Learn the Science Fiction Genre to Make a Sci Fi Movie

We show you how to create your very own Science Fiction videos. By looking at the history, match lighting, post production green screen work, framing and set extension you will leave with more knowledge of the Sci Fi Genre.

Learn the Science Fiction Genre to Make a Sci Fi Movie

Video Transcript

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No other genre centers around creating your very own world more so than the science fiction genre. Now with that and a little bit of creativity you can develop your very own science fiction videos. The first step you need to look at is understanding what the unique aspects are of the science fiction genre itself, then take a look at match lighting for post-production work that’ll help sell your scenes. You’ll also want to cover how to shoot those scenes and use framing to your advantage. And lastly you want to put the final touches on your videos by using some simple set extension techniques to create your very own world.

Science fiction is a genre that builds its stories around actual proven scientific theory or scientific thesis. The main characters are generally tied into the story by their interaction within the scientific realm. Sci-fi stories can take place in space, deal with time travel, look back at history, or center around complete fantasy. As long as there is science involved, there is a story to be told.

Science fiction began its long journey into the world of major motion pictures are early as 1902. Films such as A Trip to the Moon and Metropolis impressed audiences and influenced many directors, although it wasn’t until the late 1960s that the science fiction genre began to be taken a little bit more seriously as a creative platform and paved the way for many of the big budget blockbusters of today.

When it comes to science fiction there are many different types of subgenres out there, but it generally boils down to the rules of thumb of three separate styles and how their stories are developed. Hard science fiction centers around an emphasis on scientific theory, detail, or accuracy as the primary focus of the story. This means the stories are primarily focused on how an aspect of science or technology changes the characters and moves along the story. Good examples of this would be the cyber-punk theme which features advanced science, such as information technology and cybernetics, coupled with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.

Soft science fiction centers around an emphasis on the actual characters and their interactions with each other based around their scientific surroundings. A good example of this would be the space opera them, which essentially revolves around romantic, often melodramatic adventure set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful technologies and abilities.

Social science fiction is concerned less with technology and space and more with a sociological speculation about human society. The best example of this style are the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic theme which centers around the end of civilization, either through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster, and the survival of the civilization after that disaster.

When it comes to adding your own style on a science fiction video, matched lighting is one of the most important elements to creating your futuristic science fiction story. Now you’re going to need to sell the locations that will be put together in post or any green screen work done during the production. However, in order to do that properly you need to make sure that everything is stylized correctly the first time around, during production. This means that, first of all, if you’re gonna be using a green screen it should be lit evenly so that there aren’t any hot spots. Hot spots will break the effect. Also, pay close attention to what the finished product will look like so that it can be matched properly in post-production.

This also ties into shooting techniques. You need to make sure that characters are framed properly for any post-production work. If a shot is gonna be of a big landscape in a post-apocalyptic theme video, it is a good idea to get the right framing down for the placement of that character. Otherwise the video won’t match up properly.

Another ideal way to shoot a scene for a science fiction piece is to use the elements in the foreground which will help tie into the unique environment of that scene, and in turn help sell your story.

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One of the primary aspects of the science fiction genre is the creation of a world that technically doesn’t exist. For this, there are two ways to make a story work visually. One is by the content of your story, and the other is known as a set extension. A set extension is where you add elements of still images to create a visual within a video that wasn’t there originally. The first step in this process is to grab a stock photo or drawing that you want to work with, then find a location that matches the picture so they can be put together in post. The last part of this process is to tie up everything by mixing both of those two elements in your editor and eliminating the elements that break the effect. Once this process is complete you have that futuristic world that you wanted to create.

Science fiction is one of the more freeform styles out there, which means that now you get the chance to wrap your own unique vision around the story you want to tell.

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