Investigating Genre & Narrative
Science Fiction:
In Science Fiction films, generally
there is a spaceship. This is stereotypically associated with this genre of
film, although each film is presented differently. For example, one of the
ideas for a typical well-known storyline in Sci-Fi films, is to have aliens or
another type of supernatural being arrive on planet Earth. The film then
revolves around characters identifying who the aliens are & where they have
come from. In films such as these, the aliens have usually landed on Earth in a
spaceship in an attempt to invade Earth. Some sci-fi films are actually set in
space & involve astronauts exploring a planet. Sometimes there may be
creatures on another planet. To the audience, these superficially look like
humans, but are actually another race living on another planet. However, the
audience may interpret these characters as the protagonists – ‘the good guys’.
In films such as E.T. –The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), this starts off with the
audience believing the storyline will be conventional, however, when E.T.
arrives on Earth, the audience discover E.T. is infact a friendly alien.
Film genre has changed so much over
time as directors & producers have discovered & learned what aspects of
the film genre the audience enjoys & responds to the most.
Furthermore, film tastes change as
well. What might have been a non-conventional storyline in 1980 for example,
may have been adapted & had ideas taken from it for inspirational ideas for
future films. Therefore this could be very similar to a film made in 2010. This
is because film genres have been adapted to suit what audiences want to see.
Each genre has different codes and
conventions and films of the same genre generally have the same codes and
conventions but presented in a different way to alter the storyline for
different audiences.
Films have also changed over time
due to the development of special effect, graphics & CGI. This has made new
films unique, introduced a new style & way to enjoy film & also made films
look more realistic & believable.
For example, Total Recall (1990) has special effects that in the late ‘80’s
& early ‘90’s were impressive & at the time realistic. However as
effects & film & genre formats have improved & moved on, these
effects are not as convincing today.
This is similar to E.T. As CGI has improved, special effects are now generated through
computers, although the effects in E.T. are
presented by models & robots of the alien being filmed.
This is completely different to how
Avatar (2009) was made where live
actors are mixed with CGI characters. This makes films more realistic, interesting
& exciting for audiences to watch.
Another iconic feature of Sci-Fi
films is robots/cyborgs. An example of this is The Terminator (1984) this is a sci-fi thriller. This is not such a
conventional film as a whole e.g. it has Terminators which are stereotypically
robots in this context. The film also has other conventional elements, such as
suspenseful music, typical of a sci-fi film. It has a futuristic setting &
robotic sound effects. However certain aspects of this film are very original,
for example the idea of a robot having the artificial intelligence to be able
to disguise itself as a normal human being but actually, it is almost
indestructible.
Audiences also build up certain
expectations for different genres. For example Total Recall, The Terminator
& Predator all star Arnold
Schwarzenegger & are all sci-fi films. Audiences have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in thriller, sci-fi & action films, so
therefore mainly associate him with this genre.
Furthermore, this film also has
aspects of narration while explaining the plot in flashbacks. This therefore
means the film has moments where it does not flow in a linear narrative form.
District 9 is a conventional film in the sense
that it is a typical sci-fi film with aliens & spaceships created from CGI.
However it is not set in America
or the UK
I think some sci-fi films do not
follow Propp’s Structural Theory because this implies that the issue is
resolved & the film has reached an appropriate closure point.
I think this theory works with very basic,
conventional films – mainly fairytales, however cannot be applied to a lot of
sci-fi films with a complex plot, or with very few or similar characters, for
example Predator.
I think most films are supported by
Tzvetan Todorov’s Theorem.
Films such as District 9 are most similar to Todorov’s Theorem with the five
stages of the narrative: equilibrium, disruption, recognition, repair & new
equilibrium. However I believe District 9
lacks the first stage of equilibrium because the film starts with the
aliens already in the film – causing the disruption.
Overall I think many films in the
Science Fiction genre can also be categorised in hybrid genres. For example
sci-fi films can also be jointly classified with fantasy, such as the X-Men Quadrilogy.
Word
Count: 898
By
Eleanor Witcomb
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