Futures Frequency: Film as a means to analyze and imagine possible futures
I can’t help thinking somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be.
– Taylor, ‘Planet Of The Apes’ –
Science fiction, including dystopian and utopian fiction, is important for many reasons. It is a genre that ignites the imagination and provides portrayals of how society and we in it could function in a different way. It allows us to imagine futures we would wish to avoid and consider ways of preventing them, and others we might want to strive for and work towards. Awareness of different kinds of futures, and the ability to imagine new ones by ourselves, are the first steps to progress to make the world a better place.
This exercise explores the future through film. It challenges the students to identify and analyze dystopian or utopian elements in a science fiction film and to imagine desirable futures for themselves.
Watch a science fiction film set in the future. Then analyze and discuss the following aspects of the film and future.
Storyline:
– Science fiction tends to follow dramatic structure. Describe the plot of the film and analyze its structure elements briefly:
– Exposition: Who are the characters? What is the backstory? What is the central conflict?
– Rising action: How does the conflict begin to arise?
– Climax: What is the moment where tension reaches its peak? What is the turning point of the story
– Falling action: What is the series of events that leads to resolution?
– Resolution: How does the story end? Is it a happy or tragic one?
Milieu
– How far in the future is the film set? Where is the location it is set in?
– Describe and analyze the following features of the film’s future world: physical milieu (eg. buildings, landscape, nature, technology), social milieu (eg. relationships, institutions, culture, ideologies, beliefs, power and social structures)
– What is the role of visual or other special effects in creating the futuristic world of the film?
Protagonist
– Describe the utopian or dystopian hero in the film.
– What is the hero like?
– What drives the hero on? What does the hero want to achieve? Is the hero trying to change something in the world or future? Why / why not?
– What kinds of ideals or values does the hero have?
– Do you identify with the hero? Why or why not?
Takeaways
– How does the film affect you? What kinds of emotions does it evoke in you? What in the film causes those emotional responses?
– Is the film believable in its portrayal of the future? Could the utopian or dystopian world depicted in the film come true to any extent in real life? If yes, what could you do to make it come true or prevent it from coming true?
– What is the message of the film? Is the film trying to teach a lesson? Which lesson is it? Are you going to take it with you? Does the film make you view the future from a new perspective?