This document provides context research on three directors - Wes Ball, Neil Burger, and Gary Ross - that could inspire the film project. It summarizes works by each director, including the Maze Runner trilogy by Ball, The Illusionist and Divergent series by Burger, and The Hunger Games by Ross. It also discusses dystopian themes common to these genres, such as propaganda, surveillance and lack of individuality. Finally, it lists characteristics of science fiction works.

1. FMP
Context Research
Mel Nuttall

2. Director – Wes Ball
Wes Ball is an American director, known for directing and producing the Maze
Runner trilogy among a few three short films that he wrote himself. While my
film project won’t be as ambitious as this, I
took a lot of inspiration from the setting just
after the start of the third movie and the mid
point of the second in terms of genre and
colour grading. With the point of my project
being that it’s an extended trailer, I thought
that the trailers for the Maze Runner films
were good at building tension and that the
story that was going to be told were
something to enjoy.
One of Wes Ball’s short films is also in this
style, an 8 minute long animated short set in
the sort is setting that I like. The way the films
opens in is quite similar to how I envisioned
setting mine up in the scene I thought about
including at the start.

3. Director – Neil Burger
Neil Burger is also an American producer, known for The Illusionist, Interview
with the Assassin and the Divergent series. I loved how he introduced the
start which I know can test out to see how
and if I could use that type of opening for my
own project before I have the actual trailer
come in. I like how the film, being the first in
a series, the camera opens like this and a
voiceover narration starting to bring in the
basic context and concept to the film and
why the world is how we’re seeing it as
opposed to what it looks like in the real
world today. While it’s something that I
haven’t decided for or against on my project,
this could be something that could work
quite well.

4. Director – Gary Ross
Gary Ross is known for making the Hunger Games which is one of the most
well known dystopian style of film from
the book series.
“Family entertainment is really very
necessary in our culture. Look how
profitable they are. It's almost not
discretionary. You need to take your family
to the movies.”
“[on minimizing the use of special effects
in directing The Hunger Games (2012)] We
would be doing exactly what the Capitol is
doing if we used 3D. We'd be exploiting
what the book condemns: a mediacentric
society where entertainment in that
culture devolves into spectacle, and that
spectacle evolves into political control.”

5. Dystopian themes
Characteristics of a Dystopian Society:
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
• Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
• The natural world is banished and distrusted.
• Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.
• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
The Dystopian Protagonist
• often feels trapped and is struggling to escape.
• questions the existing social and political systems.
• believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she
lives.
• helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through
his or her perspective.

6. • Science fiction is often based on scientific principles and technology.
• Science fiction may make predictions about life in the future.
• Science fiction often deals with aliens or with life on other worlds.
• Science fiction can comment on important issues in society
Sci-Fi Characteristics

7. Bibliography
• Anon. Wes Ball. Available: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1226871/. Last
accessed 21st Jan 2019
• Ball, W. (2012). RUIN. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doteMqP6eSc. Last accessed 21st Jan 2019
• Anon. Burger, N. Available:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1139726/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. Last
accessed 21st Jan 2019
• Anon. Gary Ross. Available: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002657/. Last
accessed 21st Jan 2019
• Anon. (2006). Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics . Available:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson926/Definiti
onCharacteristics.pdf. Last accessed 22nd Jan 2019
• Anon. (-). The Characteristics of Science Fiction . Available:
https://www.eduplace.com/activity/pdf/scifiction.pdf. Last accessed 22nd Jan
2019