Film Opening - Blog Post #4

 A Post-Apocalyptic World: Research

        Now that we have a solid idea and genre, our group thought it was a great idea to research the post-apocalyptic film genre in order to help us further develop our story as well as learn effective ways to establish the mood and plot we are going for. There are a couple conventions within this genre: survival, limited resources, and lack of people. Let's get right into it!

A Need for Survival

        By definition, a post-apocalyptic world is a world that takes place after a catastrophic event. Because of this, it is very common for post-apocalyptic movies to deal with issues like survival, since all the characters within this "world" are trying their hardest to remain alive in these new and unstable circumstances. For instance, in the television show "The 100,"all of humanity's last survivors are forced to survive ninety-seven years after civilization was destroyed by a nuclear war. This creates conflict between the characters, their environment, and their own morals.

Source: themoviedb.org

Scarcity 

        After civilization is changed after a disastrous event, food and supplies are often limited. For example, the trilogy The Hunger Games deals with a dystopian society in which characters from each district must compete against each other for the Capitol's annual "games." In this televised competition, teenagers must fight to the death, compete for resources, and use their skills to survive the ruthless arena in which the games are held. During the first movie, the series's protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, must hunt for food with her bow and arrows, gain the public's favor for donated supplies and make alliances with other players to make it out alive. 

Alone in the World

        Another convention within the post-apocalyptic genre is the constant feeling of isolation. In the film I Am Legend, the main character is the only survivor from a plague that killed and transformed the rest of humanity into monsters. As the only sane human left, he makes it his mission to find a cure for the disease that was once created to cure cancer. Interestingly, since this movie was filmed in New York City, the creators had to heavily rely on editing to make the setting seem run down and destroyed. 

This movie poster shows the film's main character surviving in a post-apocalyptic New York City, trying to find a viable cure for the remainder of humanity.

 

Conclusion

        Now that my group members and I are more knowledgeable about the post-apocalyptic genre and its conventions, we hope to apply this research to our project. I will post again with more updates. Until next time!