Short film, Sight, deals with futuristic reality that is augmented and it is a social comment about the impact which new technology can make on normal, everyday life. Augmented reality is a term which defines the environment of reality combined with computer based stimuli which have impact on all of the senses. One’s perception is enhanced and there is still the real world, as opposed to simulations. A person uses these applications to incorporate technology into their reality in order to get additional information about current events. Technology can help a person in their activities, but it can also ruin their life because there are some important decisions that have to be made without the use of technology.
This film is futuristic and explores the way of living in an alternate reality and it deals with the new concept of humanity under the given circumstances. There is virtual information everywhere, including decorations and refrigerator contents. The main characters of the film have contact lenses through which they receive additional information about the world around them.
The main character is Patrick and at the beginning of the film, he is engaged in the activity which is invisible to other people. He is playing a game which makes him happy and he is satisfied with the result he gets. The following scene happens in his kitchen and there is nothing in his fridge visible to the naked eye. He gets points which are also followed by comments and compliments when he prepares his food.
Patrick’s apartment has no furniture, apart from one sofa and there are no electrical devices. However, he has a TV set which can be seen through his lenses and this is shown to the audience as well. People can see what he is seeing only when it is shown that way. Otherwise, he is the only person who can have a perception of his reality which is individualized.
The film’s duration is seven minutes and it depicts people who are aided by technology in everything that they do, including personal relationships with other people. The aided reality is omnipresent and it is involved as an integral part in everyday reality. These applications give suggestions and rate people’s personalities based on their reactions. These reactions can be verbal and non-verbal because all aspects of human interaction are taken into consideration when being analyzed. Nothing is left to imagination and people are deprived of their basic sense of humanity. They cannot engage their critical thinking skills in everyday life because the application does all the thinking for them. It can even prevent an action from happening which is described when Patrick stops Daphne from leaving him. She does not have free will in this case because he can manipulate her behavior. Virtual reality complicates life which is evident when Patrick and Daphne are sitting in a restaurant. Their date seems to be supervised by technology and this makes their free will redundant. There is no need for waiters because food and drinks can be ordered and paid through application as well. Reality is completely substituted by a visually enhanced reality and it seems that there is a lack of morality in this world.
This film explores what it would be like if people would have applications and mobile phones installed in their minds. Daphne is appalled by Patrick because he uses a dating application and has a wingman, but he makes her change her mind about leaving him. He believes that their date was perfect and she is disgusted with the fact that he uses an application because he is too lazy to make an effort and create a great atmosphere himself. However, she does not have a right to be angry at him because she also uses applications. The description of the wingman application is the following: “Utilizing advanced facial recognition and body-language detection and interpretation algorithms, combined with our sight-powered meta social database analyzer you can now be the person you always wanted to be in any potentially romantic social interaction!” (May-Raz and Lazo, Sight).
The civilization has become different and the world has changed because of the use of advanced technology. People do not have common reason anymore and their way of thinking is taken away from them in order to be replaced by artificial reasoning. Patrick is a conformist who only wants to make his life as easy as possible, while Daphne wants her integrity intact although it is not possible because she is already a part of an enhanced reality. She can only choose whether she wants to date people like Patrick or not. Daphne can also decide not to use technology in her life as well, but she uses it. Therefore, she cannot despise Patrick for wanting their date to be a success. Sometimes, people are too anxious when being on a first date and such an application can be helpful. Patrick is still the same person, but both of them are confused by the technology. The moral of the story is that people should be themselves when they are looking for love, because there is no room for technology in personal relationships. Technology cannot control everything and emotions should not be impacted by it.
Reflection Memo
I chose to analyze Sight because the film is insightful and warns people about a hazardous aspect of the technology. People should not become robots and that would be the case if their minds were influenced by applications. I am interested in short films as well as in the advancement of technology and that is why I am fascinated by this story.
My pre-writing process included watching the film several times and taking notes. It took me some time to understand what is going on in the film and what is the message of the film. It was a challenge because I do not use technology so much in my life. I prefer to rely on my own senses and on my critical thinking skills which is why I was astonished to see the role of technology in a futuristic society. I was also afraid because this story could happen in the future.
I developed my thesis by thinking about the role of technology in today’s life. It can be helpful, but it can also ruin relationships between people. There are people who get addicted to applications and cannot live without virtual reality and this makes them numb. While writing the paper, I was challenged by the fact that I do not know much about new technologies or about virtual reality. I got acquainted with the term augmented reality and that is the concept which I applied to this film.
Throughout the revision process, I concentrated on describing the film in such a way that the reader does not have to watch it to understand it. I used arguments to prove my thesis and I gave examples about the effects of using advanced technology. This is a futuristic film, but our society is not far from producing such devices which can be installed in a person’s mind. It is not necessarily a bad thing because it can help people who are disabled for example.
I gained useful knowledge from the experience of watching this film because I learned a lot about technological advancement. I spend a lot of time working on my computer and I rarely go anywhere without my laptop which is why this film was mind-opening for me. I can see this kind of reality in near future because the society is beginning to depend too much on technology. It can improve the quality of life, but it can also prevent people from having realistic experiences.
The fact that works of art can be artificially placed in one’s apartment is appalling for me because it degrades art. There is no illusion that can make a good replica of a masterpiece and people should not rely on artificiality. If a person wants to see a work of art, they should go to a museum and have a real experience. The experiences which are brought by technology are false and should not be used in all situations in life. People need to be able to see the world clearly without the use of technology. They could use such applications for health issues, for concentration, for physical activity and for access to information, but they should not let it interfere with their private life.
Technology needs to be manipulated by responsible people because it can lead to disasters. The society can make progress if it pays attention to the actual needs of human beings. Consumerism is making people unhappy and depressed because they cannot buy everything that is being advertised. Moreover, they do not need most of those products because it is all about social prestige. People need to concentrate on their spirituality and not on material things. The progress of the civilization will be possible when people stop depending on technology and start relying on their own senses. It is fine to use artificial aid in order to make life easier and to prevent disasters from happening, if possible, but nature has to be preserved for the sake of humanity.
Works Cited
May-Raz, Eran, and Daniel Lazo. " A Futuristic Short Film HD: by Sight Systems The CGBros The CGBros ." YouTube. N.p., 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_cdkpazjI>.
