The science fiction genre

1.Genre: Science fiction

2.Genre conventions – content: Films really heavily on expensive special effects or large amounts of CGI. The setting is usually a place of somewhere in the future, and alternative timeline, a historical event which is manipulated for certain purposes, and mostly in places of the galaxy far far away. Places or setting can take place in varieties of areas whether it be outer space, a remote area, or an alternative past, or a manipulated present which bends our means of reality. The filmographies use techniques that seem over futuristic, unrealistic or have some overly technological and scientific advancement to them. Many props are used in science fiction films but mainly depends on the film. Futuristic and outer space films will contain elements of future lifestyle, weaponry, culture means, and dressing. They could also be the setting around them with their home and environment looking significantly different to ours. Main types of themes portrayed in science fiction: good vs evil, whether it be a fight in outer space between an overly ruly government and some space fleet, futuristic technology being misused, robots, aliens, space travel, time travel, or a dystopian or “utopian” future. There must always also be some obstacle that a certain protagonist is escaping, which can be a predator, the government, artificial intelligence, or some space creature. Science and its ideological advances are always placed heavy pressure upon.
3. Genre conventions – production techniques: Science fiction production techniques are quite unique. This is due to the overall nature of a science fiction film being so heavily expansive on a rhetoric number of topics whether it be a dystopian government, robots, or the expansion of space colonies. Those who have dystopian futures tend to use costume designs and props which tend to be more futuristic, but yet at the same time older and wearing out. This could also provide to context, as there are a plethora of darker hues used in those certain films. Space films tend to use contrast of colors to show the difference between the good and evil. Lighter hues on good and darker hues on the bad side, usually black or red costume designs or props. However, that poised on modern-day destruction, focus more on colonizing other places. All such films use heavy amounts of CGI. Colonization movies tend to use costume design of space suits, and poise most of the film with the out track of outer space, making most of the setting artificial. In sci-fi film, there is usually a relationship between the two protagonists, a male and a female, where the male seems like they need to protect wither this girl or their family or the group they reside with. Here are some of the more commonly used shots in sci-fi and their effects. The Extreme long shot is used to show massive scale of the future society or a presiding figure.

Longshot are used to demonstrate the introduction of the setting and the current connections it has to history. Medium shots are used often to show prevalent emotions between characters. Close-ups add more emotion to the scene of films when characters find out a drastic change. Dutch angle are used in sci-fi films when a weird situation occurs which at the time happens with a foreign presence. Tracking shots are used often in intense scenes to demonstrate more fear into the characters. Many low angle shots are used to show the dominance of foreign entities coming across a weaker force. Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds used in science fiction films depend solely on the time period. If a film takes place in the past, the sounds will usually be from older generations. Newer futuristic time periods will have music pertaining with no lyrics, mostly including singular instruments. As well, the non-diegetic sounds are developed throughout the pacing and tone of the story. More towards the end of these films, the stings become faster and louder. Props are used heavily to represent the futuristic lifestyle that societies live in.

4.Film/magazine sample #1: Star Wars the last Jedi-The latest installment to the Star Wars franchise (trilogies),the last Jedi acts as a great embodiment of the science fiction genre as a whole. We aren’t really sure if the Star Wars franchise is in the future, however with the super advance weaponry, super human space ships, and ultimate androids which roam the planets exemplify that the star wars galaxy lies far in the future. Similarly, the Star Wars franchise embodies the science fiction drama through the theme of encroachment onto foreign planets, with each film exemplifying the diverse nature of habitats that have been created on moons and other celestial bodies. However, Star Wars the last Jedi exemplifies the common theme of good vs evil of an external force of government. The main characters ray, fin, and poe must fight against the likes of the First order who pertain much of the galaxies support and natural resources through harsh treatment and exploitation. However, these characters fighting under the rebellion, act out as outlaws to fight against the unjust government. Another embodiment is the large amount of CGI, as the Star Wars franchise is known for its stellar CGI uses in galactical battles as the rebellion fights the first order on all types of scenarios, in the outreach of the galaxy, salt mines, and even a planet dedicated to casinos. Another thing Star Wars film exemplifies in, is the props, costume design, and makeup. The last Jedi thrives off of beautiful scenery as characters who seem foreign come dressed in all types of clothing fit to the societal class. The prosthetics on the characters are out of this world. However, Star Wars contains one of the most well-known futuristic prop, the lightsaber, which plays an integral part to the dystopian future the star wars galaxy pertains.

5.Film/magazine sample #2: Interstellar- Interstellar is truly one of the better and most representative science fiction films made to date. It plays with the ploy that many older science fiction movies set out, colonization of other planets based of either a mitigating factor of nature of explement. In this case, it’s a freak of nature accident of crop failure and dust storms which prevent much of earths crops from being able to be grown. The rest of the story is followed with near impossible events, which have years of integrated future advancements which we will probably never see in our life time. This includes black hole sling shot, cryostasis, and a tesseract. The film obviously follows a ploy of the world coming to a disaster and a man has to leave his family. Classic jabs at gaining emotional appeals made in many dramas and science fiction films. As the crew takes flight to find

a new planet, they board a revolutionary ship which is amazingly deigned in a future style of having life saving amounts of oil and a built-in artificial intelligence. The AI used in the film is similar to what many science fiction genres seek to

focus on as robots of denominates as leaders as they take over human counterparts. This is even directly stated in the film, as the problem is avoided as the crew decides to lower TARS lying feature and override feature. The technology used to keep the crew dormant is not real but used in most
science fictions films to allow for long passages of time. As the crew visits different planets, freak accidents happen, lowering the crew’s number. This alludes to the good versus evil nature of the human encroaching on nature and nature rebelling back. There is also a backstabbing of the mission never being seen as plausible by the director, which is common of many antagonists of science fiction films to infiltrate a mission through lies. The film goes completely into futuristic mode as the main characters step into a tesseract, a meaning of communicating into the past. Something you would only see in a sci-fi. The film ends with cooper visiting his daughter on a hospital on Saturn where he sees his dying daughter and a younger version of himself. The theme of age and death are large representations in major sci-fi films like 2001 a space odyssey.
Other film examples: Blade Runner, 2001 a space odyssey, Star Wars: Episode V, Star Trek II, The Terminator, Planet of the Apes, The Matrix