We started the Film Fiction studio by watching To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill: A century of Science Fiction Cinema. Students were asked to think about different topics, themes, characters, stories in sci-fi films. Here is a partial list of questions and answers we came up with:

What kind of questions do the sci-fi films bring up? Philosophical? Political? Pscyhological?

For instance, what does it mean to be a human? Are there people like us in the outer space? Are people paranoid about the existence of the advanced intelligence? What role does memory play in forming one's identity? Where do we come from and we are we going? Can machines take control over humans?

How are different historic events rendered through sci-fi film?

We talked about the first sci-fi filmmaker George Melies. We talked about early films and their magic tricks. Reconciliation between worlds - Post-World War 1 - METROPOLIS Depression of the 1930s - Dark vision of the future - METROPOLIS Militarization - Dangers of Technology - Post-WW 1 Rise of superpowers - Nazis 1940s - The CYCLOPS The Atomic Bomb - Apocalypse - End of Human Race Possibility of chemical and biological warfare (viruses, germs) Going to the Moon - "Destination Moon" - scientific research - credibility Possibility of Visitors from outer space - FLYING SAUCER Existence of new intelligence - THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Invention of Television - Creating mediated (indirect) ways to communicate - THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD Cold War - WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) Red Scare - Unimaginable becomes real - Invaders from other worlds inhabit humans forcefully - Humans are unaware 1960s Exploration of space - THE TIME MACHINE 1960s Exploration of space - Are there people like us our there? PLANET OF APES (first satire) Cultural and Sexual Revolution and Freedoms - 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Watergate - Loss of faith into the institutions and government Feminism - Creating an ideal woman - THE STEPFORD WIVES There is still hope - STAR WARS (very positive American thinking - a new hero is born), not aliens are bad " CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND", "ET" 1970Ss - disco era and free love - beginning of consumerism - "INVASION OF BODY SNATCHERS", "ALIEN" (corporation is behind everything) 1980s and AIDS - transformation from one creature to another - virus - "THE FLY" and paranoia of mutation bring lots of re-makes Scientific development - fear of cloning Computer science development - INDEPENDENCE DAY, MATRIX End of Cold war Rise of Corporate culture and new resistance movement - FIGHT CLUB Segregation/sweatshop labor/long distance warfare - SLEEPDEALER Drift to the east - yoga, spirituality, etc. - MATRIX New post-colonial societies - DISTRICT 9

What kind of issues do sci-fi films bring up today?

- Sweatshop Labor - Globalization - Food Crisis - Inequality - Racism/Colonialism - Climate Change - Distrust of Government - Overpopulation - Terrorism - Who are the characters in Sci-fi Films? What kind of characters inhabit the sci-fi films? - Mad scientist - mastermind of the action - Benign and evil beasts - giants, little people, pre-historic beasts, future aliens, big heads, big brains, biological creatures, deformed creatures, beasts made out of substances such as water, machines (robots-replicants) - Heroes/Saviors and Pilgrims - Explorer/Dreamer - Sidekick

What kind of worlds does the action take place? How shall one create an unknown world?

Into the deep sea - pre-historic - caves/underworld Into the earth - pre-historic Into the sky, outer space - future Inside the scientific experiment or technological laboratory Inside the skin - microbes, diseases, etc. Into the imagination - psychological space In everyday life, urban environment - futuristic city