task 7
- 1. Black mirror Introduction The series black mirror is a british sci fi/drama anthology television programme that was created by channel 4 in 2011. Episodes are all standalone with no multipart storylines, with each of them set either in an alternative present to the one we have or set slightly into the future, the series is an introspective into humanity looking at how different technologies can have unexpected results of the development of new technologies. Genre As mentioned in the introduction black mirror is a british sci fi/drama, this is because the topics which are focused on are technology speculating on how they might impact our world and how what risks they contain. The results of it being a drama can be seen in how it tackles these issues humanity faces in ways which seem possible if a little farfetch'd with character reactions to these changes being considered realistic allowing for us to relate and empise with them making them feel more important.due to this being a drama they employ todorov’s narrative theory as is common which lays out a basic structure that different episodes will follow, however in spite of being a drama this show does not follow propp's theory due to its episodes being separate stories and being to short in length in order to properly introduce all of the roles which are given. Narrative Black mirror episodes are linear as they take place chronologically following the plot form one end to the other with no jumping around, this is important as it allows for us to follow the story along with the characters and see how the plot unfolds giving its message to us as it does. While i cannot speak for every episode of black mirror, of those i have seen do have multi strand narrative as this allows for the audience to see the topic in question from the point of view of a variety of different people rather than one person's point of view which can help to strengthen the impact of its message. Stories are close ended as a result of the show following a anthology format which requires for stories to wrap up in a way that is satisfying for the audience and leaves them feeling content with the ending. Messages Due to it being an anthology the show black mirror holds a variety of different messages focusing on a different one with each episodes, with the common thread between these messages being they are focused on technology and how it has evolved and will do so into the future and how it currently affects the present. Later in the piece i will analyse episode 1 in depth which focuses on social media and how it can be used for bad. Target audience Earlier seasons of black mirror such as the one i will be focusing on were created by channel 4 which as a main target audience of 16 to 34 year olds, however given the heavy emphasis on technology driven plots in the show we can determine that the target audience falls towards the
- 2. lower end of the spectrum and is likely targeting people who are aged 16 to 28 who are the group of people who would have the most interest in technology and are as such most likely to be impacted by this show. However this show also appeals to people of higher age groups due to having characters and things which they would be able to relate to such as the desire to bring back the dead tackle as issues in the show. Impact on audience This show has a large impact on its audience due the amount of moral panic which it can induce, as a result of what it shows as being both possible with several of the topics it coved being arguably less severe than what the current world is like which has led to some of its viewers to take what warnings it gives as to the future of humanity with the use of technology far more seriously than they would have otherwise. Audience effect theories This program holds a large amount of messages that have been encoded into the show as will be seen in the next section with one being the shows very name which references how when a tv/ smartphone screen is off you can see your reflection much like a “black mirror” which shows how even as you are watching the show you are still being affected by the very things that the show warns you about, additionally this show is able to create moral panics with ease as to focus on the potential risks and unintended consequences of technology which can turn people away from these technologies and make them stand against them. Finally this show fulfills all of the reasons why we watch media with the exception of identification as it informs us about the risks of what can happen if we are not careful with what it suggests being possible to come to fuision over the next few years in an entertaining manner by letting us see snap shots of some of the worst parts of what may happen, and finally it fulfills social requirements as people who have watched this show will often after come together to discuss the episode of what has just been watched. Episode 1 analysis (the national anthem) Part 1 The first episode starts with prime minister Michael Callow asleep next to his wife, this acts as an equilibrium according to todorov’s narrative theory before being woken up by a phone call and rushed into an emergency meeting to discover that princess susannah has been kidnaped with the demands for her release being that, he must have intercourse with a pig on live television uncensored. It is then explained by one the members of his staff that while they did try to cover this up until the princess could be found or they needed to take other action, the kidnapper had uploaded a video of his demands with the princess in frame on youtube which had been seen and downloaded before the video could be removed in 9 minutes time, and had been spread throughout the country and abroad.
- 3. This means by the time we are introduced to this information the video has been viewed millions of times with a cover up appearing impossible this acts as a recognition disequilibrium according to todorov and will act as a force which will need to be corrected over the course of the story, something of note is that this skips over the initial stage of disequilibrium which occurs before we are introduced to the story. Our joint lack of information as well as shock allows us to relate with the likey socially different Callow over this lack of information and allow for us to better sympises with him. This scene also has the message in it that it will become difficult for government to keep information like this hidden and out of public eyes due to the advent of these technologies as shown that while the television stations are complying with government secrecy requests the video is trending on twitter, which also serves to highlight how quickly information can spread on social media and youtube if it is made in a way that is shocking showing how humans will share things like this with one another acting as an introspective into humanity. Part 2 Part 2 starts by introducing us to a couple who are in bed with the one on the left passing over a laptop playing the video which issues the demands, they then proceed to doubt the video’s authenticity which leads to the first person to question why it is not on the news. This is done so we can see the reaction of ordinary people to this event which helps to make the video appear more realistic than it would otherwise if we were led to believe that everyone who saw the video automatically assumed that it was real as a large number of people would automatically suspect this to be some sort of internet prank. Next we are introduced to a busy room in what turns out to be a major new outlets headquarters where they are debating whether or not to reveal the information about the kidnapping and ransom to the country, while initially we can see that they intend not to with them planing on following with the D-notice given earlier we discover that foreign news companies have discovered this ransom and are broadcasting about it forcing their hand changing their minds with them instead deciding to release the news to the public, This is important as it starts the second big strand of the episode (the news company and its actions for information), so the team leader gives out jobs which leaves one member unsatisfied who them proceeds to use connections to government to receive confidential information.
- 4. The following scene takes us to Callows home secretary Alex Cairns who is creating a contingency for if the government is unable to retrieve princess susana or capture the criminal responsible for the kidnapping, we quickly discover that the plan is to fake the footage by mapping Callows face onto a adult actor in order to deceive the kidnapper into believing their demands have been met which would reveal if the criminal would release their hostage without damaging Callows long term reputation. We then cut to a scene which shows 3 workers at a hospital questioning the video with one asking whether it has been on tv to which another responds “nothing, must be a hoax” this shows us that people in this universe are not stupid and are doubtful about this occuring before the final person their mentions it might be a coverup before the tv gives a breaking news announcement which proceeds to reveal to the nation what has occured it cuts to a couple of other people in order to show that this is something which has captured the entire nation's attention. Allowing us to see how some people are reacting exited to the news as if they want this to occur showing that while most act with revision to this idea their are those who are less normal, and are a group of people which can be found if you are online any amount of time which makes this behavior which in the past would break immersion appear normal as well as this these groups give us the ability to relate to people as they are reacting in much the same sort of manner which we ourselves would and come form the same sort of backgrounds which is working class unlike Callow and cabinet. We cut back to the new studio where we discover the person using their government contacts has decided upon getting a refusal initially to appeal to their contact with indications that their will be sex if they can receive any information, through the sending of partially undressed images which shows how what is happening at the government and news station is connected leading to leaks. This can help people who have resorted to these sort of tactics to help balance out bias against them relate to this charter and the show as a result. Continuing with the news we get to see what they are releasing with things such as a live blog and looks into the historical significance of the pig which is much like how media companies in our world act when large events occur, additionally reveals the new total number of views the video has received over 18,000,000 views and their are 10,000 on the topic each minute this goes to show how fast news spreads in current world and also gives the viewer the message that
- 5. people love to discuss controversy and tragedies making light of them in order to fuel our own entertainment, a message further hammered in by comments on the video which are mentioned in the next scene between Callow and his wife. This scene starts by seeing Callow’s wife on a laptop looking over the news hearing things such as “prime ministers are all deviants” which leads to her demanding to be let into the meeting to talk with her husband in private a demand which is agreed to allowing the audience a chance to see what sort of shape their relationship is and how this drama is affecting it which can be seen throw how she is pleading with Callow to not go through with and when he promises her he would not she responds by saying people are laughing at us then rebuking his claim of you don’t know that saying “I know people, we love humiliation” which embodies the message of this episode that social media and the internet has made it easier to humiliate people than ever before. Following this up we can see that she is conscious of public opinion of them as she mentions “that is what your doing, my husband is doing” with them eventually embracing before being interrupted by a phone call from the queen. The last scene of part 2 takes us back to the prime minister who has gotten off of their phone call having been told to do what is necessary to get back the princess with the hint at it including following through with the demand. However despite this we are induced to the first piece of hope from the discovery of a abandoned campus which appears to be the main suspect for the kidnappers base of operation. Part 3 Part 3 starts with us looking back into the contingency plan which has been set up with progress going smoothly with mapping nearly done and the actor they intend to use on their way allowing us to see this plan is progressing nicely. Following this we can see that preparations for the rescue mission which has been planned for the princess is underway and nearly finished with team members moving into position, however these plans have been overheard by the new’s agents contact who proceeds to pass on the message of what is happening to them, which again shows how humans our selves are imperfect beings and are able to be corrupted for self gain easily, in any event they receive the message and send another photo of themself before we cut to the next scene. We then see that the actor has arrived on set for where the act will be viewed if things do not go according to plan.
- 6. We then cut to the operation where we can see that the teams are in position and ready before cutting away to the prime minister whois waiting in nervous anticipation for the operation to go off so he will know if he has captured the kidnapper when he is interrupted by one of his cabinet members who proceed to inform him that statements have been released for both outcomes showing that despite this stress he is still required to be ready for the worse of the two possibilities due to his responsibilities. This also mentions how he will be able to get away with not doing the act due to public understanding and peoples opinion being that he should not negotiate with terrorists, however they way that is is shown points to it being purely statistical showing that they do not care about the life of the princess but instead about party image, which matches a series long message that governments and companies do not care about individuals but instead about themselves. This potencial get out is removed in the next scene however when a finger with a video accompanying it is sent to a uk news station with a video which mentions that the contingency which had been created to paint his face onto an actor had been discovered so the finger and video had been sent in, they report on this which immediately turns public support away form Callow with the majority of people now wanting him to follow though with the demands of the kidnapper to save the princess with those in favor having gone from %28 to %86 inside of his office Callow is furious with his home secretary for acting without his permission and breaking the rules which had been laid out with him nearly strangling her as a result, this moment is filled with tension and acts to entertain the audience fulfilling one of the uses according to uses and gratification theory. What follows next is a scene using parallel editing in order to show the new reporters investigation inside the building and the special ops team which has been deployed as they look around the building only to find that there is no princess in the building before the special ops notice the reporter and mistake them for the kidnapper chasing them out of the building calling out for them to stop before they shoot the reporters legs. Once news of the mission being a failure is discovered Callow goes into denial stating that there's still time for them to avoid this situation before he is threatened by his home sectery to do the deed or receive no protection from angry civilians in effect blackmailed into doing the deed for the sake of his family. Part 4 Part 4 starts with the prime minister traveling to the studio in order to do the act with the pig with other members of his party attempting to reassure him that they are doing their best to lower the
- 7. impact upon his reputation and try to prepare him for the event before cutting to a pub where you can see that it is full of people who have all come out to watch this event live in person which shows the viewer that the internet and electronics can bring out a darker side of us. Once he is getting ready to do the deed you can see the audience watching on their tv eagerly awaiting the event to occur however in the first couple of seconds of the event starting peoples eagerness emericatly curbs and is replaced by disgust of what is happening on the screen in front of them, with even those who appeared eager for the finger was chopped off steering at the screen in horror, this shows us how humans can get riled up by one another and act as a crowd to cheer for things that in reality we do not want. There is a cut to an hour forward intime when we can see people reactions at this point where they're all still watching in morbid fascination of the event as it would appear to be somewhat surreal and unbelievable, how ever as it cuts through people's reactions we find out that one of the people who had acted some what stage throughout the episode has hung himself and is likely the killer which is all but confirmed by the next shot of the princess safe on the bridge who is then taken away by police and the prime minister is informed she is safe while he is being sick on the toilet. We then discover that the princess has been on that bridge form half an hour before the event however has not been noticed due to people all sitting at the pub in order to get together and watch the eventon tv live which could indicate that this was something of a test by the kidnapper to see how people would react to this and if they would actin fascination as they did, this information is deleted in order to remove the possibility of this the prime minister discovering that this was the case and he did the act for nothing in the end. We cut a year into the future where everything seems to have reached a new equilibrium with everyone appearing to have come better off from this expect for the kidnapper who killed them self, with the primisnters populaity having risen 3 points form the same time last year and had been doing public events with his wife, however when he gets home we discover this is not the case and that the event had in fact ruined their marriage, and that it is in fact ending on an disequilibrium with and open end as to whether he would end up having a divorce.