Over the past five weeks in BCM325, we have been live tweeting to screenings of different films that are intrinscally linked to understanding future cultures. In week one we watched the classic black and white film Metropolis. In week two we watched Space Odysessy. Week three we watched the original Westworld. Week four we watched the 1989 Blade Runner and this week we watched the original anime movie Ghost in the Shell.

The live tweetig expeience was one to allow us to critically engage with the course content and analyse what the film depicts for our future. With starting with metropolis, which is arguably the most notorius film that focuses on the future, we were able to grasp what we would be dealing with for the rest of the semester.

In week one I was still a little confused on what the live tweeting experience would look like. I tweeted things such as:

“This dismissal scene always breaks my heart, especially when you think about our current work climate. Too many scarily real moments in Metropolis that truly make it an almost 100-year-old classic still relevant for today #bcm325“

Tweet by Taylah

“Crazy how much I analysed this in high-school, and only now putting together all the links between Metropolis and such significant moments in pop-culture. This movie is powerful in so many ways #BCM325”

Tweet by Taylah

Using history to inform the future is something I think about a lot while watching Metropolis. The biblical references and imagery add an extra layer of meaning to the film. A circular story that always seems to stem back to religion. #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

Though I was slightly confused about how to go about the live tweeting, as I had already analysed this film in the HSC I was prepared enough to comment about its ideas for the future. I tried relating it to concepts such as history informing the future but lacked the proper terminology and the link wasn’t quite clear. All three tweets I believe did critically look at the film in the lens of future cultures, but the links could have been better to the content.

In week two, I was a little more prepared, with facts about Space Odyssey and how it was projecting visons of the future. I tweeted:

2001: Space Odyssey was widely criticised when it first came into theatres. The lack of dialogue and slow introduction was a large factor in this. Many were too impatient to wait and see the overarching story #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

FUN FACT: Kubrick used major brands as part of his set design to influence buying power. This is why many aspects of this movie seem familiar because the 2000’s ended up looking very similar to how Kubrick imagined #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

The Apollo 8 crew screened 2001: Space Odyssey before taking their journey into space. The NASA website actually details all the details that the film was accurate in portraying such as the jogging astronauts, flats screens and various forms of entertainment. #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

These tweets were more focused on the history of the movie and facts that you don’t gain from just watching the film. I got caught up in the background research rather than engage with the course content for this week. I really enjoyed this movie and interacting with everyone that had similar thoughts to mine. After week two I realised I had to take a step back from the research and more immerse myself in the film.

Week three was the screening of Westworld. This film sparked a lot of interest between the class and allowed for some interesting coversations to ensue. I tweeted things such as:

It is said it costs $1000 a day to visit the park, if you account for inflation, it comes out to be almost $38,000. Is this something people would be actually willing to pay today to experience? #BCM325 #Westworld

Tweet by Taylah

Robots being created for the sole purpose of doing everything and anything for their guests just doesn’t sit right with me. I know they’re robots but it just rubs me the wrong way #Westworld #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

The 1973 #Westworld was the first movie of the time to acknowledge the existence of computer viruses and their potential impact on technology. #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

This film particularly sparked conversations about AI and robots having an eerie human existence and what their purposes were. I connected things such as virus’ and what the future will look like if robots such as these were to be introduced into our world. These tweets while rooted in reseach, were more implemented in critically viewing the movie rather than facts. I learned from my past tweets and used it to better my live tweeting experience.

Last week we viewed Blade Runner. These tweets were harder for me as I did not engage with this film as I did the others. However I tweeted:

The ‘aesthetic’ of the film is half noir and half what they say ‘Gary Numan’. The 40’s costume elements and 70’s detective show/movie vibes all add to the film’s style #BCM325 https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/14/why-blade-runner-is-timeless

Tweet by Taylah

I think no matter what these days, we are heading into a robotic sex industry. Sex dolls already exist and it is only a matter of time before we finally hit the fully-functioning pleasure bot as we see in Blade Runner – In reply to @Brontanardo

Tweet by Taylah

So this week we are watching the 1982 Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott. This movie was also based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K Dick #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

As i mentioned earlier this film was particularly hard for me to engage with. I however had some very intereting coversations about techno-orientalism through my interactions and continued the conversation about humaniod robots and what that will mean for our future. These tweets weren’t my best and could have been bettwe if I rooted them in the course content rather than relying on the movie itself.

Today we watched the original Ghost in the Shell. I really enjoyed this film and critically looked at how the film was viewing the future. I tweeted:

Interesting to see if Major is connected into what we learned this week about Think Tanks. Is this where she gets her information from… #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

This article looks at everything #GhostInTheShell got right about the present. It is important to relaise this movie is over 20 years old and these connections can be made now #BCM325 https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/ghost-in-the-shell-predicted-right-about-future/

Tweet by Taylah

Unlike the other films we’ve watched this doesn’t feel what I would say, Futuristic. It looks like our present, despite the enhanced robots situation, it feels like I could talk outside to this now #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

This week I think I finally got the live tweeting experience down. I was able to integrate the course content, outside sources and critical thinking about what the film was suggesting about the future. I think further from this to imporve my tweets in future weeks, I will try and make more connections with the lecture content and make sure I am viewing the film as it should be without an intense influece of background research.

To find all other tweets and retweets click here to be linked to my Twitter Feed.