Semester Exam - Film Analysis of Black Mirror
From Season 3, Episode 4: San Junipero
Although the first 5 minutes of San Junipero are quite confusing upon first-watch, upon close examination, many intentional clues, meaningful details, and mysterious aspects in the clip stand out in the technical elements included by the producers of Black Mirror.
As the show's title is shown, the eerie feeling which exists throughout the clip begins with the sharp-ringing noise played behind the introduction. The title is rearranged from a jumble of shapes to spell out the words "Black Mirror" before a completely black background, until finally, the title shatters like glass, sound effects included. The title of the episode, "San Junipero" is then shown with a creepy exhale or breathing background sound layered over it. Before any shots are seen by the audience, the strange background noise and pitch-black background in the title sequence create a sense of darkness and an eerie mood over the scenes to follow.
The reflection of neon lights on dark, glassy water is the first thing seen by the audience, as the camera lifts into an establishing shot of a twinkling urban landscape by night. While the shot cuts to a view of a street, and neon sign of a music-blaring club called "Tucker's", beating background music is edited over the elements shown acting almost like a sound bridge of offscreen sound, but nonetheless offsetting. A follow shot of an old car brings the eyes of viewers to a storefront on the street, while the diegetic sound of the radio mentions the 'top hits of 1987'. The women in the car have big hair, seemingly filled with hairspray, with fairly pastel clothing, which is true to the era mentioned on the radio. The costume, sound, and cars, all set viewers into a nighttime city scene of the late 1980s.
Hereafter, the camera quickly cuts to a girl with thin- round framed glasses walking down the street, with puffy red eyes. Although it doesn't necessarily seem like it was due to crying, she clearly didn't appear dressed for clubbing, and didn't seem to be wearing any makeup. Medium shots and dolly shots of her walking down the street put emphasis on her in the scene, as she seems to be the main focus of the clip. As she walks along the street, the camera turns to face a series of TVs in a store window, through an over the shoulder shot. A red-faced man in a suit indistinctly mentions 1980 and says is heard saying the phrase, "Where am I?" while non-diegetic sound of strange whispering is layered over the shots. A sticker on the TVs also re-iterates the time period, and although the scene seems fairly ordinary, it is slightly offsetting.
A couple walking down the street are then showing through medium and follow shots going into the club as they discuss something about not having much time. Without context, the conversation is not very worrying, and one can notice their leathery and bedazzled garb as opposed to that of the pastel club-goers and people on the street. As the scene continues, the girl previously seen with the round glasses slowly approaches and enters the bustle of the club and bar. As the hit track 'Cest La Vie' plays loudly over the dancing crowd, several over the shoulder shots, and a following shot are used to show her going through the club, which strongly contrasts her clothing, quietness, and seemingly calm persona. Old games, common to the 80s are then heard, as the boxy machines come into view. This is where she stops to play a game with coins jingling in her pocket.
Not long after she begins playing, the camera draws away from the corner of the club with the games, and their beeping noises fade into the music of the club. A man then takes notice of her at the games, and they slightly converse as he approaches her. The prompting "hello" and chatter of the man captured in medium shots cause her to lose in the game, and a close-up shot shows her slamming her fist down on the machine in frustration. His inquiry to play another game with her is cut short as the camera focuses on it, and a car crashes loudly, shocking the girl quite noticeably. She responded with a prompt no, at which the music directly changed to a faint ringing. This heading back into the familiar lull of the booming club music, and from the brightly lit games into the darkness of the encapsulated crowd.
The girl previously seen emerges from the crowd in a medium shot, as the camera zooms into a close-up. She stares directly at the girl in the glasses who was sitting at a table, and whispers for her to play a long, as the man follows not close behind. The two converse quickly, and although the woman in the bedazzled jacket and the woman with the glasses seem not to know each other whatsoever, they act like old friends before the man. The close-up shots, and slight dimming of the club music allow the conversation to be heard, and it doesn't last long before the man leaves. His face was also noticeably covered with dark shadows from the low-key lighting of the club, hinting at the repetitive darkness yet again.
The last part of the clip seen, is a brief conversation between the girl with the round glasses, Yorkie, and the woman with the bedazzled jacket, Kelly. The camera closes in on the pair, and she mentions that she met the man, Wess, at the 'Quagmire'. Yorkie's confusion is apparent in her facial cotorsion, and before Kelly can be prompted about the place, she comments that it is best not to know. Yorkie verbally resists with a hesitant no, but the clip ends here, leaving the audience in question and yearning to watch on, curious about the darkness, and offsetting vibe of the previous scenes.
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