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can you change as your world evolves?
TV Production Concept Presentation
A live study investigating how we adapt as our environment changes.
Produced and Copyright of Mike Gilbert and Mark Baker
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The Pre text
This is a reality/drama TV show posing as an anthropological experiment where the producers and the public guide the evolution of the participants. It is about people and their interactions as the world around them evolves.
The Context
This show is two groups of 20 matched couples many of who will have robot- babies. The show runs for two years and is split into 6 four-month economic periods, which are phased in as the previous one is phased out. The families live in huts and there is a communal area for shared use. The two groups live within 200 yards of each other. But are initially kept separate.
The Subtext
This is the set of guiding principles based on psychology, anthropology and economics, which adds entertainment value and offers the programme makers and the public the opportunity to manipulate how the groups will interact.
The groups and individuals progress through a pre-established set of stages that mirror mankind’s evolution from the Stone Age to the phone age and possibility beyond.
Intr oduction
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How Evolution Works
Forty people, in two groups of ten couples live as two tribes. The social and economic activity within the two groups take place over a twenty four month period, though we understand this may need to be shortened. The programme witnesses how the two groups evolve through a number of pre determined “eras” with corresponding changes to the groups’ dynamics, composition and environment.
The aim of the programme is to follow the participants on a journey of hard work, discovery and enterprise. Like other
reality shows (Wife swap, Big Brother) the entertainment comes from the group dynamics. The cameras capture the activities of the two groups, the couples who belong to each group, and the individuals within each couple. Where EVOLUTION differs, is that instead of the participants being members of the public they are unknown actors. These actors not only endure the realities of evolution but also have opportunities to perform in role.
The premise of the programme consists of the production team facilitating tasks that begin with hard collaborative activity. Including managing a (robotic) baby, sharing food, producing, gathering and preparing food. The groups debate and uphold their own moral code, and carry out collective sanctions against transgressions.
Each of the two groups has the same broad tasks and undertakes them at roughly the same time. The aim throughout is to maintain food production whilst also maintaining social order. The viewing public observers the different approaches adopted by the two groups.
Differences can be introduced into each group to see how outcomes change i.e. one set of “babies” might have a different crying and changing requirements, food may be more or less plentiful and supplies more or less frequent.
A narrator describes the action.
The narrator interprets the group’s behaviours for the benefit of the viewing public who have opportunities to direct the course of events. The six phases or epochs, which we describe later, are: Primitive; Feudal; Industrial;
Bureaucratic; Digital and Post Digital.
Intr oduction
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Mike Gilbert
Mike Gilbert was a Local County and Borough Councillor and portfolio holder for Community Integration and Housing as well as working as a professional within the Criminal Justice System and has done so for 24 years. He has both a social work qualifications and a degree in philosophy and economics as well as a business qualification. A combination of economics, philosophy and psychology; the latter an essential component of working with offenders, is what inspired the idea for EVOLUTION.
Mike is a father of five and has brought up his eldest two sons largely on his own.
Mike Says: “Evolution” is about people and their changing social context but not the random scatological contexts as we have seen in other reality shows, very entertaining though they are. We use contexts shaped by the environmental realities associated with a means of collective survival. It has long been identified that the allocation of labour to resources (typically land and capital) and the ease with which people can create value from this determines the kind of society one lives in.
EVOLUTION will shine a light on the past, illustrate something of the present
and possibly provide a window on the future. The fun and the excitement in EVOLUTION is that the production team work with a model for organizing the land, and capital, which in simple terms mirrors the various stages of mankind’s development. It is up to the participating groups to organize the labour, and with that it is anticipated the very essence of their community.
As the “evolutionary” developments are introduced the community will change, but will it be for the better and will everyone involved keep up. There are opportunities for audience phone polls and other types of involvement to maintain the public’s interest. However there are no evictions.
Mark Baker
Mark Baker is a creative designer with experience in producing branding and promotional material for major brands in the entertainment industry.
He has a personal interest in all areas of psychology, in particular behaviour management. This combination of interests and expertise along with his previous career as a Nursery Nurse allows Mark to bring an informed view of society and how it may affect people in different social roles.
Pr oducers
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The Phases
Explore the six phases or epochs, which are: Primitive; Feudal; Industrial;
Bureaucratic; Digital and Post Digital.
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Primitive Phase
This phase is characterised by:
• Enormous uncertainty, contingency and fear
• Tribal behaviour, competition for resources
• Primitive music making and dance
• Simple moral code
• Possible separation of the sexes on a task basis
• Uncertainty and collective action
• Hunger
• Tribal identity i.e. facial paint, clothing, flags etc
Phase One
The couples are paired and may be provided with a Robotic-Baby.
In the communal area there are wood burning stoves.
All the couples are responsible for preparing the food and collecting the fuel. There are no clocks or calendars and the tribes are required to create new words for days of the week and times of the day and are rewarded with fuel and food for the speed with which they can embed this in to their tribal culture.
To replicate social and economic risk tribes must work hard and allocate who will carry various tasks.
Generally there is uncertainty as to when food and fuel will be made available. So the tribe must be alert 24 hours a day.
This phase involves each tribe establishing an area of ground for food production, managing animals for milk and meat etc. The kind of tasks both tribes are set involve agreeing positive moral rules and how poor behaviour will be managed within their group.
The life is hard and the tasks involve toil, drudgery and routine and may generate a separation of tasks between the sexes and different age groups. To survive the group has to solve long- term challenges.
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Feudal Phase
This phase is characterised by:
• Fixed rank and superiority
• Loss of status both tribal and personal as the monarch selects the rankings
• More technical skills are introduced and towards the end of the period clocks are made available to the Monarch.
• Disloyalty and rebellion
• More order is attempted and possible dissent
• The production team may need to assist the monarch with managing dissenters.
• Other informal
leaders may emerge as a challenge to the monarch’s sovereignty.
Phase Two
This phase begins after two months when competition between the tribes begins. Each tribe will have established a unique ‘culture’ like flags and salutes, which maximise the tribe’s survival through identity.
At this point the public and member of the tribe are informed about the strength and weaknesses of each individual (how they have contributed to the collective good in terms of time and task). Analysing activity is an important element of the programme. Hard work, emotional resilience, and overall social contribution are disclosed each week and a running record is kept for the benefit of the viewers. The mid point of the phase is ‘Monarch Making’ when the group can nominate a sovereign as leader within their own group. There is a job description for the monarch, which is used to test the mettle of the nominated candidates. The advantages of leader are power and status and once a monarch is selected the Production team guides and encourages them.
However unbeknown to the Tribes it is not them who choose their leader but the public via a phone poll. The newly crowned monarch can, should they wish, select a new partner from with in their tribe.
From the tribal members the monarch and consort choose a lord and lady in waiting who sit with them and assist with managing the tribe. The king, queen, lord and lady allocate tasks and there by creates a feudal society. With more food and fuel now available some people can be reallocated to tasks of caring for the monarchy.
There is no way of removing the Monarch, but all other ranks including the consort can be replaced. So grovelling and snivelling plus general intrigue are tolerated. Tasks are determined by rank.
Only the Monarch and consort have no obvious role other than to rule, keep order and dispense positive ‘justice’.
Music and entertainment are very important. Everything is for the monarch to determine (with help from the production team). The sovereign can trade home produced food and fuel for luxuries like clothes and special foodstuffs for themself and their consort. The Monarch can order lower orders to do anything legal such as sing, serve food, pay homage, act as an ambassador with the other tribe or take a partner in to service.
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Industrial Phase
This phase is characterised by:
• Declining influence of the Monarch as communication improves.
• The Monarch has less influence and status due to the power of the
“Industrialists”.
• Improved food production and more industrial ways of gathering food and cooking.
• Limited independence for certain people.
• Clocks are made available to all.
• Certain skills become valued cooking/brewing etc.
Phase Three
Up to this point we have two tribes, run along similar lines. Next the two Monarchs are encouraged to meet.
Their lower orders are encouraged by them to compete musically and in other legitimate ways singing and dancing etc. The lower orders service the events.
The two Sovereigns make speeches, judge tournaments, and maintain order in their societies. And rule.
The people are initially unable to challenge their Monarch. Monarchs can swap a lower order from his tribe with another more useful or less rebellious one from the other tribe etc.
Loosening the power of the Monarch is the third stage, and again it is marked by technological change increasing
the amount of value being created by the tribe.
The tribes eventually merge under one Monarch during this phase. The single Sovereign rules the larger group in the same way as they ruled the smaller group. The selection of the Monarch is achieved by a public vote, but there will be plotting and intrigue before hand.
As this phase concludes the public are called upon to choose who will become the emerging “Industrialists”.
With echoes of Scrapheap challenge the selected “Industrialists” use their knowledge and technical skills to create a better life for all through trade and production.
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Bur eaucratic Phase
This phase is characterised by:
• Few, if any, collective activities
• Some collective activities may remain ie cooking and brewing as long as people are willing to pay
• Work is routine and repetitive - repairing stuff, writing stuff and managing budgets etc.
• Wages are earnt by most people.
• Inequality continues.
• There is choice and the possibility of buying in (food, beer, books etc)
• The Monarch has no power but retains the title.
• Scrap heap technology is available.
Phase Four
The advent of modern technology sees changes. The chores of cleaning, washing, gardening, entertaining, plus heating and lighting are slowly introduced into the now enlarged environment. Cooking becomes easier and the Monarch and retinue have less to do. People live independently. There is likely to be a stirring of rebellion challenging authority because the Monarch still acquires a large proportion of the wealth. There may be prompts from the production team or public to campaign for more democracy and depose the Monarch, a position which by now has become redundant.
There will be challenge to the prevailing authority. A new order might arise, demanding leadership from a democratically elected leader. Basically there is more value to be distributed, with most of it finding its way in to the hands of industrialists. Wages are paid for work previously done for nothing as the serfs or peasants become workers.
Food is delivered and purchased. The old order remains the basis for the income levels i.e the Monarch gets a hefty wage from the pot but has no defined economic role. Money can be used to purchase items collectively or individually. There is a radio station.
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Digital Phase
This phase is characterised by:
• Leisure
• Great distribution of wealth
• Freedom
• Waste
• Arguments
• Selfishness
Phase Five
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The arrival of the TV and computers marks the beginning of the digital period. Wages are high and items, such as gadgets, can be bought.
There is plenty of leisure time and comfort. Wages are paid for a variety of tasks including telephone sales, web design, attending meetings, preparing charts and monitoring each others activities.
Other activities might be chronicling TV programmes or keeping a diary.
This Digital epoch with labour saving devices, high wages and leisure finally undermines the authority of the Monarch who is now has to be maintained by consent. Voting and some kind of democracy may bring the Monarchy to an end. In this period there is the possibility of revolution but also idleness and argument. This is the “Big Brother” phase where relationships are trivial and emotional without any significant value. The everyday tasks are pointless but entertaining.
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Post Digital Phase
• Recreation giving way to idleness
• Work giving way to inaction and inactivity
• Cooperation giving way to argument
• More consumption
• More debt
• More unhappiness
Phase Six
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It is unclear yet what this phase will look like but by the end of this TV concept we will have a better idea of how society may evolve.
We imagine will be characterised by:
This phase bring the show to an end.
Thank you for reading and considering our proposal. Please contact us to discuss this further using the details on the page opposite.
Mike & Mark
22 Tower Street Boston,
Lincolnshire, PE27 8RX 01205 355006 07929573306 [email protected]
Produced and Copyright of Mike Gilbert and Mark Baker
