The first episode of Black Mirror (series2) aired tonight (spoiler alert).
I love Charlie Brooker's writing. I don't know how it stands academically, I just get it. I've consumed all I can get hold of his work in the past, and I can see how his mind works.
Modern movies seem largely formulaic, even films with twists seem to have formulised where to put them, so you can see them coming. Classic films have their own problems, they can certainly be learned from, but short-attention spanned movie-goers would never get through a Hitchcock flick if it was released today. Most could but studios wouldn't risk it without a massive CG monster or city wide destruction scene.
I've been trying to read more to absorb the writing techniques of greats where I can, my short attention span means it's hard to digest a novel as quickly as I can a film though.
I liked Conrad's Heart of Darkness, his style meandered lazily through the events evoking a kind of way that let the oppressive nature of the jungle seem everlasting, but I certainly can't see myself using that (intentionally at least) and I came away from it thinking I'd slightly missed the point, if there was one.
I'm currently reading Wilde's Dorian Grey. His imagery is simply wonderful dahhling, very poetic. But any time I try to look behind the words and try to understand where he's coming from (I know he would hate that, it's part of the preface) all I picture is the words he uses to corrupt some poor under-aged rent-boy..
Comparing Brooker's work to these sounds ridiculous, but it appeals to me much more. It's perfectly in tune with modern thinking and critical of it at the same time (so not a million miles from Wilde..).
It takes the sarcastic, apathetic view of the absurd speed and confusion that life in the 21st century has come to cultivate. It's very nature is scathing. Black Mirror, referencing the screens which are gradually dominating our lives at this point in our technological history, is broadcast (and streamed) straight onto said screens for us to capitulate to.
His method is sound. Take a topic (technology encapsulating our existence). Distill from that some of the anxieties emerging (our every personal thought and whim recorded on some server). Extend it to it's logical conclusion (Our psychological fingerprint readily available for manipulation after we're gone) and then keep extending it to it's logical extreme (a techno Frankenstein taking our place).
The rest writes itself.. Create a character that has fallen prey to this phenomenon (a widow who misses her husband), make the audience sympathetic to them (she's emotionally vulnerable after discovering she's pregnant), watch it spiral out of control.. Once that is set in place the ending doesn't really matter, the thing about this sort of work is that the premise is where we suspend disbelief, so the ending should be realistic within those terms (as opposed to say a rom-com where the premise is realistic, so the ending can be unbelievably sappy). So if you know the characters, an they are well written, they will dictate the ending for you.
So, following this post to it's logical conclusion I need a topic.
Things like Loss and Feeling-trapped are a little vague. Technology appeals to me but I don't want to fall into that trap. Certainly modern-life should be a part of it, as I have had a hard time settling on a period in history I want to stick to. I guess I need to think about what's important to me right now.
It seems important that the tone and topic should go hand in hand. Anxiety and technology being the example above. I'd love to do a study of economics and the anxiety that fills me with, but.. yeah, the though of spending a lot of time getting my head round it makes me anxious.. Perhaps responsibility? Paired with politics? I can't think of a more dull webcomic.. I will continue to meditate on the subject.
If you haven't seen it I suggest you watch Black Mirror from Channel 4/4od and Weeklywipe on bbc at the moment. Go now.
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