Setting and Extra Textual Links

Avi Taylor Harsim Adrienne Kiranbir Charlotte and Nicole

Setting

• Objects and technology are modernistic – gives futuristic look

• Buildings consist of steel or concrete – gives cold, unemotional atmosphere

• Setting uses dark colours – black and grey

• Bauhaus is a design style used in mid 1900’s to create a professional office look. In Gattaca, this design style makes setting appear clean, spacious and orderly

Ideas

• Voices and footsteps of people are echoed – shows distant and empty setting

• Cold and distant atmosphere shown through sound

• Dark colours contrasted with white which emphasises how barren and lifeless it is. Also shows how society want maximum efficiency, order and perfection; colour and artistic ability is inappropriate

Actual Locations

• Gattaca was set in California, America.

• Tunnel – Los Angeles• Beach – San Diego• Pre-school – Culver City

High School• Gattaca – California State

Polytechnic University

• Sepluveda Dam, Encino Los Angeles

• Barstow, California• City Hall, Los Angeles• KJC Solar Farm, Los

Angeles• Marin County, San Rafael• The Forum, California

Solar FarmThe director uses this location to represent how society in the future prefers order and perfection. This is emphasized by how the panels are positioned in an orderly manner. It shows how people in society conform to a rather ‘mechanical’ way of life

GattacaThe Bauhaus design technique gives an orderly and ‘perfect’ look to the offices at Gattaca. It shows the desire for perfection and maximum efficiency, by having everything organised in tidy rows and using a small working space.

GattacaThe dark and simplistic colours and designs typical of the Bauhaus style is apparent in Gattaca. This design clearly creates space while making the building look more mechanical.

Jerome’s HouseThe staircase in Jerome’s house resembles a DNA strand. It is also typical of the Bauhaus design and shows that Jerome is an accepted person in society as every detail, even his house, follows the structure of society.

GymnasiumThe picture shows the uniformity that is expected at Gattaca in order to succeed. The clothes worn are identical and they all run at exactly the same pace.

Extra Textual Links

And stuff

Brave New World

Links• Genetically engineered

population• Clothing distinguishes status in

society• Children (genetically)

conditioned for specific tasks/jobs

• No one encouraged to aim higher than their birth status

• Characters that are ‘out of place’ in society by their own knowledge

Differences• Purposely mutated and

inferior children/people• Aim to get as many embryos

as possible from one ovary• Population anesthetised to

follow one ruling order - lack of individual thought

Status identificationThis aspect is similar to Gattaca as the classes of society are distinguished by the clothes they wear. Black suits and formal clothing for the valids and bland informal jumpsuits and overalls for the invalids. Though Brave New World has far more layers to the class system they both have the same idea.

Fahrenheit 451

Links • Discourages creativity

(among the elite - Gattaca)• Controlled entertainment• Tension surrounds the idea

of knowledge and ignorance – knowledge of genetic differences

Differences• Society promotes equality by

destruction of literature• Parties and technology

encouraged as a substitute to reading

• Controlled heavily by the government

• Books burned to destroy ‘dangerous thoughts’

The burning of books shows the limitation of the media and the controversial and dangerous thoughts said to have been in books. In Gattaca the creativity is limited and rarely do you see a character read a book or creatively express themselves. In Fahrenheit 451 it is to suppress thought but in Gattaca it seems to mean that unless you were designed to do so, your life revolves around your work instead of creativity.

1984

Links• Setting – cold, concrete

buildings • No creativity seen.• Hierarchy (not genetically)• Main character is trying

undermine the government.

Differences• Controlled by the

government in a dictatorship• Controlled population –

constantly watched• Changes history to suit ideals

of society• Everything is controlled. Not

allowed to be with people they love. They cant have close friends.

The setting of 1984, shown particularly in the 1984 film adaptation is shown as dull and lifeless, an oppressive and boring atmosphere that discourages all individual thought among the societies inhabitants. This is similar to the setting of Gattaca in the sense that it is quite bland and its purpose is to encourage uniformity.

Blade Runner

Links• Replicants are genetically

superior and perfect• Retrofitted futuristic setting.• Advanced gadgets and

technology

Differences• Characters sent to ‘retire’

replicants when they gained personalities and emotional experience

• Replicants (elite) banned in society• Instead of organised lay out of city

its all jumbled and broken down.• Colourful - creativity is evident.• Replicants not seen as human or

human-like but as an animal that eventually is sent to slaughter

SettingThe setting is still retro fitted as in Gattaca but in a different way, the order expected in Gattaca is not seen here and the streets are overcrowded and dirty. The advanced technology is also seen.

VIDEO TIME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaR5wVL9x2Ihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lj2ISTrfnE

Pay attention to the setting, retro-futuristic and technology ahead of our time. But also how the society is crowded and ruined in parts and how that is different to the clean lines of Gattaca.