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1. 1. General overview
J.JAbrams,the directorof the highestgrossingStarWars filmtodate,was part of the large team
whoproducedThe Force Awakens from2013 to 2015 withDisneyandLucasFilm.Thiscame
shortlyafterDisneybroughtLucasFilm for$4.05billion,asDisneywantedtorevivethe franchise
and drawin a new,youngertargetaudience greaterthanthe die-hardfanswhohadbeen
followingthe force since the first instalmentin1977. In orderto do thisa considerable budgetof
$306 millionwasspentoncreatingafast paced,intricatelyCGI-edmasterpiece thatyoung
viewerswouldfindnewandexciting,yetJ.JAbramsstill managedtokeepthe authentic80sstyle
of cinematographyrelevantforthe highlyspeculativecurrentfanbase.The productionprocess
spannedover2 yearsand was kepthighlysecretive,fromthe general publictothe actors who
were auditioningforroles,yetsmall snippetswere releasedviasocial mediaandthe internetin
orderto keepthe climax building. Afteragruellingshootingprocesscoveringfromthe Rubal
Khali desertnearAbuDhabi to the CountyKerryIslandsinIrelandandincludinganinjured
HarrisonFord the filmwasfinallyeditedandreleasedforthe 17th
of December2015.
2. Purpose
The purpose of thisfilmwasby far to produce a profit,andby that I meana generousone.
Consideringthe amountspentonthe filmplusall of the advertisements,distributioncampaigns,
productsand all those involveditisclearthat Disneywere settingupfora great deal of financial
success. It wasthe firstlarge scale projectDisneytookonwithLucasFilmundertheirwingand
can be clearlypinpointedastheirideaof startingas theymeanto go on,as well asprovingto
LucasFilmandthe publicthat thispartnershipwillbe anassetto the filmcommunity.Other
purposesbehindThe Force Awakens suchas to educate and entertainhave alsobeen identified,
thoughnot as prominentlyas producingalarge turnover.It hasbeenrecognisedasenlightening
and educational forimpressionable youngerviewerswithRae portrayingadominantfemale.
Most large scale sci-fi filmsare oftendevoidof thisrole andanyindependentfemale
representationandasa resultthis instalmentwaspraised forprovidingsuchastrong role model
for youngchildren specificallyyounggirls.Asforentertainmentitisclearthat withthe extensive
budgetthere wasno expensetobe sparedoncreatingan entertainingandfreshsci-fi
experience forthe viewers. Thismakesthe filmappealing toawide range of audiences,from
youngto oldand newfansto star wars veterans.
3. Genre
As a franchise StarWars sitsat the top of the sci-fi genre,The Force Awakenscurrently
occupyingthe throne withitsmodernandfast pacedtechnological cinematography.The film
coversprettymuch all of the typical science fictioncodesand conventions aswell asafew more
sub-genressuchasaction,westernandFantasy.One of the mostpredominate conventionsof
the genre isthe Dystopianaspecttothe storyline andthisisone that the Force Awakens
focussesquite heavilyonwiththe theme of rebellionandtotalitariancontrol betweenThe
Resistance andThe FirstOrder.The definitionof adystopiais “an imagined place or state in
which everything is unpleasantorbad,typically a totalitarian or environmentally degradedone
set in the future”and thishas beenreplicatedinthe state of the universe withinthe Force
Awakens. Thiswill be reminiscentwiththe audienceof the destructiveleadersof the pastlike
Hitleror Stalinandthe great army of stormtroopers ralliedtofightthe resistance are similarto
the armiestrainedinGermanyand Russiatoinvade othercountries. Othercodesand
conventions include the clonesandrobotsrepresentingthe rise of artificial intelligence andthe
narrativesinvolvingspace travel suchasthe MillenniumFalconandthe futuristiccostumes.

2. Withinthe subgenresfeaturethe gunsanddestructionasActioncodesandconventions,the
wide sandylandscapesandthe duel betweenKyloRenandFinnasWesternand the fantastical
costumesandcharacters as well asthe famous tagline “alongtime ago ina galaxyfaraway” as
FairyTale/Fantasycodesandconventions.
4. Form
JJ Abramschose to filmThe Force Awakenson35mm filmstockand alsoused65mm IMAX stock
for a specificactionsequence torecreate the warm80s feel of usingreal filmthatmanyfilms
lack nowadays. Thistrendhasbeenrecentlydyingoutdue tothe cost andnew more advanced
technologyyetthischoice wasa rewardingone astheywere highlypraisedbythe audience for
supportingfailingfilmcompanieslike Kodakandmakingthisfilmaspecial occasionforthose
whomissthe natural warmfeelingof film.
5. Style
As The Force Awakensispart of such a classicand historicseriesof films(StarWarsbeingone of
the most well-knownfranchisesof all time) JJAbram’s incentive wastocreate a new filmthat
extendsthe use of CGIto new,fantastical levelswhilstmaintainingthe nostalgic80sstyle that
was createdbythe instalmentsbefore.Thiswaskeyasitmeantthat an extensiveaudience
couldbe drawn in,rangingfromthe oldestfanswhowere lookingforasentimental new storyto
the newerviewerswhowouldbe occupiedby the impressivespecial effects.Abram’seffortscan
be recognisedinthe use of 35mm film, returningcharactersandreoccurringpropslike the
MillenniumFalcon,arguablyacharacterof itsownafter the elationasa resultof itsreturn.On
the otherhand the new65mm filmusage canbe seenas a way of updatingandmodernisingthe
cinematographyinThe Force Awakens aswell asthe more technicallyadvancedCGIandthe fast
pacededitingthatwasnot employedinthe earlierfilms.