Concept and creative process
A strikingly enigmatic image of a large fridge-freezer dominates a sandy desert landscape under a full moon, partially obscured by ominous dark clouds. Claps of thunder and tolling bells are mixed with the music as the camera begins a continuous zoom in and the fridge door opens to reveal a cityscape. This however is illusory, because this image rolls up, as if on a roller-blind, revealing a basement full of detritus instead of a normal fridge interior. The camera continues to zoom in as the freezer door swings open to reveal a bed of barbecue coals within the icy interior, with the ‘40 Minutes’ logo made of ice sitting amongst the flaming embers. It was a powerful image which created connotations in the mind of the viewer, invited a range of personal interpretations and doubtless became a hot topic of conversation. All commendable achievements for the masthead of a contemporary eclectic documentary series.