Documentary Script:

Deafness
INTRO:
LONG-SHOT OF MYSELF WALKING IN A FOREST
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT
Voice-over:
My name is Charlotte Westall, I am 17 years old. I was born profound
deaf, this is my story. I was first diagnosed when I was 1 years old
but had to the operation for a cochlear implant when I was 2.
Without the cochlear implant I wouldnt be able to hear or
communicate like the way I do in everyday life. I have had this
implant for 15 years now. Now heres the science part of my story.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
Archive footage of an animation of a diagram of how a cochlea
implant works
Voice-over:
A cochlear implant helps those people who suffer with severe or
profound sensorineural deafness. An external processor is worn
mainly behind the ear which then captures surrounding sound and
transforms the sound into a digital code. The external processor has
a battery system that powers the whole cochlear implant system to
work. The sound processor transmits the digital-coded sound from the
microphone of the processor through the coil on the outside of your
head to the implant. Then the implant converts that digital-coded
sounds into electrical impulses and sends them along the electrode
placed in the cochlea which is the inner ear. After the sound
processor has transmitted the digital-coded sounds to the cochlea
into electrodes which then stimulates the cochleas hearing nerve
which sends the impulses to the brain where they are interpreted as
sound.
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
Cut-in of an cochlea implant on someones ear whilst they are
looking into the distance
Pan 180 degrees around someone with cochlear implant
CROSS FADE
Soft non-diegetic music
Montage of facts and figures scrolling over the screen whilst the
voice-over reads it out

Voice-over:
October 1982, Melbourne man Graham Carrick made history when a
remarkable invention, implanted in his cochlea.
In 1967-Graeme Clark begins researching the possibilities of an
electronic implantable hearing device.
In 1977 -Mona Andersson is the first recipient of a bone conduction
hearing implant (Baha) in Gothenburg, Sweden.
deaf (lower case d) people who have hearing loss; they may be
born deaf or become deaf. They mix well in the hearing world and may
communicate orally and be users of sign language.
Deaf (upper case D) refers to people who are full members of the
deaf community and who communicate almost exclusively with sign
language
Hearing loss is a major public health issue that is the third most
common physical condition after arthritis and heart disease
1,750 dogs with deaf people: the oldest recipient a 96-year-old, the
youngest a girl of eight.
Hearing Dogs assist deaf and hard of hearing individuals by alerting
them to a variety of household sounds.
CROSS FADE
Presenter (Charlotte P) will be talking to the camera
MID-SHOT
Presenter:
134,000 cochlear implants would be needed annually to provide one
cochlear implant for each child born with a severe-to-profound
sensorineural hearing loss.
More than 11 million people in the UK with some form of hearing
loss, or one in six of the population. By 2035, it is estimated that
there will be 15.6 million (audio cuts off but still footage still
rolls on her still talking) people with hearing loss in the UK that's one in five people.
(Audio comes back on)
How does that feel? Not hearing a single word during a conversation,
this is what people who are profound deaf will hear without aid from
a cochlear implant. Would you see the world differently if you lost
one of the main 5 senses like hearing?
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
MONTAGE- of random people doing the experiment of what it will be
like to be deaf

MONATGE- of what they thought/felt when they were doing the

experiment
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
Non-diegetic music upbeat but quiet is heard whilst the questions
that are answered/featured in the documentary is shown on screen
scrolling over each other.
The questions featured in this mash-up/scrolling all over the
screen: What do you know about deafness? What is it like working
with people with a hearing disability? What is your experiences with
being deaf? What were your struggles with being deaf day to day?
What did you feel when you did this experience? What are the new
developments that are being made to improve the deaf population to
being able to hear? What type of process do you go through when you
diagnose someone to have a hearing disability? What is the
differences between the different types of deafness such as
profound, sensorineural deafness? On the aiding of the equipment
wise, what process do you go through when someone is due for an
operation to receive a cochlear implant? What did you think it would
feel to be deaf?
INTERVIEWS- parents of a deaf child, a deaf child about their
experiences with being deaf, teacher of deaf
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
TRACKING SHOT OF MYSELF WALKING TO THE LOCKER OR INTO MY BEDROOM.
MID-SHOT OF MYSELF EITHER GOING TO BED OR SWIMMING WITH SOUND WHILE
I HAVE MY COCHLEAR IMPLANT ON. THE SOUND CUTS OFF COMPLETELY WHEN I
TAKE THE IMPLANT OFF.
MID-SHOT OF ME WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS TALKING
Voice-over:
Although there are many positives and negatives to deafness but the
positives over power the negatives. In life there are things you
have to adapt to everyday life especially with a hearing disability.
For example when I go swimming I will have to take my cochlear
implant off I communicate with family and friends through lip
reading. Although sometimes I do struggle with not catching what my
friends and family say so dont alert when you may repeat yourself.
CROSS-FADE
PAN-LEFT OF ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT I USED IN ORDER TO AID ME IN MY
HEARING
Voice-over:

For every deaf person the equipment used are little different
depending on where they got the equipment to aid them in everyday
life. Shown are the ones I use either occasionally or in everyday
life.
MONTAGE OF PICTURES OF THE OPERATION AND WHEN I WAS LITTLE
Voice-over:
According to my parents they said when I was little I was a quiet
baby but they didnt know that I was deaf which was the reason why I
was a quiet baby, also they thought something was wrong when I was
little, I was running off in an alley way and my grandparents were
calling me as I was nearing a busy road but I couldnt hear a single
sound. That was the breaking point that my parents needed to check
out why I couldnt hear them or respond to them that was when they
found out the truth about me being profound deaf.
I had an operation for a cochlear implant when I was 2. Ever since
then the cochlear implant has improved my life greatly as without it
I wouldnt be the person I am today. I was lucky to have the
operation when I was young instead of having it later in life.
Although I dont really remember having the operation but I know
that it is the best thing that has happened to me to aid me in my
profound deafness.
MID-SHOT OF MYSELF LOOKING TOWARDS A CAMERA IN A PARK/FIELD
Myself:
And thats my story.
LONG SHOT OF MYSELF SMILING TO THE CAMERA AND TURN AROUND TO RUN IN
THE FIELD WITH MY FRIENDS
FADE OUT:
THE END