## Project name

Scriptchat

## Timeframe

Nov 2017 – ∞

## Code

BIF 10

## Tagline

It's like a screenwriter for your inane Internet chatter.

## Description

Research suggests that that there is no such thing as a singular “true self” [_citation needed_], and that one’s behavior instead subtly transforms when one is placed into different contexts. This occurs for various reasons, for instance, the desire to be accepted by a social group, or to attain status in one context whilst remaining unnoticed in another [_citation needed_]. When observing a person interacting with a particular social group, physical and behavioral cues, including posture, proximity to other persons, speech patterns, volume, gestures, and other interpersonal dynamics can be observed as indicators of the role that this person plays within this group [_citation needed_]. As such, all real-life interaction are inherently performative [_citation needed_]. Yet, when these cues are stripped away, as in the case of a text-only medium like Internet chat, one’s intended intonation and voice are obscured, and indeed the speaker is stripped of personality and performance [_citation needed_]. By interpreting the subtle cues that may be present in the act of typing itself, physical cues can be translated into stage direction for later re-enactment [_citation needed_]. Yet the multitudes of differing adaptions of the textual content of a play lends itself to a rich tapestry of interpretation, reminding us that all text, and perhaps even all physical and behavioral cues, are filtered through many lenses of multiple individual viewers, such that the “true self” of the original speaker may remain completely unknowable [_citation needed_], that is, the _unbekanntselbst_ [_citation definitely needed_].

On the surface, our approach to capturing the _unbekanntselbst_ appears to be a relatively simple reformatting of chat output into a screenplay. However, the adaptation is much more sophisticated: many of the conventions of text chat must be interpreted in the translation, for instance, emoji reactions turn into stage direction. Threads turn into cuts. Timestamps can indicate whether there are long pauses in conversation or if many people are talking over each other.

Finally, as a culmination of producing a script, we aspire to produce an actual stage play, dramatically and emotionally re-enacted by professional actors, complete with set design, costumes, props, blocking, and direction.

## Proofs of existence

1.

2.

3.

## More proofs

- [Source code](https://github.com/badIdeaFactory/scriptchat)
- [BIFFUD Application](https://github.com/BadIdeaFactory/corporate/issues/46)

## Needs

- Code
- Graphic Design
- Money
- UX / UI Design
- Users
- Actors, Producers, Set designers, Script supervisors, Props, Ushers, Ticket sales

[Launch project](https://badideafactory.github.io/scriptchat/)  
[Donate to support](https://patreon.com/biffud)