Keywords

5.1 Introduction

Today, the issues of energy crisis, sustainability, and efficient energy use are constantly on the agenda, and all states are working on these issues (Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, 2021; Liddell & Morris, 2010; Middlemiss et al., 2019). Worldwide, natural gas dependency and supply-demand-oriented problems in oil production, competitive markets, high energy prices, increased electricity production costs, etc. The global energy crisis, which is experienced due to the problems caused by renewable energy, is predicted to be solved within a few years. The energy crisis in the world and the issue of energy efficiency, which has an essential place in public opinion, are frequently on the agenda of many developed countries. The importance of energy efficiency as a policy goal is increasing daily; there are many reports and books on this subject, and there is increasing policy interest and research on energy efficiency (Gezmen, 2022). In this context, media messages are essential in raising awareness of the energy crisis and solution-oriented approaches. Considering the influence of the media, and the speed and effectiveness of the sharing of messages in the digital world formed by the development of new communication technologies, the importance of the media in this regard emerges. Within the scope of this subject, there are many public service announcements, advertisements, news, social media content, and TV and radio programs made for awareness purposes in the media. Many movies reveal the importance and effectiveness of the subject.

The study deals with energy, the energy crisis, and technology. Energy-themed films of 2015 and later on the subject were selected. The study analyzed the movies April and the Extraordinary World and The Cloverfield Paradox. In both films, the energy crisis experienced worldwide is the subject, and the solution-oriented works, interstate rivalries, and wars that take place as predicted by the capitalist system, sustainable life, and access to new energy sources are highlighted.

5.2 Energy and Energy Crisis

Energy is an essential resource for the infrastructure of industrialization and an indispensable element of daily life. Thus, energy may affect a country socially. Moreover, energy is vital to economic development as it is the industry’s raw material (Martínez et al., 2023). Therefore, governments have to provide the energy they need to develop. These needs must be met for countries to achieve industrial and economic growth. Otherwise, ensuring sustainability in the country’s economy can be challenging (Eti et al., 2022).

Moreover, with the help of energy, people can meet their daily needs, examples of which are energy, warming, and enlightenment (Dinçer et al., 2023a, 2023b, 2023c, 2023d, 2023e, 2023f). In this sense, providing energy to meet people’s needs is essential because they are imperative (Liu et al., 2021). In case of failure to ensure the sustainability of energy resources, states may face an energy crisis. This is a global problem (Carayannis et al., 2023).

Today, the issue of the energy crisis has become the most crucial issue of the whole world (Yüksel et al., 2023). Energy also plays a vital role in interstate policies. Regionalization, supported by energy as the primary governance object, is characterized by various actors, including governments and international energy companies, investors, consumers, and regulators (Goldthau et al., 2020). The average energy price is essential for energy security, but what matters most is its volatility (standard deviation per period). High energy price volatility increases the risk of any energy investment (Xu et al., 2023). In addition, energy prices affect the entire economy, as many studies reveal (Papanikos, 2017).

The issue of energy security is a topic that is discussed all over the world (Han et al., 2023). Although it plays an increasingly important role in Euro-Atlantic agendas, concerns over European countries’ dependence on Russian gas have overshadowed energy security issues in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean regions (Kou et al., 2023a, 2023b). Reliable energy exports from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean are vital for Europe’s energy security and the resilience of many states and societies (Franza et al., 2020).

Many studies have been initiated, and projects have been put forward, both in the world and in the states, on the issue of the energy crisis (Moiseev et al., 2023). Awareness areas on sustainability, increasing energy efficiency, and consumption of energy resources have begun to be created (Eti et al., 2023).

Especially from the mid-1970s to the present, the energy crisis has become a frequent topic in literature, films, and TV series that tell of the imminent radical break-in and that the procedural stability of the hybrid network society is subject to repeated interruptions (Galloway & Thacker, 2007). After presenting the event from a general perspective as a rationale and category of investigation of pop-culture narratives, the blackout phenomenon should be profiled accordingly as an epistemic event oscillating between material reality and fiction. This is followed by a discursive differentiation which, on the one hand, reads the imagination of unconsciousness as a biopolitically impregnated negotiation of human-machine relations and, on the other hand, interprets it as a fear-fantasy of social unrest. In this context, it is possible to encounter narratives about energy and energy crises in visual cultural products (films, series, TV programs, etc.). The energy issue comes up, especially in dystopian and science fiction-themed narratives.

Science fiction genre, like other genres, is a genre based on the early ages of literature (Bleiler, 1990; Luckhurst, 2005; Rieder, 2017). Jean Baudrillard (1991) relates the emergence and function of science fiction to the political problems and social movements that began in the nineteenth century. According to Baudrillard, the classical science fiction narrative is based on a worldview dominated by colonialism.

Especially science fiction cinema is in a close relationship with the dominant ideological structure. For this reason, science fiction cinema is the watchdog of the political and cultural conditions of its age. Science fiction, which has developed and changed over the ages, is based on both political changes and periodic changes in the individual’s perspective on nature and technology. Science supports science fiction as much as science fiction supports science (Barnett et al., 2006). In the light of scientific developments, the genre of science fiction also creates new fields for itself. The genre of science fiction not only criticizes development and the future but also develops new ideas and technologies for the future. Sociologists and media theorists (Kitchin & Kneale, 2001; Lempert, 2014; Collins, 2003; Ronay, 2011) have also been involved in discussions on this issue. Cinema and media theorist Vivian Sobhack (1997) draws attention to the connection between science fiction cinema and imagination and states that fictional worlds contribute to science by influencing the imagination.

The genre of science fiction, which has grown over the last 150 years, has become the most popular genre not only for writers or filmmakers but also for scientists. Science fiction examples, which have gained a lot of space in the visual media, have turned into a branch of art in themselves. Science fiction, which conveys the connection with reality with developments that have not yet been experienced, establishes a tight bond with the audience and readers. It is possible to define dystopia, which is often referred to as science fiction, as follows: In dystopian societies, individuals have generally accepted the social norms and system, and most societies do not even notice the disorder of the system. Dystopian narratives often take their subject from individuals who oppose the system by expressing that this system is wrong. Dystopian narratives do not have a happy ending. At best, the main character of the story and his loved ones are saved, but there is no social change. The purpose of dystopias is to show societies the dangers they may face in the future. This danger sometimes appears with mechanization and sometimes as purely ideological and sociological (Yürür, 2017; Westfahl, 2005).

Beyond these, two other important factors affecting the transformation of paradise into a hell on earth are bureaucracy and technology. While bureaucracy is used to keep individuals under control and pressure, technology provides this control and pressure with the necessary method and technique. In this fictionalized world, it is constantly documented how individuals will live, how they will spend their free time, who they should associate with, and what they should think. This requires a lot of bureaucracy. Technology also undertakes the task of providing production and control devices, developing the necessary methods for the mechanical understanding and analysis of the individual. Thus, in dystopias, society functions like a two-sided mechanism consisting of bureaucracy and technology. In this mechanism, while the social organization becomes mechanized, the individual becomes objectified and isolated (Bezel, 2001: 8–10).

Most of the works on the concept of dystopia deal with the concept of dictatorship and sovereign power. The dictator, who makes the society obey him, holds the administration completely and forces the individual to the system. This administration determines the social roles and identities of individuals and divides the society into social classes. All tools and control mechanisms, including science and technology, belong to the state, that is, to the sovereign power. By creating fictional realities, individuals are instilled with the idea that the most ideal and fair system is the functioning one. Thus, individuals continue to live in the wheel of the system, in an acceptance where there is no awareness, and they cannot oppose the system.

Terri Chung lists the characteristic features of dystopia as follows:

  • In dystopias, individuals worship a concept or figure.

  • Knowledge, free thought, and freedom are restricted.

  • The government uses propaganda as a tool to keep the society under control.

  • A pessimistic, oppressed society is envisioned.

  • Individuals are supervised by surveillance mechanisms at all times.

  • The world is portrayed as an unsafe place by the government and is banned.

  • The survival of the state overshadows the rights and freedoms of the individual.

Among the most popular films presenting a dystopian society fiction are V for Vendetta, The Maze Runner series, and the Nineteen Eighty-Four films written by George Orwell in 1948 and brought to the big screen by Michael Radford in 1984.

5.3 Methodology

For this study, first of all, movie searches were carried out on the Internet Movie Database, which is a movie database (IMDb), with the keyword “energy crisis” (see Gürkan, 2012). It is possible that researchers who have studied and researched this subject before have not provided much helpful information on the theme of the anonymous energy crisis. For this reason, the cast list on IMDb was searched for this study. Besides, the films with the themes of energy crisis, energy, and alternative energy, which are not represented as very important in the film, and documentary or fictional series were eliminated. In addition, due to the constant representation of the energy crisis in the media in recent years, energy-themed films after 2015 were included in the study. The films included in the study in this context are (i) April and the Extraordinary World (2015) and (ii) The Cloverfield Paradox (2018).

In this context, text analysis method, which is a kind of qualitative analysis, was used for this study. Text analysis helps us understand meanings and representations in a text (Gürkan, 2017). Therefore, in this study, the use of text analysis will be helpful in obtaining an in-depth analysis of the energy crisis in the series. According to McKee (2003), understanding the context is the most important aspect of text analysis. This includes understanding the entire text, its genre, and the broader public context in which the text circulates (McKee, 2003). At this point, an analysis is made on the patterns of energy and energy crisis, as the interpretation of the series without taking into account the background elements may cause misunderstanding. At this point, this study seeks answers to the following questions:

RQ1: How do energy-themed films deal with the energy issue?

RQ2: How do science, scientists, and technology do in the absence of energy?

The answers to these research questions are sought through the visual narrative examples (i) April and the Extraordinary World (2015) and (ii) The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) films. Visual culture is seen as a source of entertainment that relieves people of the inevitable stress of working in a complex society. Since the authors of this study see this cultural consumption as something belonging to the private domain of social actors, in this study, the product of visual culture is placed at the center of the study. Visual media has become the dominant ideological device today, replacing literate culture. At this point, these three films show exactly how a power that watches and punishes works, but this is a power that also seduces. Therefore, in this study, by placing a visual culture product at the center, the effect of the libidinal power of globalization, not the disciplinary power of modernity, is emphasized, and it is emphasized that (visual) media reproduce and strengthen systems. The use of text analysis in the context of this research facilitates the discussion of the reasons behind the behavior, gender, and beliefs of the characters in the selected films. The coding used to understand the selected sequence was developed based on the research questions and identified themes.

The following stages were taken into account in the analysis of the data (sequence):

  1. (a)

    Each film was watched two times by the researchers. In order to answer the research questions, the main issue “energy crisis” and its relation to other dynamics were taken into consideration. The first viewing is the stage in which the films are watched by the ordinary viewer. In the second viewing, the importance of the scenes, shootings, characters, and dialogs of the films was determined under the collected and noted themes. Besides, themes (energy, energy crisis) were evaluated and notes were taken.

  2. (b)

    The findings in this section reveal (i) how the concept of energy and energy crisis are handled in the narratives, (ii) how energy crisis opens a new order, (iii) how these concepts come to the fore, (iv) and how the struggle for a cure occurs, especially among the world’s population.

  3. (c)

    Text analysis was applied based on Mullet’s (2018) general analytical framework: (1) selection of discourse, (2) locating data sources, (3) analysis of each text, (4) coding the text and identifying overarching themes, (5) analysis of external relations in texts, (6) analysis of internal relations in texts, and (7) interpretation of data.

    Analytical framework for analysis (adapted from Mullet, 2018)

    1. 1.

      Choice of discourse: The description of energy crisis in the selected films has been chosen as the subject of the research. Thus, it is tried to determine what people do when they face with an energy crisis situation and what their reactions are.

    2. 2.

      Finding data source: April and the Extraordinary World and The Cloverfield Paradox films were selected. This series is important in the sense that it represents this energy crisis issue.

    3. 3.

      Analysis of the text: These two films, released in 2015 and 2018, based on the energy crisis issue to the subject of this research, are examined.

    4. 4.

      Coding the text and identifying overarching themes: In these two films, which was selected using the qualitative coding method, the concepts of energy and energy crisis are presented, and how people face this important issue and how they handle are described.

    5. 5.

      Analysis of external relations in the text: In the event that all energy sources are destroyed and consumed, the main reason what people do for the cures and how their basic needs will be met, is that they do not know exactly what to do.

    6. 6.

      Analysis of internal relations in the text: the depiction of the dominant and the nondominant, racial-sexual-religious characteristics.

    7. 7.

      Interpretation of data: Data provides insight into which messages are prioritized. The plot and characters in the films and their descriptions and life practices will shed light on how a cure is built for energy crisis.

  4. (d)

    The following findings are reached to examine the connections between the plot in the films, the progression of events in a cause-effect relationship, and the energy and the energy crisis in the dystopian universe:

    • Energy crisis and dystopian world

    • Energy crisis and science’s search for a cure

To better understand the films, it would be meaningful to mention their plots.

April and the Extraordinary World (2015) is set where Napoleon III was killed in a building explosion, and his son’s cunning diplomacy averted the Franco-Prussian War. But, over the next 70 years, scientists worldwide would disappear, causing technological progress to come to a standstill and pollution to spiral out of control.

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) follows the crew of an earth-orbiting space station and their testing of a dangerous device that can provide unlimited power. At the same time, it exposes them to a dark alternate reality at the risk of creating a terrifying paradox.

5.4 Findings

Dystopia can be defined as a way of life of a possible future or an alternative present that can be evaluated negatively for humanity. This alternative lifestyle is the subject of a broad spectrum, from written narratives to visual narratives. Furthermore, dystopian narratives depict a dark future or an uncertain time (Gürkan & Ergene, 2022). In this context, it is possible to encounter unusual situations in dystopian narratives. The issues, such as how individuals and societies are affected by the concepts of sovereign power, social balances, management, the resources of the world and how these resources are consumed, and the situations that may arise in the absence of especially energy, are placed in the center of these two films’ narratives.

In both films, in the absence of energy, individuals somehow establish the hegemonic balance in different systems and societies (dystopic). At this point, individuals (especially scientists) realize the construction of a new world order by promising to ensure the continuity of the values and traditions of society and to seek alternative resources when the world’s resources are exhausted. In this context, mentioning ten different utopia/dystopia genres of Balasopoulos (2006) seems essential. These are (i) satirical anti-utopias, (ii) dogmatic fictional anti-utopias, (iii) nonfiction dogmatic anti-utopias, (iv) preventive anti-utopias, (v) critical anti-utopias, (vi) dystopias of tragic failure, (vii) dystopias of authoritarian oppression, (viii) dystopias of catastrophic probability, (ix) nihilistic dystopias, and (x) critical dystopias. According to Gürkan and Ergene (2022), this classification depends on the interpretation of the texts they apply. It aptly illustrates how vital this typology of Balasopoulos is to the question of definition in any discussion of the subject.

In this context, the dystopian world can be described as follows in the energy-themed film examined in this context: As Westfahl (2005) states, in both films, individuals in the society have accepted the social system and norms, and individuals do not even realize the disorders/defects in the system. In these two film narratives, three factors effectively transform the concepts of heaven and hell, good and evil: energy resources and technology and science. The lack of energy resources and the search for new energy are factors of control, pressure, and fear for individuals. At the same time, technology and science enable the necessary techniques and methods to be providers of this pressure, fear, and control mechanism. In these two narratives, the construction of society is built in the triangle of energy resources, technology, and science. Individuals become isolated and objectified in this social mechanism, while social organization mechanizes.

For example, in the movie, April and the Extraordinary World, how all the elements of the capitalist system in every aspect of our life practices provide movement toward the system is conveyed through lizards. Lizards, created to build an invincible army, point to the necessity of working toward a sustainable world and not destroying energy resources. The film aims to prolong the human life with endurance serums. Lizards aim to build a sustainable society/world by destroying this serum. In this context, an alternative reality is created in the movie April and the Extraordinary World. It is portrayed as what would be like in a world where everything that has no electricity, no atoms, and no automobiles operates with the power of steam—bridge construction between England and Russia, etc. The scenes about the absence of scientists, magicians, and circus acrobats trying to make unscientific potions in circus entertainment centers and scenes showing charlatans are the visual elements depicting this dystopian world in cinematographic terms.

In The Cloverfield Paradox, the fact that the world is facing a significant energy crisis is shown with the scenes of power cuts. It is supported by news from news sources that everyday lives are under threat. In this way, the dystopian atmosphere of the film is built with the cinematographic elements used and transferred to the audience. By emphasizing the system and hierarchy in the film, these two (system and hierarchy) elements that form the basis of dystopian narratives are constantly repeated. In the film, it is pointed out that the wars between states have increased due to the energy crisis. Germany is preparing for war as a significant power; hunger is increasing in Russia; hierarchy is emphasized by using discourses such as creating order; and discourses are made about the continuity of the system and order in the world.

Considering that science offers solutions to the difficulties of daily life and helps humanity solve its great mysteries, science and scientific perspective are placed at the center of the narrative in both films. Science is a branch of knowledge based on observation and experimentation applied regularly and systematically to gain knowledge about the physical world and its phenomena. In this context, in the films April and the Extraordinary World and The Cloverfield Paradox, science is used to develop some laws and hypotheses in the despotic world experiencing the energy crisis. It is depicted that scientists act according to the targeted purpose. As Hunt (1991) stated, when it is remembered that the primary purpose of science is to develop laws and theories in order to explain, predict, understand, and control phenomena, in the narratives of both films, some goals are determined after the scientific research is carried out by scientists, and scientists are guided toward these goals. It is depicted that they are on a quest.

In April and the Extraordinary World, the mines run out, and coal is replaced by charcoal. The effect of the technological regression and progress underlying these discourses is the ineffective use of energy resources and the adverse effects of this on human life. The importance of science and technology is being repeated with the energy crises that started with the disappearance of forests, the conflicts between the states due to the use of coal, and the wars that occurred as a result. In this context, in many scenes of the film, the need for scientists is emphasized as the glorification of science and the establishment and assignment of special teams in search of lost scientists. In addition, in a world stuck in the era of steam vehicles in 1831, a different perspective on technology is introduced in the film. A society that produces science for war has been built, and at this point, a comparative reading with today’s world is tried to be realized. Regardless of the period we are in, it is pointed out that methane can replace steam. There are no anti-technology discourses in the scenes that emphasize the ways of using technology. However, inferences can be made that correct results can be achieved for effective and successful use—symbols of the totalitarian regime, imperial security, etc. Although expressions are not frequently used, the film’s central theme is the “negative” results of science serving systemic interests.

The movie The Cloverfield Paradox states that free energy production resources are needed because the world’s energy resources will be completely depleted in 5 years. Financial and energy resources have been used unnecessarily in international initiatives, away from their practical use. For this reason, astronauts build spacecraft to reach new and endless energy sources outside the world. Thus, scientists describe the search for new remedies for humanity in the light of science in this way. These scientists are testing the Shepard Separation Accelerator (SPA) device, which can provide unlimited energy and resolve the current energy crisis, potentially resulting in a dark alternate reality. The film has scenes emphasizing the importance of the discovery of infinite and unlimited energy. There are also segments in the film that produce rhetoric that efforts to solve the energy crisis may spread demons. Thus, at a time when energy resources are depleted, science and religion, seeking a cure, come face to face. The film opens with a radio announcement: “Government sources tell us that the world’s energy resources will be completely depleted in 5 years.” This discourse shows the seriousness of the energy problem in the world. Scenes of prayer and supplication support glorifying religious motifs to provide energy for god support, and scenes of supplication to prevent wars.

In this context, it is also important to mention how the concept of energy creates itself and supports the messages with the cinematographic images used in two different films about energy and the energy crisis. Films make their messages cinematic through images and generate new ideas. Thoughts/ideas overflow through cinematographic images in movies. As a result of this overflow, thoughts/ideas on the conceptual plane are stretched and reach an unthinkable dimension (Bordwell, 1985; Bordwell, 1979; Gürkan, 2015). While the atmosphere created in both films depicts a dystopian world, light, space, sound, and plot are essential in describing how the world entered a new order in a period when it was deprived of energy resources. Disappearing scientists, hegemonic new management approaches, dark interiors and exteriors, and diegetic and non-diegetic sounds (Sounds produced naturally or accidentally by the environment and character are defined. Diegetic sounds are naturally produced sounds used for dramatic effect loaded with meanings that are not accidental—creating atmosphere, creating ambiance. On the other hand, non-diegetic sounds and soundtracks are used to set the movie’s tone, manipulate emotions, add drama, express uncertainty, or provide an element of surprise. Sound for dramatic effects is added and is assumed not to be heard by the characters in the movie; a dystopian world based on energy is built and supported by the use of light.

5.5 Conclusion

An energy crisis is a situation of a sudden shortage (or a drastic increase in price) in the supply of energy resources (Ai et al., 2023). It usually refers to a decrease in oil, electricity, or other natural resources (Niu et al., 2023). The crisis often spreads to the rest of the economy, causing a recession. In particular, electricity generation costs rise, which increases production costs. In addition, from the consumer’s point of view, the increase in the price of automotive fuel (gasoline or diesel) causes the consumer to reduce their expenditures on other items and decrease their self-confidence (Aksoy et al., 2023).

The energy crisis, which has been on the agenda for the last 20 years, has become one of the main issues of the written and visual media (Yüksel & Dinçer, 2023). In this context, the subject of popular narratives is that films based on energy and energy crisis are produced and meet with the audience (Wan et al., 2023). Especially in 2000 and after, energy and energy crises are depicted and discussed in many TV series, fictional films, and documentaries.

This study investigates how the energy issue and the search for science, technology, and remedies that come up with this issue are depicted in popular narratives made in and after 2015. In this context, the films April and the Extraordinary World and The Cloverfield Paradox were included in the study. The study analyzes how energy-themed films deal with the energy issue and how science, scientists, and technology act in the absence of energy. The fact that energy-themed films are based on dystopian narratives and placing these subjects at the center of their narratives show how individuals and societies are affected by the concepts of sovereign power, social balances, governing management, the resources of the world, how these resources are consumed, and the situations that may arise in the absence of energy. However, these films emphasize the importance of science, scientists, and technology and show that advancing in the footsteps of science and technology can offer a way out/emancipation when the world is experiencing energy supply problems.