#also: the whole messaging of the exit/false exit/no way out is a big theme

[effervescentha]

The Amazing Digital Circus Spoilers

I thought this on even my first watch of The Amazing Digital Circus, but even moreso on rewatches, that there feels like a pretty deliberate parallel of "abstraction" with suicide. Part of that comes from what abstraction equates to in the story, but another part comes from how the characters experience and talk about it.

Ragatha talks about abstraction without naming it, later explaining that what she was talking about was referring to it. Her exact wording immediately makes the clear tie in of abstraction and sanity, playing back to the jokes earlier around "going insane."

There's obviously the mentioning of a breaking point and losing sight of why you're even alive, but there's also a very clear distinction of losing sight of who you are. Identity plays a piece into how it works, and that shows up again later.

In the intro, it says "Disclaimer: Kaufmo did not show up today." When they go to find him in his room, they have to break in to enter, and they find him in the form of a (seemingly) mindless monster. The walls are scrawled with the word "EXIT," over and over and over, with a few exceptions.

Besides the exit scrawlings and the drawing of Caine, there's two other lines: one being a message saying "WHAT DID THE EXIT SAY TO THE CLOWN?", and the other being a couple separate scrawlings of a response- potentially the punchline- saying "NO WAY OUT."

All we really know so far about Kaufmo is that he was a clown that was obsessed with making the others laugh at his jokes, and getting upset when someone would fake it. We don't really know much else about how he thought or acted besides it, and yet even here it shows that his obsession with the exit bled into everything he thought about- even his jokes began to revolve around the exit. We only know about one thing he actually valued, and that thing was overtaken by the obsession to leave. There's an implication there that Kaufmo might've already found the fake exit- or one like it- and what it "told" him was that there was "no way out." It's possible that that was the straw that broke the camel's back, but we don't really know yet.

The last thing of note- and the thing that prompted the thought in the first place upon my first watch- was what Zooble said after Kaufmo's abstraction was dealt with (...by throwing his body into a pit of various other abstracted bodies),

The choice of the phrase, "give up." It's a very deliberate turn of phrase to not only imply a choice, but is also often used interchangeably with "quitting" or "lost" when discussing suicide. Obviously, not a healthy way to view the concept in the first place, but it's sadly a relatively common practice.

The X's on the doors in the living quarters and the other abstracted bodies imply he is not the first, nor will be the last, and it's something the cast is already well acquainted with- which, makes sense, seeing as they have a name for it. But the specific implication of showing it as a loss of both body and self is something I definitely want to keep an eye on. Due to the genre being a psychological horror, I'm already VERY invested in how they'll use this for storytelling in the future.

[dalekofchaos]

Why The Matrix sequels work

Like the majority, I was not a fan of The Matrix sequels, but as time moved and as my mind matured, I’ve grown to appreciate them. Over time, like the Star Wars Prequels I grew to love the Matrix sequels. So this is me explaining why The Matrix sequels work. There are issues I have, but these are pretty much me defending the sequels.

Neo isn't the One because he is chosen. He is One because he chooses to be. Neo wasn't the One because of fate. He was the One because he believed he could. Like Morpheus, he just does it. There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path. So whoever you are, just walk. Live it right now, and don't question how real or plausible it is. Don't do it because it'll be good for you or them, or even because you need it. Do it because you can. Know that you can.You don't have to be the One to do it. You just have to be the one to DO IT.

Neo’s ability to use his powers outside The Matrix.

Neo's visit to the source gave him a connection to that place that no other has ever had. The Ones before him all recycled their code back into the matrix once they left that room, but Neo went back into the matrix and exited into the real world. Instead of recycling that code it remained in him, and as Agent Smith/Bane has proves, it is possible to bring code from the matrix into the real world.

This left him with a lingering connection, think of it like a subconscious wifi signal into the matrix and thus the machine world even once he unplugged, so he was able to sense machines and exert control over them. Note he never flies in the real world or performs at the superhuman levels we see in the matrix, his only "power" in the real world is directly related to sensing and controlling machines.

Agent Smith never had such a connection. All he did was force his code into the mind of a human to overtake the body, he had no special powers outside of the matrix.

The Merovingian

He is an old program, from a much older version of The Matrix. He supposedly helped create the "Nightmare" version along with The Architect. When that failed, he saved much of the programs of that version as his henchmen (that's why they have special abilities, like The Twins and the guards that can reverse gravity, and some are much harder to kill, for instance with silver bullets). Plus his overacting and arrogance are just a joy to see. 

The Energy problem.

The Machines use humans for power. That is obviously not the only energy source since The Architect clearly states that there are other ways. In a way The Wachowskis have recognised this flaw. In the first draft the Machines used humans for their processing power (sort of like a giant server), not energy. But they weren't sure people would believe it so they changed it in the end.

Zion.

Zion is the last human civilization, yet the humans need the machines to keep it running as the machines need them to survive.  The irony that they need each other is poetic. The rave scene and the whole bunch of extras being focused on were annoying but it’s important to see humans thriving in the last human civilization. Zion was built by the machines when the 3rd iteration of the Matrix was written because the machines knew that 1% would refuse the program. This place had to give the illusion of being "free". Although Zion is NOT a computer program, the truth is, every aspect of Zion is under COMPLETE control of the machines. Every time The One reaches The Architect, the machines are attacking Zion. As soon as the anomaly walks through the door to the right (except Neo), the machines retreat and the attack is over, then the machines repair Zion of the damage it took from the attack. The efficiency the Architect is referring to is the machines finding more efficient ways of reaching and attacking Zion along with causing less damage to Zion every time; hence, less repair work. This attack is staged to motivate the anomaly to 1) "save the world" 2) choose the door to the right which will reinsert the prime program and reboot the Matrix program. Next, the anomaly chooses the 23 people from the Matrix to rebuild Zion. The 23 people have their memories erased and are programmed to believe whatever the machines choose for them to believe. There is a theory that Zion is just a part of The Matrix and that just honestly makes everything pointless. There is a cycle, The One chooses to save Zion every time, it’s only when Neo saves Trinity that there is a chance to truly save Zion. If Zion were another computer program, EVERY aspect of what the Wachowski 's are trying to tell us in this incredible story would be COMPLETELY irrelevant. A major theme in the trilogy was Neo's cause. If the entire trilogy took place in a program (dream-within-a-dream), there was no message told.  It's not like the thinking of a machine to take someone who has figured out that their entire life has been a lie, a complete fabrication, and put them into another simulated life. The Wachowski’s are screaming to us that the place where Zion rests, near the earths core, is non-machine built. Everything about the Matrix is symmetrical and full of grids....it's constructed of 1's and 0's. Any scene in the Matrix reveals symmetry. It's digital...it's a program. Zion, on the other hand, is the COMPLETE opposite. Their is nothing symmetric about it. The shapes and textures of Zion are a language the machines cant understand. The natural parts of Zion look as asymmetrical and non-digital as possible....very intentionally done by the Wachowski’s. The steel doors and other various steel parts in Zion reveal at least 500-1000 years of erosion. It's been used for all 5 previous anomalies. If it were a program, don't you think the machines would eliminate any evidence that their bullshit story that they fed the 23 people was false? Yes, they would. But they cant, because Zion is not a computer program. The only thing the machines can rely on for the people of Zion not to figure out that they are not the first people there is...."Hope. It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and your greatest weakness"  

The nature of Agent Smith

Smith is Neo's opposite. He's determinism, Neo is choice. Smith is the many, Neo is The One. Light and Dark. The two faces of the same coin. He became a rogue agent, in an unexpected way when part of Neo's code overwrote a part of his, unplugging him from the system. He began replicating at an alarming rate and he was too powerful to simply be deleted. Something that I love about Smith in the sequels, he became the very thing he hated. “You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.” Smith becomes the very thing he viewed humans to be. A virus.  A virus that only survives by infecting others. Assimilating everyone in The Matrix and dangerous enough to infect all machines. Smith became the very virus he hated and I think that is poetic and beautiful.

The Architect

An explanation to this scene.

Before the current version of the Matrix, the machines created other versions. The first was a “Perfect World Scenario” where everybody was happy and life was good. Human psyche could not handle this overload of perfection and rejected the program. People couldn’t believe it was real. The second Matrix was a “Nightmare Scenario”, wars raged so as to appease the sadistic nature of humanity. This was also a failure because people couldn’t accept it.

The solution was found by The Oracle. She concluded, that if people were given a choice to accept or reject the Matrix (even if they weren’t aware they were being given that choice), they would overwhelmingly accept the program anyway.

Of course that this acceptance was not universal. A small number of people would still reject the Matrix. If left unchecked in the system, these people behaved like a virus, making other people aware that they lived in a fake world, destabilizing the whole system. They had to be removed. That’s why The Architect allowed Zion to survive, to preserve the Matrix and to remove the people that were aware that they were inside a program. But this in turn created the problem of controlling Zion.

If left unchecked, the city would eventually grow too powerful. For that purpose, the Architect and The Oracle created the concept of The One. Every time Zion grew too big (around 250.000 people I think), The One would be born. The One carried an important part of code from the Matrix (the Prime Program) that gave him a greater form of control over the Matrix (aka Neo’s Powers).

He was supposed to be guided by The Oracle to meet The Architect, reinserting the Prime Program he carried, thereby rebooting the Matrix. After the destruction of Zion, The One would create a new Zion with a select few people on the Matrix. After his death, The Oracle would begin to spread the prophecy of his return, perpetuating the cycle.

Oracle and Agent Smith

"The phrase "You would know, Mom" is quite possibly the most important part of all 3 movies. Smith admits here that the Oracle has created him. Remember she tells Neo that the agents try to balance the equation, she is trying to unbalance it. Smith is that unbalance. The Oracle knew that by creating the Smith program, (An agent with human emotions) and making him realize that he would never be free from his program world, he would unbalance the equation and eventually cause the humans and the machines to come together as one to defeat him. The architect did not want this. He figured that if Neo went into the source, the equation would balance itself out, Smith could be repaired, and the machines could stay in rule. But Neo knew better. He knew the only way to save Zion would be to fight Smith. The Oracle knew that Smith had to take her. She would finish unbalancing the equation by reminding Neo that "Everything has a beginning, and an end." It was okay to stop fighting. It was okay to give in. Because Smith had taken over everything, he had become the source of the Matrix. When Neo was taken over, he entered the source allowing the machines to destroy the virus. Thus, the Oracle solved two problems with the Matrix. 1, she finally found the peace that both sides of the war wanted and 2, she finally tamed the Architect who vowed to release the humans again. Without Smith, peace would have never come. Without the Oracle creating Smith, peace would have never come."

The Machines.

If you watch the Animatrix, you will know that the Machines are not evil.  The machines are the good guys in the story.

They tried everything to achieve peaceful co-existence with humans. The humans would have none of it and destroyed the surface of the earth.

Faced with the extinction of themselves, their creators, or both, the machines chose to domesticate humans instead of wiping them out.

The matrix is basically an elaborate zoo that keeps the dangerous animals from getting loose and forcing another total war that can’t be avoided otherwise.

The machines have only wanted peace since the very beginning.

They even tried to make the Matrix a utopia for the humans. We just couldn’t quite accept it, so they had to make it shittier to stop violating our suspension of disbelief. But as the Architect explains the human mind simply wouldn’t accept utopia due to the “grotesqueries of our nature”.

And the machines have no incentive to kill off humanity since they need us alive for energy. Which also means they can’t let humanity destroy itself through a thermonuclear war due to the “grotesqueries of our nature”, something humanity might do.

the machines in The Matrix are surprisingly benevolent caretakers.

“The Dangerous game”

Neo and Smith were apart of The Oracle’s plan to bring about peace. Smith  wasn't anomalous until imprinted by Neo. Some version of him had been allowed to play out in all versions of the "one paradigm" of the matrix. The Virus known as Smith had never been allowed to progress as far as he did in the 6th version of the one paradigm. Which is what makes it unique as well as a bargaining chip for peace among the two species. The architect had dealt with the ones prior to Neo, but never needed them. Once Smith assimilated all inhabitants of the matrix, a direct conduit through Neo was the last option the machines had. The Oracle giving Neo Trinity, which ensures he wouldn't accept the first offer to return to the source guarantees a version of Smith no machine had ever witnessed. This is the dangerous game the Architect refers to and the end of revolutions. Neo giving himself to Smith was his choice and he chose to free everyone. Not just the humans in The Matrix, but the programs within The Matrix. It makes everyone thanking Neo work. Neo’s sacrifice in the end is beautiful.

[dannyosu97]

AX2001 - Adaption Essay

Introduction

In this essay, I am explaining how I will adapt a well-known story. The story which I have chosen is ‘Postman Pat’.  Postman Pat is an animated children’s TV show which was originally produced by Woodland Animations, the creator of Postman Pat is John Cunliffe, he wrote the first Postman Pat episodes in 1981 and carried on until it ended in total writing a total of 196.

Firstly, I will be describing the emphasis of the series, followed by adaptations that have been inspired by it, which will then lead to the discussion of my own adaptation and why I have chosen to adapt it the way I have.

Plot of Postman Pat

Postman pat follows the journey of Pat Clifton, A postman who travels with his “Black and White cat” Jess, he delivers parcels and letters to a small fictional village of Greendale. Despite wanting to deliver his letters he will usually get distracted in helping other people who are needing assistance and is usually the one who resolves a problem. Main characters in the series include Mrs Goggins who is the postmistress at the Greendale Post Office, Alf Thompson a farmer and Ted Glen a handyman who is Postman Pat’s close friend.

My Adaptation

In my adaptation, I would like to keep pat the same in respects to his Job, I still want him to be someone who delivers parcels and letters/messages to people. I think that the story of postman pat is well written and can be easily turned into something else for a more mature audience, just like other adaptations I have found through my research. As I have explained postman Pat delivers letters and messages as his job, Pat will keep this part of him in my adaptation, but the time period is completely different. I think it would be more exciting if he was written as an undercover spy for the British delivering false information to the Germans in the heat of WWII. Postman Pat is good at his job so, I thought that maybe he should keep this aspect as to maybe why he is good at it, as this would be a younger, stronger Pat which would also explain why he has experience in helping people and being able to handle a situation like he does in his TV episodes.

But there are certain aspects that I will be straying from I.e. Jess, in my depiction Jess will be a war ready killing machine a Siberian Tiger which Pat had helped since she was a cub. This has a similarity to the original as pat has looked after Jess in the Postman Pat series as well as my own adaptation.

As I explained briefly, I will be setting my adaptation between 1939 and 1945. It will follow the journey of an undercover British spy “General Patrick”, who travels from post to post giving fake information to the Germans and Axis forces, in my adaptation General Patrick, will come face to face with Hitler and deliver what Hitler thinks is important information but will actually turn out to be a bomb, it will then start a chase scene where General Patrick known to the Germans as “Briefträger Pat” it will eventually lead to General Patrick escaping and will conclude with him returning to Britain being dismissed by the British as the war has ended. I think that writing it this way could make it aimed towards an audience that is more appropriate for adults, it also changes the genre and plot compared to the original.

Other Adaptations

Il Postino Pat (Harry Enfield and Chums, 1997): Il Postino Pat was a parody created by Harry Enfield and was shown in an episode of “Harry Enfield and Chums” in 1997. It had many different changes in it for example all the music was Italian opera and the dialogue was in Italian providing subtitles in English. The movements done by the characters in the show are rigid and try to look just like the puppets from the animated series.

This adaptation done by Harry Enfield only consists of 3 main characters and a handful of miscellaneous characters who are simply known as “the fascists”. It has Harry Enfield as Postman Pat, Dawn Friend as Mrs Goggins and Paul Whitehouse who is a priest, it starts with an operatic tune like the postman pat theme tune, but in Italian.

Everything seems call Postman Pat does his rounds and visits Mrs Goggins, and explains how he loves her so much, they are then interrupted by an explosion outside the post office. Mrs Goggins and Pat both in unison say “The Fascists” once pat ventures to outside we can see that Greendale is in Revolt as pat’s van is on fire, pat notices this and hurries back inside only to fetch a soviet flag Shouting about freedom. The fascists spot him and shoot him in the head, pat falls to the floor and is seen by Mrs Goggins who holds him in her arms as it zooms out to show all of Greendale mostly on fire or destroyed.

This adaptation of postman pat is entirely different from the original but still has some things the same it incorporates, love, tragedy and a war scenario. However, it does keep true to pat being a postman and keeps the characters like Mrs Goggins, Jess the cat, and Pat the same, the only difference is that Greendale is either occupied by fascists or is in an entirely different location which explains why the whole story is Italian. And as well as that it is trying to emphasize that it is a normal day until something happens that has Pat stray away from his job just like the animated TV show.

Parking Pataweyo (Harry and Paul 2007): Parking Pataweyo was an adaptation of postman pat which was a sketch show within the TV series “Harry and Paul” it followed the story of a traffic warden called Parking Pataweyo, again this adaptation has a lot of similarities to the original show like for example the Theme music, Background music and Narration, also the Character naming is similar to that of Postman Pat. For Example, character names included in the series are Roofer Ronnie, Warden Wagatonge, and Parking Pleasant.

It incorporates comedy into the setting of the series and every episode, this works well with the theme of the adaptation, the music and narration help this with simple on liners like “everyone loves parking Pataweyo” at the end of most episodes after he has given someone a parking ticket and will show a character angry towards Parking Pataweyo, it will always make sure that the anger towards Parking Pataweyo is shown but then resolve it by showing Pataweyo simply not caring as it is his job and he has to do it.

The adaptation does keep the same Narration it does this well as the pacing of the sketch is slow there isn’t really much action, it just relies on comedy this narration does help the flow and with the addition of the music in the sketch it does help it and make the experience of watching it quite pleasant and humorous, despite being made for an adult audience it can actually still work for a younger audience this is due to the fact that it is not explicit and the narrated dialogue and music are similar to that of the Postman Pat show for example the theme tune and Background music.

Script

Here is a sample of my script that I have written for my adaptation.

SCENE 1 - Int. Führerbunker Berlin, Daytime

It is the heat of WWII The Nazi's are falling back and losing an incredible amount of land, there remaining men are trying to keep Berlin under Nazi Occupation, but the Germans may have one final chance! Briefträger Pat has returned from his reconnaissance mission, he arrives at a bunker in Berlin, were he must report to the Fuhrer himself. 

The scene starts in the packed corridor of a badly lit and crowded bunker, the walls are shaking from the howitzer fire from outside. We see a Nazi, and a man following closely behind run towards a big metal door at the end of the hall.

Hitler - Komm herein!

Nazi #1 - Mein Fuhrer, Briefträger pat is back from his reconnaissance mission

Hitler - Send Him in!

Briefträger pat enters

Pat - Mein Fuhrer, I have news from Hermann Goring himself it is bad. I'm afraid he has told me that Berlin will fall in the next few days, I have seen it for myself as well, he has enclosed all the information in this envelope for your eyes only and has sent you this package. 

Breiftrager Pat gives Hitler the letter.

Hitler - Package?

Pat - I am unsure, of its purpose Mein Fuhrer all I know is that it is at the upmost importance that you personally received it. 

Pat leans over and hands Hitler the package.

Hitler - Briefträger pat! and everyone in this room leave immediately, I must be alone to observe.

Nazi #1 - But Mein Fuhr-

Hitler - I said Leave! Now! That is an order, Mein Stosstrupp will wait outside. 

Everyone except Hitler leaves the room, his bodyguards wait outside the office pat leaves with a smirk on his face and starts walking towards the exit

Scene 2 - Int. Fuhrerbunker Office

Hitler opens the letter and starts to read it. as this is happening Breiftrager pat is at the end of the corridor nearly at the exit when a nazi solider bumps into him and knocks a passport out of his pocket.

Hitler - *Reads* Mein Fuhrer, I am afraid I have some disturbing news I have recently discovered, that there is a British spy hiding in our ranks. They refer to him as... 

Back to the corridor

Nazi #2 - Apologies Mein Fruend, it seems you have dropped something... Wait a moment this is not a passport for a German this is a passpo- 

*Interrupted*

Pat - It's my alias, I'm undercover for the Fuhrer I leave in 4 Hours! Now, get out of my way!

Nazi #2 - I will be asking the Fuhrer about this immediately with you in my attendance.

Pat - Why do that when I can just show you my Credentials

Pat Reaches into his pocket, he starts to pull out his silenced Luger, when it then quickly switches back to Hitler’s office

Hitler - *Still Reading* -But as I have said this spy is very important to us as me and you both know him as Breiftrager Pat, I found letters for him with orders straight from London he has been lying to us for months, that's why we have lost so many tro-

Hitler slams down the letter in anger, he then throws his attention to the package he hesitantly opens it. it is a plain box as he opens the box a spring noise occurs, and a ticking starts, Hitler realises it’s a bomb.

Hitler - *Gasps* Scheisse! 

His Office explodes killing him and the guards outside, an alarm sounds, that can be heard from the whole bunker. it goes back to the corridor

Nazi #2 - The Alarm! For the sake of the Fuhrer I am detaining you

Pat - Pardon my German but Fuck you! Nazi Scum!

Nazi #2 - Wha-

Pat swiftly pulls the Luger from his pocket aiming it at the head of the Nazi, he pulls the trigger and kills him

Pat - Time to get out of here!

Scene 3 - EXT. Fuhrerbunker courtyard

Pat escapes to the courtyard but 3 small Nazi trucks are blocking his way, the Nazi's are waiting for him and he has nowhere left to run.

Nazi #3 - Halt!

Pat - Steady Boys let’s not get carried away now

Just as the Nazi's advance on pat a loud Roar is hear in the distance it's Jess pat's personal killing machine a Siberian tiger that he has looked after since a small cub. Jess Leaps over the 3 trucks and hurtles towards the Nazi's who open fire on her. Pat aims his gun at the Nazi closest to him, and kills him, Jess takes a chunk out of the first Nazi and then heads towards the last one, she mauls him. All that pat and Jess must do now is escape.  

Pat - That's enough Jess! we must get out of here!!!

Jess - ROOOOOOARRR!

Pat gets onto the back of Jess and rides away on her back, they have both escaped the FUHRERBUNKER, days later the Nazi Regime had been ended and the war was over Pat and Jess were war heroes and now can lead simple lives for themselves, Jess was released back to the wild and Pat decided not to let his talents go to waste by becoming a postman shortly after the war for a small northern village in England. 

Conclusion

In conclusion my adaptation is a good concept, I have strayed away from the setting and the base of characters, but some remain for example the two main characters Pat and Jess are still included in my adaptation. However, the are completely different personality wise, in my adaptation for example Jess is a Siberian Tiger a “Big Cat” whilst in the original Jess is a domesticated house cat, but they keep the origin of pat raising his beloved pet since it was a kitten, or in my adaptation a small cub.

I have written decided to get rid of the narration element in my adaptation I didn’t find it fitting to my adaptation as it just wouldn’t work, I feel like with narration added into the script the whole pacing and fluidity of the script would be interrupted, the main focus of my dialogue is action, I really wanted to emphasize on instant action and keep a good momentum in the script.

Overall, my adaptation strays away from the original but my adaptation is a different audience and a different concept, I have changed the time period, the location and also excluded some characters, as it was only a short adaptation I had to keep characters to a minimum as it would be hard to write in say 5 or 6 characters so I have kept around 3 main characters and 1 minor character.

Bibliography

Harry Enfield and Chums – Il Postino Pat: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vp9dKNoq6I)

Harry and Paul – Parking Pataweyo: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No9GfIF01Rc)

Parking Pataweyo: http://harryenfield.wikia.com/wiki/Parking_Pataweyo

John Cunliffe – Creator of Postman Pat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cunliffe_(author)