Big Brother has come to Oakcrest...

Yes, you: members of the prestigious Film Institute. But the time has come to rise up and dare to portray the dystopian nightmare Oakcrest has become since the arrival of our great "protector," Big Brother.

Hopefully from reading 1984 and watching Metropolis, Blade Runner, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and Children of Men, you  have arrived at the conclusion that artistic expression is the enemy of totalitarian regimes.

Alas, we will combat Big Brother through the means of cinematic expression, a truly collaborative form of art.

"Artists use lies to tell the truth."

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Both classes of the Film Institute will be expected to complete a 7-10 minute short film depicting the effects of Big Brother here at Oakcrest High School.

The following is a list of questions that the short films should explore:

• Define Big Brother: Who is (s)he? How did (s)he come to power? What does (s)he represent?
• Who are the enemies of this newly, Big-Brothered Oakcrest? Do the alliances shift? Explain.
• What are the hierarchical  classes at Oakcrest? Are there proles? Upper party members? Explain.
• How does Oakcrest control thought and expression?
• How have the arts been affected? Sports? Curriculum?
• What is the state of the Oakcrest media program? 
• Are students allowed to have interpersonal relationships?

The films must include/portray the following:

• A 20 or more page script 
• A completed storyboard depicting the shots to be used in the film
• A "2 Minute Hate"
• Narration: Due to the short running time, this is key.
• Words, phrases, and ideas from Newspeak (http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/ns-dict.html); the film must contain at least 5 specific uses of the language.
• Big Brother: flyers, posters, etc.
• A character must cross Big Brother and pay the price. The consequences and ensuing reprogramming must be depicted.
• Appropriate music (Radiohead encouraged. I'll lend you Hail to the Thief if you so desire!)

This project will consist of an on-going, collaborative effort. Each class must select members to fill the following roles:

• Director - The director is in "charge" of the film. (S)he supervises the story and oversees the production, making creative decisions that ultimately shape the final product.
• Production Designer - The production designer creates the "look" of the film. This job also includes wardrobe selection.
• Screenwriter - Although the plot and concept for the film will be collaboratively inspired, these students will be responsible for composing the 20 page script. Improvised dialogue is permitted, but the film must be scripted!
• Director of Photography - The DP is responsible for planning the shots used to compose the film. The DP must completed a detailed storyboard prior to filming.
• Cameramen - To portray a world in which residents are constantly observed, the films will be shot solely with iPhones. Sideways only; don't forget!
• Editor - The editor is responsible for compiling the footage into a smoothly transitioned film. This job also entails the task of creating credits.
• Actors - Each member of the group must appear in the film in some way or the other. Don't look directly at the camera. 

When is this due? I don't know. We will spend this week brainstorming: reading 1984, discussing the films we have watched, and working on concocting a plot.

Nighthawks at the Diner

The above painting is Edward Hopper's magnum opus: "Nighthawks at the Diner." The painting was an inspiration for the look of Blade Runner.

Scott, a painter himself, repeatedly showed the painting to the film's production designer. 

See the similarities?

Blade Runner: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Blade Runner - the 1982 film by Ridley Scott -  presents us with many interesting philosophical questions.

  How do we know we are human?  What is a human?  What are our memories and can we trust them?  What is reality?  Can we allow the mistreatment of a minority group?  Should we create  artificial intelligence?  Can we/should we extend our natural life span?  What is the meaning of life?

The film brings these questions to light in a bleak LA of 2019, but reminds one of the overcrowded cities of China with its decay and endless garbage.  Based on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep the film follows Deckard, a retired law enforcement officer who must track down replicants (human-like androids).  He meets and falls in love with another replicant named Rachael while visiting the Tyrell Corporation.  The renegade replicants are seeking information that will extend their short four year lifespans.  Deckard hunts down and eliminates the replicants except Roy who dies naturally while fighting Deckard.  Rachael and Deckard then run off together.

Since the replicants look and act exactly like humans, they can only be exposed by a variety of questions that seem to focus on empathy.  Apparently the replicants show less empathy than humans, although as depicted in the film this seems reversed in most of the human characters.  Even the violent Roy displays some compassion at the end of the film, while most of the humans are robotic and unfeeling.  The replicants even have memories implanted to make them as the Tyrell Corporation's motto states "more human than human".  With all the similarities between humans and replicants  how do we know we are human, and what exactly does this mean?  If our memories cannot be trusted, how can we trust anything?  The French philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650) investigated this same problem and came to the conclusion that everything can be doubted except the fact that he is thinking.  Since we are thinking - at least those reading this - do we exist?  Can we really trust our memories though?  What if they were programmed in like the replicants?  What if we hit our head and we lose them?  If memories cannot be trusted, can anything  ever truly be certain.  What are memories?  Electrical implants?  Don't memories change over time?  Doesn't everything?

The philosophical issues that this film highlights are deep and worth investigating.  As you will see there are many other films that touch on these same issues.

Class Discussion Questions

1)  What if there wasn't a test to expose the replicants - would that mean the replicants are human?

2)  Rachael and Deckard express love for each other despite the fact that they are replicants, since they show love how are they not human? 

3)  Replicants are so human-like that it seems wrong to use them as forced labor.  What would need to be different about the replicants to allow us to use them for forced labor?   

4)  Is there anything that you know that is an absolute certainty?  How so? Explain

5) How is Blade Runner a dystopia?  

6) What are the parallels between Blade Runner and Metropolis?

7) Describe the similarities with German Expressionism