Drama IA2 Part B

Thomas MacCulloch

Word Count - 1044

Dramatic Style: Epic Theatre

Dramatic meaning: the potential dangers of Artificial intelligence that will be deadly for humanity if
not dealt with properly.

Key Convention: Alienation-

This concept is designed to shine a light on the potential dangers of AI and it’s impacts on the world.
This particularly relevant now with the recent explosion of new AI technology such as chatGPT and
other emerging AI software, to explore this, used will be the convention of epic theatre. This is an
important concept to explore the problems and dangers that AI will bring to society and will serve as
a reminder of the importance of people acknowledging the risks associated with AI. The alienation
will be shown through the positioning of the actor to the stage, the level of the character on a box,
the changes in lighting and finally the use of ominous narration.

Storyboard Notations
Shot 1 The context of a young
Projection= living room girl being attached to TV
Bright lighting. CS child shows the sociological
watching Elon Musk effect that technology
presentation. has on younger
presentation on TV in the generations.
living room.
Detachment from the
audience shows
alienation.

Shot 2
White light
Elon Musk’s presentation introducing new AI technology.
PowerPoint shows the crowd watching Elon Musk present new AI technology
Musk CS
Dialogue:
Musk: Hello my name is Elon Musk and will be demonstrating the powers of
Quantum AI the world’s first autonomous AI interface.

Alienation is shown
through the level of
Musk compared to the
audience as Musk is on
a podium which puts
him above the audience
creating the sense of
him being a god-like
figure.

The positioning of Musk

challenges the
audience’s assumptions
of Musk is on the same
human level as them.

This narration serves as

Shot 3 a direct address, no
Red lights longer part of the
Musk CS presentation this
The frame freezes an ominous narrator warns against the dangers of AI- ominous voice is
“Behold one man’s ego and its potential for mayhem”. directly warning the
audience of the dangers
of AI

The concept of
alienation is shown
through the red lighting
which gives the
audience a sense of fear
and danger of what is to
come with this new
technology.

Shot 4- This shot’s context is

White light technological as it
Musk CS shows the power of AI
PowerPoint showing the ways in which AI can help the world. in solving world
The presentation returns as musk explains the power of AI for good. problems.
Saying “Quantum AI will bring about a future that will bring an end to The purpose of this shot
hunger, war, and disease, and trust me that future will be here faster than is celebratory based on
you think.” the dialogue of bringing
about new features and
additionally the
presentation is a
celebration of this new
AI technology
Furthermore, it aims to
educate or inform as
Musk explains the
power of AI and what it
can do.

Shot 5-
Musk CS
Red Light
Narration returns saying-
“The alluring power of AI is outmatched only by it’s devastating potential for
chaos. The greater our knowledge and technology expand so does our own
very real potential for extinction”. The purpose of this shot
is to challenge or
provoke, the narration
shows the importance
in addressing the risks
of AI before it is to late
and leads to humanity’s
extinction. This has the
effect of creating a
sense of dread and
tension for the
audience.
Alienation is also used
through the red light,
the morbid narration, as
well as Musk being CS
creating a sense of
distance between the
audience and the events
being portrayed on
stage. Furthermore,
musk is shown as being
a figure of authority and
power beyond humans
which makes him
unrelatable to the
audience.
Shot 6- This shot has a political
Musk CS context as it highlights
Bright light the dangers of a
PowerPoint shows sentient AI promoting
AI capacity for world domination, war
violence, and human extinction.
promoting human The purpose of this shot
extinction, Ai is to educate the
dominance and audience of the dangers
war of AI and to
furthermore warn them
of these dangers and
encourage them to be
careful when using this
technology.
Shot 7- The context for this shot
Child CS is sociological as it
Red light shows the impact of
PowerPoint shows living room. technology on human
Narration- behavior as it creates
fear for those who are
“Behold, the fear of the masses as the power of AI truly reveals itself”. exposed to these
dangers.
The purpose of this shot
is to emphasize as it
creates empathy from
the audience toward
the scared child.

Alienation- the ominous

lighting as well as the
distance and the way
the girl is facing creates
a sense of detachment
from the audience.

Shot 8 The context is

Bright light Philosophical- the shot
CS highlight the ethical
PowerPoint of Audience problems with AI and
Musk Says- “I’m so sorry I’ve tried to manipulate power I can’t control”. the catastrophic affects
it can have on humanity.

The purpose is to
challenge the audience
with difficult truths
about the dangers of AI
and the ethical
implications it has on
people.

Shot 9 This shot serves as one

Musk CS final warning against
PowerPoint of Audience the dangers of AI that
Red light the audience must be
One final message from the Narrator- “As a society, we must accept the made aware of.
dangers of AI if we are to survive”. The red lighting once
again draws the
audience away from
what is going on along
with the narration
taking them out of the
presentation into
something much darker.

Shot 10 The context of this shot

Child CS is sociological as it
PowerPoint of living room highlights the impact of
White light technology on human
behavior through fear
The purpose is to make
the audience empathize
with the child to gain a
deeper understanding
of the dangers of AI.
In terms of alienation-
the light mixed with the
child’s reaction alienates
the audience from what
is happening as they
don’t have that same
sense of horror which
makes the audience
think deeply about the
message being
presented.