As the Credits Roll...A visual essay on movies of romance, fantasy, and science fiction and the factors that affect their creationth.

Table of Contents

Introduction... 1Romance... 2-6Science Fiction...7-12Fantasy...13-18Conclusion...19

Introduction:How Time and Progress Changed the Movie Industry

Onethingnotmanypeopleknowiswhenthefirstfilmwasmade.Sure,wemighthavefaintrecollectionsof silentmoviesandblack-whiteflicks,butthetruthis,itallbeganin1888withatwosecondclipcalled“RoundhayGardenScene”,whichistheoldestsurvivingfilm. Now,onehundredfourteenyearslaterin2012,withmillionsof filmsshownonthesilverscreen,themovieindustryhasgrownphenomenallyandbecomeahugepartof theworld’seconomyandentertainment.Fromsilentfilmsto3-Dmovies,technologyjustkeepsonadvancinginleapsandbounds,providingmoreandmorefod-derforbusystudios. Moreimportantly,filmmakingisawayforpeopletotellstoriesandexpressnewideasthroughadifferentmedium.Butthequestionyouhavetoaskyourself is:howexactlyhastimeimpactedthemakingof filmsanddifferentgenres?Takingalookatthreedifferentgenres,namelyromance,fantasyandsciencefiction,discussingvariousmoveelementsthroughcomparisonmightjustgiveussomeanswers.

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RomanceScrew-ball comedy, laugh out loud dialogue, what fun!

Throughthepassageof timeandchangesinsociety,romanticcomedieshavebecomelessbasedoncomedyandsharpwriting,choosingtofocusmoreonclichesandexplicitcontentwell-fittedwithmodernvalues.Classsepara-tion,theroleof women,andappearancesarejustsomeof thesimilaritiesanddifferencesexploredinthisnextsectionregardingthefilmgenreof romance,mostspecificallyromanticcomedies.

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Fromtheverybeginning,romanticcomedieshavealwaysbeencrowd-pleasing,withhappyendingsforyounggirlstodreamof andacommonfirstdateouting.Theideaof aromanticcomedydatesbackasearlyasShakespearewithhisplays“MuchAdoAboutNothing”and“AMidsummerNight’sDream”whichcombinebothelementsof romanticloveandcomedy.Screwballcomedy,apopularsubgenreof romanticcomediesinvolvingwittybanterinplaceof suggestivefootagethatmostlyrevolvedaroundloveandsocialdifferences,wasfirmlyestablishedin1934withoneof theearlierexamples“ItHappenedOneNight”whichwonfiveAcademyAwards. Oneof thefirstroadtripfilmsevermadeinanerathatrarelyincludedtransporta-tioninitsfilms,“ItHappenedOneNight“tellsthestoryof EllieAndrews,arichheiresswhorunsawayfromhometobewithherhusbandandhermeetingwithPeterWarne,adownonhisluckjournalistwhoisinneedof anexclusive.Of course,theyinevitablyfallinlove,butthefilmtakestimetoexplorethecharactersasseparatepeoplebeforeshowcasingtheircompatibilityasacouple,atotaldifferenceformoderndayrom-comsthatoftenhavekissingsceneswithinthefirstfiveminutes.ThedialogueissharpandtheactingmarvelouswithbothClaudeColbertandClarkGableoozingcharmandcharisma.

ChristopherPlummerwasequallydashinginhisroleof CaptainVonTrappinthe1965movieversionof Soundof Music,oneof themostfamousmoviemusicalsof alltime.JulieAndrewslightsupthescreenwithherangelicvoiceandyouthfulportrayalof thesome-timestoo-innocentMaria,aprospectivenunsenttobegovernesstotheCaptain’ssevenchildren.Muchmorethanaromanticcomedy,Soundof Musictendedtofocusmoreonfamilialrelationshipsratherthanromanticlove,alsobringinginarivetingwarsubplotthattookawaysomeof thefocusfromthelovestory.Thismighthavebeenbecauseof thetimeperiodthefilmwasreleasedin;barelyfifteenyearspastWorldWarII,peoplewasstillrecoveringfromthelossof loveonesandscarsleftbytheHolocaust.

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Edelweiss,Edelweiss Thesongswereahighpointof thefilmandoneof themainreasonswhythemovieremainssopopularnowadays,expressingnotonlyromanticlovebutalsoloveforcountry“Edelweiss,edelweiss,everymorningyougreetme…Edelweiss,blessmyhomelandforever.”Maria’sencompassingloveformusicandnatureisalsodemonstratedthroughthemanyrenditionsof Soundof Music“thehillsarealivewiththesoundof music…myheartwantstobeatlikethewingsof thebirdsthatrisefromthelaketothetrees,”somethingthatisrarelyfoundinfilmnowadayswhenpeoplearecompletelyfocusedontheboygirldynamic.Musicwasaninconsequentialpartof the1934romanticcomedy,apartfromafewcatchytuneshereandthere,butforSoundof Music,songsprovidethebasisfortheentiremovie,usednotonlytoentertainmentbutalsotoconveyemotionandcharacterdevelopmentthroughanewmediumandtoadjustthepacingof themovie. Thechangesimplementedinthemovieindustryfromthe1930sto1960sastimewentonbecomemuchtooapparentwhenwecompareandlookatthemoviessidebyside.WhileSoundof Musicmakesthemostof it’ssettingandincludesmanybeautifulpanoramicshots,ItHappenedOneNightisalwayssolelyfocusedonthecharactersandtheirjourney,naryblinkinganeyeatallthoseotherlittledetails.

MarriageandLove Thereisalsoaveryimportantdifferenceregardingtherelationshipsbetweenthecharactersinbothfilms;inSoundof Music,marriagebetweentheCaptainandMariatakesplacemoreorlessinthemiddleof themovie,withalotof theplotcontinuingonafterthewedding,whileItHappenedOneNightendedwithanimplicationof amarriage,demonstratingalsoachangeinaudienceattitude.Inthe1930s,allwasneededwasoneof thosecookiecut-ter,reliablehappyendingsforsomeonetoleavethetheatresatisfied,withanemptywallet;thirtyyearslater,peoplewantedmore,wantedtodigbeyondthebigreuniontoseewhathappenedafter,demandingamorefleshedoutandmaturestory.

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Classdifferencesarerepresentedinbothmovies,albeitindifferentways;inSoundof Music,MariaignoresherfeelingsfortheCaptainonthegroundsof herbeingacommonerandnotworthyof him,whileGeorgclingstohisengagementwiththerichandappropriateBaronessinordertokeepupappearances,onlygivingupwhenhisheartcanfoolhimnolonger.PeterWarne,ClarkGable’scharacterinItHappenedOneNight,makesseveralcommentsinthefilmregardingsocialclasses,expressinghisdisdainforrichbusinessmenandaccusingEllieof beingspoiledbecauseshecomesfromahigher-classfamilymadeof money.Thisisalsowhyherejectsherfeelingsatfirst,toocaughtupwithfirstimpressionsandstereotypes,believingthattheyweretoodifferenttoactuallywork. Thisissuewasalsoexploredinthefamouschickflickof 1990,PrettyWoman,whichservedasavehicletostardomfortheendlesslyvibrantJuliaRoberts,whoplaysaprostituteinneedof cashflow.ShesetshersightsonEdwardLewis,arichbusinessmanplayedbythestoicRichardGerewhoislook-ingfordirections.Thetwoeventuallyreachadeal:$3000foraweek.What’sespeciallyinterestingaboutthismovieisnottheplot,northeacting,(althoughRobertsisdefinitelyastandout),butrathertheaudience.Thefactis,thepublicwaswillingtoacceptandevenembracetheideaof ahookerandarichmanfindinglovetogetherduringthe90sdecade,showinghowsocietyischangedsincethe1930sand1960s.Thisisreflectedinthefilmbutshowshowwomen’sroleshavetransformedalongwiththepassageof timeaswell.Althoughitisrealisticallydifficultformetoimagineafutureplayingoutbetweenthesetwocharacters,itworkswellonmostlevelsasaromanceif nottakentooseriously,andhassomegoodlaugh-out-loudmoments. RomanticSocietalChanges Itisalsoeasytoseethatmethodsof socializingchangeastimepasses;inSoundof Music,peoplegetacquaintedmostlyatballsandappropriatesettingswheretherewouldbechaperones,whileinPrettyWoman,acallgirlpropositioningalonelyrichmanonthesideof theroaddoesn’tlookoutof placeatall.PerhapsthisisbecausepostWarWorldTwo,societalvalueschangedandpeopleweregivenalotmorefreedomthanbeforeandmoreopen-minded.

Actors’appearanceshavealsochangedasdecadespass;in1934,thewomenhadtowearlongdresseswhilemenweredeckedoutinsuitsandhats;itwasonlyuntilthelate1960sthatwomenwereallowedtowearpants,butbythetimePrettyWomanwasreleased,revealingclothingwasthenorm.Throughdiscussionof thesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenromanticcomediesof the20thcentury,itisclearthatpassingof timealongwithsocialandtechnologicalprogressovertheyearsisthecauseof manychangesthathavealteredthefilmgenreof romance. Observingthechangesinromancecomedyfilmsthroughtheyearscanhelpuspredicttrendsforthatgenreinthefuture.BasedonwhatIhaveseen,Ibelievethatromanticcomedieswillcontinueontheircurrenttowardsbecomingmoreradical,whichisinteresting.However,futureromanticcomediesmightrelymoreonaudienceattractingtopicssuchassexanddating(becomingmoreandmoredirty)insteadof goodwritingtogainmoreprofit,whichisanunfor-tunateeffectof modernization. Societalchangescanhaveagreatimpactonanygenreandevidentlyithashadahugeeffectonthegenreof romance,butwilltherebethesamedegreeof impactonthemovieof genreof sciencefiction?Sci-fiisacategory,whichreliesmoreonplot,ratherthancharacterdevelopment,whichwouldsuggestasubtlershiftthroughtime.

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Did you know?Anotherthingthatisverynoticeablewhenyoulookatthemoviestogetheristhemodesof communicationusedinfilms.InItHappenedOneNight,telegramsandthetele-phonewerethemainformsof communication,butinPrettyWoman,Edwardcontactshisclientsbyemailandcellphone,makingbusinessmuchmoreefficient.Newspaperswerealsothemainmediumusedtoconveyinformationinthepast(showninItHap-penedOneNightwhenthenewsof EllieAndrew’sescapemakesfrontpage);whiletheyarestillimportantnow,theynolongerhaveamonopolyonspreadingknowledge.

Onesmallchangeinromanticcomediesovertheyearsissmoking.Inthe1930s,smok-ingwasaverypopularsocialhabitthatwasevenencouraged,withaglimpseof itseenin1963’sSoundof Music,butwiththetobaccoagreement,whichwassignedin1998,smokinginmoviesisseenveryrarelynowadays,anditisalwaysportrayedinanegativelight.

ItHappenedOneNighthadabudgetof $325,000withClaudeColbertgettingatotalof $50,000.Thefilmwasatfirstconsideredtobeaflopandwasreferredtobytheleadactressas“theworstpictureintheworld.”

ThenecklaceEdward(RichardGere)givesVivian(JuliaRoberts)inPrettyWomantoweartotheoperawasarealpieceof jewelryworth$250,000.TherewerearmedguardsonthesettheentiretimethatJuliawaswearingit.RichardGerewasreallyplayingthepianoimmediatelyprecedingthelovesceneontopof thepiano.Infact,thepiecewaswasplayingwasoneof hisowncompositions.

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Science FictionTo infinity and beyond ...

Thethemesof technologyandfamilyhavebeenwidelyexploredthroughoutthesciencefictiongenrethroughouttheyears,althoughwithmoreadvancedtechnologyproducedastimepasses,thejoyof explorationcapturedinearliersciencefictionfilmsalongwiththesparkof adventurehasslowlyfadedassciencefictionisnowmainlyusedasatooltodiscoverthelimitsof humancreationandability.

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Sciencefictionfilmsareoneof themostpopulargenresintheindustry,beginningwith“LeVoyageDansLaLune”byGeorgeMeliesin1902;14-minuteclip,whichrevolu-tionizedHollywoodwithitsthenmind-blowingspecialeffects.Agenrethatturnstheim-possibleintoreality,witheverythingfromalienstotimetravel,sciencefictionenthralledandamazedcrowds.StarWars,amodernsci-ficlassic,succeededinchangingpeoples’viewsonspaceopera,asubgenrethatwasoncerelativelyunsuccessful.Atypicalhero-defeats-villainstory,StarWarssucceedsonalargescalenotbecauseof its“complicated”plot,oritscharacters,butbecauseof itsintoxicatingatmosphereof discov-eryandphenomenalspecialeffectsthatgivelifetoanepicscaleof battleandadventureinspace. ThatisNoMoon,ItisaSpaceStation Onceuponatimeinagalaxyfar,faraway,therelivedaboynamedLukeSkywalk-er.Withthearrivalof tworobotdroids,hediscoversasecretmessagefromPrincessLeia,whoistrappedontheDeathStar,withtheevilDarthVaderthreateningtodestroyherhomeland.TogetherwiththeoldJediFighterObi-WanKenobi,heboardsshipMillenniumFalconinsearchof theDeathStar,captainedbythedashingmercenaryHanSolo. Theactingisperfectlyadequateforascriptthatrevolvesmorearoundactionthancharacters,withastandoutperformancefromthewickedlysmolderingHarrisonFord,thoughtheycouldhavegonemuchmoreindepthwithstory.StarsWars,althoughoneof themostsuccessfulfranchisesof the20thcentury,reliesalittletoomuchonitsflashandbang,buttherelationshipsbetweenthecharactersaredepictedmarvelously.

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TurnBackTime Likewise,the1985movieBacktotheFuturedependsonthemaincharacter’schang-ingrelationshipswithhisfamilytocarrymostof theplot,withtheelementof timetravelusedasafoilfortheserelationshipstoflourish.MartyMcFlyisatypicalteenagerin1985,inlovewithmusicandthebeautifulJenniferParker.Withafatherwhoisbulliedatwork,anal-coholicmotherandtwoolderstay-at-homesiblings,hedreamsof somethingbiggerandbet-ter,somethinghelooksforinhiseccentricfriendshipwithDocBrown,theoutcastscientistthateverysciencefictionmovieseeminglyneeds.WhenDocinventsatimemachinepoweredonplutonium,Martyendsupin1955andaccidentallypreventshisparentsfrommeeting,endangeringhisveryexistenceintheprocess. Theplotinthemovieissecondtocharacterization;stuckthirtyyearsinthepast,Martyhastobecomefriendswithparentsinordertoconcoctaplantogetthemtogether.Thisgiveshimachancetore-evaluatehisrelationshipswithhisfatherandhisinteractionswiththemarebothheartwarmingandlaughoutloudfunny.IapplaudMichaelJ.Foxforhisenergetic,realisticportrayalof ateenagerwithagoodhearttryingtofindhisplaceinthisworldwhilebalancinghisoutof controlfamily,andChristopherLloydisanabsoluteriotasthescatterbrainedmadscientistwithbigdreams. EverybodyRuns MinorityReportisaverydifferentsortof sciencefictionmovie,onebornfromthebeginningsof thetwentyfirstcenturyandtheideasof moderntechnologyinsteadof thelureof theimpossible. Theyearis2049.JohnAndertonisthechief of Precrime,agovernmentinitiativethatmanipulatesPrecogs,babiesbornfromdrugaddictedmothers,topredictmurderssotheycanarrestcriminalsforcrimestheywouldcommitinthefuture.Strugglingwiththelossof hissonwhowaskidnappedsixyearsago,Anderton’sworldturnsupsidedownwhenthePrecogspredictthenextmurderer;himself.Afilmwithahighlydevelopedtechnology-basedworld,MinorityReportdoesonlywhatthebestfilmsdo;makeusquestiontheworldwelivein.Istheresuchthingasfate,andisfreewillreallypossible?Isitrighttoconvictcriminalsbasedonactionstheywillcommit? Amulti-layeredmoviethathookspeopleinwithitsuniquepremise,it’sthemovie’swonderfulstorytellingthatkeepstheaudiencegluedtotheirseats.TomCruiseiseffectiveinhisroleasAnderton,withenoughcharmtocarrythepartoff,alsomanagingtoconvinceaudiencesof hisstrugglebetweenhispredestinedchoiceandthechoicetochangehisfuture.MaxVonSydowisoneof thebestvillainseverseeninmoderndaysci-fifilms;twisted,pow-erfulandevenheroicinhislastsacrificefortheconqueringhero.

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World-Building One common theme I’ve seen in these three science fiction movies is the relationship between mentor and student, which is a symbol of heroism passing from one generation to the next. An important element, it emphasizes the coming of age story that all heroes have to go through in order to triumph. This makes it easier for the audience to relate to the charac-ters, while reminding them that although the plot may impossible situations, the characters are normal people trying to accomplish great things, providing people with a sense of hope. A trend that has evolved and changed in the sci-fi genre over decades is the setting. 1977’s Star Wars was set in a far away galaxy with fantastical beasts audiences had never seen before, but more recent science fiction movies like Minority Report have chosen instead to remain in a more familiar realm, choosing to portray an not-too distant future rather than some far off world. One of the reasons for this could be that with the evolvement of space technology, the lure of exploration in outer space as a genre has lost its novelty for audiences, with people being more attracted to movies set in the future because of the unpredictability and uncertainly of the world we live in now. The idea and use of special effects has also changed over the years, albeit more subtly. While Star Wars was all about firepower and boom, arguably the first blockbuster of its kind, recent science fiction movies have wisely chosen to rely on the story and plot for substance rather than costly special effects, using the genre as a tool of communication and not only profit, although many people are still nostalgic for the good old exploding sci-fi flick of the 60s and 70s. Women were once shown as fierce warriors in older sci-fi films, fighting alongside men for freedom, a far-away hope for an era, which still had prejudices against women and were hesitant against equal rights for both genders. Newer movies, however, reflect the equal role that women now play in our society, though unfortunately actresses are too often only cast as the love interest and not as a character in their own right.

Character Stereotypes Before, science fiction movies also relied heavily on the use of stereotypes and the interplay between good and evil; every movie had to have a hero, and every movie had to have a villain. Good always won over evil; it was as simple as that. More recently, writers have chosen to take it a step further, introducing to audiences flawed, three dimensional characters whose struggles to make choices reflect those of reality. Some even dispense of stereotypes all together, focusing instead on the use of characters to tell the story they wanted.

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What’s The Future? The use of technology in such movies has transformed as years passed; in previous generations, it was used as a tool of exploration, taking audienc-es on journeys they had never even dreamed of, with children of the 70s fighting with light-sabers and pretending to be Jedi Knights. For 21st century au-diences however, it is used instead as a weapon of communication, demonstrating the consequences of human actions, losing much of the genre’s bright-eyed innocence. Technology was viewed as positive back in the days when not many people had their own computers and no one had even thought of cell phones, but now technology, in this new century, it comes with a warning label. With technology comes knowledge, but does it restrict our freedom?Sadly, some of the joy of science fiction is lost through this transition; gone is that sense of exhilaration; instead there is just expectation and a sense of dread. In our world, even heroes have to pay the price. From what we have seen of science fiction movies, I predict that in the future, such movies will continue to tell stories based on future times in order for people to learn more and gain a sense of stability in a changing world.As we examine the differences and similarities between science fiction films we can see that the genre has changed in many ways, some for the better but always because of the evolution of time and the benefit provided to us by technology.

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Did you know?Destiny has always been a strong contender themewise in the science fiction genre. It revolved mainly around a quest in older movies but re-cently leaned more towards the issue of choice and freedom. The ques-tion asked by Minority Report is: can we have both freedom and fate?

Michael J. Fox, who plays Marty McFly in Back to the Future is only ten days younger than Lea Thompson who plays his mother, and is almost three years older than his on-screen dad, Crispin Glover. This is not very surprising, since most of their scenes take place in 1955. They were cast to match their younger self 's ages.

In describing Minority Report’s technology-oriented dystopia world, Steven Spielberg said: “I wanted all the toys to come true someday. I want there to be a transportation system that doesn’t emit toxins into the atmosphere. And the newspaper that updates itself. At the same time, the city is not all skyscrapers with coils around them. We mixed the old and the new.”

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FantasyWizards, Dragons and Hogwarts, Oh My!

Thegenreof fantasyinfilmhasalwaysbeenaboutexperiencingandexploringtheimpossible,withtheconceptof otherwordlyunversesandmagiccapturingtheheartsof audiencesyoungandold.Withrapidtechnologyadvancesintheworldof film,techniquesusedinfantasyfilmshaveevidentlyevolvedovertheyears,aswellastheuseof musicinfilms.Thetoneandmoodof fantasymoviesalsochangesalongwithsociety,adoptinglighterordarkmoodsdependingonthetimeperiod.

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Fantasy represents many things to an audience, and mostly importantly, it presents new possibilities. A movie genre that creates reality out of abstract imagination that has common elements such as magic and mythology, it shares its origins with science fiction and horror.

The Yellow Brick Road One of the most famous fantasy movies of the 20th century is The Wizard of Oz, the most-watched movie of all time, and for many, and the greatest. Also one of the first movies to be shot in Technicolor in 1930s, Wizard of Oz uses color change from sepia to color to signify a transition between two worlds. It all starts with sixteen-year-old Dorothy Gale, a girl with big dreams of the land over the rainbow living with her aunt and uncle on a small farm. When someone threatens to take away her beloved pet, a distraught Dorothy runs away from home, right into the eye of a tornado. The tornado lifts them high up into the sky, and when Dorothy next wakes up, she finds herself in the mysterious Land of Oz, with a price on her head for killing the Wicked Witch of the West. Desperate to return home, Dorothy goes on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz, making friends like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion who help her find her way back. A classic musical in its own right as well as a fantasy masterpiece, Judy Garland is a shining jewel in this movie with her absolutely beautiful voice and flawless acting. The sup-porting characters are all wonderful ad the scene-stealer for me was definitely the Scarecrow, played Ray Bolger who managed to give audiences around the world the most heart-warm-ing scarecrow with a brain. The unique thing about Wizard of Oz is that it is not only a story about a girl finding her way home, rather, it is about these characters who are searching for things that right in front of them except they are too blind to see it. The Scarecrow, who is actually the wisest of them all, wishes to ask the Wizard for a brain, while the Tin Man who is the most affectionate of them all bemoans the fact that he has no heart, and the Cowardly Lion who rescues Dorothy from the clutches of the Wicked Witch but believes that he is too afraid to do anything right.

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Are You Afraid of Dragons? One of the lesser known fantasy movies in a decade dominated by the com-edy likes of The Princess Bride or the darker Labyrinth, Dragon is classic fantasy at this best; familiar and yet unpredictable at the same time. A 4000-year-old dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative who is only appeased by the sacrifice of one virgin girl who is chosen by lottery two times a year, is terrorizing the land of Urland. A sorcerer’s inexperienced apprentice Galen takes on task of defeating the dragon. A simple story on the surface complete with stereotypes, Dragonslayer takes audiences’ preconceptions and turns them upside down; instead of being a dam-sel in distress, Princess Elspeth stands up for her people and sacrifices herself for country, and instead of a safe rescue, the audience is shown a gruesome shot of the Princess being devoured by baby dragons. The movie also subtly hints at a struggle between religion and magic; by the end of the film, when Galen has killed the dragon by bringing his old master back from the dead (a very common staple in fantasy), magic has almost been completely wiped out of the entire country and replaced by the values of Christianity. Although this is of course purely fiction, this brings to mind a very interesting question: What if there had once been magic, but mankind choose to ignore in favor of religious beliefs?”

The Lighting Scar Adapted from one of the most popular best-selling fantasy novels series of the 21st century, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone marked the beginning of a most famous film series. Harry Potter is an orphan living with his abusive aunt and uncle. Maltreated and looked down by his snobby relatives, the lonely boy can’t seem to find a way out… but when a strange man named Hagrid shows up at their door on his eleventh birthday claiming Harry is a wizard and one who is famous for surviving the Dark Lord’s death curse, his only life changes. Enrolled in Hogwarts, Harry makes new friends and learns more about magic through the year while struggling with this new knowledge about his parents and coping with a dark threat out for revenge. A movie that is both relatable to kids and adults Potter succeeds on so many levels because of good solid writing and nice special effects but mostly because of the bright energy that infuses every second of this film, even as it’s a little too perfect at times.

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16 Fantasy and Reality Transitioning between two different settings is something I’ve seen in both Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter, providing the audience with two different perspectives and giving a sense of flexibility to the story, but maintaining one setting also makes things less confusing, the choice made for Dragonslayer. Fantasy creatures are of course expected with munchkins in Oz, goblins in Harry Potter and monsters in Dragonslayer, but they are presented in different ways as time passes. In Oz, animals are shown through costumes, which lend an authentic air to the movie but also make it seem rather out of place; in Dragonslayer and Harry Potter however, fantasy creatures are shown purely using CGI special effects. Vermithrax Pejorative is one of the most famous movie dragons in film history and was a pioneer for special effects in the fan-tasy genre.

Social Progress Class difference is also an issue explored in the later movies, like in the genre of romance although less in Wizard of Oz, as Dragonslayer depicts a king who presides over an unfair lottery where girls are sent to their deaths, where only names of poor girls with no connections to nobility are sacrificed to the dragon. This is symbolic of the power kings and the wealthy had over the peasants in the medieval times, which used the feudal system as a political base. In Harry Potter, a division is shown between Muggles and wizards, with many wizards treating Muggles as inferior simply because of their lack of magic and believing that Muggle-borns (wizards with human parents) do not deserve to be part of the Wizarding World. The roles of women in the fantasy genre has also evolved slowly over time; in Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was presented wholly as a damsel of distress unable to escape the Wicked Witch, but by the time Dragonslayer and Harry Potter came along, development of women’s rights and society ensured that female characters were presented as strong and independent. Family is a recurring theme in all three movies; going back home to her aunt and un-cle is Dorothy’s main motivation throughout the entire movie, and Galen’s only family is his mentor (a relationship seen more in sci-fi movies), while Harry’s fight with Voldemort stems from his parents’ demise years earlier. Wizard of Oz is much more abstract than the next two movies, with an implication that the entire quest is simply a fabrication of her imagination, but the settings of Dragon-slayer and Harry Potter are firmly rooted in real life, with the idea of school and apprentice-ship, with Harry Potter set partly in the modern 20th century, with both of the later films containing orchestra scores as background music rather than an musical score.

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17 Fantasy movies in general are geared towards a younger target audience, one who is not so world-weary as to still believe in magic, but many of them contain dark undertones and themes that would appeal to adults. Because of this, a love story is rarely tackled in fantasy movies, although a notable exception is Dragonslayer, in which Galen and Valerian fall and love and is definitely intended for older audiences. Because of this, the main theme of Wizard of Oz is friendship, with three of Dorothy’s friends risking their lives to save her and bring her to the Wizard of Oz, despite considerable danger to them. Friendship is the crux of the entire Harry Potter series, with the Golden Trio experiencing everything together from three headed dogs to Quidditch World Cup. Without his friends, Harry would just be another wizard. Character Relationships and Happy Endings A common relationship depicted in the fantasy genre is the relationship between the hero and the villain. In the early movies, the line between good and evil is very clearly defined, but by the 1990s, audiences were tired of old clichés and looking instead for fleshed out characters with real flaws and issues to deal with, because this made it relatable to view-ers. The villain’s goal in this genre is usually to get hold of an object (for the Wicked Witch, it’s Dorothy’s ruby slippers; for Vermithrax, it was the virgins; and for Voldemort, it was the Sorcerer’s stone) because in a genre that ade its living out of the impossible, having one goal and one object made it easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the movie and gave a more finished feeling to the story. Interestingly, in 1939, Wizard of Oz was shown with a happy ending, but as time passed and we reached the 1980s and 90s, ambiguous and “grey” endings were more often seen, with Dragonslayer tainted by Princess Elspeth’s sacrifice and Harry’s happiness brought down by the fact that he has to leave Hogwarts for the summer. In Dragonslayer especially, dark subjects are explored, perhaps because of the time period; it reflected the fear expe-rienced by Americans during the 1980s at the thought of attack from the USSR, while the happy ending in Oz provided hope for people at the beginning of WWII. Fantasy movies in the future will possibly contain a mixed number of elements, with a society similar to reality but also referring back to the olden days of witches and sorcerers which are still filled with mystery and can attract crowds of audience. Fantasy, which shares many commonalities with science fiction such as the focus on action and adventure rather than character and the exploration of the impossible, has changed less than the romantic comedy genre over the years in regards to society, but there has been a definite shift as time passes, especially with the contents of the movies (its themes and audi-ence) as well as the technology it uses to present the film medium.

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Did you know?The Wizard is also a movie that leans more towards the abstract side of the spectrum, making it completely different from a straightforward fantasy movie, which is what you find in 1981’s Dragonslayer.

Magic is also shown in Dragonslayer as a skilled to be learned rather than a natural born talent, which separates it from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone where wizards are identified on their eleventh birthday and sent to Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the first of eight movies responsible for propelling young stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint into stardom, since J. K. Rowling desired the casting of unknown British actors in the lead roles.

Dragonslayer was the first film to use go-motion, a variant of stop-mo-tion animation in which parts of the model (in this case, the dragon) were mechanized and the movement programmed by computer. Dur-ing shooting, the computer moves the model while the camera is shoot-ing, resulting in motion blur, which makes the animation more con-vincing. Including the hydraulic 40 foot model, 16 dragon puppets were used for the role of Vermithrax, each one made for flying, crawling and breathing fire.

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Conclusion In conclusion, as we can see from this in-depth analysis of how time affects the movie industry and three genres in particular; romantic comedies, science fiction, and fantasy, there has been many minor and major changes in all of these movie genres over the years. Many of them owe themselves to societal change; one that is seen in all three genres is the ever-changing role that women play in movies as well as the theme of family and how that has changed both society-wise and film-wise. Technology also has had a huge impact on changes in the film industry over time; as our techniques and special effects improve, this gives filmmakers the ability to tell stories they were never able to before (James Cameron spent fifteen years creating the technology needed to make Avatar) and to explore new ground. CGI effects also made props and background seem so much more real and made it much easier for everything to blend and mix into the story. So, what is the answer to the question: “How time and progress changed the movie industry?” The truth is, the im-pact of time on the film industry is so huge that we are only to examine a few of them. The change is infinite and will con-tinue to happen as years pass.

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