The Sci-Fi Genre: Definition and Style
Since I am an avid fan of the Science Fiction genre and I aim to film The Pillars of Creation – a student science fiction film – for my FMP next year, I figured that it might be helpful for my experiments during the course of my Minor Project module to dive into my DVD-collection for research purposes in order to get a better feeling for the exact styles in camera and lighting.
But since Science Fiction is a highly versatile genre, with a lots of cross-overs and different expressions (and thus different styles), a more in-depth research of the genre itself will inevitably lend itself helpful for my purposes and will thus help me determine what style(s) I can use that go congruent with the genre itself. Thus, we will start with an attempt at defining the Science Fiction genre style.
Science Fiction – A Definition
First of all, let me break it to you that there is no such thing as a set definition of what Sci-Fi exactly entails. Regardless of whether we look at literature, film, or TV, there has been a lot of (academic) dispute regarding the ‘true’ definition of science fiction: a discourse that has not yet been settled, but rather let to the ambiguous state of a co-existence of several definitions, a few of which I will look at in the following.
As such, Merriam-Webster, for example, defines Science Fiction as follows:
“Fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component.”
In contrast to that rather wide definition, we have the stricter definition of Collins Dictionary that defines Science Fiction as:
”[Consisting] of stories in books, magazines, and films about events that take place in the future or in other parts of the universe.”
Both a wider and a stricter definition each have their advantages and disadvantages: Collins Dictionary could be argued to exclude an entire subgenre of Science Fiction that is placed on earth or in the past – such as e.g. the Steampunk subgenre – whereas Merriam Webster’s definition could be argued to also entail science documentaries if pushing the definition to the extreme.
In contrast to this, sociologist William S. Bainbridge looked at expressions of the Sci-Fi genre; conducting a comprehensive and quantitative study and identifying three big branches of Science Fiction that are:
The Hard Science Tradition (that is mostly concerned with scientific accuracy and logic)
The New Wave or Soft Science Fiction (which is mostly concerned with the social and sociological aspect)
The Fantasy Cluster (that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy and mostly consists of thought experiments)
Lastly, there is also Darko Suvin’s definition of Science Fiction as entailing a “novum”, a new thing – be it tool, technology, or discovery – and its societal impact, around which the story revolves.
A Caveat
This list of definitions on the Science Fiction genre is by no means an exhaustive one. However, it is a helpful, preliminary guide for my purposes at hand, especially in regard to Bainbridge’s differentiations into the three broader branches of Sci-Fi, which imply the hybridity of the genre itself. The reason for this, to my mind at least, lies in the suggested versatility of the genre itself.
Subgenres
As I mentioned above, Sci-Fi is an extremely versatile genre with a lot of cross-overs into other genres, which is a direct result of the roots of Sci-Fi lying within the literary traditions of fantasy and horror – such as e.g. written by the likes of George Orwell and H.P. Lovecraft. Because of this, it has been a dominant genre across a lot of media, and especially in film ever since the American Science Fiction films of the 1980’s.
As such, and depending on the applied definition and understanding of Sci-Fi, science fiction can entail a lot of sub-genres. And although Wikipedia should normally not be used as a citation, I found the – rather rudimentary and uncompleted – list of science fiction genres a good first overview into the hybridity of the genre itself:
Whilst I won't be going into detail about the sub-genres shown herein, let me just point out that the sub-genres of Christian science fiction and Dying Earth would be subsuming what I try to implement for Pillars of Creation. Furthermore, I found it helpful to see how closely interrelated some of these sub-genres were to other genres.
My Own Definition
Thus, with this list and with Bainbridge’s and Suvkin’s definitions, it becomes apparent that Sci-Fi in and of itself is a speculative genre that has (advanced) science and scientific development as well as the surrounding society lying at the core of its narrative. As such, a science fiction story can be set in the near future (e.g. Her and Inception) or in the far future, in the modern past (e.g. Cixin Liu’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past-Trilogy) or even during the Victorian Era – where it is more referred to as Steampunk. Lastly, it can – but does not need to – entail space travel, the universe, and aliens.
With the technological advancement and its social implications at the centre of narration, Science Fiction thus oftentimes consists of thought-experiments of the following kind:
What if…?
The earth becomes inhabitable and we need to seek a new planet? (Interstellar)
A certain tool, invention or technology changes the way we live and (parts of) our society? (Elysium, Inception, Her, Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, 1984, Brave New World)
We created artificial intelligence that becomes sentient/alive/conscious? (A.I., Her, Battle Angel Alita, Ghost in the Shell, Moon)
Aliens existed and attacked us? (Edge of Tomorrow, Prometheus, Covenant)
Aliens existed and we enslaved them? (District 9)
Aliens existed and required our collaboration? (Arrival)
Because of this, Sci-Fi stories usually have a very dystopian setting and dim outlook on the future of mankind. This can be seen in stories such as e.g. Brave New World, 1984, District Nine, Elysium, The Edge of Tomorrow, Battle Angel Alita, Ghost in the Shell, Interstellar or Cixin Liu’s trilogy. All of these stories deal with how a (fictional) society changed due to its technological advancement and as such they can be seen as a social commentary on current societies.
Looking at the vast array of themes, books, and especially films within the Sci-Fi genre, it is thus obvious that their respective subgenre styles will inevitably differ.
As you can see, my personal definition of Science Fiction is rather wide and soft.
Genre Style(s)
Since the individual style of a Sci-Fi film differs based on its narrative, I decided to have a look at the various Sci-Fi films that I’ve watched over the last years in order to get a good overview of some subgenre styles. Thus, I realised that there were – broadly speaking – three different subgenre styles, one of which would fit the theme of my idea for Pillars of Creation:
Dark and Gritty (often associated with (post)apocalyptic Sci-Fi)
Naturalistic (often associated with anthropological/social Sci-Fi)
Clean and Polished (often associated with space opera or 'hard' Sci-Fi)
As you can see, there have been some correlations between certain Science Fiction sub-genres and genre styles, which I would love to highlight with a few examples:
Dark and Gritty
If the story is dystopian – regardless of whether it is set on earth, in outer space, or on a different planet – the overall style is oftentimes dark and gritty. This is especially true for any story that has the deterioration/demise of mankind at its core, such as e.g. with (post)apocalyptic Sci-Fi. Examples of this would e.g. be Battle Angel Alita and Ghost in the Shell; both stories in which the concept of humanity is either challenged or expanded by the cyborg trope:
Battle Angel Alita (2019)
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Naturalistic
If set close to our time, and if predominantly dealing with the anthropological and/or social effect of technology, there is a tendency to use more natural and/or pastel lighting as well as colours, allowing for broader social commentary due to the closer resemblance to our everyday life. Examples of this would e.g. be Her, District 9 and Inception:
Her (2013)
District 9 (2009)
Inception (2010)
Clean and Polished
If set in the future and if the advancement of civilisation, technology, and/or space colonisation/travel is a main theme, white and/or bright colours, classic lines and architecture are oftentimes, but not exclusively, used. This is especially true for space operas and hard Sci-Fi. Examples of this style would e.g. be Moon and Interstellar:
Moon (2009)
Interstellar (2014)
However, as with all attempts at categorisation, this differentiation is not to be understood as a strict one! With the distinctions as I made above, I put the emphasis on the production design, colour scheme and lighting style that I find most dominant or applied in certain key scenes and that I thus consider important for the setting of the style.
As per usual – and as with many other genres as well – a variation of several styles can be found in many Science Fiction films and may not only stand as an overall sub-genre style, but may also be used as a visual theme of a certain character, place, or situation, such as done e.g. in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Elysium:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Elysium (2013)
My Goal
As I mentioned in my previous blog entry “The Minor Project: My Idea And Objectives”, for my further research within my Minor, and in term of the two FMP productions later this year, I decided to settle on a darker Science Fiction setting, which would equal the “Dark and Gritty” category presented here.
My reason for this is:
Since I will be the DoP of Madame Nomvula, a dark horror/thriller, I will be requiring to learn how to convincingly light a darker scene. Even though both genre styles are different, I hope that the grittier, darker science fiction genre style was a good gateway into learning this more difficult lighting style.
Since I will also be the DoP of Pillars of Creation – a student science fiction film – it will be beneficial for me to learn how to implement the science fiction style.
As such, I hope that my learning will allow me to implement this darker lighting style during the further course of my Minor.
Let’s see how it works out!
References:
Bainbridge, W.S. (1986) Dimensions of Science Fiction Harvard: Harvard University Press
Blomkamp, N. (2009) District 9 [DVD] South Africa et.al.: TriStar Pictures et.al. Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/mediaviewer/rm3306892288 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Blomkamp, N. (2013) Elysium [DVD] USA: TriStar Pictures et.al. Images taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535108/mediaviewer/rm198116096 and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535108/mediaviewer/rm2342229505 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Collins Dictionary (2019) Science Fiction [online] Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/de/worterbuch/englisch/science-fiction [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Huxley, A. (2015) Brave New World London: Vintage Classics
Jones, D. (2009) Moon [DVD] UK and USA: Sony Pictures Classics et.al. Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/mediaviewer/rm1099052288 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Jonze, S. (2013) Her [DVD] USA: Annapurna Pictures Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/mediaviewer/rm2079969280 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Kubrick, S. (1968) 2001: A Space Odyssey [DVD] USA and UK: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Stanley Kubrik Productions Images taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/mediaviewer/rm2784451072 and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/mediaviewer/rm1891531008 and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/mediaviewer/rm2688169728 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Liman, D. (2014) Edge of Tomorrow [DVD] USA and Canada: Warner Brothers et.al.
Liu, C. (2015) The Three-Body Problem London: Head of Zeus
Liu, C. (2016) The Dark Forest London: Head of Zeus
Liu, C. (2017) Death’s End London: Head of Zeus
Merriam-Webster (2019) Science Fiction [online] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science%20fiction[Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Nolan, C. (2010) Inception [DVD] USA and UK: Warner Bros., Legendary Entertainment, and Syncopy Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/mediaviewer/rm1069515520 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Nolan, C. (2014) Interstellar [DVD] USA, UK, and Canada: Paramount Pictures et.al.
Orwell, G. (2008) 1984 London: Penguin
Rodriguez, R. (2019) Battle Angel Alita [DVD] USA: Twentieth Century Fox et.al. Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437086/mediaviewer/rm2572918529 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Sanders, R. (2017) Ghost in the Shell [DVD] USA et.al.: Paramount Pictures et.al. Image taken from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219827/mediaviewer/rm1164969472 [Accessed on 14 October 2019]
Scott, R. (2012) Prometheus [DVD] USA and UK: Twentieth Century Fox et.al.
Scott, R. (2017) Covenant [DVD] USA and UK: Twentieth Century Fox et.al.
Spielberg, S. (2001) A.I. [DVD] USA and UK: Warner Brothers et.al.
Surkin, D. (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre Bern: Peter Lang Publishing
Villeneuve, D. (2016) Arrival [DVD] USA, Canada, and India: Lava Bear Films et.al.