(Work in Progress) The Historical and Social Context

(Work in Progress) Independant Study: The evolution of special effects in my chosen Science Fiction movies

(Work in Progress) Independant Study: Social Context

(Work in Progress) Independant Study: Introduction

Science Fiction Research - A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune)

A Trip to the Moon is a 1902 French film directed, produced, written and also (partly) acted by Georges Méliès. The film is 18 minutes long (at 12 frames/s) or 9 minutes long (at 24 frames/s) and
is a silent, black and white film. It stars Georges Méliès, Bleuette Bernon and Henri Delannoy and was based on 'From the Earth to the Moon' and 'Around the Moon' (both) by Jules Verne which were late 1800's books also in French.

'A Trip to the Moon' was a very influential film for its age when it first came out. It was very popular - so much that other studios pirated it but was at first thought to have been a failure when it was originally shown at fairgrounds at a high price (before it was advertised elsewhere and heightened in popularity The narrative and heavy influence on the storytelling aspect of the piece which changed the way the narrative of a film was created and the film has since been named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century (84th out of 100).

This film is particularly relevant for the release of a few 'futuristic' H.G. Wells novels (War of the Worlds [1898] and The First Men in the Moon [1901] ). This was also a time of traditional work methods (not much modern automation - only from the industrial revolution 60 years earlier) where lots of people were needed to make products (unlike today) and 'space travel' or even 'air travel' didn't exist.

Science Fiction Research - Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis is a 1927 German science fiction film, directed by Fritz Lang (Austrian). The running time for the film is 153 minutes and is in black and white with no actor dialogue (silent film). Fritz Lang was born in 1890 in Vienna, Austria and had a long 41 year career in film directing and production. Some of his work includes M (1931), A Journey to the Lost City (1960) and Fury (1936).  He is known to have always included a shot of his hand in his films; to make his protagonists 'hateful, violent but ultimately sympathetic figures' and to make his films dark (in tone and colour).

Fritz Lang's Biography on IMDb

Metropolis was an influential film for the time as it was set in the future! Back in the 1920s, there was said to be the 'Second Industrial Revolution' which involved making factories more advanced and processes easier and more efficient. Some of this technology was futuristic and Metropolis shows what the future may yet hold for technology (and is one of the only films of its time that does so). Metropolis has also 'paved the way' for many other films to use for 'what the future is' and futuristic concepts; a good example of this is that C3PO in Star Wars is heavily based on the Machine-man in looks (both metal, human based robots in the future that are extremely similar). The film was received so well that it is regarded as an 'Epic movie' and is influential (even 80 years on too).

Popular films that have been related to this are 'The Matrix'; 'Blade Runner; and even Star Wars have been affiliated to it.

Independant Study Rationale

"The evolution of special effects in Science Fiction movies from the 20th and the 21st centuary"

For my study, I will be focusing on Science Fiction films throughout the last 100+ years. I would like to specialise this in the special effects in films and how they have changed from the start of the 20th century up until modern day. The aim of this study will be to show the aspects of these that have changed for the good and also for the bad and also the different techniques used in certain films. I want to study between three and four films that are all set in different times in different countries/cultures.

Independent Study: Task 1 & 2

The subject matter / genre that most attracts me is Science Fiction. I am particularly interested in how the stories of some of the films in this genre are carried on through generations and also how they are put together and enhanced to the point where they get to the 'big screen'.

Some of the titles I would use for my Independent Study Report (related to my choice of genre and film role) are:

- How remakes of Science Fiction movies differ from their originals but keep the same characters/base story

- The evolution of special effects in Science Fiction movies

-The use of Colour in Science Fiction films

Science Fiction Keynote

 “Genre is a class or category of work (usually in film/music/art) that has a particular form, content, technique, or look.”

Some other genre examples are:

Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Comedy, Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller and more..

 In a Science Fiction Movie, you would expect to see:

 Futuristic Sets

Aliens or Unknown Creatures

Futuristic Weaponry and Clothes

Different Technology (like TimeTravel or flying cars)

Past Culture References (Like comic books or present celebrity tributes - like a statue or book)

Different Food/Drink

Typical Protagonist Characteristics:

Bold/Brave

Adventurous

Reckless/Careful (Depending on Film)

Sensitive

Different to the others (they have ‘The Force’ or are the ‘Chosen One’

Can be Humorous

 Bad

-Represents a sin/vice (greed, ambition, wrath, etc)

-Visually different to other characters (different colour scheme, looks scarier overall, battle scars)

-Deceptive

-Die iconically

Good

-Driven to fight due to 

sad back story or past engagement

Helps others

Is unique/special that 

others (super powers, etc)

Bold Personality

Well Equipped

 Stock characters are recognisable minor characters like evil minions (not just from Despicable Me) , mad professors, Bond Girls and the ‘Red Shirt’ who always dies in Star Trek.

 Examples of stock plots and situations for Science Fiction films:

Time Travel

Space Travel

Futuristic Battle Scenes between the Hero(s) and Enemy(s) in Space, etc…

Exploration of Uncharted planets/areas

Testing on Alien Species

 There are many films that are now very much related to science fiction, both old and new. Here are a few examples including the classics like Star Wars and Star Trek to more modern films like Iron Man and The Avengers.

 San Rafael Swell, Utah Vulcan, Star Trek

Chott el Jerid, Tunisia Tattoine, Star Wars

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, The Terminator (1984)

There are more locations but many are computer generated due to the genre.

 The stock sound for a sci-fi gun is in nearly every space themed Sci-Fi film

Computer beeping and ticking is also very common in Sci-Fi films.

Teleportation/beam sounds are also used in Sci-Fi commonly. Ones that use it a lot are Star Trek and other similar films.

 The usual theme with sci-fi films is that there is a good side and a ‘dark’ side of people fighting for good and evil. The good side usually wins after many sci-fi battles between the two sides. There is also sometimes a romance between the main ‘hero’ and another of the characters (on either side). It usually ends with either a cliffhanger (for a future film[s]) or with the ‘dark’ side loosing.

 The science fiction genre is always changing for new films and stories released every year. One of the most changed things however is having new and different styles of special effects to cater for the wide imagination of the writers and story tellers. The main story themes do seem to stay fairly similar in the way of plot (good side, dark side, etc…) although some may have different plot 

twists etc…

 2046 is a 2004 Chinese Sci-fi film about a women who enter a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years and looses the women (who eventually turns out to be an android). The story is set over three films where he pursues this woman. It is called 2046 because the writer and his ‘true love’ meet in hotel rom No. 2046 which is the doorway to a futuristic land of hover trains and gravity defying buildings.

Akira is a 1988 animated film where in 1988 the, Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Can-ay-da, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tet-sue-o from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader with Tet-sue-o’s supernatural powers. A final battle is fought in the Tokyo Olympiad exposing the Government’s experimental secrets.