A brief summary of the codes and conventions of Sci-Fi films

2. MEDIA LANGUAGE: FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS
• THERE ARE A VARIETY OF CONVENTIONS THAT ARE TYPICALLY FEATURED IN SCIENCE FICTION FILMS. THESE
CAN INCLUDE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, ABSTRACT OUTFITS, A STRONG PRESENCE OF SILVER AND/OR METAL
OBJECTS, FUTURISTIC SOUNDS AND SPACESHIPS/ROCKETS
• AS WELL AS THIS, THERE ARE SEVERAL THEMES THAT OFTEN MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN WITHIN THE SCI-FI
GENRE: GOOD VS EVIL, OPPRESSIVE SOCIETY, REBELLION AND CONFLICT.
• ALSO, SCIENCE FICTION FILMS CAN APPEAL TO AUDIENCES BECAUSE, AS WELL AS BEING ENTERTAINING,
THEY ALMOST ALWAYS OFFER A COMMENTARY ON MODERN DAY SOCIETY- EVEN IF THEY ARE SET 2000 YEARS
FROM NOW.

3. INSTITUTIONS
• IT IS MAINLY THE BIGGER COMPANIESWHO PRODUCE SCIENCE FICTION FILMS AS THEY ARE
TYPICALLY EXPENSIVE MOVIES TO MAKE AND SO ONLY THE WEALTHIER COMPANIES CAN
AFFORD TO PRODUCE THEM. SOME LARGE COMPANIES INCLUDE LIONSGATE (PRODUCERS
OF THE HUNGER GAMES FRANCHISE) AND THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY (WHO ACQUIRED
LUCASFILM- THE PRODUCERS OF THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS)
• SOME MAJOR SCIENCE FICTION FILMS HAVE BECOME FRANCHISES BY ANNOUNCING
MULTIPLE MOVIES AND MERCHANDISE TO ACCOMPANYIT.

4. AUDIENCES AND SCI FI
• MANY AUDIENCES ARE DRAWN TO THE MOVIES THAT CLEARLY STATE “SCI FI” RATHER THAN MAINSTREAM GENRES LIKE ACTION MOVIES, SCI
FI NEVER HAS A BOUNDARY OF WHERE THE FILM CAN GO. NEARLY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN SCI FI MOVIES, IT HAS LIMITLESS
POSSIBILITIES. CONSEQUENTLY LEADING INTO A GATEWAY TO ANOTHER MORE FASCINATING WORLD OTHER THAN REALITY. SCI FI FILMS ARE
OPTIMISTIC WHICH ALTERNATIVELY ONLY EXIST IN TWO GENRES- CHILDREN'S TELEVISION AND SCI FI.
• SCI FI FILMS ALSO ARE PROVEN TO PLAY A GOOD ROLE MODEL TO OUR YOUNGER GENERATION. UNLIKE OTHER GENRES OF FILM, SCI FI ARE
EMPATHETIC TO WHICH RACE OR COLOUR A CHARACTER IS IN THE MOVIE. MOREOVER WHAT'S FAIRLY INTERESTING ABOUT THE SCI FI
WORLD IS THERE IS NO VAST DIVERSITY TO BE CONVEYED IN A SINGLE NARRATIVE. SO TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM, THE GENRES JUST ADOPT
THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE METHOD OF, “WELL, WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME UNIVERSE” APPROACH. SCI FI ALSO CLEVERLY REACHES INTO THE CHILD
IN ALL OF US, FOR INSTANCE, WHO DOESN’T WANT TO KICK ARSE AND FLY A SPACESHIP AT A YOUNG AGE?
• THE BRILLIANTPART ABOUT SCI FI IS THAT IT CAN INCLUDE ANY GENRE! FOR EXAMPLE IN DOCTOR WHO, ANYONE REMEMBER THE WEEPING
ANGELS? NOW THAT WAS PURE HORROR.
• IN MY OPINION, I THINK THAT SCI FI IS A GREAT GENRE THAT IS CAN BE EXPERIENCED WITH JOY AT ANY AGE. ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS I
LOVE ABOUT SCI FI IS THAT IT CONTAINS INFINITEPOSSIBILITIES WHICH DEFIANTLY MAKES IT WORTH WILD TO WATCH.

5. REPRESENTATION IN SCI-FI
WOMEN-
• WOMEN ARE GENERALLY PRESENTED AS INDEPENDENT, STRONG AND PASSIONATE IN THE MORE RECENT SCI-FI MOVIES (FOR EXAMPLE,
KATNISS IN THE HUNGER GAMES OR NEYTIRI IN AVATAR). IN FEATURES WITH A STRONG MALE LEAD, THE WOMAN IS NEVER THE HERO OR THE
VILLAIN BUT SHE PLAYS THE LOVE INTEREST OR A SMALLER HERO (EG. TRINITY IN THE MATRIX.)
MEN-
• MEN ARE USUALLY PRESENTED AS THE ONES WITH THE MOST POWER, WEALTH OR KNOWLEDGE. THEY ARE ALSO ALMOST ALWAYS
PRESENTED AS THE HERO OR THE VILLAIN. (EXAMPLES INCLUDE THE DOCTOR FROM DOCTOR WHO, MORPHEUS IN THE MATRIX& PRESIDENT
SNOW IN THE HUNGER GAMES.
HUMANITY-
• HUMANITY IS USUALLY PRESENTED WITH AN ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE BUT WITH A MORE RUTHLESS AND CYNICAL MINDSET. AS
THIS GENRE IS GENERALLY SET IN DYSTOPIAN SOCIETIES, THIS CHARACTERISATION HAPPENS OFTEN (AN EXAMPLE BEING THE GOVERNMENT
IN THE HUNGER GAMES) HOWEVER, PEOPLE CAN ALSO BE SHOWN AS IGNORANT OR UNKNOWING, AS THEY ARE IN THE MATRIX.

6. TIMELINE
• THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ANCIENT OR EARLY MODERN TEXTS INCLUDING A GREAT MANY EPICS
AND POEMS THAT CONTAIN FANTASTICAL OR "SCIENCE-FICTIONAL" ELEMENTS, YET WERE
WRITTEN BEFORE THE EMERGENCE OF SCIENCE FICTION AS A DISTINCT GENRE. THESE TEXTS
OFTEN INCLUDE ELEMENTS SUCH AS A FANTASTICAL VOYAGE TO THE MOON OR THE USE OF
IMAGINED ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. NOW IN THE LATE 1960S SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES BECAME
POPULAR, FOR EXAMPLE THE MOVIE STAR TREK.