Trends: Revolution’s Post Apocalyptic Tribal Aesthetic

Words by MPDClick’s guest contributor Selena Marie Norris.

Revolution, NBC’s hit science-fiction television show returned from a mid-season hiatus this spring and brought back a few surprises. The show’s aesthetic theme juxtaposes the earthy, natural visual of farming communities and hand-to-hand combat with the shiny, glossy visual of nanotechnology and advanced weaponry. We touched on Revolution’s archery trend influence in September 2012.  The continued popularity of the show in the U.S.A. is an example of the trending dystopian theme which will develop further in our AW 14/15 Future Tribes forecast.

Revolution is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where electricity has become inexplicably obsolete. Fifteen years later, The United States Of America has fallen. In that time, several prominent militias rose up, civilian gun ownership became illegal, and people were forced to return to the feudalistic lifestyles of small farming communities.

The Revolution story might be set in a world with very limited technology; however, NBC has maximized their technological marketing advantage. Revolution’s Facebook page has over 565,000 likes. NBC’s Revolution also has a popular Twitter account @NBCRevolution, an Instagram, a Pinterest page, and a Youtube channel. The show’s site features exclusive web content including series prequel- webisodes, behind-the-scenes features, Monroe Republic propaganda posters, an interactive map which unlocks as the story unfolds, and an animated digital series, ‘Wheatley’s Letters’ illustrating the struggle of a Monroe Militia spy. This is a great example of the way in which a show can effectively utilise social media to engage their viewers in extra content to give a fuller experience in order to secure ratings on the NBC show.

Here’s a bit more of an insight into the background of the show. The Revolution storyline follows the Mathesons, a family deeply connected to the reason why the lights went out. The Mathesons and their tribe of traveling companions join the ‘rebel forces’-patriots who have vowed to fight against the powerful tyrannical government of the Monroe Republic. The rebels are comprised of a group of underdog guerilla fighters who share the unified hope of turning the power back on and resurrecting the “old world” of The United States Of America. The key to turning the power back on lies in a mysterious handful of amulet necklaces.

Image source from top left: Monroe Militia propaganda poster (via Facebook), Charlie Matheson played by Greek-Canadian actress- Tracy Spiridakos (via Facebook), ‘Wheatley’s Letters’ Animated Web Series still image (via Facebook), Entertainment Weekly’s map of the alternate USA 15 years after the blackout (via Facebook), amulet necklace (via Hulu.com screenshot), Monroe Militia ‘Wanted’ poster featuring Nora Clayton, played by American actress Daniella Alonso (via Facebook)

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This post originally appeared on APRIL 24, 2013 in AW 14/15, TRENDS on MPDClick.com, a leading trend forecasting company based in the UK.

Update: MPDClick.com and Mudpie Trend Journal were acquired by WGSN in 2013.  All Mudpie and MPDClick links are now void. A cached copy of the original post can be viewed here.

Words by MPDClick’s guest contributor Selena Marie Norris.