Would you let someone read your text messages? How about broadcast them on TV?
- Michael Petrice
- Jul 24, 2014
- 2 min read
In an age where what we tap with our fingers is almost as important as what we say with our mouths, documentary makers are having to go to extraordinary new lengths to tell the whole story.
"Is Chlamydia permanent?" Josie silently searches on her phone, moments after discovering she may have contracted the sexually transmitted disease from Aiden, another star of Channel 4's new series The Secret Life of Students.
Aiden's just broken the news in a phone call, and we've heard the whole thing.
This is because they've both agreed to have their phones "tapped" for the documentary.
"Sorry about that. Awkward. But just get checked out to be on the safe side," Aiden texts a moment later.
Some things are easier to say when you're not face to face.
'Open and assertive'
The Secret Life of Students is a twist on the traditional "observational documentary" TV format, where willing contributors are meticulously tracked by camera teams, in the hope of revealing the dramatic highs and lows of their lives.
For this series, in addition to the cameras, the 12 first-year students were given specially modified iPhones running a script that allowed the programme makers to monitor their digital lives.
The system hoovered up text and WhatsApp messages, searches, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts plus phone calls.
These communications were delivered to the production team back in the office in near real time, 24 hours a day.
"This project really opened my eyes to what a different generation they are," says Joanne Timoney, series producer of the programme.
"We had 200,000 bits of content from our filming period, that's a massive amount.
"They're a generation that's much more open with their feelings and more assertive somehow on their digital communication.
"They were able to say something on a text to their boyfriend, their friend, their mum or dad that maybe they wouldn't say in real life."
Authorised eavesdroppers
The communication monitoring system, called the Digital Rig - or D-Rig - was created by Joanne's team at production company Raw TV and a team of developers.
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