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Fantasy Films

Fantasy Films

Fantasy films are films that usually involve magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures or exotic fantasy films. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do sometimes overlap. Fantasy films often have an element of magic, myth, wonder and escapism. A lot of the characters have magical powers or live in a magical place and usually require help from other magical/make believe creatures. I like the fact that the characters and worlds are completely made up because you get to see something you’ve never seen before. Fantasy films tend to be aimed at young children which usually involve princesses and princes but you cant get fantasy films aimed at a slightly older demographic for example The Lord of the Rings. A sub genre is a sub category in the genre fantasy. They break down the films into more specific kinds of fantasy films as the genre fantasy is one of the most broadest genres. A variety of different fantasy films would appeal to different people. Comic fantasy is a sub genre of fantasy which is a fantasy film with humour involved. For example- Disaster Movie. Epic or high fantasy is where the film is set in a parrelel universe. Dark fantasy is another sub genre of the fantasy film genre this usually involves quite a dark theme to film and is usually quite scary in parts they tend to involves coming under attack from inhumane creatures.

The Land Before Time: A New Adventure Is Born

The Land Before Time is an American animated 1988 film directed by Don Bluth and Produced by Steven Spielburg. It features dinosaurs living in pre-historic times. The films follows Little Foot a dinosaur as he embarks on numberous different adventures across the slowly dying planet accompanied by his dinousaur and reptile friends. In the time where the dinousaurs world is coming to an end a serious drought has swept earth leaving them with hardly no drink or food. Little Foots mother dies and he later on hears her voice telling her son and her friends where to go to stay safe. They embark on an adventure with ups and downs to the great mountain where they will be safe from the earth quake that is coming.

Directed by Don BluthMain Stars- Judith BarsiYear of production- 1988Running Time- 69 minutesCertificate- U

The Never Ending Story

Directed by- Wolfgang PetersonYear of production – 1984Running Time – 201 minutes Starring – Noah Hathaway

Story LineTo keep people interested in a film it needs to have a good storyline, having an easy storyline to follow is a good way to make your film popular as it people won’t bored of watching and can describe it to friends without ruining it for them, he film will be made popular by word of mouth. The Never ending storyline is about a quiet boy who is getting bullied finds a magical book that imports him to another world. He is taken to the fantasy world Fantasia where he must safe the world from a force that is threatening to destroy it.

Special Effects

Film makers choose to use special effects to make a film more effective and memorable in the film The Never Ending Story, they use many special effects to make ‘Fantasia’ seem more realistic. Most of the animals in it are made from Special Effects and look very realistic. A good example of special effect is when the boy meets the giant dog for the first time. If you were younger you wouldn’t even think it’s a dog and would believe that it is actually a giant dog.

Charlie and the chocolate factory (2005)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of a boy from a poor background who wins a golden ticket to visit the chocolate factory of his dreams, where he meets Mr Willy Wonka and 5 other winners of the competition who are all odd in there own way. As they embark through the chocolate factory something bad happens to the other winners due to there greediness by the end of the tour Charlie is the only one left and wins the prize of the chocolate factory.

Star TheoryThe main reason I watched Charlie and the chocolate factory is because of the people who were in it. Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore. If it wasn’t for these two actors that I like I would never of considered watching this film. Star Theory is a big factor in why most people go and watch a film that is why most directors cast popular and well known actors to be in there films because then more people will go and see it because they like the people who are starring in it. Because you see and hear about well known actors and actresses on the TV and magazines so much you start to develop and interest in them and become curious of what there latest film is like therefore you will go and watch it. It also broadens your audience because if an actor that you like stars in a different genre to what they usually stare in and you go and watch them you are broadening the demographic of this film, which then means that the film makes more money.

Frame work of interpretation – The Hobbit an unexpected journey

Frame work of interpretation – The Incredibles

Media LiteracyMedia literacy is a repertoire of competences that enables people to analyse, evaluate and create messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres and forms. Media literacy basically involves recognition of big media texts so that things such as films get acknowledged. This plays a big part on how successful a movie can be as it needs to be advertised and promoted for it get to noticed and become popular because if no one hears about the film then no one is going to watch it. The main way I found out about films I want to see is through trailers on the TV and on the internet. I think this is a great way to advertise and promote a film because almost everyone watches TV and a lot of people go on the internet these days so this way your broadening your audience and also showing people clips of the film so they can see what its like. Other forms of advertising include magazines, social networking sites, billboards etc. Some media texts are made by people that work alone for themselves or there friends and family however most of them are usually produced and distributed by groups of people usually for commercial profit.

Reception Theory

Reception theory provides a meaning of understanding media texts by understanding how these texts are read by audiences. Theorists who analyse media through reception studies are concerned with the experience of cinema and television viewing for spectators, and how meaning is created through that experience. It is basically about how the audience receives something. Some people argue that reception theory is similar to star theory and that you will only go and watch a film because of the people that are in it. Reception theory suggests that people are only attracted and go to certain films because of there political views and background and what they are like as a person. You may just go and see film because of a certain actor that’s in it or because of the genre therefore you will respond to the film in a positive way.