SCIENCE FICTION FILMS

WHAT IS IT?
It has its roots in
some form of
technology which is
not yet possible, but
could be one day
Before film, there was
Science Fiction in
books like
Frankenstein and The
Time Machine

EARLY SCI-FI FILMS

With fantastic films, strange technology
and almost magical events, sci-fi novels
were big influences on early film makers.
Frankenstein has been made and remade many times as film technology has
developed and offered increasingly
sophisticated and realistic events

Spot the Difference

Boris Karloff in 1933

Robert De Niro in 1994

WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE

RE-MAKES OF FILMS?
If you asked a group of
people to draw a picture
of Frankensteins monster
everyones image would
probably be the same
This is because they are
familiar with the film
archetype representation
of the monster.

KEYWORDS!
WRITE THEM DOWN!!
Film Archetype the outstanding
features of a character, which other filmmakers imitate in later films, e.g. Sean
Connery as James Bond saying The
names Bond, James Bond
Blockbuster a film, expected to be a hit,
so-called because of the long queues
around the block to see it.

SCI-FI IN THE FIFTIES

American studios produced many Sci-Fi films at
this time with the advent of space travel .
Good examples are Invasion of the
Bodysnatchers, The Mole People, It Came from
Outer Space and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers
They were popular at the time but, by our
modern standards, they were crudely made and
cheesy
Themes included exploration, danger and new
technology, as well as invasion of our society

ACTIVITY #1
Using any search engine
you choose, find out as
much as you can about
the big block-buster scifi films from the past ten
years.
What directors and stars
have become associated
with them?
Note them down in your
book under the headings
FILM, DIRECTOR and
ACTOR

ACTIVITY #2
DISCUSS what sci-fi films that teenagers
(i.e. you lot) prefer? Note them down in
your book.
Are you able to explain WHY?
Try to decide what the ingredients are that
make a sci-fi film really popular

THE BLOCKBUSTER SCI-FI FILM

Until around 1990, sci-fi was

regarded as a minority genre
which only longstanding fans
watched think about Star
Trek and its legions of
dedicated fans.
Then James Cameron
produced the special-effects
driven Terminator 2 in 1991,
starring Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Not only was
it an excellent movie with
unprecedented technology for
its time, it was a worldwide
success.

SCI-FI BECAME BIG BUSINESS!

Steven Spielberg followed with

Jurassic Park in 1993 and
Roland Emmerich wrote and
directed Stargate in 1994
All these films were marketed
to audiences as cross-genres
of action with science fiction.
With a big budget and special
effects, Emmerich followed up
Stargate in 1996 with
Independence Day
Science Fiction was
established as a hugely
exciting and action-packed
genre for teenagers.

HOW TO READ A
SCI-FI FILM
Reading a film is just like reading
any book
You must know the LANGUAGE
Then be able to work out what it means

CHECKLIST
CHARACTERS (including aliens) will have
clear roles and purposes within the story
COSTUMES are important especially in
future worlds
SETTINGS are part of the created world
and involve special effects
COLOURS are important and often
symbolic i.e. neon green often symbolises
the alien

 SOUNDTRACK is a vital clue to

suggesting mood, theme and key
moments (think of famous sci-fi films like
2001 or any Star Trek film)
CONVENTIONS such as space jargon,
gadgets, weapons etc all contribute to the
story
SPECIAL EFFECTS these play a huge
part. Animation, CGI, clever use of camera
angles, action sequences.

WATCH THE CLIP

from .
Note the themes, characters and
conventions as you go.
These notes will form the basis of your
homework, due in Wednesday
Title - Why is .. so popular?
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