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? ”