Week 11: Long Form Television

For week eleven our assignment was to binge long form television.  To watch a streaming show and watch as much as possible.  One of the options on the list was Black Mirror, something I’ve been told to look into by friends.  One of the major elements that kept me putting off this streaming serious as my ‘need to watch’ shows was how friends would compare it to the Twilight Zone.  I wasn’t a fan of the Twilight Zone.  Friends would tell me how it’s a modern and at times futurist Twilight Zone with character always changing for each episode.

I was only able to watch the first season of Black Mirror.  It had three episodes.  From the three episodes, it seems like this serious theme(s) are about playing with futuristic ideas, conspiracies, and possibilities.  I found the three episodes cool and interesting.  Although it isn’t the normal long form television with characters we follow through each episode we are all used to. One may find themselves indulged, wanting to watch more, wanting to see what will happen next, I sure did

One of the most interesting things I pulled from this series, was how in each episode they purposely cut and add act breaks.  This was the first time I seen a show purposely do this.  I still don’t know what to think about it but find it helpful as a filmmaker.  Helps me break down the story structure easily to learn from it.

After watching the first season, a few things popped out that made this successful.  One reason was it already sort of had a fan base, which was those who enjoyed the Twilight Zone.  Another reason was for individuals who may not have a lot of time on their hands.  I did a quick look into how many episodes are in the other three season, and they range from 4 – 6 episodes.  Having episodes that aren’t meant to be cohesive can also help the viewer pick out which episodes they may want to skip, the viewer has the control.  My third reason as to why this was pretty successful was how a lot of these scenarios don’t seem too far far-fetched.  Individuals who enjoy conspiracies and theories can easily binge on these.