Ex Machina Film Blog-Della Posta, Meagher, More.
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Ex Machina
2014
Written and Directed by Alex Garland
Staring Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac
1 hr and 48 mins
Official Trailer
Summary
Ex Machina is a story told from the point of view of Caleb, a skilled programmer who works for Bluebook, essentially the Google of today's world. Caleb wins a competition held by Bluebook’s founder, Nathan, and spends a week at Nathan's home isolated in the mountains. Caleb finds out the he will be testing Nathan’s prized possession, an AI named Ava. Caleb is tasked with doing the Turing test on Ava to determine whether or not she could pass as a human. After multiple sessions Ava is able to persuade Caleb to let her free and as a thank you, Ava kills Nathan and leaves Caleb for dead inside Nathan’s home. QUITE GOOD
PREFER SECOND JUST FOR THE SAKE OF READERS WHO DONT KNOW THE FILMEx Machina tells the story of Caleb, a talented programmer who works at a company called Bluebook. Bluebook was created by Nathan, a reclusive super genius. Caleb wins a competition to spend a week with Nathan at his mountain retreat, but to do more than just hang out. Nathan has built a robot, named Ava. Nathan believes he has succeeded in creating the first robot with strong A.I., the ability to think like a human. He wants Caleb to be the human component in a Turing Test. The Turing Test is a means for seeing whether or not a robot actually has strong A.I.. If the robot can convince a human that it is human, than it passes the test. After just six sessions with Caleb, Ava seduces him, turns him against Nathan, and convinces him to help her escape. This is exactly what Nathan was looking for, believing that if Ava could recognize that Caleb was the only way for her to escape and manipulate his emotions, than Ava truly would have strong A.I.. Unfortunately for Nathan, Caleb outsmarts him and manages to let Ava out of the room she’s kept in. Once free, Ava kills Nathan and locks Caleb in the house while she escapes into the world, where no one knows she’s a robot.
Analysis of Film Techniques
The film uses a multitude of film techniques to really make the viewer believe the things they are seeing. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS SENTENCE IT SHOULD GO HERE
Sound plays a critical role in how we first perceive Ava when she first comes on screen--there is soft and slow piano music revolving around four notes similar to the theme of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a film that is about humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life. Like in that film, this track marks the first encounter between a man and something otherworldly and unknown. Regardless of whether or not the viewer recognizes the the tune it serves to remind them of Ava’s inhuman nature. Also, when we first meet Ava, her voice has a slight robotic ting to it. Over time, this ting disappears, gradually transitioning the viewer perception of Ava from thinking she’s a robot to thinking she’s an actual sentient being.
The characters of Ex Machina serve interesting roles in the film. Caleb serves as a blank slate. His parents are dead and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Aside from that and that he’s a brilliant programmer at Nathan’s company, we know next to nothing about Caleb. While Caleb's plainness makes him more of a vehicle or instrument rather than a person, it does make him a character a viewer can see themselves in. Like Caleb, the audience is going through this completely new and foreign experience. So Caleb is the one who’s reactions to the films events most closely resemble our own. He is like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz or Luke in Star Wars. He’s the character who shares the audiences confusion and wonder at the films events.
There is also Nathan, whose characteristics signal to the viewer that he is the antagonist. Nathan is smarter than Caleb, richer than Caleb, more confident than Caleb (despite living in isolation with machines for who knows how long), and is physically stronger than Caleb. In most stories, the villain is more powerful than the protagonist, so when Caleb, who is clearly the protagonist being the first character we meet and the one most like the viewer, looks shy and pathetic against a muscular, confident genius, one can quickly assume Nathan is bad guy number one.
The film does a great job at keeping the viewer guessing and wanting more. Throughout the entirety of the film, you never really know what path it is going down. This is in part to great writing but the acting really helps exemplify this. Both Domhnall (Caleb) and LAST NAME Oscar (Nathan) do a fantastic job in their respective roles. Domhnall is able to communicate the uneasiness and suspicion that Caleb rightfully feels. He also plays the role of a nerdy and awkward Caleb with skill. The way he speaks really makes the viewer believe what they are seeing. Oscar on the other hand handles Nathan’s role beautifully. Nathan is a tech genius without the nerdy awkwardness that usually follows such a title. Oscar speaks with a certain bravado and confidence that makes the viewer understand his role. The fact that Nathan ends up being right in the end again shows how Oscar does a great job. During the film the viewer is unsure of Nathan’s sincerity and honesty with Caleb. WE UNITY OF VOICE thought Nathan was the bad guy but as it turns out he was on Caleb’s team the whole time.
The last actor and maybe the most important is Alicia LAST NAME(Ava). Alicia is able to portray the fact that Ava is human but also not at the same time. The way that Ava speaks and her body language really puts the viewer on edge. Is this robot actually feeling human emotion? Or is she just pretending?
ALREADY TALKED ABOUT SOUND
The first being sound. Sound plays a big role in the film, whether it be the blaring noise when the power cuts or the sound of Ava moving, it effects the viewer. The fact that every time the power cuts an alarm blares and a robotic voice says “Power cut, backup power activated” really leaves the viewer with an uneasy feeling. The other very important sound in the film is the sound of Ava moving. A robotic sound is played and this serves as a reminder to the viewer that she is still a robot. Even though she may express human emotions, she is still a machine.
Another technique used by the director is that of lighting. Nathan’s whole house is filled with ‘modern’ WHAT ARE MODERN LOOKING LIGHTS--DESCRIBE looking lights. These lights leave the house relatively dark and eerie. Ava’s room is also quite dark and even when Caleb is there testing her, it remains quite dark. Another use of lighting is during the power cuts. A red light fills every shot and again gives off an eerie vibe. This red light could even be foreshadowing how these power cut chats between Caleb and Ava are bad and will eventually cause harm.
costumes each actor wears. Caleb and Nathan both dress very similarly. They wear plain shirts most of the time and this too helps with the modern feeling of the film. They rarely, if ever, wear a shirt with a graphic on them. Ava’s costume is the most important of them all. Ava has a human face but the majority of her body shows the interior wiring of her. This is done purposely by Nathan as he says that if even with all that showing could she pass as human. Her costume also reminds the viewer that Ava is a machine no matter how she acts. IF YOU INCLUDE THIS SECTION IT NEEDS DEVELOPMENT=NATHAN"S CLOTHES, AND AVA'S! HER TRANSOFRMATION BY DONNING CLOTHES< WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES ETC
Another technique in the film is that of setting. Nathan’s house is basically ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Caleb is flown in by helicopter and then has to walk a ways to get to Nathan’s house. This shows how isolated they are because Caleb and Nathan are the only humans for miles. Nathan’s home is another setting in the film that plays into the overall theme of the movie. His house is quite bare and very modern which connects the the ultra modern AI that he is working on. THIS IS "OK"
life.
Themes
The movie brings up a lot of important questions, issues that need to be addressed in the real world as AI is soon to be a reality.
First, what will the AIs we create be capable of? In the film Ava’s task is to reach freedom by any means necessary even if that means using and playing with people's emotions. If AI were to become a reality in today's world, would they use their powers for evil, like Ava, or for good.
THIS GOES UPWIOTH PARA ABOVEn the film is the fact that AI will lack moral judgment that us humans possess and this could be very bad. AI will stop at nothing to complete their task but humans on the other hand will try to keep to their morals and not act in a way that breaks their morals. Without morality, AI might be able to solve problems, but at what cost? Would these robots be utilitarian or would they possess other moral standards. THINK ABOUT ETHICAL ROBOTS IN MILITARY OR SELF DRIVING CARS--CAN E PROGRAM THEM TO BE "ETHICAL" AND IF SO WHAT WOULD THTA LOOK LIKE?The Film also addresses the theme of trusting artificial intelligence. Many past films have pondered this question such as terminator and our very own “The Matrix” where A.I. take over the human world.
The final thing that this film brings up is that if these robots would look and act exactly like us, how would we treat them, how would we know the difference? If an AI is exactly identical to another human, would it’s life thus be equal to that of said human, or would we hold human life above all else. NATHAN USING AI FOR HIS SSEXUAL APPETITIES ETC
NEED STARS
NEED TO ADD THE CRITIQUE__DID YOU LIKE THE FILM OR NOT, HOW AND WHY?
Film Review Word Count: 1717
Connections to the Course--CONCEPTS WE HAVE COVERD IN TEH COURSE
1. Like in the course, the film has an interest in the nature of consciousness. USE WHATEVER DEFINITION WE USE IN THE COURSE AND THEN RUN WITH IT Throughout the film Caleb is constantly questioning whether or not Ava has consciousness and what it means to have consciousness.Ex Machina addresses the question of what it means to be conscious. It is what Nathan wants Caleb to see in Ava. While discussing Jackson Pollock, Nathan expresses a belief that consciousness to be something between calculated thought and total randomness. It is that gut feeling. The actions you take that aren’t random but you can’t describe why your taking them either. It’s your preferences, not something you like randomly but also not something we’ve come to prefer through careful analysis of all possible options.
2. uncanny valley. During the Film, Nathan has a fascination with if Ava can “pass” as human.
3. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENCHMARKS FOR SOCIAL ROBOT DEVELOPMENT?
Questions
Do you think Ava should be considered a person? Why or why not?
Do you think we should create AI that will have consciousness and self-awareness?
THINK OF ANOTHER--something catchy that would be fun to answere
Related Links NEED ANOTHER LINK AND A WORKS CTIED AT THE END
The AI Revolution: Our Immortality or Extinction:
https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html
Like with the film, this article addresses some of the problems we face with A.I. coming into our lives. Nathan once said in the film that A.I. will one day look at us the way we look at fossils. This article very much agrees with that statement, warning that the intelligence of a strong A.I. will quickly surpass that of a human and lead to our doom if it’s amoral, like Ava was at the end of Ex Machina.
Ex Machina
2014
Written and Directed by Alex Garland
Staring Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac
1 hr and 48 mins
Official Trailer
Summary
Ex Machina is a story told from the point of view of Caleb, a skilled programmer who works for Bluebook, essentially the Google of today's world. Caleb wins a competition held by Bluebook’s founder, Nathan, and spends a week at Nathan's home isolated in the mountains. Caleb finds out the he will be testing Nathan’s prized possession, an AI named Ava. Caleb is tasked with doing the Turing test on Ava to determine whether or not she could pass as a human. After multiple sessions Ava is able to persuade Caleb to let her free and as a thank you, Ava kills Nathan and leaves Caleb for dead inside Nathan’s home. QUITE GOOD
PREFER SECOND JUST FOR THE SAKE OF READERS WHO DONT KNOW THE FILMEx Machina tells the story of Caleb, a talented programmer who works at a company called Bluebook. Bluebook was created by Nathan, a reclusive super genius. Caleb wins a competition to spend a week with Nathan at his mountain retreat, but to do more than just hang out. Nathan has built a robot, named Ava. Nathan believes he has succeeded in creating the first robot with strong A.I., the ability to think like a human. He wants Caleb to be the human component in a Turing Test. The Turing Test is a means for seeing whether or not a robot actually has strong A.I.. If the robot can convince a human that it is human, than it passes the test. After just six sessions with Caleb, Ava seduces him, turns him against Nathan, and convinces him to help her escape. This is exactly what Nathan was looking for, believing that if Ava could recognize that Caleb was the only way for her to escape and manipulate his emotions, than Ava truly would have strong A.I.. Unfortunately for Nathan, Caleb outsmarts him and manages to let Ava out of the room she’s kept in. Once free, Ava kills Nathan and locks Caleb in the house while she escapes into the world, where no one knows she’s a robot.
Analysis of Film Techniques
The film uses a multitude of film techniques to really make the viewer believe the things they are seeing. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS SENTENCE IT SHOULD GO HERE
Sound plays a critical role in how we first perceive Ava when she first comes on screen--there is soft and slow piano music revolving around four notes similar to the theme of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a film that is about humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life. Like in that film, this track marks the first encounter between a man and something otherworldly and unknown. Regardless of whether or not the viewer recognizes the the tune it serves to remind them of Ava’s inhuman nature. Also, when we first meet Ava, her voice has a slight robotic ting to it. Over time, this ting disappears, gradually transitioning the viewer perception of Ava from thinking she’s a robot to thinking she’s an actual sentient being.
The characters of Ex Machina serve interesting roles in the film. Caleb serves as a blank slate. His parents are dead and he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Aside from that and that he’s a brilliant programmer at Nathan’s company, we know next to nothing about Caleb. While Caleb's plainness makes him more of a vehicle or instrument rather than a person, it does make him a character a viewer can see themselves in. Like Caleb, the audience is going through this completely new and foreign experience. So Caleb is the one who’s reactions to the films events most closely resemble our own. He is like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz or Luke in Star Wars. He’s the character who shares the audiences confusion and wonder at the films events.
There is also Nathan, whose characteristics signal to the viewer that he is the antagonist. Nathan is smarter than Caleb, richer than Caleb, more confident than Caleb (despite living in isolation with machines for who knows how long), and is physically stronger than Caleb. In most stories, the villain is more powerful than the protagonist, so when Caleb, who is clearly the protagonist being the first character we meet and the one most like the viewer, looks shy and pathetic against a muscular, confident genius, one can quickly assume Nathan is bad guy number one.
The film does a great job at keeping the viewer guessing and wanting more. Throughout the entirety of the film, you never really know what path it is going down. This is in part to great writing but the acting really helps exemplify this. Both Domhnall (Caleb) and LAST NAME Oscar (Nathan) do a fantastic job in their respective roles. Domhnall is able to communicate the uneasiness and suspicion that Caleb rightfully feels. He also plays the role of a nerdy and awkward Caleb with skill. The way he speaks really makes the viewer believe what they are seeing. Oscar on the other hand handles Nathan’s role beautifully. Nathan is a tech genius without the nerdy awkwardness that usually follows such a title. Oscar speaks with a certain bravado and confidence that makes the viewer understand his role. The fact that Nathan ends up being right in the end again shows how Oscar does a great job. During the film the viewer is unsure of Nathan’s sincerity and honesty with Caleb. WE UNITY OF VOICE thought Nathan was the bad guy but as it turns out he was on Caleb’s team the whole time.
The last actor and maybe the most important is Alicia LAST NAME(Ava). Alicia is able to portray the fact that Ava is human but also not at the same time. The way that Ava speaks and her body language really puts the viewer on edge. Is this robot actually feeling human emotion? Or is she just pretending?
ALREADY TALKED ABOUT SOUND
The first being sound. Sound plays a big role in the film, whether it be the blaring noise when the power cuts or the sound of Ava moving, it effects the viewer. The fact that every time the power cuts an alarm blares and a robotic voice says “Power cut, backup power activated” really leaves the viewer with an uneasy feeling. The other very important sound in the film is the sound of Ava moving. A robotic sound is played and this serves as a reminder to the viewer that she is still a robot. Even though she may express human emotions, she is still a machine.
Another technique used by the director is that of lighting. Nathan’s whole house is filled with ‘modern’ WHAT ARE MODERN LOOKING LIGHTS--DESCRIBE looking lights. These lights leave the house relatively dark and eerie. Ava’s room is also quite dark and even when Caleb is there testing her, it remains quite dark. Another use of lighting is during the power cuts. A red light fills every shot and again gives off an eerie vibe. This red light could even be foreshadowing how these power cut chats between Caleb and Ava are bad and will eventually cause harm.
costumes each actor wears. Caleb and Nathan both dress very similarly. They wear plain shirts most of the time and this too helps with the modern feeling of the film. They rarely, if ever, wear a shirt with a graphic on them. Ava’s costume is the most important of them all. Ava has a human face but the majority of her body shows the interior wiring of her. This is done purposely by Nathan as he says that if even with all that showing could she pass as human. Her costume also reminds the viewer that Ava is a machine no matter how she acts. IF YOU INCLUDE THIS SECTION IT NEEDS DEVELOPMENT=NATHAN"S CLOTHES, AND AVA'S! HER TRANSOFRMATION BY DONNING CLOTHES< WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES ETC
Another technique in the film is that of setting. Nathan’s house is basically ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Caleb is flown in by helicopter and then has to walk a ways to get to Nathan’s house. This shows how isolated they are because Caleb and Nathan are the only humans for miles. Nathan’s home is another setting in the film that plays into the overall theme of the movie. His house is quite bare and very modern which connects the the ultra modern AI that he is working on. THIS IS "OK"
life.
Themes
The movie brings up a lot of important questions, issues that need to be addressed in the real world as AI is soon to be a reality.
First, what will the AIs we create be capable of? In the film Ava’s task is to reach freedom by any means necessary even if that means using and playing with people's emotions. If AI were to become a reality in today's world, would they use their powers for evil, like Ava, or for good.
THIS GOES UPWIOTH PARA ABOVEn the film is the fact that AI will lack moral judgment that us humans possess and this could be very bad. AI will stop at nothing to complete their task but humans on the other hand will try to keep to their morals and not act in a way that breaks their morals. Without morality, AI might be able to solve problems, but at what cost? Would these robots be utilitarian or would they possess other moral standards. THINK ABOUT ETHICAL ROBOTS IN MILITARY OR SELF DRIVING CARS--CAN E PROGRAM THEM TO BE "ETHICAL" AND IF SO WHAT WOULD THTA LOOK LIKE?The Film also addresses the theme of trusting artificial intelligence. Many past films have pondered this question such as terminator and our very own “The Matrix” where A.I. take over the human world.
The final thing that this film brings up is that if these robots would look and act exactly like us, how would we treat them, how would we know the difference? If an AI is exactly identical to another human, would it’s life thus be equal to that of said human, or would we hold human life above all else. NATHAN USING AI FOR HIS SSEXUAL APPETITIES ETC
NEED STARS
NEED TO ADD THE CRITIQUE__DID YOU LIKE THE FILM OR NOT, HOW AND WHY?
Film Review Word Count: 1717
Connections to the Course--CONCEPTS WE HAVE COVERD IN TEH COURSE
1. Like in the course, the film has an interest in the nature of consciousness. USE WHATEVER DEFINITION WE USE IN THE COURSE AND THEN RUN WITH IT Throughout the film Caleb is constantly questioning whether or not Ava has consciousness and what it means to have consciousness.Ex Machina addresses the question of what it means to be conscious. It is what Nathan wants Caleb to see in Ava. While discussing Jackson Pollock, Nathan expresses a belief that consciousness to be something between calculated thought and total randomness. It is that gut feeling. The actions you take that aren’t random but you can’t describe why your taking them either. It’s your preferences, not something you like randomly but also not something we’ve come to prefer through careful analysis of all possible options.
2. uncanny valley. During the Film, Nathan has a fascination with if Ava can “pass” as human.
3. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENCHMARKS FOR SOCIAL ROBOT DEVELOPMENT?
Questions
Do you think Ava should be considered a person? Why or why not?
Do you think we should create AI that will have consciousness and self-awareness?
THINK OF ANOTHER--something catchy that would be fun to answere
Related Links NEED ANOTHER LINK AND A WORKS CTIED AT THE END
The AI Revolution: Our Immortality or Extinction:
https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html
Like with the film, this article addresses some of the problems we face with A.I. coming into our lives. Nathan once said in the film that A.I. will one day look at us the way we look at fossils. This article very much agrees with that statement, warning that the intelligence of a strong A.I. will quickly surpass that of a human and lead to our doom if it’s amoral, like Ava was at the end of Ex Machina.
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