2. What is it?
• The film tells the story of a man named Nev, who befriends a little girl named Abby after she emails him a
painting.
• Nev meets Abby's older sister, Megan, and their mother, Angela over Facebook.
• As he becomes more and more romantically involved with Megan via IMs, texts, phone calls, and the like,
little details start to go awry: Megan, a supposed songwriter, didn't really write all the songs she said she
did, and various other things about her turn out to be untrue.
• Finally, the large twist at the end is that Nev and his friends are in the Midwest, so they take a side trip
and go to meet Megan and her family, to find that Angela is the only one of the three who is real.
• The other two were personae created by Angela, who is married and takes care of two disabled sons. She
is also the painter of all of Abby's paintings.
Summary:
3. is it Postmodern?
• A film in the style of a documentary that incorporates social media in a very integral and experiential way.
• The producers take a pretty postmodern approach to depict the characters and draw out the narrative of
the film.
• Mirroring some of the techniques seen ‘Cloverfield’ or ‘The Blair Witch Project’, similar pseudo-
documentary mystery narratives, hand-held cameras and panning screenshots allow us to experience the
characters, to develop the plot, and to eventually come to the realization that all is not what it seems.
• We experience the characters through social media, as the protagonist Nev is gradually introduced to the
family of a young girl Abby.
• The camera pans across grainy computer screens, as Nev clicks through the Facebook profiles of the films
characters and we, by proxy “get to know” these characters.
• The point of this exercise is for the viewer to gradually build trust for the characters alongside the central
character Nev.
• The film builds this trust and then quickly shatters it, at which point the trust we had for the characters
is broken.
• As Nev makes the realization that people are not how they appear online, we the audience also learn
this vital lesson.
4. interesting faCts
• Abby used photos from someone she found online and posted them to a fake Facebook account for
Megan.
• The girl that we know as Megan in the movie, is actually not named Megan at all. Her name is Aimee
Gonzales (which we find out about in the movie).
- She is a model and photographer.
- Reading through her wall posts, it seems as though she frequently photographs dancers, just as Nev
does.
• After the success of the film, MTV decided to make a TV series which will revolve around various
people’s experiences with fake profiles and will be hosted by Nev Schulman.
5. film trailer
• The trailer has a very thriller-like feel.
• It portrays the film as something that will scare the
audience.
• The reference to ‘Hitchcock’ emphasizes this.
• It is hinted that at the end of the film there will be a
death or something horrific will happen.
What does the trailer suggest about the film?
6. Why is it Postmodern?
• The film brings to mind the notion of truth and the master narrative, or lack thereof, in the postmodern
world.
• The line between fact and fiction is blurred, both within the film and in discussing the film itself.
• There are other postmodern concepts within the film also: Nev and his love interest Megan's interactions
are mediated by phone calls and emails, depersonalizing their relationship.
Introduction:Introduction:
7. Why is it Postmodern?
• The movie is mediated visually by the imagery of social media networking technology.
• The characters are introduced by their Facebook profiles
• Maps are shown through Google world
• Text messages are displayed on the screen to succinctly summarize conversations which
had passed.
Mediation:
• The fact that we can only be shown pieces of text as proof, e.g. Facebook profiles, dethatches us from what is real
and we have no way of ever really knowing the truth.
• Just as Nev, is unsure of the truth behind the characters in the film, the audience is also prevented from ever really
knowing what's real in the film.
• We only see what they want to show us thus its not a true representation.
• This has lead to many debates on the authenticity of the film and many doubt whether is it a true story.
8. Why is it postmodern?
• Thus forcing him to physically visit these people to prove their existence.
• The documentary powerfully emphasises the idea that ‘social media’ will eventually lead to un-authentic
lives as people now have the power to create fake characters and fake profiles.
• This means we no longer know who is real and what about them is the truth, which is reflected in
‘Catfish’.
Mediation:
• This essentially creates a strong detachment from what is real
and what is fictional.
• E.g. Nev can never really be sure if the characters are real
simply from emails, photos or profiles as he is always
removed from reality by his computer and social networking
sites.
9. Why is it postmodern?
• This can be seen through the flirty relationship between Nev and Megan which is all done through
technology such as phones or computers.
• The film emphasises the fact that social networking technology could eventually lead to downfall (Nev’s
heartbreak) due to the false and exaggerated characters created by others.
• The lines between reality and fiction are incredibly blurred leaving even the viewer questioning whether
or not the documentary itself is fictional.
• The Internet is the locus of the hyperreal.
- Our reliance on the Internet and trusting what we receive from it is how this all becomes perpetuated into
society.
Hyper Reality:
10. Baurillards - hyperreality
Reality
Heighten and exaggerated
(Simulate )
Simulacra
Hyperreality
Angela has created various fake
profiles that she controls.
She’s talking to people through these accounts and establishing
relationships with these people as if she was the characters.
Nev believes these constructed identities to be real
people. And has fallen in love with ‘Megan’.
Nev believes that he is in a relationship with a women
named Megan.
11. • It combines film with documentary.
• This is down to the fact that it is filmed in the style of a documentary and looks quite armature.
- E.g. the handheld camera and unscripted dialogue.
• The film aspect is emphasized through the linear narrative .
- E.g. the film follows the rules of Todorov’s theory about narratives.
Why is it postmodern?
Hybridity:
New equilibriumNew equilibriumDisequilibriumDisequilibriumEquilibriumEquilibrium
Nev is in love with a girl who
he believes to be Megan.
Nev suspects that Megan is fake
and discovers proof that Megan
is lying about aspects of her life.
Nev discovers the truth and
realises that Angela is not harmful
but just lonely.
12. Why is it postmodern?
• The film constantly mentions to the audience the fact that they are filming a documentary about Nev.
• They filmmakers show the filming process to the audience.
• In doing so it becomes self-reflexive as we are made aware that we are watching a text.
- The fact that the film is supposedly scripted emphasises this as we become aware that everything done
and said serves a particular purpose.
E.g. It feels like someone just grabbed a simple cheap camera and started filming an unwilling subject.
Self-reflexivity:
13. Why is it postmodern?
• When Nev discovers evidence that Megan isn’t all that she appears, the innocent curiosity of the film
unfolds into a more sinister investigation into the media and our increasingly voyeuristic society.
• The fact that the film is in a the style of a documentary reflects and emphasises how society has become
obsessed by the process of looking at others.
• Essentially the audience is watching what are apparently true events of Nev’s journey to discover the truth
about the characters.
• The fact that the show is creating entertainment out of people's emotions (both good and bad) raises
issues about voyeurism and the participants' motivations.
- To what extent will society go in terms of almost exploiting others for their own curiosity and
entertainment.
• The voyeuristic approach adds realism because the audience feels they are eavesdropping on a
conversation.
Voyeurism:
14. theories / theorists
Baurillard – Simulacrum:
•Catfish promotes the idea that there is no longer a distinction between reality and a representing image.
Why:
•Until he physically sees ‘Megan’ in the flesh and speaks to her then, the only evidence that she is real are the
images he sees online or through ‘Facebook’.
•These images are mere representatives of ‘Megan’ that don’t really prove she is real.
•The fact that Nev is practically in a relationship with this women (who may or may not exist) re-enforces the
idea that there is no way of distinguishing reality from representative images.
•For Nev, these images represent the real ‘Megan’, as they are a simulation of her made up character.
15. Show on Mtv
• The star of the ‘Catfish’, Nev Schulman, is the host in the TV show version of the film.
• MTV and the producers of the film version of "Catfish" send Schulman and his friend and filmmaker Max
Joseph to help couples who have never met in real life.
• They want to know if the person they have had a relationship with and fallen in love with is the real deal
or if they are a "catfish."
• Some couples have been together for a few months, others have been together for years.
16. how doeS the filM coMpare
to the Show?
How the film shows HyperrealityHow the film shows Hyperreality::
• The Hyperreality is that Nev believes he is
in a relationship with a real person called
‘Megan’.
- This is Nev’s hyperreality.
• Nev also believes that ‘Megan’s’ family
and friends are also real and
communicates with them regularly.
How the programme showsHow the programme shows
HyperrealityHyperreality::
• The ‘Catfish’ in the show is actually the one to
contact Nev.
• However the audience is deceived to believe its
actually the other person who wants to find
who the ‘Catfish’ is.
• Therefore the Hyperreality is the fact that we
believe that Nev is searching for the ‘catfish’ and
he discovers who they are through detective
work.
17. intereSting factS
• The show is reverse-engineered, with producers putting out casting calls for Catfish who reveal
themselves to producers and agree to meet the “victim” before filming ever takes place.
• The victim has no idea, about the show or the Catfish’s identity, and gets a call out of the blue asking if
they’ve ever been deceived by online dating.
• The shows are sometimes scripted or they’re just so heavy-handidly produced and edited they might as
well have a literal script.
18. why iS the Show poStModern?
• Similarly to the film the show highlights the fact that social networking sites and technology allow people
to create false identities to a great extent.
• People can create any types of characters they wish through online profiles.
• This means that in a world with such developed online networking we can never really be sure who is real.
• Only by meeting people in the flesh can we prove their existence as social media serves as a medium
between us and the person we are talking with.
• Also, during filming there is always another camera person present with Nev who is filmed filming the
situation.
- Essentially we are watching someone filming someone ells.
19. how iS it Made?
• The documentary film was filmed by Nev’s brother Ariel and their friend Henry, capturing
the process in which Nev discovers the truth about ‘Megan’.
• It is presented in the style of a documentary, and filmed completely by a hand-held
camera in order to emphasize the idea that was is happening is real.
- However there have been many debates questioning the authenticity of the story and
believe that the whole film is scripted and fake.
• The fact that it has been presented as a ‘real’ story re-enforces the idea of voyeurism and
societies obsession with watching other people and knowing about their lives.
Technologies:
- Camera
- Laptop (Facebook profiles, various websites and Google Maps)
- Phone (Contact ‘Megan’)
20. how iS it Made?
• ‘Catfish’ the show is edited in such a way that blurs the line between reality and
fiction even further.
• This is emphasised by the fact that we do not know if the footage from the camera
of the guy filming Nev is actually real footage from that camera.
• This is down to the fact that sometimes the angles don’t necessarily match the
point of view from which he is filming.
• Thus the show is presented as even more scripted and staged.
This is supposedly
what is being
captured from the
second camera.
21. SiMilar productS
• ‘My Date With Drew’:
- 2004 documentary film starring Brian Herzlinger.
- He combines his passions for filmmaking and Drew Barrymore to document his
quest for a date with the actress.
- With $1,100 he won at a game show and a video camera, he has 30 days to
complete his documentary before he has to return the camera under Circuit
City's 30-Day Return Policy.
• ‘When Strangers Click’:
- Robert Kenner tells the revealing stories of people whose lives were transformed
in unexpected ways by online encounters.
- He explores the ups and downs of the world of online dating through the stories
of five individuals who went looking for love on the Internet.
22. Why are they Similar?
• ‘My Date With Drew’:
- Both Nev and Brian go on a quest to achieve something.
- Both texts are filmed in the style of a documentary.
- Both texts combine high art with low art – e.g. Brian is an ordinary guy who is
pursuing a famous celebrity.
• ‘When Strangers Click’:
- Similarly to ‘Catfish’ it also revolves around people who have been effected by
social media.
- Both texts point out the issues and debates about social networking.
23. hoW iS the ShoW
voyeuriSticvoyeuriStic?
Audience:Audience:
• The audience can see someone filming Nev.
• Thus we are watching someone filming someone ells.
• This therefore means we are watching a copy of a copy.
24. audience
• The audience of ‘Catfish’ is ultimately a mass one.
• This is down to the fact that it revolves around social networking and popular
social media sites.
• Social networking is a massive part of society and a majority of people use social
media sites.
• Thus the issues and topics raised will interest a mass amount of people and they
will be interested in watching it.
25. debateS
For:
• The film provides people with an example of the
dangers of social networking.
• The TV show helps real people with their own
problems with people they speak to online and
have gotten into a relationship with.
• It is helpful for society because it exposes the
fact that many online accounts can be fake and
people may not be speaking to the people they
think they are.
- It serves as a warning to society about who they
begin relationships with when they are online.
Against:
• As many believe the film to be scripted, it is a
false and exaggerated representation of the
dangers of social networking.
• The film or show could actually promote ideas
about faking your identity and therefore lead to
more people doing it.
• It is believed that in the MTV show version the
‘Catfish’ is actually the one who contacts Nev
and the team, therefore misleading the
audience that they help you discover someone’s
identity.
26. compariSon to hiStorical
time period
• A text like ‘Catfish’ would not have been possible to make during a time where social networking had not
yet been developed.
- The world before these sites were created held less dangers of beginning a relationship with someone
pretending to be another person as people didn’t have profiles and accounts to hide behind.
• Many of the issues within the documentary center around a very current time period (speaking to fake
accounts).
27. the future
The show and the film highlight some important issues that might become bigger in the future.
• With social media developing more and more every year it is becoming increasingly easier for people
to construct fake identities online, some of whom may be harmful to others.
• If this continues to progress the line between reality and what is fake will be blurred even further thus
making it even harder to distinguish between the two.
- How will we ever be sure if who we are talking to is real unless we meet the personally.
- But if social media continues to develop the chance of physically meeting people is declining.
• Another issue for the future is the fact that people are becoming much less productive in terms of
socializing, e.g. going out and doing activities.
- Instead they are stuck behind a computer screen.
- What does this mean for the future?
- Will we only ever type to one another?
28. the future
• Ultimately ‘Catfish’ creates transparency.
• This is because it emphasises the idea that talking to others online is no
longer a taboo but a social norm.
• Angela is a completely normal women who is just lonely – thus people
watching can relate to this.
• It challenges the idea that people who hide their identities online are
dangerous.
