Sci-Fi Films

In order to start my project I knew I would have to do plenty of research on the genre and creation of film openings. As I kept looking for great examples of sci-fi films I stumbled upon an article published by Wired named, "The best sci-fi movies everyone should watch, 1970-2019." The reason this title caught my attention was because of the 49 year span of the list. This article showcased popular sci-fi films from each year, but more importantly how the genre has developed through time.

Alien (1979)

Directed by Ridley Scott, the film tells the story of a crew flying on a spaceship who suddenly encounter this deadly creature that is known to leave a trail of death behind it. The film shares the techniques seen in most classic sci-fi films, but one unique technique they used in the original film was to never show  the full horror of this "Alien." This tactic was a great way to build suspense. Not to mention, this film was considered one of the most advanced sci-fi films at the time. 

Following this major hit in the sci-fi world, several films within the same franchise have been released:

Aliens, 1986
Alien 3, 1992
Alien Resurrection, 1997
Alien vs. Predator, 2004
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, 2007
Prometheus, 2012
Alien: Covenant, 2017

Many fans believed that this franchise should have ended after the success of the first film, but that's not to say that the sequels, prequels, and sequels to the prequel, didn't gain enough attention. In fact, just last year it was rumored that Disney was considering buying the Alien franchise with hopes of resurrecting it and having Ridley Scott return to produce a prequel and sequel to the original Alien film. 

E.T the Extra Terrestrial (1982)

E.T. is considered classic sci-fi film that features the friendship between an alien, left behind on Earth, and a young boy. This friendship ensues trouble from their shenanigans, but it's seen in a sweet way by the audience. This film greatly differs from other sci-fi films with the same alien concept, because Spielberg focuses on the bond formed between the child and the extraterrestrial.

Since Spielberg's goal wasn't to create the most impressive looking alien, there isn't the same visual effects seen in most alien films, making this film unique and heartwarming. This also goes to show that the target audience may have been different than the typical older male audience. This film was geared more towards kids, opening the genre to a broader audience.

Tron (1982)

Tron gained as much fame in the 80's as The Matrix did in the 90's. At a time, special effects weren't widely used, as most who tried to incorporate them in their films often failed. Tron is an action and adventure film starring Jeff Bridges who is a computer programmer trapped inside a world of software. In order to create this setting, computer animation had to be used. One of the reasons this film was so popular was because of it's success in creating the atmosphere of the film through animation. Further than that, the film subtly explained the meaning behind being a human, which is why sci-fi fans continue to enjoy this film.

Men in Black (1997)

The film Men in Black is based on the comic book series that led to the creation of an exciting science fiction film which worked to show that the genre didn't always have to be serious, in order to make it worth watching. Men in Black is about a secret organization that is responsible for supervising the extraterrestrial beings on Earth, in order to keep the humans around them safe. This film that has plenty of witty, comedic moments broke the standard for the science fiction genre. 

Rise of the Plant of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the first live action film whose main character was a fully self-aware animal. The film follows Will Rodman (played by James Franco), who is testing a potential cure for Alzheimer's on chimpanzees that goes wrong for humans. However, it works in the favor of apes which are led by Caesar, the intelligent-enhanced chimp. 

The film utilized advanced photorealistic CGI instead of the normal use of prosthetics and animal suits applied on humans in order to make the apes look truly realistic. One of the most important elements in bringing these apes to life was having actors that could fully recreate the movement and habits of chimpanzees. This was a difficult task but both performers, Andy Serkis and Terry Notary were able to pull it off and actually guide others in becoming the background apes. The whole process began with research. The crew chose to observe actual chimpanzees at the Wellington Zoo in order to really study them. Then the crew at Weta Digital began to virtually create what they saw in the real world. This meant starting from the skull and bones of the animal and adding more and more layers until the best representation of the animal was complete. Several other steps played major parts of this process, but after a long time, these once imagined apes had been brought to life. 

Conclusion

Throughout the research process, I learned that even some of the most successful sci-fi films don't follow a set of guidelines within the genre. Some of the most popular actually gained much of their audiences attention because of the different approach taken in making the film. I hope to follow this same idea in the creation of my film opening, and wish to include the use of creative techniques in the production process exemplified by the films listed above. 

After completing this research and having a sci-fi movie marathon, I decided it was time to jump in and begin the planning process for my film opening.

To check out more examples:
Wired. “The Best Sci-Fi Movies Everyone Should Watch, 1970 to 2019.” WIRED, WIRED UK, 14 Feb. 2020, www.wired.co.uk/article/best-sci-fi-movies-of-all-time.