Science Fiction

History of the Science Fiction film (1902-) Silent era- Black and white sometimes colour tinting Technological theme- First science fiction film created in 1902 by Georges Melies and was called A trip to the moon. With ground breaking special effects pioneered the way for future science fiction films. Literature would continue to influence early films. Such as: Jules Vernes 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1920s The Lost World based on sir Arthur Conan Doyles book of the same name. One of the earliest examples of stop-motion animation and also introduced several science fiction concepts such as: monsters, dinosaurs and hidden worlds. Expressionist Fritz Lang created in 1927 metropolis which was the most expensive film created up to that point. The 1930s demonstrated a mix of horror and sifi with films such as Them!, Tarantula and The Blob. Alien films saw a growth in popularity during the 1950s with films such as, Don Siegel’s Invasion of the body snatchers and Howard Hawks A Thing From Another World. The idea of low quality, low cost films were taken to an extreme by directors such as Roger Corman and Ed Wood. With the latter’s feature Plan 9 from outer space being hailed as one of the worst films of all time. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=plan+9+from+outer+space After the success of the second half of the decade this led to some studios attempting serious films with large budgets, including Hammer films adaptations of Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass series. The success of the television versions this inspired the company to commission film adaptations. Possibly the most significant science fiction film of the 1960s was 2001: A Space Odyssey of 1968, directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is regarded as the seminal entry in science fiction genre as it influenced several later entres. Steven Spielburg, one of the genres most well known figures called 2001: ‘the big bang of science fiction.’ 1970s saw the resurgence of interest in science fiction, Star wars, Alien and clock work orange were all released in this decade.

Sub-Genres of the Science Fiction film Apocalyptic, holocaust and post-apocalyptic Cyberpunk First contact Hard science fiction Light/humorous science fiction Military scifi Near-future scifi Science fantasy Slipstream Sociological scifi Space opera Time travel

Iconography of the Science Fiction film Spaceships Weaponry Space Spacesuits Aliens Robots Artificial intelligence Lasers Space stations Clones Mutations Planets Other worlds

Examples of Science Fiction Films Alien Star wars Star trek 2001: space odyssey Predator District 9 Interstellar Terminator Blade runner Matrix Avatar Jurassic park Planet of the apes Tron ET

Actors/Directors Associated with Science Fiction films Stanley Kubrick Steven Spielberg Ridley Scott Niel Blongkamp JJ Abrams Michael Bay John Carpenter