Inspiration: Media Magazine & Dystopia

Media Magazine // December 2012 // Pages 14-21

Black Mirror : The Reflection in the Screen – James Middleditch

Dystopian Depictions and Futuristic Media

• Black Mirror – Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller TV series reflects the dark side of technology and its impact on our lives. This article gives a brief outline of the plot for each of the first two episodes and how there is “rooting of the imaginary worlds closely in the reality of day”. Mentioning the link between the cultural and social aspects of the series with modern society. The series visits several issues with technology and therefore has references to past real life events such as private leaks on social networks.

•  The article mentions several other examples of films, which integrate current social and moral issues with an entertaining storyline.
• The Hunger Games is an accurate example of linking the futuristic fantasy world to real life scenarios. The references to capitalism and working class exploitation are subtle yet very visible when deeply analysed.

This image shows to character from different classes in The Hunger Games series clearly highlighted through their clothing and appearance.

• In Time – 2011 – Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller – this is a futuristic action film focussing on the value of time. Money is replaced with the concept of finite lifetime which leaves the audience to reflect on their own lives and how they use their time and money.

• The link between real life and the fantasy storyline create a source of personal identity for the viewer, and they can therefore picture themselves in that situation. The link also evokes fear as these events could happen.
• Films do not have to be futuristic to reflect the current day, they often mention current events or situations which the audience can recognise, therefore making the film seem more like a true story.
• Many films now focus on taboo topics such as race and sexuality and reflect or challenge these new representations in order to evoke a sympathetic response from a passive audience.
• Films that feature natural disasters such as The Day after Tomorrow, San Andreas and Contagion give the audience an insight into the possibilities which may occur if events such as global warming continue to happen. A passive audience are therefore left to be metaphorically injected with the messages by the media and most of the audience will have a dominant/preferred/hegemonic reading on the texts.

• Dick Hebdidge’s Psychoanalysis theory means the audience would see themselves reflected in the characters on screen and therefore relate to the fantasy world.
• Talking about current events such as the increase in social media usage means that the audience are introduced to a fantasy world with a large resemblance to the world we live in now. The series Black Mirror introduces big problems we could face as technology continues to advance and how it begins to invade our privacy.
• 2015 TV series Humans is another example of a cultural link to society. The realistic machines create a futuristic view for the audience along with the creative promotional campaign to bring the future into the modern day to promote the series’ futuristic concept in the 21^st century.