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"

Science fiction film vs science fiction literature

Science fiction literature as a genre is supposed to be speculative and encourage thinking about the future. As was suggested in the earlier blog, Robert K. Dick said this hasn't always been the case yet more and more as also was noticed by William Gibson that we are not within science fiction not writing so much about the future but rather about the present. Film however is not as effective in encouraging though abut the issues being presented and this is because of the spectacle which film provides. It has been suggested by many theorists when discussing this point that generally individuals can not think and watch at the same time.

Science fiction film is the main place in culture that people go to see the wow factor -we've seen it with the Matrix and Star Wars and similar films where they become part of this cult scenario because they bring a new way of looking at things technologically speaking. They have a particular special effect which displays the latest technology of the time.

Now however it is being suggested that this wow factor actually allows audiences to see the technology more clearly. People are able to recognise the tole of technology and thus question our dependence of it because it is such a blatant part within the film. Thus the spectacle and the cause for thinking play off each other and we are forced to reflect on the technology which is behind the making of the film but also the technology and our dependence on it within the movie.

Phillip K. Dick and paranoia.

In the above rare interview Phillip K. Dick talks about issues within his novel a Scanner Darkly [which was made into a film with Robert Downey Jn] particularly the notion of paranoia and surveillance. The story tells of a narcotics agent who ultimately turns against himself and gives evidence against himself. Which is in essence a height of paranoia where you yourself are surveilling and judging your own actions because you can personally never escape your own thoughts and thus the surveillance.

The paranoia that is reflected in Dick's book is the similar to the paranoia people are beginning to feel when they cant speak out in their own life, paranoia derived from oppression.

Dick says Science fiction is something which is considered for adolescents, or for disturbed people to read, so were limited in writing to books which have no sex no violence and no deep ideas but have this idea of space opera which is a western type vibe set inn the future. Therefore it is hard or was at the time he wrote a scanner darkly to get people to think about the deeper ideas portrayed in his book, but this more and more is beginning to change as the things he has previously written about particularly in terms of surveillance are beginning to come true.

Star Trek; Forbidden Planet; Krel; The Vicious Prosethisis

Watched an interesting star trek episode which seemed to have some connections to Forbidden Planet and the Krel. It was an early episode with William Shatner as James T. Kirk and they visited this planet where the inhabitants had mastered the power of illusion. From this they lost their ability to work, to make things or actually have any desires. Therefore they take to capturing passing by alien species and trying to learn from then about desire again. Their technological advancements has left them lifeless as a race, without ambition because it has been handed to them for so long through this power if illusion that they've forgotten their way of life. It was a similar situation with the race called the Krel in forbidden planet. Their drive to become more powerful technologically left them extinct as a race. They tapped into their deepest desires and unbeknonst to them their latent evil desires manifested and became a creature which killed them all.

Both these seem to tie together and make a comment on the dangers of technology. With so many advancements being made its hard not to wonder how technology will affect our lives in the future and whether this type of circumstance could actually be realised.

Why we dont like V.R first person

Its interesting to note, and this isn't specific for just science fiction either how we do not enjoy or respond well to first person point of view within film. We do however respond well to it within games. Science fiction games are quite often in first person point of view. You never see your character unless there is some kind of story interlude where its a bit of a narrative going on and you step back and observe the interaction. We feel as though we have a kind of freedom when in first person point of view in games but in film we are trapped. There are instances of first person effect in cinema [never a whole movie however]. What actually happens is a fish eye effect effect and its unrealistic, while it is from the supposed eyes of the protagonist, its not realistic in the sense that you don't have glimpses of your nose of cheekbones or hair in from of the camera - something you would never actually see from the protagonist.

This is because it is an oppressive place to be within a film. In a film you have no freedom to control the character, you are trapped in a linear narrative to which you have no control. A camera can never work the way your eyes work. Your eyes constantly flick from object to object often without you even realising but with a camera this wouldn't work as its disconcerting and would make you feel slightly ill.

To this end we can understand why and why not virtual reality first person may and may not be appealing. With V.R you have the same sense that you have within a game, the same freedom of not being trapped within a narrative. Yet there is the sense that you do not know what is happening to your body outside of the game. While being immersed in the V.R experience there is the sense of being disembodied and while your in one world to which you are in total control in a sense your physical body is in another and you have no idea what could be happening to it. Its a very vulnerable and helpless feeling.

Within V.R the technology gives you have the feeling of being immortal meanwhile also exposing your actual body to vulnerably.

William Gibson Cyber Punk

William Gibson coined the term cyberspace [first used in his novel burning chrone] and from that was largely influential in the cyberpunk literary movement. He was also the first to use the term Matrix in his work Neuromancer in relation to the visualised notion of the Internet.

I was reading an article about him and found this point he made saying he no longer write science-fiction books which make comments on the future with such technologies as virtual reality etc. He said he no longer needs to do that as all the things he writes about are being recognised so now he views what he writes as actually writing about the present because all the major advancements are happening around us.

Ghost in the Shell Matrix Visual Comparsion

In the previous entry the youtube comparison about Matrix and Ghost it the shell it talks about how with the Matrix the the Wachowski Brothers tried to make the Anime film Ghost In the Shell with real actors.

The following clip is a visual comparison with the Fat Boy slim - right here right now song played over the top. It is helpful for those who have not seen both films to observe the similarities and how the Matrix came about.

Virtual Reality

10 years ago it was as though we were on the tip of the virtual reality experience, you could even buy V.R headsets in stores and they went that expensive. But now V.R technology is negligible.

What is it about human beings that they wont accept happiness if its not real? As in the matrix we see this with the exception of cypher who goes back to the Matrix, but where was the matrix derived from? At least in part from the film Ghost in the Shell. This is an anime film adaption of the manga comic by the same title.

"In the opening credits, the numbers that flow in the background are actually computer codes for the different names of the staff who worked on the movie. These flowing numbers inspired the now-famous Matrix digital rain. The numbers in the foreground that count down to credits are the computer code version of these credits. The 'countdown' effect is intended to look like data decryption." (Wikipedia Ghost in the Shell Film: 2007)

The following is a comparison between the matrix and Ghost in the Shell found on Youtube.com

Humanisation of the Terminator

This clip does have some swearing in it, however it is interesting to look at in terms of point of view of a non-human life form. The clip is from terminator and shows a response given to a cleaner when asked a question about being in on of the rooms. What is unusual is that we witness a heads up, something that is usually given to jet pilots so they have options in front of thir face. The reason you would need one of these is because you are a human but really the terminator wouldn’t need one of these in order to make decisions.

I think what this expresses is that he is more than his programming, almost as if he has a soul - the screen seems to represent choices which are outside of his programming and we see his ability to choose one which he feels is most appropriate.

The reason for the drop down screen seems to be a humanisation of the character of the terminator, representing the point of view of a non-human life form interacting with a technology humans would need yet he actually does not.

star trek new movie?!

As much as i love star trek they're flogging a dead horse bringing out a new movie.

I think trying to bank on the celebrity of William Shatner by going back to when kirk and Spock first met at the academy. It may however draw a crowed with the the character of Spock being played by Zachary Quinto who plays[d] Sylar in Heroes. Even Eric Bana will be making an appearance as the villain and Leonard Nemoy the original Spock will be playing the old version of Spock.

Its interesting that there hasn't been much talk about this movie. Its been on the cards since 2003 but in terms of advertising its been negligible. There has been three teaser posters released since 2007 yet they have been quite minimalistic with the last giving the most information which is stardate 12.25.08 the date for release in the US.

The fact that it is a prequel is also a consideration where fans are questioning whether there will be continuity issues as there have been at other times. This is why William Shatner is not likely in the film. It was implied that the reason "Shatner does not have a role in the script is due to the events of Star Trek Generations, which featured the death of Captain Kirk, suggesting that at least part of the movie takes place after Kirk's disappearance from the USS Enterprise in 2293 or after the character's death in 2371." (wikipedia, memory alpha: 2007)

Don Juan; Carlos Castaneda; George Lucas

I think so often we perceive Star Wars as the ultimate science-fiction film to which we match all others to. Even if you haven't seen star wars we know the basic premise behind the good and dark sides of the force and the fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. What is not widely know is how derivative star wars is. The notion of the force for instance is actually derived from Don Juan's teachings and written and published by Carlos Castaneda in one of his books The Fire Within [1984]. Castaneda was in fact Juan apprentice . In chapter 3, paragraph 48, we read;


"I've used the term "the world" to mean everything that surrounds us. I have a better term, of course, but it would be quite incomprehensible to you. Seers say that we think there is a world of objects out there only because of our awareness. But what's really out there are the Indescribable Force 's emanations, fluid, forever in motion, and yet unchanged, eternal. The reason for the existence of all sentient beings is to enhance awareness. The old seers, risking untold dangers, actually saw the Indescribable Force which is the source of all sentient beings. They called that indescribable force the Eagle, because in the few glimpses that they could sustain, they saw it as something that resembled a black-and-white eagle of infinite size. They saw that it is the Indescribable Force that bestows awareness and creates sentient beings so that they will live and enrich the awareness it gives them with life. They also saw that it is the Indescribable Force , that devours that same enriched awareness after making sentient beings relinquish it at the moment of death. For the old seers to say that the reason for existence is to enhance awareness is not a matter of faith or deduction. They saw it."


These are key notions which are explored in the star wars films. Lucas has even cited Castaneda as an influence but i don't think audiences realise the extent to which he influenced one of the key notions which star wars is based around.

"...in his search for fantasy, read Grimm's fairy tales and CS Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, JRR Tolkien and Frazier's Golden Bough. He also read Greek, Islamic and Indian mythology and the works of modern mythologists like Carlos Castaneda and Joseph Campbell" [Paraquen, 2001]


Joseph Campbell being the author of the hero with a thousand faces and thus the hero's journey. The hero is this sense is someone who doesn't want to go forth and discover his destiny, usually a small minded person who must eventually go off on a quest yet they are reluctant. There is an object the must retrieve and conquer and of course there is a great enemy between them and the object. Ultimately we observe that the greatest enemy is the hero themselves and in this sense we often witness the hero almost becomes the enemy.


The hero flaw shows a moment where they have ti choose between absolute good an absolute evil. This a a great refection of the star wars films. Both within the first three [1-3 new movies] where Anakin must choose between the good and the dark side of the force and then which Luke must make the same decision in movies 4-6. When Luke dreams of himself as Darth Vader we see this as an intrinsic part of the film. This symbolises that Luke's greatest fear is actually himself and thus conquering himself.

Robots and Artifical Intelligence.

Despite the advancements within technological innovation it is interesting to observe the repetition of specific archetypal situations. This is especially prevalent within science fiction film. Once such instance is in relation to technology itself and specifically the inclusion of robots or artificial intelligence, A.I. Humans in an attempt to create a new technology, ultimately end with a fear that the newly constructed technology will eventually turn against creator and destroy the world. Through our own hubris; an arrogant pride or our own excessive self confidence humanity is destroyed by itself, at least in part. Science fiction film in this instance reflects the limits of human innovation as it is stated in a classic cult sci-fi film "We are after all not God". (Forbidden Planet, 1956) We do not have ultimate control of the innovations we create and this is reflected in such early films as Metropolis, a silent film from 1927.

Forbidden Plant seems to be a extension or qualification of the above argument. Robby the Robot seems to reflect a gentle nature as we even recognise that he can not harm as his creator Dr. Morbius demonstrates to visitors and the audience by asking Robby to violate the three laws of robotics which he is governed by. We witness in this instance that he cannot. Thus it seems he is an exception to the notion that technology particularly robots will eventually turn against their creators. What we may no recognise initially is that Robby is created by Dr. Morbius using a technology which eventually destroyed the original species which created in, which in essence creates this scenario invalid. We must recognise that there are instances in science fiction film which need to be taken other than at face value.

This notion is one which is still being used within sci-fi today. Within the last couple of years, we saw I, Robot come out and once again we see V.I.K.I the artificial intelligence finding a way around the three laws to take control.