Sci-Fi Genre

CGI

Computer Generated Imagery is a big part of sci-fi as most of this genre is not real, we cannot physically build a spaceship and fly out into space and film is to we must use CGI to create things, from space ships flying through space to entire galaxies, that would be impossible to do otherwise. Most sci-fi spends a lot of money and time on their CGI as it is such a huge part of it and sci-fi fans expect a plethora of special effects when they go to see the movie.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvyLLc7mTE

The above example is Star Trek from 2010, even in the trailer we can see a massive amount of special effects and CGI that was to be expected from a sci-fi film of this calibre.

Sound Effects

Again, sound effects are used hugely in sci-fi films, they are all generally created from other objects as we have no real life objects to record and use. CGI is not enough to create the atmosphere of science fiction and must also have sound effects to back all the CGI and make the film what it is. Most sound effects in science fiction are done by Foley artists who specialise in creating sound effects from other objects. Sci-fi sound effects are generally very robotic and computer like with a lot of beeps and other sounds that are associated with sci-fi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aaMpWNEAv4


The above example contains a lot of different sound effects that would all have to have been created using different sounds as there are nothing such as pod racers. Even the alien voices would have needed to have been created by more than likely using someones voice and adding different filters and effects to get the desired result.

Mis-en-scene

From exotic world to the insides of space ships, sci-fi relies a lot of props and backgrounds to give the atmosphere and the feeling of extraterrestrial worlds. To make the films more realistic, the mis-en-scene of the sci-fi genre must be very well detailed to in order to make the film audience feel like they are there and part of the scene itself. Most sci-fi backgrounds and props are very well detailed in order to make it as realistic as possible. There is a lot of imagination needed to create the mis-en-scene as sci-fi movies are all created from drawings and not from real life examples, similar to the CGI and sounds effects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDRLtgr2T9E&feature=related

The above link is a good example of mis-en-scene in a movie. This was taken from Alien inside an alien ship and the amount of details and time that was taken to create this scene is massive but sets the atmosphere for the whole scene very well. The time taken to create this scene would have been huge compared to how long the background was used in the film (approx 5 mins) but is a key point in making the film feel as realistic as possible.


Storyboarding

Storyboarding is incredibly important in any movie but becomes a key point in sci-fi movies as the majority of the film is created entirely from imagination so storyboarding in a sci-fi movie allows the director and writers to show the prop and CGI team exactly what they need to create rather than trying to explain it to them. It also gives the film direction and allows the rest of the team, especially the camera men and actors exactly where they need to be and what they need to do at each point in the filming of the movie.

The above storyboard is from the city scene in Blade Runner and as you can see it contains a lot of information and detail about how the city should look which can then be passed to the different teams for props or CGI to create it.

Scriptwriting

Every film needs a script, without it there would be no story and this makes it a very important part of the sci-fi genre. Most sci-fi writers generally tend to stick to that type of story as it is a very niche genre that not everyone will enjoy so each script needs to be new and fresh in order to captivate the audience.

Above is the script from Alien during a scene. This script details what is going on at the specific scene, not just the conversation but also states the different actions that are needed at specific points. Someone looks like they have drawn images to correspond with the speech, maybe trying to get a picture of exactly what they think each part will look like.

Continuity

Continuity is very important part of any movie, but what is it? Every scene needs to continue on from the last one, for example, a drop of blood or a person holding a book in a certain hand must be exactly the same to ensure a more realistic movie. Many movies make mistakes in terms of continuity and it has become a popular topic to point out these errors and there are even television shows dedicated to this. 

The above image shows slight continuity errors that perhaps you may not pick up due to you paying more attention to the character rather than the surrounding area. These kind of continuity errors, especially the chair moving happen a lot.

Film Conventions

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is a way to illustrate what you want to appear on screen. A film storyboard is very much like a large comic with an image to show what each scene will contain. A storyboard is essential in film making for showing visually how the events of the film will play out giving cameramen and directors a clear indication of how different scenes are to be shot.

CGI

CGI has developed massively over the years. CGI or Computer Generated Images are animations that are added into a movie to show things that would be physically impossible to create such as space battles between warships or a giant lizard smashing it's way through a city. Not all CGI are animations but can be still images to add backgrounds to a certain scene or even static images. CGI in very big in science fiction and action films as it allows directors to add elements that would be very hard or impossible to recreate in real life.

Sound Effects

Sound is a big part of any film but not just the speech plays an important role. The sound effects in a movie can turn a war battle into something captivating. Most sounds are creating using ordinary objects or sounds and mixing them and putting different effects on them in order to recreate the sound that they wanted. An example of this is the Fellbeasts from Lord of the Rings which was a donkey bellowing with effects put onto it to make it sound more terrifying.

Continuity

Continuity is very important in any film, it gives a more realistic look to the film and makes it far more believable. Continuity is ensuring that each and every scene has unchanged details in it such as dirt on the actor's face or a prop's position. Most films have minor continuity errors as scenes change due to breaks in between shootings.

Mis-en-scene

Mis-en-scene relates to the design aspect of the stage including the props, background etc. Every film has the use of mis-en-scene as every scene needs to be shot in a location. The mis-en-scene for a movie must relate to what the movie is about, for example, a sci-fi movie must contain a more futuristic or modern look in order to follow the theme of the movie.

Scriptwriting

Every movie needs a script before anything else can be done. Most scripts are not made by the director but from writers who are trying to get their film funded for creation, the scripts are created even before the movie has been confirmed to be made. A script is essential as from that all the scenes are laid out in a storyboard and gives the whole film direction. Without a script, the movie would not exist as it tells us what is happening and going to happen in a movie.

Genre Analysis

Art

VideoDrome by David Cronenberg 1983

Art films step away from the normal convention of mainstream film making. These films are more suited for niche markets of audience rather than a mass audience of people. These films are shown at specialty theatres and festivals rather than mainstream cinemas. These films follow the directors creative vision rather than a team of people who pull their ideas together in the visual creation of the film, meaning art films give you an insight into the mind of the director/writer making each one very unique and personal.

New French Extremism

Frontier(s) by Xavier Gens 2007

A new type of film that has been used at the turn on the 21st Century by French directors. These films all follow a horror genre but make use of transgressive art in them. Transgressive art is a type of film with an aim that is designed to shock and outrage people watching it. The film generally contains very gory and sickening scenes that are aimed at violating morals.

Dark Fantasy

Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro 2006

Charles L Grant defined Dark Fantasy as "a type of horror story in which humanity is threatened by forces beyond human understanding." (The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders, Volume 1,edited by Gary Westfahl, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005.) Dark Fantasy is very close to the horror genre again instead focusing on the supernatural as the evil forces at work instead of a serial killer which would fall under the horror genre more. Dark Fantasy can also be used to describe a film that follows a very gothic feel such as using Vampires or Werewolves in a very horrifying way rather than a more action way as in the film Underworld.

Film Noir

Blade Runner by Ridley Scott 1982

Film Noir is normally associated with American crime dramas, usually these types of films are black and white with very dark settings such as nightime or gloomy weather. Blade Runner is classed by a lot of people as a modern take on the Film Noir genre, whilst not being black and white, the settings are gloomy and dark and have a very saddening feel to the whole movie. Film Noir is generally seen as a very niche film type that is not suited to the mass market.

Animation

How to Train Your Dragon by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sander 2010

The animation genre is incredibly diverse as it is only limited by the imagination of the creators making it. It could be used for children's animation such as the example shown above or even more dark animation as well. There are also different types of animation such as Computer Generated 3D animation, claymation or cell animation making this genre very diverse.