideration. 

Target Audience Survey

Last night I completed a survey to gather information on my target audience. This was in the form of a questionnaire that I got random members of the public to complete. The information will be used to ascertain  what type of people watch BBC Three and what type of programmes interest them.

The biggest watchers of BBC Three appear to be 16 to 34 years of age and the most popular programmes are comedies and documentaries. Having watched a lot of BBC Three for my research I would have to agree that the majority of programmes are are of this type, and many are a mix of the two.

Having considered all the information above I have decided that my documentary, though covering a very serious subject could benefit from a light hearted approach, given the target audience. This is something that will have to be approached with care as not to offend anyone.

Science & Christianity - Conflict or Coherence? - Henry F Schaefer III

Today I also bought a book online which looks like an interesting read and should provide me with some invaluable research on the subject;

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Christianity-Henry-Schaefer-III/dp/097429750X


I feel that the more information I take in the more informative and interesting i can make my film.

The Veritas Forum: The Language of God - Dr Francis Collins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjJAWuzno9Y

Professor John Lennox discusses Christianity, atheism and science.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJMp6p3tLj4

Dr Francis Collins Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml0FqyFYfrU

Research - BBC Three

The Documentary I am filming is intended for a BBC Three audience. This channel is aimed at a younger demographic roughly between 14 to 35 years of age I am very conscience that the subject of my documentary my not seem ideal for the channel but I believe I can film it in a way to get around this.

I have put together a questionnaire that I will pass out amongst the public in order to gain an insight into what programmes they enjoy and various other things.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/

Research Day Two

Today I will be scouring the Internet to find and watch relevant videos on the subject from both points of view. Having done a quick scan online earlier in the month I believe I will have to be careful with what I choose to use. I don't want to favour one side of the argument. The more I ponder my documentary and run through it in my head the more I feel it will be very difficult to do well. I am now considerably less confident I can pull this off.

Research Day One

In order to thoroughly research my project I intend look at many books and videos on the subject. It is important that my documentary does not preach to its audience and gives as broader view as possible. I have discussed in great depth how I would like it to look and feel with James and together with have come up with a few great ideas to make it both original and absorbing. This weekend I read the 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. While I thought it was an interesting read it was very one sided in its argument. But the themes and points it presented were just just what I was looking for inspiration and ideas as to questions I would like the documentary to ask.

Preperation & Planning

As part of the prep work for my documentary I will be doing a lot of research. This will involve Primary research such as gathering information from questionnaires and interviews. It will also involve a lot of secondary research using the Internet, TV and various books on the subject.

When I am satisfied that I have done enough research and that I have explored in detail how I want to present the material to the audience I will begin filming. Having taken everything into account I believe it will take four days to film the material I need. These days filming will be broken down as shown;

Day 1 - Out and about around the community filming people as they give their views on the subject.This will involve set questions in order to gather as much information as possible.

Day 2 - Filming of lecture given by James at local church. Also to be filmed today are interviews with the people at the church before and after lecture.

Day 3 - Pre-arranged interviews with various people with knowledge on the subject. This will include an interview with an atheist in order to gain objective views of both sides of the argument.

Day 4 - This day will be used for getting any additional footage I feel like I would need. An introduction, landscape shots of the community and anything else that doesn't spring to mind at the moment.

"Science makes God unnecessary" - Stephen Hawking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUyJfzJB-kA

The Proposal

As part of my Creative Media Production course at Coleg Morgannwg I am required to create a short documentary for a target audience. My intention is to base this documentary around a close friend of mine, James Ashley Piper.

James is a Christian and is a regular attendee at a local church. At first James had a hard time believing in Jesus but is now a very devoted follower. Ironically, this came about through science. He believes that science and evolution are not natural enemies of the church and that they can be used to prove the existence of Jesus.

For my documentary I intend to research the subject thoroughly, such as reading books and watching TV programmes by prominent people involved in the subject matter. I will carry out a survey on my intended target audience to estimate the amount of interest in the subject and finally will gather the footage needed to create an absorbing and informative documentary.

The footage I intend to film will involve a good variety of scenes. These are;

- The subject James explaining a bit about himself and his beliefs to camera.
- Opinions of random people in the street.
- Footage of James giving a lecture on the subject to a church group.
- Opinions of church group before and after lecture.
- Closing thoughts on the subject.