DRAFT

PORT-O-SAN //Alex, Jennecca, Katie//

CONCEPT

We wish to investigate the effects of social networking and modern communication technology on // the // // art of conversation //. Through interviews with people of varying ages/genders/ethnicities, we will gather opinions and come to a general consensus on the way that the Internet has changed the way that we communicate. We also want to investigate whether modern communication technology is depersonalising the act of communication by replacing face-to-face interactions with machines. We’d like this film to be around 8-10 minutes long. This film will appeal to all ages, but especially to older generations, to whom these ideas are relatively new – as opposed to our contemporaries, (young people from pre-teens to late twenties), for whom these technologies are all that we have known. It will be interesting for everyone to see the way that our ways of communicating with each other have evolved.

Research that we have to do will first involve testing Chat Roulette. We would use a screen capture software to film ourselves conducting interviews on the site, also recording statistics relating to what kind of person uses sites like these. The biggest issue is finding or thinking of enough visual material to keep the audience entertained while still remaining informative, relevant, and interesting. We will include archival footage from the New Zealand Film Archives, and we aim to track down old commercials or news items about the invention of the Internet. Copyright issues may come into play so we need to contact the Film Archive and ask about that. To avoid complications around copyright we have decided as a group not to enter our film into any competitions outside of school. Locations will include Queen Street, the homes of our interviewees, etc. Equipment needed includes the obvious, such as an HD digital video camera, microphone and tripod. We aim to use natural light, but if necessary when filming inside, lights may be needed. For filming on the street it could be useful/effective to use the SteadiCam attachment so that we could have free movement with the camera and walk down the street filming people passing by. Special Effects - Ideally we would love the opportunity to experiment with stop-motion photography, and use that as an interesting way to present our statistics and facts regarding use of technology. It could be a unique and visually appealing way of communicating something that could typically be dull and uninteresting. This would be time-consuming. We plan to use a very lyrics-focused soundtrack, which would appeal to the target audience across a broad spectrum (including contemporary pop music and older rock that other generations would appreciate).

A problem that could arise would be conflicting schedules, however filming of interviews could be done individually, without other group members, which reduces this issue significantly. The approximate number of shooting days would be around 20, including re-shoots. That’s what we aim for anyway! We could also have trouble sourcing interviews with professionals/experts. **TREATMENT** The documentary will be an expository style with elements of interactive conventions. We would like to achieve a light tone, not overly serious, exploring rather than exerting any sort of authority.

There will be no linear narrative, but rather a series of clips from archival footage. There will be a contrast emphasised between shots from the “old days” and the present day, when we Voiceover or ‘voice of God’ (supplied by Katie) will narrate throughout, addressing the audience directly (in keeping with an expository style documentary). This will give the film authority. If we appear on camera, it won’t be apparent that we are the filmmakers – we will keep our identities secret!! Interviews will make up a large proportion of the film. We will splice together all the clips from the various interviewees on whichever subject or topic is relevant at the time, preceded by a title screen stating the subject, (eg. ‘ON TEXTING.’) When each person is interviewed, at the bottom of the screen, we will introduce him or her with a title screen stating their age, and where they were born. In the interviews we will talk to our subjects about Facebook, texting, email, letter-writing, telephones, what it was like without the internet/cell-phones, Skype, MSN/other messengers, Chat Roulette, and how they think all of the above have affected the way that we communicate. We will interview each subject in his or her own home. If we can we will find an “expert” to interview who can give a kind of authority to our message. Vox Pops by stopping willing participants on Queen Street and asking them the same questions that we address to our interviewees, achieving a truly diverse range of opinions from people of all walks of life. Live Footage, we will take shots of people walking down Queen Street/sitting in cafes talking on their phones, etc. We will incorporate some fast motion shots with an elderly couple standing in the midst of the passing crowds to imply how hectic and chaotic the modern world is, contrasting the slower pace of the older generation’s lives, and ours. Archival Footage would add authenticity and interest to our film, showing the way things used to be and providing something visual for us to compare our present society with. We will attempt to get this through the New Zealand Film Archive. Hopefully this will include images of people going about their daily lives using telephones or old computers, writing letters or using typewriters, etc.