Name: Dr. Kali
Hometown: Medway
Department: Communication Arts
Advisor for clubs/groups: No
What is the film you worked on?
“It’s called “Farm and Red Moon.” It’s a documentary about where I try to find information about the inhumane slaughter of animals. A lot of people care about animals when they’re living, but no one wants to think about what happens when they’re in the slaughter house. Then I met with Dr. Temple Grandin, who changed the system of slaughter houses across the United States to be more humane.”
What drew you to it?
“I was a vegan when I started it and I wanted to make a film about how we shouldn’t eat meat and how it was wrong. I felt the only people who would watch it would be people who agree, so it would be like preaching to the choir and I didn’t want to do that.
I met with farmers and people do the process. I got to like them! They’re just doing their job and they really care for the animals. They would offer me food and I didn’t want to turn it down so I started eating meat. This was five years ago.”
How would you describe the process?
“The process is very collaborative. It goes through a lot of [different stages] and you work with a lot of different people. I had this idea of what I wanted it to be about and it gets a life of its own. The more you research; the more you change direction and add more things. I think the hardest thing for me as a filmmaker is that I’m used to academics, I’m used to working by myself. But in film making you work with many different people who have different thoughts and opinions. You have to listen to others. It’s humbling, really.”
What advice would you give college students who also want to make films like yours?
“I didn’t know anything about filmmaking when I started this. So, I took some classes about the equipment and even editing software. I think it’s such a good medium. I can’t speak for feature films, but with documentaries, it’s important to have a passion and film making is a good way to communicate it. It’s better with visuals than it is with an essay, you know. So my advice to students is to take classes in filmmaking and software so you can edit. You can even learn stuff like this online. It’s empowering. It gave me a voice I didn’t know I had.”
As a speech professor, why is the skill of public speaking important, especially for college students?
“In public speaking you learn more than how to give presentations. You learn how to organize your thoughts and how to articulate better than you could before. As our society gets more digital the less people get face to face communication. A lot of people think “I don’t want to give speeches or present in front of other people” but’s not just that. It’s how to communicate in your relationships.”
What inspires you?
“Curiosity. I think it’s important to stay curious. You know, I’m turning sixty, but I live as if I were in my twenties because I want to keep learning. I like to look at the world like an 8 year old, I want to know about everything. I like to think “This is the first day of my life and I can’t go back and I can’t go forward. All I have is today.”
If you’d like to know more about Dr. Kali’s documentary visit farmandredmoon.com