HBO Films: Temple Grandin - A Behind The Scenes Featurette (HBO)

Summary

The script for 'Temple Grandin', an HBO project, tells the remarkable story of Temple Grandin, an autistic visual thinker born in the 1960s. Despite early recommendations for institutionalization, her mother's persistence and the guidance of inspired mentors allowed Temple to harness her unique strengths. Her deep empathy for animals and ability to think like them revolutionized the livestock industry with more humane practices. The film, starring Claire Danes, captures Temple's journey, emphasizing the importance of following one's instincts and showcasing how her insights into autism and animal behavior have made her a respected authority.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The script is for the HBO project 'Temple Grandin', a biographical drama about the life of Temple Grandin.
• 🌟 Temple Grandin is portrayed as an exceptional individual with autism who thinks visually and has unique insights into animal behavior.
• 🚀 The story highlights Temple's journey from being misunderstood in her childhood to becoming a leading figure in animal welfare and autism advocacy.
• 👩‍👧 Temple's mother played a crucial role in her life, advocating for her and ensuring she received proper support and opportunities.
• 🧠 Temple's mind is described as working like Google Images, with a highly visual and literal way of thinking that gives her a unique perspective.
• 🐄 Temple's empathy for animals and her ability to think like them led her to innovate in the cattle industry, creating more humane systems for handling livestock.
• 🏆 Temple's achievements are showcased through the recreation of her designs in the film, demonstrating her impact on the livestock industry.
• 🎥 The film used a combination of trained animals and animatronics to depict the cattle handling scenes, adding authenticity to the storytelling.
• 💡 Temple's innovative designs, such as curved corners and ramps, were inspired by her understanding of how cattle perceive their environment.
• 🌈 The film emphasizes the importance of following one's instincts and the potential for individuals with autism to unlock new possibilities for themselves and others.
• 📚 Temple Grandin's story is a testament to her success as an author, speaker, and advocate, changing perceptions of both the livestock industry and autism.

Q & A

What project was the script for that the agent mentioned in the beginning of the script?

The script was for the 'Temple Grandin' project from HBO.

How does Temple Grandin's mind work differently from a typical person's?

Temple Grandin's mind works in pictures, similar to Google Images, making her a highly visual thinker.

What was the general recommendation for children diagnosed with autism in the 1960s?

The general recommendation for children diagnosed with autism in the 1960s was to place them in an institution.

What role did Temple's mother play in her life?

Temple's mother played a crucial role by pushing her to meet challenges and go out into the world to function as best as she could.

What was Temple Grandin's connection to animals?

Temple Grandin empathized with animals and found that she had a special connection with them, which she later used to improve their welfare.

How did Temple Grandin's experience on a farm influence her?

Her experience on a farm helped Temple realize her strengths and her ability to think like an animal, which she later used to improve cattle handling systems.

What was one of Temple Grandin's significant contributions to the cattle industry?

Temple Grandin created more humane systems for cattle to move calmly, which improved their welfare and the efficiency of the industry.

How did the film 'Temple Grandin' depict the cattle handling scenes?

The film used a combination of trained cattle and animatronic cows to depict the cattle handling scenes, making them appear intense while ensuring the animals' safety.

What was Temple Grandin's approach to designing cattle handling systems?

Temple Grandin used her ability to think like a cow and visualize the systems in her mind, focusing on creating calm and peaceful environments for the animals.

What is the main theme of the film 'Temple Grandin'?

The main theme of the film is to follow one's gut instinct and to unlock potential in individuals who may seem locked in, as demonstrated by Temple Grandin's journey.

How did Temple Grandin change the perception of autism?

Temple Grandin was the first person to describe what it was like to be autistic, and through her success and contributions, she changed the face of autism and the livestock industry.

Outlines

00:00

📞 A Life-Changing Call

In the spring of 2008, the speaker received a call from their agent about a script for the Temple Grandin project by HBO. After reading the script, they were deeply moved and immediately shared their excitement with their wife, recognizing the incredible story of Temple Grandin.

🧠 Understanding Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin, an amazing visual thinker, was born in the 60s when autism was misunderstood. Despite being non-verbal at four, her mother pushed her to overcome challenges. Temple's journey included the support of inspiring mentors and her discovery of empathy towards animals on her aunt and uncle's farm.

🌟 Discovering Her Strengths

As Temple became self-aware, she recognized her strengths and found ways to experience positive feelings. Her unique mind, which processes information visually like Google Images, allowed her to explain her thought processes vividly. Claire Danes, portraying Temple, captured this essence beautifully.

🐄 Innovations in the Cattle Industry

Temple Grandin revolutionized the cattle industry with her humane systems for cattle movement. The film recreated one of her major achievements, showing the precise design and construction of her innovations. The depiction of the cattle was achieved using trained animals and animatronics for realistic effects.

🐮 Thinking Like a Cow

Temple's deep understanding of animals led her to see the world through their eyes. She designed systems that catered to their sensory perceptions, such as curved ramps for cattle. Her ability to visualize every detail made her designs highly effective and humane.

🔍 The Autism Mind

Temple's mind captures every detail, similar to how animals perceive the world. Her designs work because she meticulously visualizes each step. Her empathy for animals drives her to ensure their lives are as calm as possible, a theme conveyed powerfully in the movie.

🌟 Changing Perceptions

The main theme of the film is to trust one's instincts. Temple Grandin's journey offers a powerful lesson in unlocking potential. She was the first to articulate what it feels like to be autistic, transforming not only the livestock industry but also perceptions of autism.

📚 A Lasting Legacy

Temple Grandin's contributions extend beyond her innovative designs. She has authored numerous books on autism and animal behavior, becoming a recognized authority in both fields. Her life story, though seemingly unbelievable, stands as a testament to her remarkable achievements.

Keywords

💡Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is the central figure of the video, a woman with autism who became a renowned advocate for both autism awareness and animal welfare. Her ability to think visually allowed her to design humane systems for livestock handling, revolutionizing the cattle industry. The script highlights her journey, the challenges she faced, and her profound impact on both autism and the livestock industry.

💡Visual Thinking

Visual thinking refers to the cognitive process where one thinks in images rather than words. Temple Grandin's unique ability to think in pictures allowed her to empathize with animals and design innovative livestock handling systems. This concept is pivotal to the video as it explains how Temple's mind works differently, enabling her to make significant contributions to animal welfare.

💡Autism

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by challenges with social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. The video discusses how autism was misunderstood in the 1960s when Temple was diagnosed. Despite being advised to institutionalize her, Temple's mother supported her development, leading to Temple's remarkable achievements. The video emphasizes how Temple Grandin's experience and insights have reshaped the understanding of autism.

💡Mentors

Mentors play a crucial role in Temple Grandin's life, providing guidance and support that helped her navigate the challenges of autism and develop her talents. The video highlights the importance of mentors, such as her mother, teachers, and others who encouraged her to pursue her interests and believe in her abilities. These relationships were instrumental in her success.

💡Cattle Industry

The cattle industry is where Temple Grandin made significant contributions by designing more humane systems for handling livestock. The video showcases her innovative designs, such as the curved cattle chute and the dip vat, which were based on her understanding of animal behavior. Her work revolutionized the industry by reducing stress for animals during handling, demonstrating her empathy and expertise.

💡Empathy with Animals

Empathy with animals is a key concept in the video, referring to Temple Grandin's ability to understand and relate to the experiences of animals. Her deep empathy allowed her to design systems that minimized stress and discomfort for livestock, leading to more humane treatment. This empathy is highlighted as one of her strengths, stemming from her unique way of thinking.

💡Humane Livestock Handling

Humane livestock handling refers to the ethical treatment of animals in agricultural settings, a principle that Temple Grandin strongly advocated. The video details her designs that allowed cattle to be handled calmly, reducing fear and stress. Her approach revolutionized industry practices, promoting animal welfare and influencing the way livestock are managed globally.

💡Sensory Thinking

Sensory thinking is a cognitive style where information is processed through sensory experiences rather than abstract concepts. The video explains how Temple Grandin's mind, like that of animals, processes information in a sensory manner—through images, sounds, and smells. This ability helped her understand animal behavior and design systems that aligned with how animals perceive the world.

💡Innovative Design

Innovative design refers to the creative and practical solutions that Temple Grandin developed to improve livestock handling. The video illustrates her ability to visualize entire systems in her mind, which she then translated into real-world applications that transformed the industry. Her designs, such as the curved chute and dip vat, are examples of her innovative approach to problem-solving.

💡Autism Advocacy

Autism advocacy involves raising awareness, understanding, and support for people with autism. The video portrays Temple Grandin not only as a pioneer in the cattle industry but also as a prominent advocate for autism. Through her writings and public speaking, she has educated others about what it is like to live with autism, helping to change perceptions and improve the lives of those on the spectrum.

Highlights

Temple Grandin is an amazing visual thinker who can bring everything she has seen to her mind.

Autism was very misunderstood in the 1960s when Temple was born, with no speech by age 4.

Temple's mother pushed her to meet challenges and function as best as she could.

Temple found wonderful, inspired mentors who helped her empathize with animals.

Temple realized she had certain strengths she could exploit and found ways to self-medicate and experience positive feelings.

Claire Danes captured Temple's unique way of thinking, which works in pictures like Google Images.

The movie Temple Grandin worked from her plans to reconstruct one of her achievements.

Cattle used in the film were trained, with some scenes using animatronic cows for intense visuals.

Temple was able to think like a cow and design systems for them to move calmly and peacefully.

Temple's designs took into account the sensory thinking of animals, using curved corners and visual cues.

The film conveys how Temple visualized her designs in her mind before constructing them.

Temple's ethos was to make every moment of an animal's life calm, which the film effectively portrays.

The main theme of the film is to follow your gut instinct and help unlock a door for someone who appears locked in.

Temple Grandin was the first person to describe what it was like to be autistic, ultimately changing the face of autism.

She not only revolutionized the livestock industry but also became an authority on autism and animal behavior, writing many books.

The film is a masterpiece, with an unbelievable true story that couldn't be written as fiction.

Transcripts

one fateful day in the spring of 2008 I

could call in the evening from my agent

who said I'm sending around a script for

you to look at it's the Temple Grandin

project from HBO

I read the script in one go and I closed

to the final page and said to my wife

it's the most amazing story

I'm Temple Grandin

she's an amazing visual thinker can you

bring everything you've seen to your

mind

sure can't you temple was born in the

60s when autism was was really

misunderstood no speech yet at the age

of four your child is clearly autistic

what's the next step we generally

recommend an institution her mother

keeps pushing her as someone to meet

those challenges and to go out into the

world in order that she will function as

best that she can

temple was very very fortunate to have

found a number of wonderful inspired

mentors she goes to Harriet and uncle

and a farm where they raise cattle

that's where she learns that she

actually empathized this with animals as

she became more self-aware she realized

that she had certain strengths that she

could really exploit and she found a way

to self-medicate and experience positive

kind feelings you have a very special

mind that's going to open up on to a

whole new world for you cows yes they do

she's an exceptional person because she

has the ability to explain to us what's

going on in her mind her mind works in a

really surprising wonderful way I'm

official think I think totally in

pictures my mind works like Google

Images nick is actually a very visual

thinker too and had a lot of creative

ideas about how to communicate what that

is like for temple there are things in

her mind that are very very literal like

when someone says to her temple is a

miracle she suddenly has a flash of

Christ walking on the water

it's only a moment but we we see it when

she sees him Claire Danes god bless her

really captured that quality I was so

privileged to have a chance to work with

so many brilliant actors seeing myself

at high schools at home man Claire Danes

she's she's me I can't believe it what's

going on here she ended up working in

the cattle industry creating systems for

cattle to move calmly temple realized

there was a more humane way to encourage

cattle one of the great things about

making this movie was that we worked

from her plans and we reconstructed one

of her great achievement it was surreal

seeing the dip fat that I designed

recreated here absolutely perfectly the

cattle that we used are trained cattles

and it will look very intense on film

however when those viewers look very

closely they'll notice most of the

commotion was just man-made they have

too stuffy cows as we call them in the

film business and animatronic cows these

animals are used in place of a live real

cow to depict some of the action one of

the things when temple got interested in

in animals is to try and see how a cow

would see in that way she was able to

think herself into the mind of a cow

which you sees the world very visually

and she saw you could make something

that would fall it account walking down

a ramp with flats on it so the cow

walked peacefully in and then found

itself off stepping off into the water

she knew the cows like to walk in curved

corners because they thought they were

going back somewhere they'd been before

it was amazing that she could have

visualized that whole thing the thing is

the normal mind drops out the details

but the autism mind sees all the details

that's more like the animal mind because

animals are sensory thinkers they think

in pictures they think in smells

they think it sounds I know my system

will work because I've been through it a

thousand times in my head

her ethos was I love animals so much I

want every moment of their lives will be

calm and what we've done in the movie is

convey how she was able to see that in

her head before she constructed him I

think the main theme of the film is to

follow your gut instinct there is a

tremendous lesson learned out of temples

journey that we can help unlock a door

for somebody who appears very locked in

nobody had said this is how it feels

Temple Grandin was the first person to

actually describe what it was like to be

autistic ultimately she not only changed

the face of the livestock industry she

really changed the face of autism she's

a real authority and she's written many

books on autism and animal behavior and

she's a real success by and by anyone's

standards this is unbelievable you

couldn't write this as fiction nobody

would believe this as possible my

husband read about you miss Grandin this

is a masterpiece

you