Hyper-Reality, Hyper-Insecurity

“HYPER-REALITY” by filmmaker Keiichi Matsuda urges its audience to imagine intertwined physical and virtual realities, in which technology is incorporated into every aspect of life. The six-minute short film attempts to display how technologies seamlessly adhere themselves between interactions and experiences, as well as the ways in which they influences how individuals understand the world. Matsuda uses a combination of both visual and auditory effects to enhance his futuristic interpretation of a reality in which technology dominates every process. Within the timeframe of 4:10-5:45, “HYPER-REALITY” addresses the manner in which technology can act as a conduit for or facilitate corruption and enforce a sense of false invulnerability; it seeks to enforce a relationship between technology and feelings of security. The following piece of explication intends to explore the possibilities of the meaning of “HYPER-REALITY” through observation and analysis of applied rhetorical devices. This will be executed first with a catalog of significant constituent elements from the chosen snippet. Next, relations and specific patterns of relations between these elements and the context of the film will be considered, in particular, how these elements contribute to the meaning of the snippet and the film as a whole, as well as the possibilities of meaning that can be interpreted by its audience. Lastly, this piece and the impact of its interpretation on related ideas will be considered, to approach the answer to what is at stake for its content and argument.

Attributes of film that allow it to be such a differing form of media in comparison to literature are the auditory and visual effects that the filmmaker can manipulate to enhance the possibilities of meaning for the audience. Matsuda repeatedly combines both bandwidths to construct and support the relationships between vulnerability and technology, as well as this “hyper-reality” and “hyper-corruption.”

In just the few seconds following 4:10, Juliana’s account is restarted and the scene becomes once again cluttered with varied electronic noises. (The mere seconds before when her account is in the process of being restarted are muted in color and sound.) (Matsuda 4:03). The sound of the account restarting crescendos until the screen is filled with the colorful flashing lights and reappearance of Juliana’s dashboard. It’s similar to what is typically heard when electronics such as computers or gaming systems are turned on or are restarting. The viewer can identify this sound with something coming back to life–in this case, Juliana’s points. What was previously dreary, dull, and monotonous is transformed into a vivid and stimulating world, complete with the electronic ticks and whirrs that pollute the viewers’ ears. (Matsuda 4:15). In comparison to the grandeur and excitement that the “Hyper-Reality” entails, the “real world” that viewers have a brief glimpse into is boring and leaves little to be desired. Though artificial, the radiance and constant buzz of the reactivated dashboard mimics life, productivity, and security. Another occurrence of a “powering on” sequence similar to when Juliana’s profile is restarted in the grocery store takes place near the end of the film, where injured and point-less Juliana turns to Catholicism as a point of reentry back into hyper-reality. Once again, visuals are coordinated with this element to attract the viewer; after Juliana’s account is compromised and her points are siphoned, the display clears to a normal street setting, save an electronic arrow and sign promising “A new life has begun!” As she approaches the statuette akin to Mary holding Jesus, similar crescendos mimicking a new life or start become present, and the statuette glows at the center of the screen before it’s eventually flooded with numerous widgets and even an advertisement. (Matsuda 5:37). This bright, hopeful sound effect is in accordance with the concept that religion (in many circumstances) offers a new life and new beginning to individuals, and sometimes creates a “path” for those who may be lost or lacking a community. In this case, the Catholicism “program” in the hyper-reality has recruited a lost, point-less Juliana who sought a new beginning. This particular combination of visual and auditory channels that Matsuda applies leads the viewers to question the lack of integrity and presence of corruption in the role of religion, whereas in the hyper-reality experience it’s advertised just as a means to gain points and reach certain levels by completing “tasks” such as “confessing your sins.” Juliana can join the program by simply drawing the symbol of a cross.

Perhaps the singular auditory element that is not accompanied by a visual one is Juliana’s breathing and general anguish that begins around 5:05 (after she is attacked by an unidentified individual) and continues to be the lone, distinctive sound until about 5:35, where it gradually dissipates into the background when she joins Catholicism and is once again absorbed into the hyper-reality. This element was particularly significant due to it being the singular occurrence where a “human” noise dominates the electronic noise. The audio dramatically alters from a multitude of electronic sounds that by this point have become normalized by the viewers. Juliana’s heavy, shaky breathing creates a sense of similar panic and uncertainty in the audience because she lacks the security blanket of her points, dashboard, and customer support. At this point of the film, the limited perspective of the viewer results in feelings of vulnerability–they don’t know where they are or if they are potentially at risk for another attack.

An additional element that contributes to Matsuda’s attempts to connect technology with a lack or presence of false security is the omnipresent glitching that manifests visually and in the film’s audio. In the context of technology and common devices such as computers and phones, there is an emphasis on cybersecurity and the present stigma of fear of being hacked or compromised by a malevolent force. Often, any manifestation of glitches symbolizes dysfunction and risk. Juliana first notices glitches on her dashboard when she is grocery shopping and her account appears to be under attack, with the customer service widget initially misidentifying her as a man named Emilio. (Matsuda 3:50). The deformed, warbled noises that accompany the visual glitches are jarring and stand out from the general buzz of the hyper-reality, alerting the audience that something unplanned and unnatural is occurring. Like Juliana, who immediately questions whether her points are safe, the viewer gets a sense of insecurity. This connotation with glitches is replicated when Juliana is attacked by an unidentifiable individual in the street, who cuts her hand to use the blood as a biometric sample to hack her account. Contrary to the rest of the people present in the film, the attacker is distorted by the hyper-reality to have no identifiable characteristics. (Matsuda 5:00).

The interrelationships present in “HYPER-REALITY” lead viewers to approach Matsuda’s critique of technology. He utilizes both visual and auditory bandwidths to create the imagined world of Juliana Restrepo, whose life is dictated by technology (later becoming a victim to it as well.) The ironic implementation of religion as just another program with levels and tasks allows the audience to consider the corrupt actions that practices such as religion and spirituality may implement in a reality where individuals are motivated by what solely appear to be materialistic values. (In the context of the film: points that individuals earn by completing certain tasks and surpassing levels.) This irony is further developed as Catholicism becomes Juliana’s path back to hyper-reality as her account is rebooted. Matsuda purposely applies visual and auditory methods that instill feelings of insecurity and vulnerability in his audience. The glitches that manifest in sound and image jostle the viewers’ Psyches, serving as a foreshadowing of an imminent threat. Despite the artificial quality of the electronic noise pollution that fills the majority of the short film’s background noise, the viewers are most alarmed and feel most vulnerable when Juliana’s heavy and panicked breathing is the lone source of sound. The narrow range of perspective that accompanies this scene further contributes to the sense of wariness that Matsuda attempts to enact upon his audience. With the presence of Juliana’s dashboard and the overload of information on the screen, viewers obtain a false sense of security, which is disrupted when Juliana’s account is attacked and the filtered screen dissolves into the real world.

“HYPER-REALITY” is an imagination of the extent to which technology can possibly grow to become imbedded in daily life. It raises important questions about how concepts such as religion and security can be approached in a world where they must be redefined. This explication of Matsuda’s short film argues how technology has the ability to facilitate corruption and lead to feelings of vulnerability. In doing so, it specifically interprets the visual and auditory channels and the elements that contribute to these possibilities of meaning. A significant point that this film and argument bring into discussion is how hyper-reality is able to differentiate between what a diegetic or non-diegetic sound is, if possible at all. With technology’s deep embedment into Juliana’s daily processes and her livelihood, the electronic buzz may no longer be able to be considered as non-diegetic sound, when it so largely affects and determines her life. This further leads to the question of whether electronic noise in the lives of the viewers has become “actual sound” or can be considered as “commentary sound.” Keiichi Matsuda’s “HYPER-REALITY” forces its viewers to consider the possibility of malevolent byproducts of a hyper-technologized society and how certain concepts of life must be redefined if they are to be domineered by technology.

Works Cited

Matsuda, Keiichi. “HYPER-REALITY.” YouTube, 19 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs.