the use of Americanised coastal iconography (e.g ocean, convertible car, sunsets) help to signify the USA location which feels escapist
the 1980s diegetic club music, as well as the costumes, hair, makeup, vehicles and film posters all act as signposts for the viewer that this is set in the late 1980s
other time period appropriate intertextual references, including the arcade games, which also suggest particular decades
"Don't You Forget About Me" is an intertextual reference to The Breakfast Club
Simple Minds songs and Robert Palmer tracks continue to indicate the 1980s era
Scream poster, and songs by Alanis Morisette indicate the change to the 1990s time period
The Bourne identity poster, plus songs by people like Kylie Minogue help to signify the 2000s era
particular music tracks are chosen to foreshadow elements of the narrative acting as clues for the audience about what is really going on
music is used to foreshadow and hint at elements of narrative, acting as clues for viewers
Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue
Girlfriend in Coma - The Smiths
Living in a Box
Fake - Alexander O'Neal
the colourful outfits, bold jewellery and makeup help us to easily identify Kelly as the "popular girl" archetype
the plainer outfit and glasses clearly identify Yorkie as the archetypal "geek" character
the use of tightly framed close up shots signifies their growing connection and feelings of intimacy
the higher key lighting and wide angles of white spaces adds to the futuristic hospital setting
it could also connote "heaven" and life after death
the multiple identical lights and the track out to a wide angle emphasises the sheer number of people who have uploaded their consciousness into this virtual world
shot reverse shot editing is used to emphasise the differences between the two binary opposite characters, adding conflict and drama
the sudden cut from the women kissing in bed, to the waves crashing on a beach, acts as a symbolic image for sexual gratification
the fast paced editing during the scenes in the Quagmire club helps to signify it as being a thrilling, dark and chaotic place
the disappearance of much of the diegetic sound at times suggests that Yorkie is focused entirely on Kelly
the show is a hybrid of different genres
features a lot of romantic drama genre signifiers, such as kissing, long emotional conversations, arguments, etc
also features sci-fi signifiers such as advanced technology, white, blue and silver colours, machinery, etc
one key theme of the episode is love/sexuality and attitudes towards that, as well as self acceptance of our own identities
another key theme is about age and health, and the issues we face as we get older and how tech might help with this
the episode is filled with enigma codes to keep the audience engaged
why does Yorkie feel out of place?
why does she go to the club at all if it's not really her thing?
why do the characters and camera keep focusing on the time/midnight?
the sudden time jumps are not explained initially which adds further enigma as the characters haven't aged despite decades seeming to pass
postmodern products often focus on themes of "what if" relating to possible future technologies
the intertextual references to films, music, games and fashions are also a convention of postmodernism
hybrid genres are also a postmodern feature
the whole episode deals with post-modern themes of reality and simulacra, with characters spending time in the simulacrum of the past
Black Mirror tackles postmodern ideas in virtually all of its episodes
Comments
Post a Comment