Film Project Planning Research- Black Mirror Playtest S2 Ep.3

Although Black Mirror is a television series, the episode Playtest focuses on the idea of as simulation which is why we are researching it to benefit our film making.  In the first two minutes, the story of a man moving away from home is shown and him flying outside the country.  The episode foreshadows by having him refuse to turn off his cell phone while playing a video game.  There is shot of him walking down the stairs and his shadow covers his family's portrait. This wide shot expresses the true hardship of him leaving home.  The editing used for the title of the episode of Playtest is very video-game in the font and the way it blinks on the screen.  This helps the viewer understand that the episode will be about some sort of game.  When the man is leaving his house, incidental music is played to underline the mood of the first two minutes.  Through mis-en-scene, the lighting is very dim to show the solemn mood of the episode.  No jobs were feature, but this is because it is a television series not a film.  Season 2's budget for Black Mirror was 2.4 million US dollars, and they made a total profit of 40 million US dollars from Netflix. Playtest was nominated for a British Academy Film & Television Award in best visual and graphic effects.While planning the film, researching television episodes that focus on simulations will further my research.  Although it is not a film, the television episode Playtest benefits the idea of a simulation and how the first two minutes of our film can be expressed.