From: ensalada@cats.ucsc.edu (Kevin Charles Rubio)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.red-dwarf
Subject: Transcriptions
Date: 7 Jan 1993 07:40:32 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
Reply-To: keeper@deeptht.armory.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: si.ucsc.edu



In another newsgroup, people kept track of transcriptions of
the Blackadder series that others did for the heck of it.
I've seen a couple transcriptions here for Red Dwarf, but no
organisation.

I offer organisation.  I shall keep a list of transcriptions
done (if you've done one, send it to me) and their latest date
of alteration (for cases when some words were not understood
by the transcriptor, or any changes to the file).

My email address is keeper@deeptht.armory.com
If your mailer isn't sending to that address, I won't receive your mail.
You may have to manually address, rather than trust your newsreader's reply
function.

I intend to do at least two transcriptions.  I intend to do the first
episode, so if anyone comes across someone who asks "What's Red Dwarf?"
the person can send off the transcription, so the inquirer can become
inducted into Red Dwarf fandom and start looking to see the episodes.

The other episode I intend to do, I've already done.  It is the episode
that YTV in Canada didn't show at all.  Those in Canada who have been
unable to get the episode on video from someone can at least have a
transcription lying around.

These transcriptions are not literal transcripts of everything the
actors say, per se.  They are attempts to recreate the script the
actor was given.  This means a number of things:

   Only when accentation is necessary to the meaning of a sentence
   will a word be accented in the transcription.  It is a technique in
   acting to emphasise important words in a sentence, to help the audience
   understand what is said, even if every word is not retained.  Many of
   these emphases are not necessary for the meaning of the sentence.

   Cases when the actor repeats part of a line because of audience laughter
   are not included in the transcription.

   Flubbed lines generally are not written as spoken in the transcription.
   The exception would be when it isn't certain what the line was supposed
   to be.

   Not every `um', `er' and `well' is included in the transcription -- only
   those which likely were in the script, and seem necessary to the portrayal
   of a line or the character speaking.

My personal use of non-dialogue text is as follows (prospective transcriptors
may like this clear-cut style):

   {} brackets are used for non-script stuff (basically just the end
   credits or beginning credits if necessary).

   [] brackets not indented are for character actions within a scene.

   [] brackets indented by a tab are for describing a new scene.

   [] brackets within dialogue are for unknown words or uncertain spelling.
   Written like [this?] means the word is either an unknown spelling or an
   unsure-if-that's-really-it word.  When the brackets contain only question
   marks, like [??], each question mark represents an apparent syllable of
   speech -- in the example, two syllables.

   [] brackets within dialogue also are used for indicating a special effect
   taking place on the character -- i.e., something the actor has no control
   over.

   () parentheses are used within dialogue for actions or movements done
   by the actor while speaking, or to describe -- when necessary -- the way
   the actor will speak the line.  Dialogue itself should never use
   parentheses (use dashes or separate sentences -- whichever is appropriate).

Of course, these are only guidelines for those who might want to transcribe
but would have needed some sort of usable template to follow, but it's the
best template I've come up with, having done or edited many Blackadder
transcriptions.

Transcriptions should be kept on an FTP site.  I think there is a sort of
`official alt.tv.red-dwarf ftp site', so perhaps the person who keeps it
will carry the transcriptions...?  Email me if you will, so we can be sure
that each other knows of the latest updates anyone may make.  When corrections
are posted to the newsgroup or otherwise come to my attention, I will update
my files accordingly, and send the updates to you, to save you most of the
work, if you like.  I will keep a date of edition at the top of each
transcript file.

Now then, people may ask, "Why do this?"  My answer is, "I don't know."
For Blackadder episodes, I only did the first episode and rare episodes,
specials or skits.  My reasoning for the first episode was the same as
my reasoning explained above.  The reasoning for the other things is that
most people don't get a chance to see the things in question because they
either aren't aired in some areas, aren't aired at all, aren't on video,
etc.  Other people did all the other, common, Blackadder transcriptions,
although many were sent to me for editing before being sent out.  Their
reasoning may be quite different, but the intention is the same.  They
want fans or potential fans to be able to read an episode that they have
every intention of seeing anyway once they get the opportunity.

I do blather on a bit, and perhaps -- well, perhaps certainly -- go into
far more detail than necessary, but that's that.  I'll post updates on
transcriptions done or in progress from time to time.  If you decide you
want to transcribe an episode, check with me to make sure you won't be
repeating anyone else's work, or so I can tell someone else that they'd
be repeating yours.  keeper@deeptht.armory.com   (American spelling)

All I'll say I have officially is the `Polymorph' transcription.
I do have one of the two that were posted on here, but I don't recall
which.  Best to just send them both to me so I'll remember to save them
to my own media.

--
Email replies must be sent to keeper@deeptht.armory.com

Newsgroups: alt.tv.red-dwarf