Both Fargo and Mr. Robot have been discussed in the media spotlight as two television shows being ground-breaking, not only for their storytelling and scriptwriting, but due to the sophisticated cinematography and sound that they incorporate. These elements add a dramatic flair to the shows, which infuses them with meaningful depth. In order to emphasize the importance of these characteristics, the current paper explores the cinematography and sound design present in both Fargo and Mr. Robot.
Considering the plot of the show, it is worth stating that the protagonist of it is a young technical engineer, responsible for cyber security. His name is Elliot Alderson and he lives in New York, also playing the role of an activist hacker during his free time. Further, he meets Mr. Robot, a mysterious hacktivist, who recruits him to his own team of vigilante hackers. Having a social anxiety disorder, Alderson appears to get to know more people by simply hacking their accounts, also being unsure whether he wants to remain a part of the aforementioned team. What is more important, through the series, Elliot is continuously asked to hack the company he works for, which makes him more uncertain regarding his own beliefs and methods of activism. Correspondingly, this central plot is administered through the visual and sound design discussed below.
Throughout the first four episodes of Mr. Robot, it is clear that cinematography takes center stage. One of the fascinating dynamics of the show is that even though the characters within it may be talking to each other, when they do the camera captures them to where the viewer would think they were alone. Where traditional television shows tend to show characters within the frame of looking at each other, Mr. Robot, has the intention of showcasing the hacker culture in great detail, which suggests why the frames are setup in the manner they are. The unconventional positioning of the characters provides a substantial amount of composition of the shots, which is very different not only compared to the contemporary TV shows, but also in comparison with the rest of visual arts. Showcasing the characters in an isolated format sends a message of loneliness and importance of internal dialogues of the characters. Thus, the viewers are witnessing a fascinating approach to how the characters are being represented by the actors; for example, Elliot Alderson played by Rami Malek.
The aforementioned approach is called short sighting, which leaves an unnerving quality of the story and the world the characters live in, full of isolation and privacy. In addition, such approach appears to be revolutionary and contradicting to the composition of traditional TV shows, which highlights the radical spirit of the series. For each of the four episodes, the audience appears to be on the edge of their seats due to the combination of the aforementioned short-sighting effect and new concept of personal isolation discussed in the TV series.
As for the sound design of the TV show, it is worth stating that the overall soundtrack of it infuses each its episode with dramatism. In particular, due to the electronic nature of the soundtrack and massive use of keyboards and pianos, this effect is achieved also representing the futuristic and technical side of the show. The first four episodes offer this in an overt manner. It makes for an intensity to the scenes that the characters are involved in. Further, it appears more than obvious that each of the characters is given a musical theme. The technique is meant to reveal their light, their darkness, and demons offering the audience better understanding of each character. The sounds of the music, whether pulsating or somewhat somber is unconventional in the sense that scoring television shows tends to be nominal other than an opening theme, or closing music.
The use of sound in television is something that requires a certain level of technique in terms of identifying how it will be perceived by the audience. Creating a soundtrack in post-production adds an atmosphere of each scene where there would otherwise be no realistic understanding. This atmosphere creates a certain ambience and brings the scene to life. As a result, this ambience stimulates the viewers’ desire to find out what they will see the next second in the respective scene. Having combined such approach with the use of electronic music in Mr. Robot, it is worth accepting that the sound design's main purpose is to relay a diverse environment and create a corresponding atmosphere. In particular, the continuous pulsating sounds of keyboards specifically designed, composed and arranged for this purpose appear to be effectively mixed with the electronic theme tunes actual for each character.
As a result, through the effective combination of cinematographic techniques and sound design of the series, the viewers receive a fundamentally new insight towards witnessing the characters and their actions. What is more important, all of these appear to both complement and balance the technical and social message delivered through the characters, their dialogues and actions. In other words, without the aforementioned sound and visual techniques, Mr. Robot would have become another casual TV show telling a story of rebellious hacker.
Fargo
The television series, Fargo, borrows or rather extends much of the original movie's concept regarding cinematography. The completely new criminal case of the series brings the viewers back to 1979 to describe the investigation held by Lou Solverson, a young Police Officer in Sioux Falls. Lou has recently returned from his service in Vietnam and appears to be in the middle between the operations of local gangs and biggest syndicates of the region. The purpose is to drive the narrative further. As a result, it appears more than logical that there was a need to put viewers into the universe of the Coen Brothers, who crafted the film's original dynamics. This meant producing a noir blending in terms of atmosphere along with the characters and in the visuals. Everything from the color palette of the words Fargo to the colors utilized in the scenes is done to display the depth of the scenes. In particular, the bright and white snow being shown in the first two episodes of the show emphasizes the importance for the series producers and director to deliver similarly vivid and alive atmosphere, as it was in the movie’s original.
Still, it is worth accepting that the aforementioned effect was more than difficult to achieve due to the peculiarities of the lighting that is hardly found in the location of where the show is filmed, Alberta, Canada. The cinematographer had to create beautifully soft light and bounce it against a rather tense plot. Another interesting part about the cinematography used in Fargo is the use of two cameras. Such approach provides a clever cross shooting that would be missed out on with solely one camera. Since FX, which is the network that airs Fargo, wanted to ensure that they obtained much of the feel from the original film, having these characteristics woven into the episodic package was necessary. One of the key attributes about the show is its emphasis put on the scenery, lighting, etc. which is a complete contrast to the same of Mr. Robot, which focus appears to be on capturing the characters’ natures and behaviors.
As mentioned earlier, sound is one of the most interesting parts of this television show. The music and sound design stirs a memorable experience within the viewer. This is superbly captured in Fargo, which is noted for its multiple use of different types of music including country crooning. The musical selections definitely add corresponding nuance to the TV show. With the country being a mainstay of the show, the backdrop of music similar to that of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" to bands such as Mumford and Sons, perform well. Fargo is obscure in more than one way and the sound within the series - the first four episodes and beyond paint a quite a stir within the audiences as they simply become the part of the town itself. The musical selections offer a test of Fargo, its idiosyncrasies and the explorations of the characters that inhabit the town. The effects are far-reaching in one’s memory long after each of the episodes have ended. This is how much music, and sound design play a pivotal role in how a television show is presented. The sound design is what has made the show one of the highest rated in cable television since it has been on the air.
Conclusion
This paper has been discussing the use of cinematography and sound within the television shows – Fargo and Mr. Robot. Specifically, the paper has delved into how each is used and considerably differed from each other. The paper has also explained how both of them play a crucial role in the dynamics of the shows, and the likelihood of where the shows would be without them. The relevance of sound design has also been discussed answering the question of why do certain songs work to develop plot and characters as in Mr. Robot, while others seek to develop the setting and invite the viewer into it as is the case with Fargo.
