The document discusses audience engagement with the science fiction genre through analyzing the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain America: Civil War, and TRON: Legacy. It applies reception theory to understand how the author decoded each film, having a preferred reading of Star Wars and Captain America due to elements that immersed and appealed to them, while their reading of TRON was negotiated as certain elements did not appeal personally. Contextual factors like interest in science fiction and ability to relate to characters influenced their preferred readings, while stereotypical aspects may have led to an oppositional reading for some audiences.

1. AdamGrundy
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Withinthe mediaindustry(especiallyinthe filmindustry) thereisarelationshipbetweenthe
audiencesandthe filmgenresinwhichaudiencesinterpretfilmsintheirunderstandingdue tomany
contextual factors.There are manygenre theorieswhichtry andinterpretwhyaudiencesandgenres
connecteffectivelysuchasthe usesand gratificationstheoryandthe receptiontheorywhichwill be
coveredlate onin thisessay.Howeveritisthese theorieswhichstandoutthe mostdue to the
theoriessuggestingthataudiencespartake inactive spectatorshipratherthanpassively,active
spectatorsdonot justconsume mediawhichhasbeenmassmarketedbythe mediabutinstead
choose filmstosatisfydifferentpleasures,thislinkstowardsthe UsesandGratificationsTheory.On
the otherhand,active spectatorsare alsoable to interpretfilmsintheirownreadingwhetherthis
beinga Preferred,Oppositional ornegotiatedreadingof the film.Inthisessay,Iwill be discussing
howaudiencesengage withthe science fictiongenre byanalysingthe film’sStarWars: The Force
Awakens(J.JAbrams,2015), CaptainAmerica:Civil War(RussoBrothers,2016) and TRON:Legacy
(Kosinki,2010) whichare renownedfilmsunderthe sciencefictiongenre,the reasonIhave chosen
to go withthese ratherthanotherscience fictionfilmswiththe likesof TRON:Legacy(Kosinki,2010)
isdue to how recentthe filmsare andhow successful the films andpopularthese filmswere,andin
my opinionIbelieve these filmsbestrepresentthe science fictiongenre due tohow diversetheyare
fromeach otherhowevercanstill be likedunderthe same genre.Firstlyis StarWars: The Force
Awakens whichisasequel of the original trilogyandfollowsoff fromthe originalfilmandeven
thoughthe filmissetdecadesafterthe original,the filmsstill includethe original characters
alongside the newadditions.Thoughinmyopinion,the filmfollowsasimilarstorytothe original
filmStarWars: Episode IV – A NewHope (Lucas,1977) by usingsimilarplotlinesinordertoappeal
to the target audience.Furthermore, CaptainAmerica:Civil Warfollowsonfromthe previousfilmin
the Marvel CinematicUniverse,Avengers:Age of Ultron(Whedon,2015) byfollowingonfromthe
incidentswhichwere causedinthe previousfilmswhichresultsinariftbetweenformerallies. Star
Wars, whichisknownforbeinga well-establishedfranchisedgrossed $2.066 Billionatthe box office
and evenbecomingthe thirdhighestgrossingfilmof all time andCivil Waronthe otherhandonly
releasedthe pastweek(29th
April) andhasalreadygrossed$200 millionatthe internationalbox
office,thisexcludesthe U.Sasit has notbeenreleasedyet,itiswiththisalone thatshowsaudiences
howsuccessful andpopularscience fictionfilmshave become overthe pastfew decades. TRON:
Legacy (Kosinski,2010) on the other handisa sequel fromthe original filmTRON (Lisberger,1982)
and followsthe storyof Sam(Garret Hedlund),ashe endsupinside the digitalworldhisfather,
KevinFlynndesigned (Jeff Bridges).The filmhada budgetof around$170 millionandgrossedan
estimated$400 millionworldwide,one thingtotake note aboutall the filmsthatIwill be covering
withinthisessaywere all distributedbyWaltDisneyStudioswhichshowsthe footholdthatDisney
has withinthe science fictiongenre franchise. Itiswiththe helpof well renownedactorsand
effectivescriptwritingwhichhelpbringsciencefictionfilmstothe top,for example some of the
mostsuccessful actorssuch as HarrisonFord (StarWars) and RobertDowneyJnr(Marvel Cinematic
Universe) are renownedfortheirrolesinthe science fictiongenre anditinmyopinionitisthese
rolesthatbrought these starsto the top of the ladder.
Receptiontheorywhichwasdiscussedbythe cultural theorist“StuartHall”providesameanof
understandingmediatextsbyunderstandinghow audiencesinterpretthe texts.The theoryargues
that contextual,more thantextual ones,influence the waythe audienceunderstandsthe film.An
importantconceptof receptiontheoryisthatthe mediatexthasno inherentmeaninginandof
itself.Instead,meaningiscreatedinthe interactionbetweenthe audience andthe film.Hall
primarilyfocusesonanencodinganddecodingmodel of the relationshipof mediatextsandtheir
audiences,forexample the textwouldbe encodedbythe producersanddecodedbyhow the reader
interpretsit.Thismeansthere couldbe multiple understandingsof the same text. The reception

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theoryidentifiesthree typesof readinginterpretations:Preferred,NegotiatedandOppositional.
Firstlyisa preferredreadinginwhichthe audience fullyacceptsthe textandacknowledgesthe key
factors whichdefine the filmtothe genre,thismeansif the audiencehasa preferredreadingof the
text,theyacceptthe textas it isand thisishow mediaproducersexpectthe audience toreadthe
text.Oppositional onthe otherhandiswhenthe audience isinfull disagreementwiththe textandis
not passivelyacceptedbythe audience,if the audiencedidnotenjoythe filmthentheywouldhave
an oppositional readingastheydidnotagree withthe textwhereasanegotiatedreadingiswhen
the audience hasa mixedopiniononthe text.Thiscouldbe due to certainfactorswhichare present
withinthe film,wherethe viewercouldagree withone factorhoweverdisagree withanother,for
example audiencescouldagree withthe portrayal of characters whichare presentwithinthe film
due to beingable toimagine themselvesbeingportrayedhowevertheycoulddisagree withthe way
violence is portrayed,whetherthisistoomuchor too little howeverasthisisjustan example,it
couldbe appliedtoany mediatextwiththe differentfactorsonwhatthe vieweragreesand
disagreeswith.Usingthistheory,Iwill be analysingthe three filmsIhave chosen bydiscussingmy
readingsof the filmalongwithhowthe contextual factorsinfluencedmyreading. StartingwithStar
Wars: The Force Awakens(J.JAbrams,2015) whichwasmy firstfilm, Idecodedthe filmwitha
preferredreadingwhichwasinfluencedbythe contextual factors.Sciencefictionhasalwaysbeenan
interestforme soa filmlike StarWarswhichis heavilyimmersive withinthe genre wouldbe no
exception. One keyelementwhichstoodouttome the mostwas the use of computergenerated
imageryinorderto make these scenesfeelrealisticandtoimmerse the viewerinthe experience
whichiswhat appealstome,audiencesare able todepictwhetherornotthe CGI withinthe film
looksrealisticornot,whichif notcouldruin the viewingexperience of the film howeverI’mgladthe
experience wasn’truineddue topost-production.Anotherelementwhich stoodouttome wasthe
wayon how the characterswere portrayedwithinthe film, especiallythe antagonistwhichinmy
opinionwasportrayedina waywhichmade me fear him.However,duringthe moviethe character
goesmad due to a prisonerbreakingout soas the character releaseshisanger,stormtrooperswalk
by thenturnaround as a way to avoidhim.Eventhoughthismade me laugh,I believe thatthis
elementbelittlesthe characterjustsothe filmcouldinclude ahumouraspectwithinfilmhoweverI
don’tbelievethisruinedthe characterdevelopmenttherefore myviewingexperience didn’tchange.
I Believe thateventhoughstereotypicallythatscience fictionfilmsdoesnotalwaysappeal tothe
female audience,thisfilmmaychange thatfor includingcharacterswhichthe audience canrelate
to, forexample the use of a female leadcharacterisaneffective wayinattractingfemaleaudiences.
However,eventhoughtheyfemaleviewersmayrelate tothe characters,theymay not appreciate
the portrayal of violence whichisseenwithinthe filmtherefore resultinginnegotiatedreading.. My
nextfilm,CaptainAmerica:Civil War(RussoBrothers,2016) followssuitwithmypreviousasI hada
preferredreadingforthe filmdue tothe elementsof the filmwhich blendeffectivelytocreate an
excitingandtense story.Whatstoodout tome the most wasthe portrayal of characters withinthe
film,Ibelievethere isacharacter inthe filmthatbestrepresentssomeonewithinthe audience
whetherthatbe the mainprotagonistsor the antagonists.There were charactersforeveryoneandI
thinkthat’swhatmade the filmsuccessful aseveryone inthe audience couldrelatetoone or more
of the characterswithinthe film,forexamplefemale viewerswouldbestrelate tothe femalehero
alongwithmale viewersrelatingtothe male characters.Itis alsodue to the fact that eventhough
science fictionfilmsaren’tknownforhiringtopfemaleactors,soto have one of the mostsuccessful
filmsof the yearto have multiple femalecharactersissomethingdifferentwhichmakesthe film
more unique.One thingthatstoodoutto me the mostwas how the deathof T’Chaka(JohnKani) as
a plotdevice asit sparkeda range of emotionsforBlackPanther(ChadwickBoseman) whowanted
revenge forhisfather’sdeath,the reasonthisstoodouttome washow usuallyinMarvel films
majorcharacters whodie don’tusuallystaydeadwhichdefeatsthe purpose andruinsthe effectof a

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characters death.If thishappenedinthenitmostlikelythatmyreadingwouldhave beendifferent
to a preferredreading,fortunatelythisdidn’thappenandI’mgladbecause Ibelieveitwasan
effectivewayof settingthe plotup. Howeversince the filmuses terrorismasplotdevice,Ibelieve
thiscouldhave scored negativelywith certainethnicgroupswhichare accusedof terrorismdue to
theirreligionsothismayresultinthemhavinganoppositionalreadingdue tothe terrorismaspect
eventhoughthe filmdoesnotlinkthe eventtoanyrace or religion.Lastlyisthe filmTRON:Legacy
whicheventhoughisconsideredtobe one of myfavourite filmsof all time,myreadingisseenasa
negotiateddue tocertainelementswithinthe filmthatdonot appeal tome personally. Startingwith
whatdid appeal tome,I believethatthe storywhichwasusedwas veryunique tothe science fiction
genre andstood outfrom otherfilmssince manyfilmsare justseemtofollow the same pattern
makingthemun-uniqueandeventhoughthe filmfollowsasimilarpatternfromthe original film, it
still standsoutand that’swhatappealsto me.Asthisfilmisheavilysciencefictionbasedandmainly
includesmale actors,Ibelievethatthisfilmsjustappealstomale audiencesratherthanfemaledue
to the use of plotdevicesinordertoentice male viewers,the onlyaspectthatappealstofemale
viewersinmyopinionisthe use of anattractive youngmale leadactor to keepthe female audience
interestedtherefore promptingfemale viewerstohave anegotiatedreadingof the texthowever
thisisstereotypical meaningitall dependsonhow the viewerdecodesthe film. However,inmy
opinionwhatruinedthe filmforme wasthe character developmentasitjustseemedbasicallyand
poorlywrittenwhichmade me lose interestoncertaincharactersingeneral,forexamplethe main
antagonistandhissidekickwere notappealingtome.Ido believethatthese charactersstoodoutas
antagonistswithinthe filmhowevertheycouldhave beenportrayedmore effectively,viewersmay
disagree withme and thinkthatthe characterdevelopmentworkwellbutinmyopinionitdidnot
seal itfor me.Anotheraspectwhichdidnotworkwell forme was the use of a CGI mainantagonist
alongside real actors,thismade the characterlookfake and made the CGI lookun-realistic.Some
may argue that the visual effectsbackin2010 were notas appealingtothe filmindustryastheyare
whichmay be the case that whythisstoodout to me howeverIbelieve thiscouldhave been
executedmore effectively.Thoughinaddition tothis,otheraspectsof the CGIsuch as the shipsdid
standout ina positive outlookinmyopinionasthese alongsidethe use of non-diegeticsound
effectsbroughtthese shipstolife andmade me feellikeIwasa part of the scene.Thisiswhat I
believeruinedthe experience of the filmforme andif itwasn’tfor these aspectsof the film, my
interpretationwouldhave beendifferent.Althoughthe readingof the films all dependsonthe
viewerandthe viewingcircumstancesasaviewerbythemselvescanhave a differentreadingto
viewingthe filmforeducational purposesorwithfriendsasthe viewermaybe able topickup on
elementswithinthe filmbythemselvesratherthanbeingwithagroupof viewerssoIbelieve itall
comesdownto the viewingcircumstances
In contrary,the usesand gratificationstheorywhichwasdevelopedbyBlumerandKatzsuggests
that the audience isanactive audience whochose toseekoutspecificmediatextstosatisfyspecific
needs.The theoryisanaudience-centredapproachtounderstandingmasscommunications. The
drivingquestionof the UsesandGratificationsTheoryis“Whydopeople use mediaandwhatdo
theyuse themfor?” andthe theorydiscusseshow userschose mediathatwill satisfyneedsand
allowone toenhance knowledge,relaxation,socialinteractionsorescape toanotherreality. The
fourmain pleasuresthatanaudience gainfromfilmsare; Diversionwhichallowsthe viewerto
escape fromrealityandexperience fictionaluniversesandofferthe viewerthe chance toinhabit
worldsthatotherwise wouldneverexist.Nextispersonal relationshipswhichallowsthe audienceto
have an emotional orotherinteractionsuchasseeingaromanticcomedybecause theyare single or
watchinga filmbasedarounda groupof friendswithagroupof friendsbecause theylike beingwith
company.Self-reflectionwithinfilmsisanotherreasoninwhichaudiences maywatchfilmsasthe

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audience maysee acharacter withinthe filmandfeel theyrelatewiththe characterandtherefore
see themselvesreflectedwithinthe movie andthe final reasonissurveillance whichallowsthe
audience tocollectinformationwhich couldbe useful lateronwhetherthisbe froma historical film
or justfrom a newsstory.Thoughwhenitcomesto the usesand gratificationstheory,although
insightful onindividual factors,itdoesn’texplainsocietyasawhole insteadfocusesonasmall scale.
The reasonI chose to analyse the genre of science fictionisdue tothe abilitytocreate interesting
worldsandscenesthataudienceshave neverseenbefore,itgivesthe writersanopportunityto
create and developtheirideaswhichcannotpossiblybe real andallowsthe viewertoescape to
anotherreality.Inthissection,Iwill be applyingthe UsesandGratificationstheorytomychosen
filmsinorderto depictthe pleasuresIgainfromwatchingthese moviesaswell asscience fiction
filmsoverall. StartingwithStarWars: The Force Awakens,the mainpleasure Igainedfromwatching
thisfilmwasdiversionasitallowsme toexplore thisfictional universe andallowsme toescape from
realitybyvisiting“agalaxyfar,far away.” I believethatDiversionisone of the mostcommonforms
of pleasure withinthe usesandgratificationstheoryasthe viewercanleave behinddistressfrom
realitywiththe use of these fictionaluniverseshowevereventhoughdiversionisone of the most
commonforms of diversion,itdoesn’tmeanthisappliestoeveryone.Althoughthisdoesnot apply
to me,anotherformof pleasure withinmoviesisforaudiencessee theirselvesreflectedwithintheir
favourite characters.Anexample of thiscouldbe seenfromafemale viewer’spointof view,even
thoughtheymay gainpleasure fromdiversion,theymayalsogainpleasure fromself-reflectionas
the filmfeaturesafemale leadrole. Ibelievewhatmakesthisappeal tothe female audience ishow
female characterswithinthe starwarsuniverse have alwaysbeenseenandtreatedassex objects
but have neverhada leadrole withinthe filmshoweverthisfilmgoesagainstconventionstoinclude
leadfemale actorwhichisnotjust seenasa sex object. CaptainAmerica:Civil Warinmyopinion
variescomparedtoStar Wars diversionisn’tthe onlypleasure thatIgainfrom watchingthisfilm, the
exceptionisself-reflection.Startingwithdiversion,sinceStarWars allowsme toexplore the fictional
universe whichvaryfromourown,Civil Waron the otherhand isplacedwithinourownuniverse
althoughsetinan alternate realityinwhichsuperheroesexistandhelpdefendourplanetfrom
extra-terrestrial invasion.Thisappealedtome asit placesthe charactersin recognisable locationsin
whichaudiencescanbrag totheirfriendsbystatingthey’ve beentothose locationsandgivesfans
interactivitywithotherfans,anotheraspectof the filmwhichappealedtome washow it places
characters whowere formeralliesagainsteach otherwhichisaconceptinsuperherofilmsthathas
not beenseen,the firstfilmtointroduce thiswasactuallyBatmanV Superman:Dawnof Justice
(Synder,2016) whichreleasedearlierthisyear. The aspectof diversionallowsme toexperience this
alternate universeasformerfriendsare placedagainsteachotherina political conflict,andasthe
viewerwe are placedinthe centre of thisconflicttobe able tosee it evolve andde-evolvefromboth
sides.Self-reflectiononthe otherhandallowsaudiencestosee theirselvesreflectedwithinthe
characters inthe movie since there are twomaincharacters withinflictingarguments,one beingfor
beingcontrolledbygovernments(IronMan) andthe otheristo be free-agents(CaptainAmerica)
althoughthis doesn’tgotoplan as itsparks a “Civil War” betweenformerallies.Producersmarketed
the filmtohave audiencesside withacharacter,whetheritwasIron Man or CaptainAmericabut for
me it was IronMan whoI saw as myself-reflectiondue tobeingable toconnectwiththe character
and understandhis ideologytohave superheroesundercontrol andnotallow themtoundertheir
ownfree will whichresultsin civiliancasualties.Otherviewersonthe otherhandmayargue withme
and share the same opinionsasCaptainAmericawhichisinobjectiontothispolitical argumentin
whichsuperheroeswouldbe able toactundertheirownfree will,Ibelieve thisiswhythe producers
marketedthe filminthiswaysoit wouldmake audience take aside withtheirfavourite characters
and theirpoliciesandinmyopinionIthinkthisiswhythe studiousedthisstoryline,asaway to
divide the fansinorderto take sidesasmanyfans favourite one herooveranother.Myfinal film

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whichisTRON: Legacy(Kosinski,2010) is similarto myviewsonstar wars and how the onlypleasure
I gainedfromthe filmwasthroughdiversion.Whatmakeshisfilmstandoutfromotherscience
fictionfilmsishowitsetinthe moderntimes,justmore technologicallydevelopedearlieron. Since
star wars wasset ina fictional universe andCivil warwassetinan alternate universewith
superheroes,the onlydifference thisfilmsvariesfromrealityishow more technologicallydeveloped
theyare incomparisonsince people are able totravel insidecomputerstovisitdigital realities.The
filmmade audiencesquestion,like myself,tohow computersinsideoperate whenitcomes downto
the computerscomponents,well thisfilmtriedtoanswerthatwiththisfilmandinmy opinionI
thoughtit wasan interestingconceptandwaswell developed. Audiencesmaywatchthisforthe
self-reflectionneedasthe filmrevolvesaroundacharacter whohas losthisfatherand livesonthe
outskirtsof the cityby himself asviewersmayinfact relate tothis character insome way,whetherit
be that they’ve lostalovedone orthat theyfeel segregatedfromsociety,itall dependsonthe
viewerandhowtheyrelate tothe character. AlthoughIonlystateda few needsandpleasuresin
whichaudiencescangainfromwatchingthese films,the listwouldbe un-endingsince active
audiencesdecode filmsdifferentlytoone another.
NickLacey consideredthatthe “Repertoireof elements”ineachfilmworktogetherinacombination
whichsuggeststhata filmcan be categorisedunderacertaingenre Whenitcame downto analysing
filmgenre’s,he broke itdowntothese five areaswhichidentifythe elements:
- Setting
- Character
- Narrative
- Iconography
- Style
Thoughhe didnotsee genresasfixedbutmore as dynamicfeatureswhichconstantlychange over
time andnow usingLacey’sRepertoire of elements,Iwill be analysingmythree movies andthrough
thiswill be able todistinguishthe similaritiesbetweenall threemovieswhichbestrepresentthe
science fictiongenre.
Firstis setting,the settingiskeytocreatingscene whichcandistinguishthe genre of the film.Genres
are recognisable fortheirsettings,whetherthisbe huge citieslike New Yorkorfictional universes
like instar warsso it isthe job of the studioto use the correct settingwhichbestfitsthe genre.I
believethatsettingscandefine whetherornotthe scene iseffective inimmersingthe viewerinthe
experience, itisalsosettingthatcan eithermake or breakthe filmsoit iscrucial forstudiosto get
thisright.Settingcan be splitinto twosections:the time andthe location,time canvary inscience
fictionasit can range from fictional universeswherethe time isunknownlike the one we see inStar
Wars all the wayto alternate realtieslike CivilWarand Tron: Legacy.Findingsimilaritieswithin
science fictionscanbe difficultaswithscience fictionthereare infinite possibilitiesforstudiosto
expresstheircreativevision. Startingwithtime,since StarWarsis setwithinafictional universe with
a differentformof time itisunclearwhetherStarwarscan be setinthe future howeverfictional
universesare keyconventionof the science fictiongenre asitisincontrary withour reality,fictional
universesusuallyhave keytiestowardsthe science fictiongenre due tothe frequentportrayal of
space,time travel andevenalienlife.Civil WarandTron on the otherhand are quite similarasboth
are setwithinalternate universeswithmanysimilaritiestoourownreality,howevertheserealties
vary quite widelycomparedtoourown,for example Civilwarincludesafictional country called
“Wakanda” whichisbasedinthe continentof AfricawhereasTronon the otherhand featuresa
digital realityasopposedtoafictional county. Whentalkingaboutsettings,anotheraspect totake
intoaccount istime,as statedpreviouslywithstarwarsitis unclearif star wars isset in the past,

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future or presentincorrelationtoourrealitysounfortunatelyIam unable tocommentonthisfactor
howeverIam able tocommenton the othertwo films.Ibelieve thatCivilWarand Tron are intended
to be synchronisedwithourtime,therefore inthe presentalthoughwiththe additionof beinginan
alternative timeline. The impressivethingIfindaboutscience fictionisthateventhoughthese film
vary significantlyfromeachother,the settingsof these filmsare similardue tofeaturingfictional
locations,althoughfromthisIwouldsaythat of the three filmsthatTron and Civil Warare similar
due to usingalternate realtiestoportrayedbothfictional andnon-fictional locationswithinthe films
as opposedtoStar Wars whichonlyfeaturedafictional location.
As opposedtosetting,characterdevelopmentisalsoaneffective wayof establishingthe viewerin
the experience bythe use of character development.Studioscreate characterswhichare essential
to the plothowever,whatmakesthese charactersiconicishow relatable tothe audience theycan
be and science fictionisnoexception.Typical science fictionfilmsinclude predominantly male based
characters,whetherthese be the protagonistorthe antagonistwithfemalecharactersplayingminor
rolesincomparisonor love interests.HoweverfortunatelyforStarWars, thisfilmbreaksthe
conventionsof the science fictiongenre byusingafemale leadrole insteadof the stereotypical male
lead.Eventhoughthisdefiesconventionsof the genre,Idobelieve thatthisisthe stepinthe right
directionforthe use of female leadactorswithin the science fictiongenre.However,thisisnotthe
case withCivil Warand Tron whichprimarilyinclude male actorsthoughthe difference withCivil
War comparedtoTron is that the filmincludes more renownedfemale actorswhotake up
importantrolesin the filmasopposedtoTron whichonlyfeaturesasingle female majorrole. You
couldargue thisis due to release datesdue tothe fact thatTron wasreleased5yearsbefore Star
Wars and Civil Warand it wasn’tupand till The HungerGames (Ross,2012) that bigblockbuster
science fiction filmsusesfemale leadactors.Whenitcomesdownto comparingcharacters
regardlessof gender,we are able tofindsimilaritiesbetweenthe charactersdue tothe conventions
of the science fictiongenre.Startingwiththe antagonist, the mainsimilaritybetweenmostof these
characters ishowtheyare all seekingvengeance onanothercharacterdue toa particularevent
withinthe past,forexample inCivil War,Zemo(DanielBruhl) isseekingvengeance onthe avengers
for killinghiswife whereasClu(KevinBridges)in Tronistryingto get revenge onhiscreatorfor
betrayinghimandfor whathe stoodfor. KyloReninStar Wars behavesdifferently,forexamplehe is
tryinglookup to hisgrandfather(Whowasthe antagonistinthe previousfilms) andbe someone he
isnot. You couldargue that because he due to hisyoungage that he isunable tograsp the concept
on whathe isdoing,therefore signifyingthathe isnot infull control.Protagonistsonthe otherhand
vary differentalso,withsimilaritiesbetweensome charactersbutnotothers,forexample since Tron
featuresanewprotagonist,the filmfeaturesasetuptoestablishthe characterwithinthe story.He
starts off beingweakbuttowardsthe endgetstoughand togetherwiththe helpof the characters
are able toother throwthe antagonist, the same happensinStarWars howeverakeynote to add is
that bothof these charactersstart off theirstoryby livingbythemselves,isolatedfromsociety.
Furthermore,Ifind itinterestingthateventhoughthese charactersare fromdifferentstories,that
we as the audience are able to findsimilaritiesbetweencharacters of differentbackgroundsand
genders.
Followingthiscomesnarrativewhichishow the storyof the film isstructure,whetherthatbe in
linear(Chronological) orinnon-linear(Non-Chronological) orthe narrative elementswhichmake up
the plot.Startingwiththe narrative style of the films,all filmsare toldina linearfashionwhichI
believemakesit simplerforthe audience tocomprehendasthe storystarts fromthe setup
(Beginning) andfinishedatthe resolution(Ending.) Ibelieve the reasoningbehindscience fiction
filmsfollowingthistrendof linearnarrative issothe storyappealstothe wideraudiencesasinmy
opinionnon-linearfilmsonlyappeal toniche audiencesdue totheircomplex narrative structures.

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Science fictionfilmsare becomingmore andmore commonasthe yearsgo bywiththe majorityof
the top tenhighestgrossingfilmsof all time come underthe sciencefictiongenre whichshows
studioshowpopularthe filmshave become,soinorderto have filmsappeal towideraudiencesI
believestudioscreate linearin-depthnarrative whichiseasytocomprehend.Audiencesalsocome
to expectashowdownbetweenthe mainprotagonistandthe mainantagonistdue tothe conflict
betweengoodandevil,thisshowdownisintendedtoshow the progressof the protagonistfrom
startingoff weakto beingable totake on the mainantagonistinthe ending,thisconflictbetween
goodand evil isseenwithinthe majorityof science fictionfilms,withall myfilmsbeingprime
exampleshoweverthe one thatstandout the mostin myopinioniscivil warand how the main
protagonistcanbe seenasthe main antagonistof the film.Since CivilWar revolvesaroundCaptain
America’sstory,thissymboliseshimasthe mainprotagonisthoweversince IronMan alsohas a
majorrole he can alsobe seenas a protagonist.Thoughthe twistiseventhoughZemoisthe
antagonistashe stirsup the plotand causesthe heroestobattle itout, IronMan was the reason
due to the final conflictwithCaptainAmericaandIronMan. Howeverthatjustcomesdownto my
opinion,audiencescanexpecttosee similaritiesbetweenthe filmswiththe narrative elements
withinthe films,suchasthe conflictbetweengoodandevil.
Anotherwayof distinguishingthe science fictiongenre isbyuse of iconography,science fictionfilms
needtomake the audience believe whattheyare seeingsobyincludingcorrecticonographywhich
linkstowardsthe storyand the location,theywouldbe able tohelpthe audience believe aswell as
immerse the audienceinthe experience.One key formof iconographyisthe use of futuristic
elementssuchaspropsand costume designisordertorepresentthe scientificadvancementsinthe
film,inall three of the filmsaudiencescancome to expectfilmiconographywhichsignifiesscientific
advancementshowevereachfilmpullsitoff differently.The
onlydifferentTronvariesfromourrealityishow further
advancedintechnologytheyare asbefore Samentersthe
grid,the audiences cansee an oldtouchscreencomputer
fromthe 1970’s howeverthiscomputerIsfurtheradvanced
than the computersavailable today,therefore symbolising
technologyhasbeenfurtheradvancedforawhile.There isalsothe additionthatpeopleare able to
travel withinthisdigital universe andinteractwithfellow programs,
thisalsosymbolisestowardsthe audience how fardevelopedsociety
has become,inchoice of costume designwe cansee thatthe clothing
representedonthe protagonistisof science fictiondesignasthisisnot
seenwithinourreality.StarWarson the otherhand has manyforms
of science fictioniconography,ranging fromspace shipstorobotsto
evenweaponiconography,fromthe image onthe leftwe cansee that
star wars representsthe sciencefictiongenre frommanydifferentfactors,firstlyisthe use of
futuristiccostume designforthe stormtroopers andtheirlaserblasterswhichare notseenin
today’stimes.Eventhoughitmaybe difficulttosee,there isasmall roverdroidwhichisroamingin
the back groundwhichsignifiesscientificorigininawayto immerse the viewerinthe experience.
Lastlyis Civil WarwhichisverysimilartoTron Legacy byincludingiconographywhichwould
representmoderntimeshoweverwithascientifictwistsuchasthe use of mechanisedwarfare (Iron
Man) and hologramswhichIbelievestudiosuse inordertosymbolise thatcivilisationisfurther
advancedwithoutshowingtoomuch.Science fictionfilmsneedtoimmerse audiencesinthe
experience of viewingthe filmorthe connectionbetweenthe filmandthe audience wouldbe non-
existent,thisisdone byuse of iconographywhich bestfitstowardsthe filmssettingbutalso
representsthe science fictiongenrewhichisdistincttothe film.

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Finallyisstyle,whichrepresentsmanyformsof the filmsfromcinematographytonon-diegetic
soundto evenvisual effects.Withmostmodernfilms,audienceshave come toexpecttosee visual
effectswithinthe majorityof filmswithscience fictionbeingnoexceptions. Visual effectshave taken
overthe filmindustryfrombeingable tochange minorthingstomajorthingslike backdrop,it
meansdirectorsare able to create locationswhichare non-existentsuchasthe majorityof scenes
whichtake place instar wars as many of the scenestake place on differentplanetsorevenmassive
space ships.Same goeswithCivil Warand Tron as the visual effectswithinthese filmsmake them
whattheyare, whetheritbe the gridin Tron or IronMans suitinCivil War.These formsof visual
effectshave animpacton the filmsandendup makingthe filmwhatitis,studioswouldbe unable to
create an immerse realitywithoutthe use of visual effectshoweversometimesstudioscanoverdo
visual effectsandtherefore ruinthe experiencehoweverfortunatelythisisnotthe case withthese
films. Ibelieve science fictionfilmshave acontrastof low keylightingandhighkeylightingwhich
signifiesthe battle betweengoodversusevil asinmanyscenesinscience fictionmovies,audience
wouldexpecttosee darksceneshoweverinlaterscenesyouaudienceswouldseehighkeylit
rooms.One example of thiscanbe able to signify
the protagonistsfromthe antagonists,for
example inStarWars sceneswiththe antagonists
alwaystendto be dark withlowkeylighting
howeverwiththe protagonistit’sdifferentas
these feature highkeylighting,anotheraddition
of science fictionfilmswhichisvisible inall films
isthe use of vibrantcolours,whetherthisbe the
suitsof programs inTron to the battle stationsin
Star Wars all the wayto the government
buildingsinCivil War.Finallyiscinematography
whichisthe essence of filmmaking,withevery
shotmakingan impactwhetherthatbe a positive
or negative influence onthe film. Inscience
fictionfilms,Ibelieve audiencesshouldexpectto
see a mixture of fastand slowpaced
cinematographydependingonscenario of the
scene,forexample fastpacedsceneswouldinclude fastpacedcinematographyandvice-versa
howeverwhenitcomesdowntoscience fictionmanyshotscanbe usedto effectivelytellthe story,
the most commonshotis mediumshotswhichincludethe face aswell asmostof the bodyinorder
to showthe audience thatthe character istalkinghoweverthere isnotmuchemotionwithinthe
characters expression,thisformof cinematographyissightedinmychosenfilmsasthe director
believesthisformof cinematographybestrepresentstheircreative visionforthe film.
Withintertextuality,there wasnotmuchto be
seenwithinthese filmsexceptinCivil Warwhen
Spidermanmakesreference toStarWars: The
Empire StrikesBack(Kershner,1980) whena
walkerwastrippedbyusingstringroundthe legs,
Spidermanmakesreference tothismovie by
signifyingtothe charactersthat theycan use a
similartacticto overcome the enemy.There was
alsominorreferencestothe previousTronfilmby
use of an arcade machine whichI believe paidhomage tothe original creatorsof the original film.

9. AdamGrundy
GWL7
9
Medialiteracygivesaudiencesthe abilitytoanalyse,evaluateandevencreate mediatextshowever
it all comesdownto factorson howaudiencesperceive mediatexts,this
can range froma person’sage to theirgender. This formof media
evaluationgivesaudiencesthe opportunitytofeedbacktowardsmedia
textswhetherbe the plot,genre oreventhe format.Althoughinaddition
to this,duringthissectionIwill be explaininghow Iachievedmedia
literacywithmychosenfilmsandhowthe filmsdeveloparelationship
withtheiraudience;thiscanrange fromthe interactivityaswell asthe pre
and postviewingexperiences. Startingwiththe firstfilm, StarWars:The
Force Awakens(J.JAbrams,2016) whichis well renownedforthe fandom
(The communitywhichsurroundsthe film, whichcanrange fromonline to
social gatheringslike ComicCon) andthe great lengthsfanswill goto
expresstheirlove forthe film.One example of afandomwhichistakento
great lengthsisthe 501st
legionwhichisan“all-volunteerorganisation formed to expresspurposeof
bringing costumeenthusiastsundera collective identity within which to operate.” Thisorganisation
consistsof star wars enthusiasts,whodressupinhigh-qualitycostumeswhichare portrayedwithin
the film,howeverIhave seenmembersuse thisopportunityinapositive perspectivebyvisitingand
evendonatingmoneytosickchildreninhospitalwhoare fansof the star warsfranchise which
showstheirdedicationtowardsthe filmandeventheircause. Audienceswhoare bigfansof the
franchise suchas myself willgotogreat lengthstoexpandtheirinterestinthe bycollectingthe box
sets,playinggamesorevenwearingclothingwhichrepresentsthe films,one keypointregardingthe
star wars fandomcan be seenwithmay4th
or betterknownasStar wars day celebratesStarsWars
createdby George Lucas due to the catchphrase “May the force be withyou” whichtranslatesto
May The Fourth be withyou,eventhoughthisisnotdeclaredasan official holidaymanyfansacross
the worldchoose to celebrate the holiday. There are manywaysonhow audiencescaninteractwith
filmsinorderto gaina widerunderstanding,one exampleof thiscanbe seeninresearchingthe
themesorelementsof the filminwhichaudiencesmayhave missedwiththe firstshowingof the
filmhoweverone example frommyperspective canbe seenasresearchingthe backstoryregarding
the filmswhichcovers before,duringandafterthe filmswhichhelpsaudiencesunderstandand
connectmore to the film.Inadditiontothe interactivityof the filmcomesinthe formof social
mediawhichallowsaudiencessuchasmyself tointeractwiththe directororthe studiobehindthe
filmandprovide positive ornegative feedbacktowardsthe film, websitessuchastwitterallows
usersto interactwiththe directorhimself howeverthe directorof thisfilm, JJAbramsdoesnothave
hisownpersonal twitteraccount.Alongside personal accounts,there are fanmade accountswhich
can be seenasparodyaccounts of star warscharacters inorder to appeal tothe niche audience of
star wars fans. It iswiththisinteractivitythatappealstotheiraudiencesthatfansaroundthe world
can interactotherfans,whetheritbe inpersonor online.There isalsothe aspectof the filmin
whichaudiencesinterpretthe filmfromapre andpost viewingexperience,forexampleIgainedmy
a positive interpretationfromthe pre-viewingexperience due tothe likesof social mediaand
promotional contentwithtrailers,postersandevenpromotional interviewsinordertocreate hype
towardsthe release of the filmandto attract my attentionandsafe tosay viewingof the filmdidn’t
change my opinionof the film.However,mypost-viewingexperience didchange asafterviewingthe
filmIwas able to interactwiththe filmmore freelywithoutneedingtoworryregardingspoilersby
researchingbackgroundsof characters,organisationsoreventhe backstoryingeneral.

10. AdamGrundy
GWL7
10
On the otherhand,the secondfilmIhave chosenis CaptainAmerica:Civil War(RussoBrothers,
2016) comesunderthe marvel franchise whichisnostrangertolarge fandomslike the previousfilm
I covered.Comicbookshave beenaroundfora longtime muchlike superherofilmshoweverwith
the up rise inSuperheroblockbusters,Superherofilmshave neverbeenaspopularastheyare
todaywiththree moviesinthe toptenhighestgrossingfilmsof all time comingunderthe superhero
genre.However,the fandombehindCaptainAmerica/Marvel Franchisecanbe to be as bigas Star
Wars if not biggerwhichmaybe due to the frequentreleasesof superherofilmseveryyear. I
believethe reasonthatsuperherofilmsappeal towide audiences due tohow easilythe audience
can connectwiththe characters withinthe film, thismaybe due tothe fact the audience cansee
themselvesbeingportrayedwithinthe filmdue tonumerousamountof characters.There are many
waysin whichaudiencescanexpresstheirinvolvementtowardsthe franchise,one of these
examplescouldbe seenwithfansbeingable todressupincostumesorjustwear merchandise
relatingtothe brand. Thisiswhat I believe tobe the mostcommonway of connectingwiththe
fandomof the marvel franchise asfrommy pointof view,Ihave seenmanypeople outwearing
clothingrelatingtothe marvel franchise.However,there are peopleoutthere whotryand outdo
othersby creatingcostumesinordertolookas close to the original as possible,one example comes
inthe formof a creatinga replicaof the iron
man suitout of recyclable cardboardwhich
has beencoveredinfiberglass,thissomething
that standsout fromthe crowd withother
science fictionfilmsasthoughmanyscience
fictionfilmsmayhave awide following,I
believetheydonothave a biggerfandomthan
the marvel franchise due tothe lengthsthat
fansgo to. In additiontothisthere are many
waysfanscan interactwithfellowfansinordertodiscussthe filmfurther, one example comesinthe
formof the website Redditwhichisanentertainmentsocial networkingservice inwhichuserscan
submitcontentinthe formof textpostsor directlinkswhichmakesthe website anonline bulletin
board.
https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios (Sub-Redditpage forMarvel CinematicUniverse)
Otherformsof interactivitycanbe seenwithonline andsocial networking,forexample if someone
was wantingtoknowinformationregardingthe film, theywouldbe able tosearchforit online and
therefore wouldbe interactingwiththe film.The internetismassiveandhasthe abilitytogive a
userinformationwiththe pushof abutton whichisa breakthroughformoderncinemaasit allows
usersto digdeepintothe webinorderto findout interestinginformationregardingthe filmthat
audienceswouldn’tbe able tofindoutanywhere else.Socialmediaonthe otherhandisa different
wayof interactingwiththe filmasaudiencesare able toconnectwitheachotherandit alsogives
usersthe opportunitytoconnectwiththe directorsandproducersinorder topost feedbackorask
the questionsregardingthe film.Howeverwiththe directorsof CaptainAmerica:Civil War,their
twitterpage wascreatedprimarilytoleave hintstowardsthe filmwhichIbelieveisaneffective way
of anchoringaudiencesbymakingthemwantmore.Lastlyisthe pre and postviewingexperiences
and howyour experience of the filmcanchange afteryou’ve seenit,in the formof pre-viewing
audiencescankeepthemselveshookedbywatchingpromotional contentsuchastrailersand
interviewsalthoughonthe otherhand,the post-viewingexperience canchange the wayaudiences
see the film.Audience’sopinionsonthe film afterviewingthe filmcanchange forexample from
whatwas a preferredreadingfromlookingatpromotional contentcanchange toan oppositional
readingdue tofeaturesof the filmthatthe audience didn’tenjoy.Idobelieve thatcomicbookfans

11. AdamGrundy
GWL7
11
seemtobe hardesttoplease due towantingto keep the filmasclose tothe original storyline
withoutchange,one minorchange couldresultinalot of angry comic bookfanswhichinmy opinion
seemstobe over the top.However,myreadingdidn’tchange frompre topost viewingandstayed
at a preferredreadingalthougheventhoughIknew more aboutthe film, itdidnotstopme from
viewingtrailersandpromotional clipsagaindue tomyinterestwithinthe film.Iwasalsoable to find
the official soundtrackwithhelpfromthe internetwhichIdidenjoysothe factthat I was able to
findcontentregardingthe filmwasgood,italsokeepsthe audience onedge untilthe DVD/Blu-ray
release of the filminwhichfanswill be able towatchas manytimesas theywant.My final filmis
TRON: Legacywhicheventhoughdoesnothave a followingaswide asthe previousfilms,doeshave
a considerable fanbase (Myselfincluded)whichfollow the film.One example of the fandomwhich
spansthe TRON universe isthe abilityforfanstopurchase a lightcycle whichisa replicaof the bikes
whichwere usedwithinthe film,Inmyopinionthisisaneffective thisisaneffective wayinbringing
audiencesclosertothe filmandmakesthisuniverseseemtobe areality.Unfortunatelyforthe film,
the fandomwhichspansonline isinsignificanttothe likesof marvel andstarwars whichmeaning
there isverylittle tonone available online onwebsiteslike tumblrwhichare well renownedfor
havingblogsregardingfandomrelatedcontent,Marvel andStarWars as an example.Although
TRON: Legacywas seenasa big release,itwasn’tbigincomparisontomypreviousfilmswhichmay
be the reasonthatthe filmdoesmassive following.Thoughasstatedpreviouslywithinteractivity
withhow audiencescansearchonline forusercontent,whetherthisbe trailerstoofficial sound
tracks, thisfilmisnotan exceptionasitfeaturestwoalbumsjustforthe soundtrackalone whichwas
producedbythe famousduo DaftPunk,whohave a huge following inthe musicindustry.However
on a positive note forthe online fandomregardingthe film, there isaSub-Redditwhichincludes
usercontentregardingthe filmunfortunatelythisisnotaspopularas the previousfilms.Thoughthe
sequel forthe filmwas cancelleddue tothe failedrelease of Tomorrowland(Bird,2015) which
haltedthe productionof the sequel whichwassettostart towardsthe endof 2015. Many petitions
online have beenstagedInordertopersuade Disneytostartproductiononthe third filminthe Tron
Franchise,InmyopinionIunderstandwhyDisneypulledoutthoughIwouldhave likedtoseena
sequel asI holdTronas one of my all-time favouritesfilms.Howeverregardingmyviewing
experiencesregardingthe film,the filmwasalreadyreleasedonDVDwhenIwatcheditso in order
to give myself anunderstandingof the filmwhichwasbackedupviewingtrailersinordertoshow
myself whatthe filmsmisé enscene wasgoingtobe like.Mypostviewingonthe otherhand
surroundedmyselfwatchingfavourite scenesinthe movie whichmainlyappealedtome,sometimes
justappealstome more ratherthan watchingthe movie,thiswassupportedbythe release of the
official soundtrackplusremakesinordertoimmerse myselfinthe experience of watchingitagain
for the firsttime.Toconclude,viewingexperiencesvaryfrompersontoperson,forexample I
believesciencefictionfilmsstereotypicallyappeal tomale audiencesdue tothe portrayal of
characters andthe storylinesandfromthiswe cansee that noteveryone enjoyseveryfilmso
everyone will have differentinterpretationsof the film, whetherthisbe pre orpost viewing.
In conclusion,Ibelievethatgenre theoryisaneffective wayof linkingfilmsof the same genre asan
effectivewayof findingsimilaritiesbetweenthe majorityof films.However,asstatedinthisfilm
some filmswill be similarsome filmsbutnoteveryfilm,the use of genre theorieslikethe reception
theoryand the usesandgratificationsshowsthe connectionbetweenthe audiencesandfilms.