Decisions & More Research - Part I

Update: My group and I are still currently developing our idea for our short film. It’s definitely been frustrating as we want to do so much, but we understand that there is a limited amount of resources. After discussing, we know we want our short film to be considered under the genre of science fiction romance. Thus, with this in mind, I decided to research more about the characteristics of the genre.

To start off, there is no clear definition for this genre. I found that science fiction is known to explore the realities that have not yet and/or never will come to pass. They mostly explore familiar themes that are all considered elements of a romance genre, such as love, hate, and paranoia. I decided to research the movies that were known to embrace the genre of science fiction romance. Most of the movies that came up were some of my favorites, such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “About Time.” Thus, this definitely motivated me to search further and try to find a unique idea under this genre for our short film with the help of these examples.

In the article, “Romance and Science Fiction: A Match Made in the Heavens,” the writer explains how romance and science fiction work well with one another. Romance allows audiences to relate to a story about a love that is, most of the time, considered science fiction as it is somewhere in the future or apart of a past heartbreak that was remembered through the characters and their situations. In the films “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “About Time,” the plot is primarily concerned with the romance of two characters and the importance of dealing with certain tasks that will ensure they will fall in love. Each film deals with the element of traveling back in time in order to fix any problems in their relationships in the future. This concept really interests me. Maybe our short film can implement the idea of time in order to describe a character or characters motivations.

In my next blog, I will try to find more information about the general conventions of short films and tips on how they can be successful. I then will use this research to help my group and I create a more in depth plot for our science fiction romance short film that will include the concept of time and love.

Citations:

CAMPBELL, CHRISTOPHER. “Romance and Science Fiction: A Match Made in the Heavens.” Film School  

Rejects, 14 Feb. 2017, filmschoolrejects.com/romance-and-science-fiction-

4b201e876e32/.

Elias, Naomi. “The 26 Greatest Romances in Science Fiction's Last Two Decades.” Syfy, SYFY WIRE, 25 Nov. 
2017, www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-26-greatest-romances-in-science-fictions-last-two-decades.