The film was inspired by a May, 2010 article in Wired magazine called "Meet the last generation of typewriter repairman." Director Christopher Lockett and producer Gary Nicholson discussed the importance of the typewriter in 20th-century literature, and agreed that the passing of the typewriter, a portable printing press that moved the world's communication technology from pen and ink to the QWERTY keyboards on today's computers, along with the highly skilled technicians who service them, should be documented. The film contains more than 30 interviews in 10 U.S. states with authors, collectors, journalists, professors, bloggers, students, artists, inventors and repairmen (and women) who meet up for "Type-In" gatherings to both celebrate and use their decidedly lo-tech typewriters in a plugged-in world. Authors Robert Caro and David McCullough, both typewriter users, talk about process and the value of slowing down, writing actual drafts and revising in a world of instant, draft-less editing.
|
