Lecture 7 'To infinity and BEYOND!'

This lecture was about the science fiction genre and how films can be classed as different genre. About how films don't just belong to a single genre, all films contain elements which relate them to several genre.

An example would be 'Galaxy Quest' which is a spoof of t.v shows like Star Trek, it is both a science-fiction film and a comedy.

In the seminar Alan talked about genre markers, which are clues in the movie which tell us what genre the movie belongs and therefore how to watch the film. These clues are in the soundtrack, cinematography and effects. For example, the eerie music which is played throughout 'Alien' is a sign telling us that we should be scared therefore 'Alien' is a horror film. But we also get clues from the subject matter and plot, even the title 'Alien' is a sign that the film also belongs to the sci-fi genre.

These genre markers can also be far more subtle, the type of explosion for example:



This is a still from 'Saving Private Ryan' showing a shell exploding in a burst of earth and dust.

This is a still form 'TropicThunder' showing an explosion, this explosion is a giant ball of orange flame and black smoke.

You can easily see the difference, the realism in the explosion in 'Saving Private Ryan' tells us that the film is serious and want to be taken seriously. They want to show the realism of war.

The explosion from 'Tropic Thunder' is very unrealistic and this tell us that the film is more lighthearted, it doesn't want to be taken to seriously, this kind of explosion is a genre marker for comedy and action films.

The level of gore and bloodiness is also a genre marker, in 'Tropic Thunder' the gore is excessive and over played which tells us again not to take it seriously, whereas in  'Saving Private Ryan' the gore will be limited, tasteful and realistic, it wont be shown for the audiences enjoyment as it is in 'Tropic Thunder'.

In a film like 'Kill Bill' where there are huge quantities of blood it is a sign telling us again not to take the killing too seriously, it makes it more lighthearted and it keeps our sympathies with the main character.