Credit scenes are something used in every single movie to credit all those people who worked extremely6 hard. For our project we will be using this for that exact same reason, also to make it feel like it is an actual full length movie. During my research I found that many films within the sci-fi genre use unique, bold typography to have more of a stylistic choice within the genre.
Blade Runner (1982)
For this particular film, rather than using genre conventions by making the credits roll on a more desolate place, the film’s credit scene takes place while the camera flies over a valley of mountains. I really like the stylistic choices of this particular credit scene because it takes a different approach from the usual characteristics that sci-fi has in place. For our particular project I would like to incorporate their choice of music with something similar.
The Matrix (1999)
The credits scenes for this movie are more aligned with the typical traits of the sci-fi genre, more specifically the animation that introduces every line of text. This credit scene relates heavily to the plot of the movie which involves a dystopian, futuristic style. I would like to borrow the creativity that this credit scene holds, and to have such a unique aesthetic.
Annihilation (2018)
This is one of the most unique and beautiful credit scenes that I have ever watched. The use of color and pattern is spectacular as it reflects the mutation component of the movie. It engages the viewer visually using the array of colors, shapes, and fluid motion that is present until the end of the sequence, allowing for the viewers to process the movie.
This week has been filled with schoolwork and many challenges, but one of the highlights has been my portfolio project. As someone who loves creating anything the portfolio project seems to shine a light in my mundane life. For this project specifically I want to make something creative that poses a challenge for me, and having a successful project. To reference I’m analyzing the beginning of some Sci-fi films, these are:
Coherence (2013)
This film is centered around a group of friends meeting up while I comet passes by Earth. This film is unlike the picture perfect Sci-fi films, rather than having space ships on Earth, most scenes take place in a house. Something that is very important to note for this film is that it is very low budget, and was improvised for the majority of it. That said, I really like the sci-fi aspects of this film. Rather than heavily relying on CGI, they made a sci-fi film in such a creative way.
This film, like the rest I analyzed do not have much of a sci-fi aspect at the beginning. For this movie specifically, they take the developing background route when it comes to the film. They do this by making the main character by in a phone call with her significant other, but then her phone breaks due to a comet passing by Earth.
I really like this movie, that’s partly why I chose it for my research. I like the overall aesthetic, and the theme of this film. I’ve always been captivated by the idea of alternate realities, and this film achieved it in such an amazing way. While they do not the usual genre conventions Sci-fi films usually have, what I want to take away from this is the
Companion (2025)
When the movie stars we are introduced to a young couple retelling the story of how they met for the first time, we are learning this through Iri’s perspective, the woman of the relationship. A voice over is used to further put the audience into her shoes, and when it comes to the end of her narration we found out that who she seems to be in love with is who she’s going to end up murdering. I believe developing her character was the best approach for this specific film, and that’s what they did. Making the viewer see the world through her eyes rather then some external entity.
Later in the movies we found out that Iri’s rather then organically falling in love with her partner she was programmed to fall in love with him. She’s a robot whose sole purpose in life is to fulfill the desires of her so called partner. Which at the end ends up being the reason he ends up 6ft under and she doesn’t.
This movie has such an unique and interesting aesthetic, very specific to this movie. I really wanna incorporate some of the aspects of it like the color grading, and sterile almost perfect looking ideal that this movie brings to life. I watched this film with almost no context and that’s what made it all more enjoyable, I want to bring that into my portfolio project.
Inception (2010)
Inception is a Sci-fi classic and for good reason too. Even though this movie did not come out too long ago, it has left a lasting mark on the Sci-fi world and film industry altogether. Brining a cast of absolutely amazing actors and a story so interesting and captivating, there is no wonder why this movie holds the spot that it holds among Sci-fi movies.
This movie follows Dom Cobb, a thief that steals information from people’s dreams. The movie’s main plot follows him and a group of thiefs trying to plant an idea on a high profile man, which if he succeeded would mean redemption for the main character.
The start of this movie takes place somewhere that is safe to assume that is in Asia or somewhere adjacent to it. We first meet the main character through dialogue with another man. In this film they clearly focus on developing the background, because without it the audience would be absolutely lost. The main component from this film that I want to take away is the amazing shots, and the creativity it took to make something like that. Specifically the scenes where setting is used to portray what’s happening internally to the characters.
Since we’ve already started our portfolio projects, we made our schedule for the next upcoming weeks. Not only to keep ourselves on track but also have a checklist that we can follow weekly. It goes as follows:
Week One (1/16-1/23)
Initial research about genre
Science Fiction genre (how films in this genre are made, marketed, and distributed)
Brainstorming ideas for the project
Scheduling
Week Two (1/26-2/1)
Write the script
Storyboard
Scope out locations
Schedule filming days
Week Three (2/2-2/8)
Finish the script
Filming
Week Four (2/9-2/15)
Filming for the film opening
Start editing at some capacity
Week Five (2/16-2/22)
Continue editing
Analyze first cut
Revise
Week Six (2/23-3/1)
Creative Critical Reflection
Work on Slideshow
Create script for voice over
Research things to discuss for the director's cut
Week Seven (3/2-3/8)
Creative Critical Reflection
Finish slideshow
Record voice over
Research the technologies integrated in the project
Week Eight (3/9-3/17)
Creative Critical Reflection
Our due date Friday before break
This is our schedule, hoping that there are no setbacks, but being realistic tells me otherwise. If there are any set backs I will make sure to update it on my blog as soon as possible. That’s all the updates for now. Bye!
The genre that I’ve been considering for my portfolio project is Horror! Such an interesting genre that has been gaining popularity throughout the past few years. Even though it is one of the most done projects I still want to do the research since it really calls my attention.
From the beginning of the film industry Horror has been a genre that has been prominent and seen as a form for many persons to express themselves in way that is very out of the ordinary. From the first Horror film, Le Manoir du Diable, it was meant to amuse rather than horrify. As the years have gone one hundreds of horror films have been developed, and like everything in the world, it has progressed, now rather than just scaring the viewer, they are meant to send a message, to leave a lasting mark. A few examples of that are:
Psycho (1960)
Midsommar (2019)
Typical Target Audience:
Teen and Young Adults (15-25)
Slightly more male centered
Characteristics of Science Fiction
While many horror movies share many common interests, they’re also very unique to themselves, but the common characteristics are what makes up the horror genre, and some of them are:
Genre Conventions with Content
Unlike many other genres, one of horror’s main purposes is to create strong physical and emotional reactions, especially with feelings like fear, disgust, dread, etc. Along with that they have many common themes, character types, and settings, some of these are:
Themes
Fear of the unknown or something that the character does not understand which makes it even scarier.
Most horror movies focus on life or death events, sometimes even both.
Losing control of someone part of their lives, such as body horror, or losing control of their mind.
The Fly (1986)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Hereditary (2018)
Settings
Haunted houses
Isolated Wilderness
Liminal Spaces
The Shining (1980)
Characters
The final girl
The skeptic
The Slasher
The Supernatural
Final Girl (Maxxine 2024)
These characteristics range widely from one film to the other, but these seem to be the most common factors in the most well known films.
Genre Conventions with Technique
Shots/Composition
The use of a Dutch tilt to show a character’s mental state.
Framing a character to one side, leaving another one with a lot of empty space.
Tight close-ups to make the viewer uncomfortable.
Mis-en-scene
Using light that deepens the shadow’s on someone’s face
Using fog, and silhouettes to make a gothic moods
Dominantly use red (blood), black (the unknown) to make an eerie atmosphere.
Audio
Diegetic distortion, making normal sounds louder and heavier (ex: heavy breathing, floorboard creeking)
Lack of sound, which makes the viewer focus on their own anxieties
Editing
Alternating between slow paced cuts and quick paced cuts.
Timing cuts perfectly when it comes to jumpscares.
Institutional Conventions
For the past few years marketing and distribution for horror films has developed into something that their target audience (younger generations) could interact and engage with in a more interesting manner, some of these are
Marketing
More bite sized content for the younger generations to engage with (ex: Sinners).
Real world marketing like making people do characteristics of a movie (ex: Smile).
Building mystery through marketing campaigns (ex: Longlegs).
Distribution
Wide theatrical release
Direct move to streaming platforms after theatrical release ends.
Specialized horror platforms like Shudder and Screambox.
Marketing and distribution for horror seems to be more hands on then many other genres, with a greater focus on promoting the films in an unconventional manner. This strategies have clearly been successful since most horror films in this day and age seem to be performing exceptionally well.
Reflection
While doing my research for this genre I realized how much work and dedication goes into making a horror film. The absolute dedication needed to make a horror film successful makes it a monumental challenge when it comes to brainstorming and actually starting to make it. A huge part also comes in the editing part of the process, which is not my most skilled part, but I’m willing to put in the work for it.
Analyzing Horror films
Black Phone
In this film we follow the abduction of a 13 year old boy by a psychopath serial killer known as "The Grabber". In this film the mis-en-scene really gives off a scary and eerie vibe, from the school to the basement of The Grabber everything feels out of place. In the scene specifically where The Grabber leaves the door open for Finney to escape the gray colors all around, the little light peeking through makes the scene feel incredibly disturbing. This film focuses on the predators out in the world, and how they will do anything to prey on the innocent and young.
The Substance
We follow the life of an aging celebrity known as Elizabeth Sparkle, who after loosing her job and getting in a car accident acquires a black market drug that makes a younger, better version of her that comes from her spine. In this film the use of tight close ups makes the viewer feel a sense of disgust and eerinies. In the lunch scence where Elizabeth is talking to a television executive, during this sequence tight close ups are used on his mouth while he chewes, this is also done on the left over food on the plate which is left over shrimp heads. This film highlights the impossible demand that many actresses feel when it comes to beauty standards, and the lengths they will go to achieve it, even if it means losing themselves.
For one of the options I would possibly use for my portfolio project I chose... Science Fiction! This genre really resonated with me since it's something different that I haven't seen many people do. Another reason is the amount of creativy that I would be able to use, and what I can do to make that achievable.
Science Fiction focuses on a futuristic aspect of the world, often based on possibilities that could happen with a specific focus on technology, parallel universes, extraterrestial life, etc. This genre encompasses some other subgenres that have left a lasting mark on the media sphere, and that is dystopian and utopian genres. A few examples of Science Fiction movies are:
Coherence (2013)
Hunger Games (2012)
Typical Target Audience
Adults (30-45)
A little more focused in males
Characteristics of Science Fiction
Like any other genre, science fiction follows more or less the same amount of rules throught the movies within the genre, and some of these are:
Genre Conventions with content
Science fiction has a great focus on the what ifs of the world, for example, alternate universes, space exploration and more, some of these are shown as in characters, settings, and plot lines. Some of these are:
Themes
Exploring humanity and post-apocalyptic societies.
A huge focus on science and technology.
Exploring the universe.
Dystopian/Utopian worlds
Interstellar (2013)
Children of Men (2006)
The Giver (2014)
Settings
Futuristic cities
Parallel universes
High-tech socities
Desolated areas
Blade Runner (2019)
Characters
The hero
The explorer
Artificial Intelligence (Robots, cyborgs)
Extraterrestial beings
Neo (Matrix 1999)
While there are many characters, settings, and themes across the genre this seemed to be the most prominent ones during my research. This shows how the genre tends to be more focused on cgi and after effect rather then being more practical.
Genre Conventions with technique
Shots/Composition
Long shots for planets, spaceships, monuments.
Low-angle shots to make spaceships or anything else big feel imposing
High-angle shots for landscapes.
Hand-held camera when something catastrophic is happening.
Mis-en-scene
Space suits
Cool lighting for cities
Hologram interphases heavily used as props
Huge cities
Different make up depending on species (ex: human, alien, robot)
Star Trek (1966)
Audio
Ambient sound to make a feeling of loneliness.
Electronic music for a futuristic feel
Editing
Cross-cutting between timelines or universes.
Match cuts to connect past or future versions.
Fast paced cuts in action scenes.
Graphic matches to connect Earth alien environments.
Institutional Conventions
Marketing
Posters featuring space ships, robots. Characters are also featured in the poster
Trailers empahsize technology and action scenes
Most posters make the viewers think by using rhetorical questions in them.
Distribution
Wide cinema release around the world
Movies are often distributed in sagas
Move to streaming platforms directly after cinema release
Genres are very different one from the other, and that is not an exception for Sci-fi, while marketing is extremely important when it comes to making these films popualr, fandoms are a huge characteristic that these films have in common, where thanks to the fan mindset most of these films seem to be succesful.
Analyzing Films in Sci-fi
Everything Everywhere All At Once
In this movie we follow the Evelyn Wang, a chinese woman who is struggling with being at the verge of losing her house, a crumbling relationship with her husband, and accepting her daughter. The movie is filled with different mis-en-scene elements, for example, when we see her transport herself into the "Kung Fu" universe she turns into a sleek, put together woman rather than a laundromat. Another huge element is the editing used when the realities are overlapping over each other, making the screen seemed like cracked glass and in every shard its a different character from the movie in a different reality. This movie makes the viewer question many things about themselves, like finding meaning, loving, and being with your family.
E.T
The movie is centered around a homesick alien stuck on Earth, trying to make it back home before scientist capture him. In the film mis-en-scene is used in a way to make E.T seem friendly and ethereal, for example in the last scene where E.T is saying his final goodbye he glows in ethereal light, making him seem friendly and harmless. This movie is centered heavily around friendship and loayalty, no matter what happened throughout this film Elliot never gave up in heliping E.T get home. All this combined makes the viewer reflection about loyalty and the lengths they're willing to go for their friends and family.
Reflection
Even though this genre is super interesting to me, I realize that it poses a great challenge especially since most of the films made in this genre rely heavily on cgi and after effects. We will probably have to make many technical props and get really creative, but I’m willing to do it, I really wanna do a sci-fi project, hopefully it’s good.
References:
Abreu, R. (2022, June 12). Cyberpunk explained — Origins, characteristics and themes. StudioBinder. www.studiobinder.com
Space.com. (2025, December 31). Upcoming sci-fi movies in 2026: 10 good reasons to head to theaters this year. https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/upcoming-sci-fi-movies-in-2026-10-good-reasons-to-head-to-theaters-this-year
Dillman, L. (2015, September 24). The generic conventions of sci-fi films [Slideshow]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/the-generic-conventions-of-scifi-films/53109658
Hellerman, J. (2023, June 28). What is the science fiction genre? Definition, tropes, and examples. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/science-fiction-genre
Screencraft. (2021, July 1). 5 popular sci-fi tropes in movies and TV. https://screencraft.org/blog/5-popular-sci-fi-tropes-in-movies-and-tv/
WeVideo. (2022, June 23). What makes a sci-fi movie? Exploring the science fiction genre. https://www.wevideo.com/blog/sci-fi-genre
Hello! For the past week we have been informed that we're soon going to be starting our portfolio proejct, which means my following blog posts are going to be centered around the making of my portfolio project. To be honest, it feels a little insane that we're already at the point of the year where we're starting to make our portfolio projects, in my mind we're still in the beginning barely learning what media theories are. Regardless I'm excited for starting this new chapter in class and getting to be much more creative than what I'm usually allowed. In preparation for the project we were taught about film openings, and were showed examples of at least a dozen movies.
I've started my research on the various genres and the usual institutions put in place for them, I cannot wait for what I'll make and all the little steps that come together to make something I'm proud of. I settled between two, Horror and Science Fiction, while both options are equally interesting to me, it really depends on what we're feeling for the project. We have in mind in developing the story by the character, it just makes the most sense to us. For now that's all we have planned for our portfolio project. Bye!
