Scenes from the orientation film
Scenes from the orientation film
Facts About the Film
- Narrated by Dr. Marvin Candle, who has the swan logo on his jacket.
- Created by the Hanso Foundation in 1980 as a part of Dharma Initiative
- Is titled "The Dharma Initiative - 3 of 6 - Orientation".
- Claims The Swan is station 3 and was built in the 70's.
- The title "3 of 6" likely means "Station #3 out of 6". "3 of 6" also appears next to The Swan on the Blast Door Map.
- Claims the Dharma Initiative is the brainchild of Dr Gerald and Karen DeGroot (two doctoral candidates at the University of Michigan)
- Mentions B.F. Skinner and that the project is a "social-science research facility"
- Dharma Initiative was created to give scientists a place to study
- Meteorology
- Psychology
- Parapsychology
- Zoology (the film featuring Polar Bears, a recurring theme)
- Electromagnetism
- Utopian Social__? (the rest is cut off) may be Utopian Socialism (actually likely a reference to Transcendentalism, which deals with utopian social experiments) or Utopian Social Engineering? See also Social Engineering under B.F. Skinner.
- The partners who work at the station are there for 540 day shifts, which is 5x108. This means each team must hit the button between 7,200 and 7476 times, because they actually reset the timer before the 108 minutes are up, so it can be between 104 and 108 minutes between each pushing of the button.
- The Swan was originally created to study the unique magnetic characteristics of the part of the island that the hatch occupies. It does not state the origin of these characteristics.
- Claims there was an "incident", after which the workers enter a code into the computer terminal every 108 minutes as a matter of protocol.
- Until the partners' replacements arrive the future of the project is in their hands.
- In What Kate Did, Mr. Eko gives the piece of film he found to John Locke, who splices it into the reel. The addition contains strong warning that computer should not be used for anything other than entering the code; it specifically warns against trying to contact the outside world.
- The picture of Alvar Hanso is the same used in his Executive Bios dated October 23, 2003.
- During the last third of the film, when they are getting an extreme closeup of Marvin Candle's head, one can see a logo of a bird or bat in flight in the upper right corner of the film. It can be seen going frame by frame in Quicktime, when he is saying "when the alarm sounds, the code be entered correctly and in a timely fashion."
Theories
- As this is an orientation specifically for Station 3/The Swan, it might mean that there's other orientation films that's tailored for the respective stations. This theory seems to have more weight after the discovery of The Pearl. The orientation video watched by Locke and Eko in The Pearl claimed to be 5 of 6, and The Pearl is said to be station 5 of 6, so it looks like there is one orientation film per station.
- It is interesting that, by the transcript below, there appear to be 5 possible splice points. Does this mean there are pieces of the film in each of the other 5 stations? The first was found in the Arrow station. Maybe the others will be found too.
- Dr. Marvin Candle's left arm does not move throughout the entire film, suggesting he is an amputee. (it has been confirmed that the actor is wearing a prosthetic)
- At times, it appears Dr. Candle's lips do not match his speech and at other times, the film zooms in on the upper part of Dr. Candle's face, preventing this comparison from taking place. Note: This was done in the flash version only, because at those times the camera was on the characters watching the film.
- The status of the presumed founders as "doctoral candidates" makes it unlikely that they have really founded a complex for all the fields of study mentioned. It makes it more likely, that their project was about social science (see B.F. Skinner). When talking about Alvar Hanso, the film also talks about a "multi-purpose, social-science research facility", not about other sciences. This may fuel theories about the whole Island, the Dharma Initiative, the project or Station 3 beeing more of a social experiment than anything else. The disguises of the scientists in the Medical Station back this up. It is arguable however if the experiment went wrong, or got out of hand, or if they are continuing on in some way.
- In general, the fact that the orientation film exists, and describes (though briefly) the history of the project and what the individual must do implies that individuals stationed in the Swan had no prior knowledge of the Hanso Foundation, the project or the task. It supports the theory that the individuals in the hatch are part of an experiment. However, it could be that the Hanso Foundation, project and task are a well kept secret and that you only find out about it once you're on the island.
A contraption shown in the Orientation Film that may be some type of Virtual Reality device.
- There is a device shown in the Orientation Film that would seem to support the ”group hallucination” theory that all the inhabitants are patients in the Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute. There is subject (or operator) who is strapped to a contraption that appears suspended in the air. On the subject head, there is a visor or goggle that covers his eyes and appears similar to many Virtual Reality devices. Presumably, the device would be showing the subject images and may be used by the reinforce the reality of the shared group hallucination. The device also bares a resemblance to devices used in NASA motion sickness tests.[1]
- It is possible the Arrow station film isn't intended to be spliced with the Swan station film and that they are bits of two seperated films that have similar content. Perhaps one for Arrow and one for Swan both telling their residents similar warnings.
Transcript
items in italics represent comments
items in bold represent on-screen items, not spoken text
* denotes a pop or possible splice in the film
(?) denotes interpreted garbled speech (it may be incorrect)
The Dharma Initiative
3 of 6
Orientation
screen transition fade
Dharma Logo showing the swan
Orientation - Station 3 - The Swan
screen transition to show a man in a lab coat
Welcome. I am Dr. Marvin Candle(?) and this is your orientation film for station 3 (of the?) *Dharma* Initiative.
In a moment you will be given (a?) simple set of instructions for how you and your partner will fulfill the responsibilities associated with the station. But first, a little history:
screen transition to show activity on a university campus
The Dharma Initiative was created in 1970, and is the brainchild of Gerald and Karen DeGroot(?), two doctoral candidates at the University of Michigan. Following in the footsteps of visionaries such as B.F. Skinner, (?) imagined a large-scale communal research compound where scientists and free-thinkers from around the globe could pursue research in meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism, and utopian social... * ...(re)clusive Danish industrialist and munitions magnate, Alvar Hanso, whose financial backing made their dream of a multi-purpose, social-science research facility a reality.
screen transition back to man in the lab coat
You and your partner are currently located in station three, or The Swan, and will be for the next 540 days. Now station 3 was originally constructed as a laboratory, where scientists could work to understand the unique electromagnetic fluctuations emanating from this sector of the island. Not long after the experiments began, however, there was... an 'incident'... and since that time, the following protocol has been observed:
(That?) every 108 minutes, the button must be pushed. From the moment the alarm sounds, you will have 4 minutes to enter the code into the microcomputer processor(?)... * ...duction into the program. When the alarm sounds, either you or your partner must input the code. It is highly recommended that you and your partner take alternating shifts. In this manner you will both stay as fresh and alert... * ...most importance, that when the alarm sounds, the code be entered correctly and in a timely fashion.
Now do not attempt to use the computer... * ...for anything... *
<transcript of the spliced clip introduced in What Kate Did>
...for anything else other than the entering of the code. This is its only function.
<begin revision>
The isolation that attends the duties associated with Station 3 may tempt you to try and utilize the computer for communication with the outside world. This is strictly forbidden. Attempting to use the computer in this manner will compromise the integrity of the project and worse, could lead to another incident. I repeat, do not use the computer for anything other than entering the code.
<end of revision and spliced clip>
Congratulations! Until your replacements arrive, the future of the project is in your hands.
On behalf of the DeGroots(?), Alvar Hanso, and all of us at the Dharma Initiative, thank you, namaste, and... good luck.
screen transition fade
© The Hanso Foundation 1980 All Rights Reserved
Dr Marvin Candle as seen in the original footage versus in the footage found in The Arrow.
Notice the differences in hair, lighting, striped tie, and the exit sign.
Note about "revision" above:
It has been noted previously that the footage of Dr. Marvin Candle which appeared in Orientation differed from the footage inserted in What Kate Did. This assertion is not entirely correct. The inserted footage is actually identical in terms of actor, costume, lighting, etc. immediately before and after the first splice. However, the paragraph marked above as a "revision" is where the alternate footage was introduced. In this footage, the actor is clearly seen to be standing in a different posture, his necktie is tied differently, the lab jacket is different, and the hair and lighting are clearly different. Given that this change occurs in the middle of the "inserted" portion from The Arrow, it seems likely that the differences are a byproduct of unplanned reshooting in production, and are not meant to be taken as a hidden plot point.
See also
External Links
- The Orientation film *Does not work anymore after site got revamped*
- Another link to The Orientation Film
Notes
Note 1: There's a video on the Internet claiming to be a second orientation film.
Please do not add any information from this video to LostPedia as it is not part of the official Lost canon. See other links for more information.
Note 2: There's another video on the Internet claiming to be a Third Orientation Film (or rather a "Procedings Film") for another Station named "The Goblet". This video has been confirmed in this Lost podcast to be another well made fake. If you want to see it anyway, read this and watch the film here Please do not add any information from this video to LostPedia as it is not part of the official Lost canon.