Ancient Worlds of Tomorrow: Cinema and Science Fictio

Tutor:

Michal BREGANT

Synopsis:

Instructor: Dr. Etienne F. Augé (coordinator Michal Bregant)

Date and Time: April 15, 19-21+ April 16-17, 10:00-13:00 + 14:00-17:00, FAMU, Room 3

Assignment: 3 credit for 100% participation and written essay 1-2 pages, please email to jitka.hejtmanova@famu.cz

Prerequisites:

Study Objectives:

Outline and Syllabus:

Science fiction never quite received the appraisal it should. Considered a minor genre by mainstream audiences, science fiction supposedly involves a bad script with robots and light sabers, performed on screen by second-class thespians for teenagers and geeks. The reality of science fiction could not be more different. Science fiction can rely on some of the most visionary scripts based on the works of major writers such as Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick or Frank Herbert. Finally, regarding financial returns, out of the top 20 top-grossing movies of all time, 8 films belong to science fiction (and 11 to fantasy). Science fiction has attracted some of the top creators in cinema, such as Stanley Kubrick, Fritz Lang, David Lynch or François Truffaut.

Not limited like westerns or musicals, science fiction movies can deal with infinity of subjects, from the most trivial to the most intriguing. This module intends to present science fiction as a major genre, using philosophy, politics and history. The goal is to try and eradicate prejudice against a genre of cinema that is too often discarded from film schools? programs. Also, a reflexion will be conducted to understand why most movies shown in class are produced in the United States, whereas the colossal nazi film production never included science fiction. Ideally, students will learn to appreciate their own kind of science fiction, and understand that, rather than predicting the future, the role of science fiction is to prevent potential catastrophes for the human race.

This course is intended for students who would like to develop a better understanding of science fiction and its impact on today´s society. Through science fiction, methodological tools will be developed, borrowing from history, sociology, film studies and political science. Mutual influences of science fiction and society will be shown in an attempt to present science fiction as a major object of history.

Themes developed:

1. Birth of cinema, birth of science fiction, birth of science fiction cinema: why France showed the way of the future and why it lost it.

1.1. Genesis: Invention of the future

1.2. A brief history of science fiction: fear and hope

1.3. Why SF sells and how it doesn´t (Demographics, product placement and the Story of the Right film at the Wrong time)

2. The Others: redefining humans

2.1. Continuing Mythology: from Golem to Super-heroes (and Super villains)

2.2. Aliens: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2.3. Robots: from Docile Servants to The New Humanity

3. Politics and cinema: utopias and dystopias

3.1. A not so far future: science fiction as metaphor

3.2. What could go wrong? Social engineering

3.3. Virtual realities

4. Catastrophic futures

4.1. Man-made disasters

4.2. From God to Godzilla: Mad scientists and their mutants

4.3. Nature strikes back

5. Chosen Ones: conquest of the universe

5.1. Time

5.2. Space

6. World Box office: Why the U.S. Show the Way to the Stars

Films presented:

- 1984 (1984)

- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

- A Clockwork Orange (1971)

- A.I. (2001)

- Aelita (1924)

- Appleseed (1988, 2004, 2007)

- Batman (1989)

- Blade Runner (1982)

- Close Encounter of the Third Kind, A (1977)

- Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951)

- Dune (1984)

- E.T. (1982)

- Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

- Gattaca (1997)

- Independence Day (1996)

- Matrix (1999, 2003)

- Metropolis (1927, 2001)

- Serenity (2005)

- Solaris (1972, 2002)

- Soylent Green (1973)

- Spiderman (2002, 2004, 2007)

- Starship Troopers (1997)

- THX 1138 (1971)

- Tron (1982)

- Truman Show, The (1998)

- Twelve Monkeys (1997)

- X-Men (2000, 2003, 2006)

- Zardoz (1974)

Reading suggestions:

- Adams, Douglas, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

- Asimov, Isaac, Foundation (1951)

- Banks, Iain M., Use of Weapons (1990)

- Bradbury, Ray, The Martian Chronicles (1950), Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

- Burgess, Anthony, A Clockwork Orange (1962)

- Clarke, Arthur C., 2001 (1968)

- Dick, Philip K., The Man in the High Castle (1961), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1966), Ubik (1966)

- Gibson, William, Neuromancer (1984)

- Herbert, Frank, Dune (1965)

- Huxley, Aldous, Brave New World (1932)

- Lem, Stanisław, Solaris (1961)

- Orwell, George, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

- Robinson, Kim Stanley, Mars Trilogy, (1992-1993-1996)

- Shute, Nevil, On the Beach (1957)

- Smith, Cordwainer, Norstrilia (1994, corrected edition with variant texts)

- Twain, Mark, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)

- Verne, Jules, From the Earth to the Moon (1865)

- Wells, Herbert George, The Time Machine (1895)

Short bio:

Etienne F. Augé is teaching mass communication in universities and film schools in Lebanon, Austria and the Czech Republic. He also collaborates for his work with institutions in France and the United States. Specialized in propaganda, he considers Science fiction to be one of the best way to understand the real world and does not exclude 42 to be a good answer.

Study materials:

Note:

Schedule for winter semester 2009/2010:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

Schedule for summer semester 2009/2010:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Fri
Thu
Fri

The subject is a part of the following study plans:

• Animovaná tvorba - bakalář (optional subject)
• Dokumentární tvorba - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Dokumentární tvorba - bakalář (optional subject)
• Animovaná tvorba - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Scenáristika a dramaturgie - bakalář (optional subject)
• Scenáristika a dramaturgie - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Režie - bakalář (optional subject)
• Režie - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Kamera - bakalář (optional subject)
• Kamera - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Produkce - bakalář (optional subject)
• Produkce - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Audiovizuální studia - bakalář (optional subject)
• Střihová skladba - bakalář (optional subject)
• Střihová skladba - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Zvuková tvorba - bakalář (optional subject)
• Zvuková tvorba - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Fotografie CZ - bakalář (optional subject)
• Fotografie CZ - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Fotografie EN - bakalář (optional subject)
• Fotografie EN - magistr (optional subject)
• Audiovizuální studia - magistr (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Cinematography (qualification subject, optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Screenwriting (qualification subject, optional subject)
• Fotografie CZ - magistr: restaurování (faculty subject, optional subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Directing (qualification subject, optional subject)
• Fotografie EN - magistr: restaurování (optional subject)