Revised Treatment - Turning Texas Green

Turning Texas Green
The Teco-Westinghouse plant sits in Round Rock, TX, right on the edge of I-35. Its neighbor the interstate is an uninspiring icon of Texas' dependence on vehicles and gasoline to transport us throughout the expanse that is our state. The plant is unassuming, but inside is a force of production for wind turbines and turbine generators. A Teco-Westinghouse employee introduces and welcomes the wind curious into their home. The turbines are a calm presence in the landscape, but their repetitive sounds of rotation and constant hum start here in the factory, and those sounds are present in the plant as we meander the facility. The complexity of the manufacturing machinery we see as our T-W guide walks us past parts of production is in stark contrast to the ultimate simplicity of the turbines themselves, but that only adds to the gravity of their purpose and potential. The T-W employee is an informative and beaming guide as he educates us on the birth of the turbines under T-W's roof. The collection of finished products inside the plant or perhaps outside on their compound we know is only a fraction of what a wind farm can be. But those pieces are elemental to wind farms, and the next stage of their life is what we'll explore next.
WHAT?
This 10 minute documentary will explore the development of wind turbines in Texas and their impact on energy, the landscape, and the changing ideologies of Texas. The narrative of the piece will be structured around the life cycle of a wind turbine up through its installment and role as part of a wind farm and the energy grid of America as an alternative solution to ‘traditional’ energy productions.
NARRATIVE
The introduction of the film will illustrate the various problems Texas is dealing with in concerns to energy consumption as well as production for the past couple of decades and today. The documentary may explore solutions to the problem such as solar energy or thermal energy briefly. However, Texas is long known for its wind and before introducing wind turbines fully, there will be a discussion on wind in Texas. As if there is no other more sensible and logical solution than utilizing wind in Texas, the wind turbines and farms will be introduced. From this point, the documentary will explore the arc of developing wind turbines in Texas from planning a site to the output of electricity from the turbines. What are the considerations as well as reasons for all decisions made in the development of wind farms? Some controversial questions will also be explored like: ‘How efficient are wind turbines anyhow?’ The documentary will conclude with more abstract musings from interviewees (minimal) on wind and wind turbines as they are now complete and producing energy and will include visual cues on how wind energy is shaping Texas.
HOW?
We are inspired by the film Touch of Sound, in that it succeeds in showcasing an art and science without too heavy a reliance on showing speaking audio or interview throughout. There was a highly visual component that we wish to mirror. Turning Texas Green will definitely include the proper interviews and information needed to express the state of energy in Texas and the role of wind in our present and future, but we hope to eradicate whenever possible the stale nature of the talking head sit-down interview. Interviews will be acquired from experts at every stage of production as well as from those who are familiar with wind in Texas and possibly energy is general. We hope to use interview as voiceover or have our interviewees be in motion and fluid whenever possible in order to mirror the energy and fluidity of the turbines. Our goal for this documentary aside from addressing energy issues and wind turbine development in Texas is to showcase the turbines’ and wind beauty visually and audibly in the natural Texas landscape.