Is technology killing our plots?

While technological advances have opened up visual doors for filmmakers, it has also seemingly brought with it an array of difficulties in storytelling.

Debates on the validity of that statement have been raging since forever now. The anti- technology faction is in its own way right in fearing the obsolescence of our conventional narrative devices that rely on the exhilaration of mystery, the charm of the unknown serendipity of love and an uninterrupted bountiful of shocks that are absolutely free of the now mandatory “Oh no I’ve lost my cell phone network!” exclamation from characters.

Numerous blog posts about how some movie plots would not work in the present day have come out since the nascent stages of this debate but not even one talks about the plots that have worked in spite of and with the help of technology. And no, they aren’t all period films from the Paleolithic ages. These are present-day films that have been able to structure their plots around technology cleverly in order to make them work.

Let us try to look closely at these films and break the misconception about technology playing the bad guy, step-by-step.

You can still get lost with a smartphone

The most common argument put forth by the technology haters is that technology is all pervasive- CCTVs, Geolocation through GPS, top notch tracking devices and security systems water down the plot have made mind boggling murders and heists impossible to develop. The counter to that lies all around us. The recent heist where Rs 5 crore was lifted off an (obviously) high security RBI money consignment from a train and are is proof enough that users of technology are proving to be way smarter than the inventors themselves. The fact that they haven’t been tracked down yet hints at the numerous loopholes in technology that filmmakers can use to our advantage.

The reel equivalent of this translates into movies like Rajathanthiram that infuse technology into their logic, instead of merely using it like a cameo which most movies today seem to be doing today. If there is a kind of technology, there are other lesser known ways to tackle it. It is possible to fake geolocations and avoid intercepted messages with tools like Google Authenticator. With the evolution of technology, we safely add cyber- crime to the list of topics to be explored, and ingenious solutions too. But there will always be a little reason fear, not of technology but of the clichés of employing and tackling the challenges that it faces. Take the movie VIP for example, where the protagonist makes use of the CCTVs to rip apart the villain’s image, he saves his own by using jammers!

Cinderella Sharma or Cinderella Kapoor?

The next big qualm put forth is that the world wide web has made the art of pursuing and courtship disappear altogether. Apparently, social media and dating apps are becoming the only possible chance at having a chance with someone in the real world. Does this argument really need a comeback?

Sure, there’s a lot of people out there doing things for all to see, with names and pictures and unfortunate reveals of their first dog, their favourite teacher and their mother’s brother’s uncle’s first street address. But even with a billion people using Facebook, that still leaves another 6 billion or so not really caring who likes what or why that one random person won’t quit with the Poke button.

If the stats are even remotely accurate, that still leaves a large number of people who are not connected online, thus leaving the possibility of Prince Charming not being able to find Cinderella online and thus carrying on with his glass slipper like he was supposed to.

Also, the internet provides plenty of opportunities to meet sans all the creepy stalking and rejected friend requests. A story of two geeks meeting over a VR game definitely sounds newer than the conventional boy bumps into girl with temple bells ringing in the background kind of story.

And then there are movies like The Lunchbox, set in the time of Facebook but about some of those 6 million unconnected people who fall in love entirely through the evergreen letter and home cooked food.

So if we look at technology as a well-researched subject in our films, it only seems to give these supposedly obsolete plot devices a new lease of life, not reduce their scope to assist with telling a story.

Happy filming! ☺