Blank stare: Difference between revisions

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The "In fiction" page seemed to be largely unnecessary cruft. The images should be just fine for that.
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| [[Image:Upgrade phone disconnect scene.gif]] From the film [[Upgrade (film)|Upgrade]]: The robot Kim attempts to reconnect to receive programming updates
| [[Image:Upgrade phone disconnect scene.gif]] From the film [[Upgrade (film)|Upgrade]]: The robot Kim attempts to reconnect to receive programming updates
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A '''blank stare''' is the look on a fembot's face that can help show how inhuman it is.  It can show a complete lack of expression when used by an actress portraying a robot. Wide, unblinking eyes and an absence of movement can make the effect quite strong.
A '''blank stare''' is a facial expression that conveys a lack of emotion and apparent thought. The character will stare off into the distance, unblinking or blinking only occasionally, and show no emotional range or reaction. Often times, this is utilized in several contexts, such as to highlight a character who is confused or dazed, experiencing some form of psychological trauma or shock, as a symptom of hypnosis or drug use or to show a character lost in their thoughts.


In gynoid related fiction and media, a blank stare often denotes that the fembot is offline, being reprogrammed, or has frozen and is about to malfunction. It is also often used to hint that a character appearing to be human may in fact be a fembot.
In gynoid related fiction and media, blank stares are utilized to convey a lack of emotion and independent thought that is often associated with robots or androids. This is especially common in androids or robots that are depicted or foreshadowed as threatening, as a further conveyance of their lack of empathy, but on occasion is used merely to display an android's nature without having to display their artificiality by more invasive or time-consuming means, such as opening an [[Access panel]]. It is also frequently used to denote when an android or robotic character is offline or to indicate to the audience that they have been shut down.


This type of plot device does not require special effects and can be very effective if the actress portraying the robot can hold the blank stare properly.
Because this effect is relatively simple in live action productions, relying only on an actor or actress' ability to maintain an expressionless stare, it's frequently used in productions that have a limited effects budget. In other productions, this is still a convenient method of displaying a character's robotic nature without having to take time showing a character's internal workings.


==In fiction==
==Examples==
[[Image:Westworld elevator girl.png|thumb]]
===The "Elevator Girl"===
One of the first fembots seen in the movie [[Westworld]], the Elevator Girl shows that she is a robot when she stops moving and stares unnaturally forward.
 
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[[Image:I Love Maria blank stare.png|thumb]]
===Maria===
As one of many fembots named [[I Love Maria|Maria]], [[Sally Yeh]] had quite a talent for portraying an emotionless robot.  One of her strong points was a perfect blank stare.
 
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==More examples==
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FLV blank stare 1.jpg
FLV blank stare 1.jpg

Revision as of 05:34, 21 September 2019

From the film Upgrade: The robot Kim attempts to reconnect to receive programming updates

A blank stare is a facial expression that conveys a lack of emotion and apparent thought. The character will stare off into the distance, unblinking or blinking only occasionally, and show no emotional range or reaction. Often times, this is utilized in several contexts, such as to highlight a character who is confused or dazed, experiencing some form of psychological trauma or shock, as a symptom of hypnosis or drug use or to show a character lost in their thoughts.

In gynoid related fiction and media, blank stares are utilized to convey a lack of emotion and independent thought that is often associated with robots or androids. This is especially common in androids or robots that are depicted or foreshadowed as threatening, as a further conveyance of their lack of empathy, but on occasion is used merely to display an android's nature without having to display their artificiality by more invasive or time-consuming means, such as opening an Access panel. It is also frequently used to denote when an android or robotic character is offline or to indicate to the audience that they have been shut down.

Because this effect is relatively simple in live action productions, relying only on an actor or actress' ability to maintain an expressionless stare, it's frequently used in productions that have a limited effects budget. In other productions, this is still a convenient method of displaying a character's robotic nature without having to take time showing a character's internal workings.

Examples

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