There are three girls in the computer room trying to work out how to convert WMA files onto a mac. They are unaware they are being taped because the recorder is on hold, and they don’t know how to get hold off. They are not very good at technology.
1 is a foreign girl, called Claire. Quite shy and reserved, quaint and likes pencils because they are simple and get the job done.
2 is a bit slow, is intimidated by 3 and seems to be the one closest to the recorder.
3 is the leader of the group and most confident. Is the kind of girl to go and get help when needed and doesn’t want to waste time. She gets a bit angry. I think her name is Megan.
4 is the IT technician.
1 and 2 are already in the room, sat at a computer.
1 – Megan seems pretty confident so I hope (laughs)
2 – (Laughs)
2 – Did she go with you?
1 – Huh?
2 – Did she go with you?
1 – No, she’s in the shop I think.
1 – I have to go to the loo. Today I ate lots of crap and now I feel bad.
1 – Um, ok, so I think its all good. I think its perfect, so now we can do….
2 – Sound, that goes onto MP3.
1 – Yeah,
2 – Can I have a look?
1 – Can you put it on the computer? On here? Seeing as it’s already here? Just put in..
2 – Oh, or I can do it on here? Hold on…(humming)
3 enters
2 – Did you get what you needed?
3 – Yeah
2 – What did he say?
3 – That my work was really promising or something.
2 –Ahhh
3 – And that he was getting chocolate as well, we were all like, we need sugar! (Laughs)
2 – We were thinking that maybe we could download it to the computer and then if it has something built in, but I’m not sure because Claire said that she thinks she has Garage Band.
3 – Hmm?
1 – I think I have Garage band on my computer, but I am not sure.
2 – Uhuh.
3 – What do you mean, we’ve got it here haven’t we?
1 – Just because the problem of the – er, the - er,
3 – Um, so, you haven’t sorted out the WMA things?
2 – Mm Mm (no)
3 – (Angry) So how are we going to do it then?
2 – Erm, are we sure about that yet? Umm, Are we sure its not suitable for a mac?
1 – I don’t know, I really don’t know.
3 – Let me go and get someone. I mean there;s no point staying here.
(Pause.)
1 – I’m going to the loo.
2 – Ohh- k
(2 is left alone. Playing with pen, running it up and down table. Humming, singing.)
(1 walks in with technician guy)
3 - (mid coversation) – …I, we, have recorded it again, we have got the WMA’s on here.
4 – Oh do they, oh right, uum, where are they?
3 – Let me see, um, how did we get it to work?
2 – Turned on after we plugged it in
3 – Ok
(4 Coughs)
(Fumbling, typing, awkward coughing)
3 – Should probably be that one.
4 – Which one? That one?
3 – Yeah, I think so.
4 – R-ight….
(Mac noises, moving files)
4 – Oh I see, so in here is it? Errm…I mean, if you import it to garage band..
3 – That’s the problem, we can’t actually.
2 – Wont work..
4 – Does it just say…un known file?
3 – Err, you know how its like faded so you cant see…
(2 interrupts)
2 – Can’t even click on it
4 – Right, ok.
(1 enters room again, say hello quietly)
(2 humms, same song as before)
4 – Let me grab a couple and see what I can do, because there’s not much software on these machines. We’ll see if any other software can convert it.
(Mac noises. Dragging files)
4 – Ok, lets just try a couple of others, there’s a thing called sound studio.
2 – Ok
4 – It might even do it in final cut, but we’ll have a look.
(4 Leaves)
2 – Basically these things have just been ruining our lives, making us feel stupid even though…
2 – Yeah , cos when I said it to Peter he didn’t know either.
3 – Its just frustrating because we know what we want to do but we just can’t do it.
2 –Erm, well he said its supposed to be a very simple task, and I was like, yeah, we’ll know what we want to do, we just can’t do it. (Laughing) We don’t have any technical skills. I’ve got quite an understanding, but…
1 – Cos I think we are supposed to, you know, get to know these computers
2 – Yeah
1 – Like doing the workshops and stuff
(Lots of noise, Fumbling)
3 – But it’s pretty standard isn’t it, like you’d think like why, is it not, able to upload to a mac. That’s like a (laughs) a big flaw in the….
2 – Exactly, yeah.
(Lots of noise, fumbling around.)
2 – You just assume it would. Like you can usually change the file names, like you can change JPEG’s to GIFF’s.
(Pause)
2 – You can do it on a normal computer, I mean, you can do it on mine if you want.
3 – But then the whole thing is to try and learn garage band.
1 – So we can just transfer the thing, and then transfer the thing…? (sounding upset and frustrated)
2 – I just know? (Laughing)
1 – I just want to do it, you know…
2 – I still think we need to do it.
3 – I just don’t think the sounds will be right for what we want to do now.
It is so annoying, that we can’t just sit here with the thing now, plug it in and do it. (Getting angry) Like…Like we going to have to record them, and then ask them to do it, and then convert them again.
(Pause)
2 aimed at 1– What happened when you went to the shop?
1 – Um, we couldn’t find the right button, so she just showed me.
2 – Oh yeah, its on.
1 – Cos, now I don’t know how to turn it off.
2 – So what button did she press? To turn it on?
(Pause, fumbling about with recorder)
2 – Oh, ok, so basically, HI. (playing with recorder) LA LA LA LA LA LA.
1 – I used that one before when I was in college and it did play on my computer.
2 – Oh really?
1 – Yeah, because it plays on Itunes.
3 – (anger in voice) Why doesn’t it work then?
2 – Why don’t we just do it on that then? And forget about the other stuff?
(Pause – 2 looks at recorder in detail)
2 – It says ‘Hold on’… Why is it doing this? Everything you press it says ‘Hold on’… I feel like throwing it against the wall, like,
3 – Why doesn’t it just work?!
1 – That’s why I like pencils, they just…..
2 – I hate….why does with everything you press it just say, HOLD ON?.....
For what?
3 – It says, Hold – is – on.
2 - (Laughs) Oh…hold is off.
(4 enters)
THE END