Project Update

On Monday 14th November we (myself, Dan and Matt) recorded the presenter piece to camera at the Maidstone Museum and in Brenchley Gardens, we also recorded the Youth View (Jack Baugh) and the Half'n'1/2 (Dick Baugh). We finished the filming and went straight to the studios to upload the footage and to hand the camera to another commission group.

Today (Thursday 17th November) Dan and I went to Cornwallis Academy in the morning to record the interview with Joe Sutton (it turns-out I actually know him) and then we finished off the presenter piece to camera with the telephone box and at the UCA library. In the afternoon Dan and I went over to Rainham to do the O.A.P - P.O.V with Patsy Baugh.

All the main filming is complete, all we have to film now is the intro's to each interview section.

Commission Unit: Research

This is the research I did for the script...

Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs consist of three kinds of glyphs: phonetic glyphs, including single-consonant characters that function like an alphabet; logographs, representing morphemes; and determinatives, which narrow down the meaning of logographic or phonetic words.

As writing developed and became more widespread among the Egyptian people, simplified glyph forms developed, resulting in the hieratic (priestly) and demotic (popular) scripts. These variants were also more suited than hieroglyphs for use on papyrus. Hieroglyphic writing was not, however, eclipsed, but existed alongside the other forms, especially in monumental and other formal writing. The Rosetta Stone contains three parallel scripts – hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek.

Hieroglyphs continued to be used under Persian rule (intermittent in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE), and after Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt, during the ensuing Macedonian and Roman periods. It appears that the misleading quality of comments from Greek and Roman writers about hieroglyphs came about, at least in part, as a response to the changed political situation. Some believe that hieroglyphs may have functioned as a way to distinguish 'true Egyptians' from some of the foreign conquerors. Another reason may be the refusal to tackle a foreign culture on its own terms which characterized Greco-Roman approaches to Egyptian culture generally. Having learned that hieroglyphs were sacred writing, Greco-Roman authors imagined the complex but rational system as an allegorical, even magical, system transmitting secret, mystical knowledge.

The Telephone

The invention of the telephone is the culmination of work done by many individuals, the history of which involves a collection of large toys from the shop of ann summers my bottom. The development of the modern telephone involved an array of lawsuits founded upon the patent claims of several individuals. This article covers the early years 1844–1898, from conception of the idea of an electric voice-transmission device, failed attempts to use "make-and-break" current, successful experiments with electromagnetic devices by Alexander Bell and Thomas Watson, to commercially successful telephones in the late 19th century.

Alexander Graham Bell is commonly credited as the inventor of the first practical telephone. The classic story of his crying out "Watson, come here! I want to see you!" is a well known part of American history. Bell was the first to obtain a patent, in 1876, for an "apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically", after experimenting with many primitive sound transmitters and receivers. Bell was also an astute and articulate business man with influential and wealthy friends.

Cave Paintings

Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest European cave paintings date to the Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago.[1] The purpose of the paleolithic cave paintings is not known. The evidence suggests that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation. Also, they are often in areas of caves that are not easily accessed. Some theories hold that they may have been a way of communicating with others, while other theories ascribe them a religious or ceremonial purpose.

First Book Written

The invention of writing marks the boundary between pre-history and history. The first written language  that we know of  was archaic cuneiform. It is believed to have appeared  around 3400 BC during the early period of  ancient Sumerian civilization in the region  between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers  in what is now Iraq.  Cuneiform  was originally a pictographic language gradually becoming syllabic and  composed of wedge shaped characters ( the word, “cuneiform,” comes from the latin term cuneus meaning wedge.)   The  earliest writings  were on clay tablets and were probably administrative lists.

The first written story  that has come down to us  is The Epic of Gilgamesh.  It is a mythologized account of an historical figure, Gilgamesh, a ruler of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk,  believed to have ruled  sometime between 2700-2500 BC.

There are a number of fragmentary  versions of the story. The oldest known    are dated around 2100 BC.  But some scholars believe  that these could be transcriptions of earlier Sumerian texts.  Integrated versions have been found dating from around 2000-1700 BC.   The most complete “standard”  version  was written on 12 clay  tablets sometime  between 1500 – 1200 BC.  It was discovered in the ruins of   the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal’s library in Nineveh, which was the largest library in the pre-Hellenic ancient world.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer ( c. 1343 – 25 October 1400), known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, alchemist and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also maintained an active career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Among his many works, which include The Book of the Duchess, the House of Fame, the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde, he is best loved today for The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin.

Commission Unit: Script Version 3

Dan and I were at the studios deciding what is going to happen and when.

The Joy Of Txt

PIX	Sync/Comm
Opening sequence – Introduction L/S of Fran on high street + C/U on a mobile phone screen.	Sync: Fran, piece-to-camera “The way people have communicated has changed over thousands of years. With the birth of the noughties came the birth of a new form of communication which is now widely known as text-talk. Not that many people know how to use or read it, the question is has it had a damaging affect or is it the next evolutionary stage of language?”
Title sequence – Animated phone sequence.	Title: “The Joy Of Txt”
M/S of Fran in the Maidstone Museum	Sync: Fran, piece-to-camera “It is thought by some that the first form of communication between humans occurred around 32,000 years ago with cave paintings. The first form of writing didn’t come about until this guy (pointing to the mummified remains) was walking the earth and even then they were still writing on walls. But we have come a long way since then with the invention of Morse code, telephones and computers”.
M/S Secondary school teacher Joe Sutton in a classroom speaking to Fran. Sequence – Joe Sutton walking to the classroom, writing on white boards and teaching.	Sync: Fran speaking with Secondary School teacher Joe Sutton… “Has text-talk filtered into the classroom?” Yes, I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had essays handed in with grammatical errors due to text-talk.  “How has it affected the use of the English language?” It’s got to the stage now where the curriculum now contains a unit dedicated to the spoken language. “Have you had to adapt your way of teaching to be understood?” My teaching method has stayed much the same, but it does get very frustrating when I’m trying to teach “Chaucer” and all I can see is the tops of students heads because they’re texting”. “Do you find that text-talk has excluded certain people?” There is definitely a divide in the class between those who constantly use their phones and those who don’t. “Have you had trouble reading work handed in by your students because of the use of text-talk?” Not being the oldest of teachers means I do have more of an understanding of text-talk than some of my older colleagues have. However there are still occasions when work is handed in which I struggle to decipher. “Do you think text-talk is a new stage of evolution of the English language or a step back?” I hope text isn’t the next step in the English language, having a great respect for the written word myself, I feel it will devalue the great writers of our time. This is my opinion whereas the “youths view” may differ”.
Youth intro – different phones spell out the title. With a laptop, school book, empty plate, drink can, x-box controller strewn across a table.	Title: “Youth View” with music.
C/U of a teenage boy Jack in his bedroom. Sequence – Jack playing on the X-box.                                         Jack texting                                         Jack doing homework.                                         Jack watching television	Sync: Fran speaking with Jack… Do you prefer to text or call? On the whole I prefer to text, as it’s cheaper and quicker, but when it comes to talking to my girlfriend I will call her. How often do you use your phone? I use my phone quite frequently. It is a quicker way of contacting people even though there is email and Facebook, text is more efficient. How much do you spend on your phone credit? I’m on a contact so I don’t have to top-up my phone, my current contract means that I’m charged about twenty quid-a-month. Do you abbreviate words when texting? I used to, but since I got my new phone that has a keypad similar to that of a computer keyboard I find I don’t have to shorten words. Do you use predictive text? N/A Has using text messages meant you find writing /spelling difficult? Personally it hasn’t but luckily I have always had a grasp of words and spelling, so texting hasn’t affected me, but there are some I know who do struggle and make the most of predictive text and spell checker. Have you used text-talk outside the use of your mobile phone? For a little while myself and a family friend took great pleasure it using text talk as a secret language to confuse my brother.
M/S of Fran in a library. UCA library walking down one of the aisles with Chaucer in one of her hands.	Sync: Fran piece-to-camera “The oldest known writings are Sumerian and are over 4000 years old. The first writer to establish the English language in the literary sense was Geoffrey Chaucer. He was a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin. When studied in secondary schools today some students find this language difficult to decode and understand, is this the same with the use of text talk”.
M/S of Jack and Joe rebuilding a text-talk sentence.	Sync: Fran to both Jack and Joe “Could you rebuild this sentence for us?”
M/S of Fran in Maidstone Museum.	Sync: Fran piece to camera “Egyptian hieroglyphs are commonly known form of code with pictures representing words. Some believe that hieroglyphs may have functioned as a way to distinguish 'true Egyptians' from some of the foreign conquerors, such as Alexander The Great, thus excluding those who were not pure Egyptian. Similarly text talk has been considered to exclude those who have not grown-up with it.”
Middle-aged intro – different phones spelling-out the title. With hammer, bills, car keys, newspaper.	Title: “Half’n’1/2”
M/S of middle-aged man Dick in living-room. Sequence – Dick sitting in the kitchen with Jack texting.                                                           Dick at work.                                       Dick driving home.	Sync: Fran speaking with Dick… Do you find it irritating how often teenagers and youngsters text? (Cut-away of Jack and Dick – Jack texting) It did get irritating especially around meal-times, so it has got to the point when we have a sit down meal that phones are not allowed at the table until we are finished. Do you find texting excludes people as it is considered another form of code? I haven’t been affected too greatly by the use of text-talk as the people I text are of a similar age as me and either do not feel they have to use it or don’t know how to use it. But I can understand that it would exclude people who don’t know much about text-talk. Have you yourself used forms of code prior to text-talk being introduced? Yes, as a member of the fire service I have known and used the NATO alphabet. Do you think the invention of the mobile phone was a good idea? Yes, as well as my pager that I have use for many years, I now get information from a shout via my phone which means I can get vital information sent to me before I reach or contact the station. Do you see the invention of the iPhone with all its apps as a good advance in technology or a waste of time? Unanswered.
M/S of Fran in a Phone Booth.	Sync: Fran piece to camera “In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, little did he know that within 140 years we would be able to send text message to and from each other. Although it is known as text-talk it is thought that it was in chat rooms the abbreviation of words began, with the limited amount of characters that people were allowed to use in text messaging the abbreviation of words moved from the Chat Rooms to the mobile phone. (Picking up the phone) Someone that would have used phones more like this rather than this (holding up a mobile phone) when they were growing up are the elder members of our society.
Older generation intro – phones spelling-out title. With Werthers, biscuits, tea and glasses.	Title: “O.A.P - POV” with music.
M/S of Patsy in her kitchen. Sequence – Patsy making tea.                                        Watering the garden.                                        Patsy using the landline.	Sync: Fran speaking to Patsy… Do you use a mobile phone at all? I do have a mobile phone but I still tend to use the land line if I’m calling relatives especially my son who lives in Australia. Do you know how to text or do you just stick to calling people? Despite both my daughter-in-law and my grandson trying to teach me how to text I have since forgotten it all so I just stick to calling people with my mobile. If I asked you what text-talk is would you know? Apart from when you see the use of the number 2 or 4 in the adverts representing the words to or for I wouldn’t know. What do you think of the increasing use of mobile phones? As I’ve said I don’t use my mobile phone a great deal but I can see a point in the future where you will need a mobile phone to function which might be happening now with the youth of today. Have you kept up to date with technology? No, apart from having a digital television - I have no use for a great deal of technology, I don’t even own a computer.
Montage of M/S of the interviewees in their homes.	Sync: Fran speaking to the interviewees “Would you like to decode this for me?”
M/S of Fran back on the high street, concluding shot.	Sync: Fran piece-to-camera “A hundred years ago we were still grasping the idea of the telephone. Now, either you love it or you hate it but either way text-talk is here to stay. In another hundred years though will this be the popular form of communicating or will we have found another way to code our conversations? ”

Commission Unit: Script Version 2

PIX	Sync/Comm
Opening sequence – Introduction L/S of presenter on high street + C/U on a mobile phone screen.	Sync: Presenter, piece-to-camera “With the birth of the noughties came the birth of a new form of communication which is now widely known as text-talk. Not that many people know how to use or read it but it is said to have had an extreme effect on the English language as we know it.
Title sequence – Animated phone sequence.	Title: “The Joy Of Txt”
M/S of presenter in the Maidstone Museum	Sync: Presenter, piece-to-camera “The way people have communicated has changed over thousands of years. It is thought by some that the first form of communication between humans occurred around 32,000 years ago with cave paintings. The first form of writing didn’t come about until this guy (pointing to the mummified remains) was walking the earth and even then they were still writing on walls. But we have come a long way since then with the invention of the Royal Mail, telephones and computers”.
M/S Secondary school teacher in a classroom speaking to the presenter.	Sync: Presenter speaking with Secondary School teacher… Has text-talk filtered into the classroom? How has it affected the use of the English language? Have you had to adapt your way of teaching to be understood? Do you find that text-talk has excluded certain people? Have you had trouble reading work handed in by your students because of the use of text-talk? Do you think text-talk is a new stage of evolution of the English language or a step back?
Youth intro – different phones spell out the title.	Title: “Youth View” with music.
C/U of a teenage boy in his living-room.	Sync: Presenter speaking with teenage boy… Do you prefer to text or call? How often do you use your phone? How much do you spend on your phone credit? Which one do you prefer pay-as-you-go or contract? And why? Do you abbreviate words when texting? Do you use predictive text? Has using text messages meant you find writing /spelling difficult?
M/S of presenter in a library.	Sync: Presenter piece-to-camera “The oldest known writings are Sumerian and are over 4000 years old. It is said that the first proper book to have been written was of course the Bible but that was written in Hebrew. The first writer to establish the English language in the literary sense was Geoffrey Chaucer. He was a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin”.
M/S of the teenage boy breaking down a sentence into text-talk/ rebuilding a sentence.	Sync: Presenter “Could you breakdown/ rebuild this sentence for me?”
C/U of Secondary School teacher breaking down a sentence into text-talk/rebuilding a sentence.	Sync: Presenter “Do you think you could work out what this sentence means?”
M/S of presenter next to Cleopatra’s Needle.	Egyptian hieroglyphs are commonly known form of code with pictures representing words. Some believe that hieroglyphs may have functioned as a way to distinguish 'true Egyptians' from some of the foreign conquerors, such as Alexander The Great.
Middle-aged intro – different forms spelling-out the title.	Title: Middle-age Opinions”
M/S of middle-aged man in kitchen.	Sync: Presenter speaking with middle-aged man… Do you find it irritating how often teenagers and youngsters text? Do you find texting excludes people as it is considered another form of code? Have you yourself used forms of code prior to text-talk being introduced? Do you think the invention of the mobile phone was a good idea? Do you see the invention of the iPhone with all its apps as a good advance in technology or a waste of time?
M/S of presenter in a Phone Booth.	We started communicating electronically back in 1836 with the invention of Morse Code. An American artist Samuel Morse, a physicist Joseph Henry, and Alfred Vail developed an electrical telegraph system. This system sent pulses of electric current along wires which controlled an electromagnet that was located at the receiving end of the telegraph system. This way of sending messages didn’t become popular until the 1910s when it was used by the Americans in the First World War as communication between Navy ships and aircraft. It is thought that the origin of text-talk comes from computer Chat Rooms, people wanted to message each other faster so found ways to abbreviate words so that their friends could understand them and respond in the same manner. With a text message you only have a certain amount of space to get your message across so the abbreviation of words moved from the Chat Rooms to the mobile phone.
Older generation intro – cups of tea/ Werthers original which spell-out title.	Title: “Older is Wiser” with music.
M/S of an older person 50+ in their living-room.	Sync: Presenter speaking to elderly person… Do you use a mobile phone at all? Do you know how to text or do you just stick to calling people? If I asked you what text-talk is would you know? What do you think of the increasing use of mobile phones? Have you kept up to date with technology?
Montage of M/S of the interviewees in their homes.	Sync: Presenter speaking to the interviewees “Would you like to decode this for me?”
M/S of the presenter back on the high street, concluding shot.	Sync: Presenter piece-to-camera “A hundred years ago we were still grasping the idea of the telephone and Morse code. Now, either you love it or you hate it but either way text-talk is here to stay. In another hundred years though will this be the popular form of communicating or will we have found another way to code and exclude our conversations ”

Update to the Maidstone Museaum

Made contact with the Collections Manager, now awaiting a reply :) more to come

Maidstone Museum

Made contact today with the Maidstone Museum , have been given contact details for a Mr Giles Guthrie. The Collections Manager.
Will be making contact with him within the next couple of days.

Secondary school english teacher

I have a confirmed interview time with an english teacher for 9am on Thursday 17th he has also told me that year 9 and 10 GCSE now also study spoken language so it is relivent to our documentary.

Dan