Summarising comment

Science fiction is an interesting genre in terms of looking at what is actually happening within our society today. We can see through star trek how Treknology has developed and we have actual account of how this has been a working force in the development of new media. Furthermore we take the comment by William Gibson about how the future is now the present. What once were unimaginable concepts have become part of day to day life. Virtual reality is no longer a thing the past but something we can almost grasp. The development of each new sci- fi film shows us a new innovation in Special effects which causes audiences to face the impact and perhaps our unhealthy dependence we have on technologies. Science fiction films and literature have become almost warnings for the problems which could occur within the future is we walk the same paths that societies have done in that past. Science fiction has become a way for us the perceive conceivable events for the future and these should be considered, not simply dismissed as Dick said as for adolescents or for the disturbed.

Why Science Fiction?

Why does anyone use the genre of science fiction to make comments on society and themes within it? first of all the majority of comments are made on a technological basis and as explained before in the post about literature verses film we can see that the spectacle of sci-fi helps to draw peoples attention to notions of technology.

1. The 1950's was the golden age of sci-fi and from this we due allusions from he holocaust, where people were drawn into situations they didn't understand, people didn't know what was going on or simple didn't want to know. In the 1950's characeters always seemed ignorant or naive and even now there are still glimpses of this in many sci-fi films.
- Former allies became the greatest enemies at this time and this was constantly reflected in films such as the body snatches. Being against Paranoia at this time was a reflection of being against communism.
2. Gender Politics and the need to redomesticate men and women in terms of the family was explored as a representation of societal needs at that time.
We see in forbidden planet the female protagonist is at first an object to all the men but eventually she turns them into objects for her own needs and wants.
3. Consumerism. Notions of induced needs were explored: how you never have what you really need.
- Robbie the robot in Forbidden Planet is seen as the ultimate kitchen appliance.
4. Babyboom. Closely related to consumerism
Suburbs - was such a confirmed life and individuals were constantly seeking a way to break the monotony
- This is seen in Rebel without a cause - the end of the world means something to them whereas day to day life is reflected as almost nothing. They are searching for something new/a new way of living.
- Apolocyptic movies were about the world being destroyed but also the desire at that time to see them destroyed by human.
5. Television. The implementation of it in this time, more and more people were becoming techno savvy and therefore television was a big part, getting people to watch what was on.
6. Fad for Freud.
Monsters for the id - once again back to paranoia.
The 1938 Orsen Wells news broadcast of war of the worlds - people were unsure if it was real life and we were actually being invaded by aliens. There was a confusion between fiction and non-fiction.

All these notions began in the golden era of science fiction film but we can see that these themes are still present today. The genre of science fiction allows us to explore these notions in a way that other genres can not.

Surviellence and photographic manipulation.

Ever since 9/11 we see how surveillance has been extended not only in our daily lives but in the films we see, not even specifically within science fiction we witness general day to day surveillance has been taken to a new level which was previously unthinkable.

But within the technological advancements especially in photographic manipulation we can understand how this can be necessary.

"Shortly after the horrifying events of 9/11, a story was widely circulated that a camera that somehow survived the collapsed New York WTC Twin Towers was found on a sidewalk. When the film was developed, it revealed a tourist on the World Trade Center observation deck with a low-flying plane in the background and about to crash into the building! Many people believe in that incredible shot and that “Tourist Guy” became a folklore… ha ha ha.
Of course, the image is a fake. The North Tower had no open observation deck; it's the wrong type of plane at the wrong angle; that Tourist Guy has been identified as a 25-year-old Hungarian named Peter and on his way to becoming the most digitally manipulated person in history! Check it out at http://touristofdeath.com/" Screenshots

this except shows that manipulation is occurring throughout daily life in news and specifically in relation major world events.

many have seen the following picture in realtion to abu ghraib:

This picture was captured on a mobile phone - technology that would not have been available or really even thought of not only a few years ago. The development of technology in terms of surveillance over the past couple of years, the shot in Men in Back where a satellite zooms down to see the face up close of K's old girlfriend is not even that hard to imagine. Surely that technology now exists, we can see instances of this even within Google earth.

The notions present within science fiction film concerning this type of issue - are they really about paranoia or simply seeing how technology is changing so much and being aware of it?

Waking life - existentialism

This is just a really interesting part of Waking life which makes points about existentialism and also references to Philip K. Dicks essay.

How william shatner changed the world

The above clip is the first two minutes of the 2 hours documentary hosted by William Shatner called how William Shatner changed the world. It focuses on technological advancements and people in the real world that were inspired by the Star Trek phenomenon.

The history channel have an interesting blurb about the show claiming blame William shatner - yes THE William shatner.

The show begins by examining Treknology - all the items shown in star trek which may have been an influence on technology today such as media triquaters. [although it was in fact a salt holder in real life]

Steve jobs founder of Apple computers claimed he was inspired by star trek and has developed a suit which precedes the technology of the holodeck on the enterprise [holodeck is an interactive holographic scenario which can be part of a literary narrative or just a holographic place with holographic people]. Mobile phone technologies have also been linked to the communications which are used and are suggested to have paved the way for voice recognition.

Waking Life - rotorscope

In a broad sense waking life is about a young man who is in a continuous dream and he cant wake up. Every time he thinks he does he comes to realise he is still dreaming. He eventually comes to the realisation he can not Wake up and fears he may be dead. The film draws on in particular existentialist notions as well as ones of situationist, post humanity and politics.

What really makes the film is the technique which is used to give it is dream life/cartoon feel, the whole way through the characters have this disembodied notion attached to the and everything is constantly moving as though it is floating. This is achieved through use of the rotoscope. Action footage was overlayed with animation. The film was mostly produced using Rotoshop, a custom-made rotoscoping program that creates blends between keyframe vector shapes.

A philip K. Dick essay is also discussed within the film and makes a connection between a scanner darkly and waking life which also uses the same rotoscoping technique.

Phillip K. Dicks films.

The following are adaptations of Philip K. Dicks novels into films. We are able to see the common link of paranoia and surveillance running throughout most.

Blade Runner (1982)Based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
Screamers (1995) Based on "Second Variety"
Total Recall (1990)Based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"
Confessions d'un Barjo (French, 1992) Based on "Confessions of a Crap Artist"
Impostor (2001) Based on "Impostor."
Minority Report (2002) Based on "The Minority Report."
Paycheck (December 25, 2003) Based on "Paycheck."
A Scanner Darkly (July 7, 2006) Based on "A Scanner Darkly"
Next (April 27, 2007)Based on "The Golden Man"

The titles are often different because the titles of his books were often not even his own, publishers would change them once they'd read the initial draft. dick has been found to say he was never very good at thinking up titles.

an interesting point made by Baudrillard on Dick's work. "It is hyperreal. It is a universe of simulation, which is something altogether different. And this is so not because Dick speaks specifically of simulacra. SF has always done so, but it has always played upon the double, on artificial replication or imaginary duplication, whereas here the double has disappeared. There is no more double; one is always already in the other world, an other world which is not another, without mirrors or projection or utopias as means for reflection. The simulation is impassable, unsurpassable, checkmated, without exteriority. We can no longer move "through the mirror" to the other side, as we could during the golden age of transcendence"