Pre-Production: Science Fiction in Film

Primer (2004)

Primer involves two engineers and friends, who discover that their invention has the ability to time travel. Thus, the film follows a complex narrative, with several timelines intertwining (Gerardi, 2018).
It was written and directed by Shane Carruth and won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 (Mitchell, 2005). Yet, Carruth made other contributions to the film, also producing, editing, scoring the music, and playing one of the main characters, Aaron (Mitchell, 2005).

Process - making low budget sci-fi

This is because the film had a very low budget - only $7,000 (Mitchell, 2005). Due to this, Carruth also shot the film in Dallas, his hometown, and in his parent's house (Gerardi, 2018).
However, the budget, as well as his lack of experience, also affected how Carruth approached writing, since every time he wrote a scene, he would ensure he could get the location he wanted before moving on to writing the next scene, as well as ensuring any equipment he needed was affordable within his budget, and that he knew how to use it to get the shots he wanted (Doyle, 2004).
Nonetheless, the biggest challenge of making science fiction on a low budget is that it means the filmmaker is restricted and has to "explore the near future and the topics that will affect everyone", usually leading to these films being classed as 'mundane' science fiction (Grant, 2013:179).

Style

'Mundane' science fiction involves believable science and technology which is already available, or could be soon in the future, looking at issues facing society such as surveillance and climate change (Grant, 2013:23). Primer could be classed as this not only because of the low budget, but also because of the style Carruth chose for the film.
Carruth knew the story he wanted to tell before he realised the film would be science fiction - he knew he wanted to write a story about trust, and two friends who create a device which changes this trust - yet, when he added in the time travel device, he realised he wanted the film to have a mundane style by being set in the real world which would contrast with how unusual the device seemed (Doyle, 2004).

Fig. 1 Primer (2004)
For example, the invention looks out of place in the garage where it is built (see fig. 1) - even when the inventors move it, they choose to place it in a storage unit, rather than a lab, putting it in places where objects can sometimes be discarded.
Nonetheless, it can be argued that the invention needed to be in these types of settings so that viewers could see the story was based in the real world, thus allowing them to believe the device's time travel abilities (Mitchell, 2005).
This believability was also necessary for the story, since the characters cross over into several timelines, which then sometimes include multiple versions of themselves (Gerardi, 2018). Thus, Carruth decided to shoot the first half of the film in a conventional way, using some shots to distort space, but keeping the camera steady (Mitchell, 2005).
Yet, when the cause and effect of the different timelines which occur in consequence of the characters travelling begins to become evident to the characters, and their friendship begins to fall apart, the filming style takes on that of more of a documentary, such as a handheld shot following Abe running, which intercuts with the characters talking about their worries of being followed, distorting time as the film cuts back and forth between the two situations, even though Abe is involved in both - Carruth decided to do this so that the filming style corresponded to the story - as the story becomes more disjointed, so does the filming style (Mitchell, 2005).

Fig. 2 Primer (2004)

This can also be seen by how Carruth uses shots distorting space to show the distortion of time. An example of this can be seen when, just after Aaron finds out about the device's time travelling capabilities, Aaron is lying in bed, but is framed from a perspective which looks like he is standing (see fig. 2). The character's new perspective of disjointed time is able to be shown through this distortion of space.

Structure & theme

This disjointed story structure is made up of the multiple timelines, as the characters travel so much that many of the scenes give viewers different information depending on how well they can track these timelines (Gerardi, 2018).

Yet, the opening voiceover positions the audience as observers to the narrative, rather than participants (Carlson, 2014) - with the narrator stating, "here's what's going to happen. I'm going to read this, and you're going to listen." This makes it seem as if everything has already played out before viewers have began watching, as if nothing can be changed.

This highlights the "sense of dislocation" Carruth aims to create through the crossing of timelines, as it gets to the point in the story when Aaron and Abe as we see them can't figure out what versions of them from the future are doing when they have come back to the past - in this way, despite the complex narrative, Carruth seems more concerned with showing how the characters react (Carlson, 2014).

From this, it can be seen that the theme of Primer is identity - something which affects everyone - as, although the film only shows about twelve hours in the character's lives, different versions of Aaron end up having different opinions on what the device should be used for, showing that in some situations, it can take only a short time for someone's identity to change (Gerardi, 2018).

The two main characters initially have no idea what the cause and effect of the device could be, finding out as the audience does - yet, like the audience, the characters can't change anything either, as they are stuck in the time loop created by the device's time travel capabilities (Carlson, 2014). This is how the audience are able to relate to the characters - they discover the consequences at the same time as the characters.

Nonetheless, the time loop Abe and Aaron end up stuck in due to the fact there is eventually many different versions of themselves travelling in time is also symbolised by the film's structure, as the voiceover at the beginning matches that at the end - the only difference being that at the beginning the narrator uses the pronoun they ("they took from their surroundings what was needed, and made of it something more"), but in the end they use the pronoun he ("he took from his surroundings what was needed, and made of it something more") - showing how Aaron and Abe, once a team, separate by the end of the movie due to their differing morals surrounding their invention.

Framing & squares

Carruth even shows the characters' relationship to time through framing, and the common motif of squares, which he uses throughout the film. For example, Carruth often focuses on elements such as envelopes, screens, and the invention, which is also square (see fig. 3).

Fig. 3 Primer (2004)

However, he also frames the characters in corridors, doors, and windows - also all squares (see fig. 4).

Fig. 4 Primer (2004)

It can be argued that this could be to show how Aaron and Abe become trapped by time, and thus their invention and its capabilities, because of the time loop their travelling creates. This idea is furthered by the fact that as Abe and Aaron progress with the invention, it gets bigger and is thus made up of more squares (see fig. 5), trapping them even more as the film goes on, reaching its climax at the end when Aaron decides to build a machine which appears to be the size of a building after his disagreement with Abe.

Fig. 5 Primer (2004)

Dialogue

Carruth also intended for the dialogue to show the character's relationship, but to use his knowledge from being a software engineer to have the characters talk about physics and engineering principles - so even if the audience don't understand the jargon, they understand the most important element, how the characters relate to each other (Gerardi, 2018).

However, Carruth also decided to include this jargon so that all of the information was at least in the film, and viewers could potentially understand it when watching again, if they wanted to (Mitchell, 2005).

The characters & morals

Overall, the main characters' relationship is based on trust and how the invention changes this, causing them to fall out and go in different directions due to their differing morals (Mitchell, 2005). Carruth shows this divide in shots later in the film, such as when Abe and Aaron are disagreeing about their intentions for the device and they stand at opposite sides of the garage, where they first built the invention (see fig. 6).

Fig. 6 Primer (2004)

Despite the science, all of the elements of Primer are grounded in character. Even the title stems from the characters - a primer can be a lesson, something Carruth thinks applies to Abe and Aaron since, although they understand science, they do not think about ethics, and have to learn about the consequences of travelling in time; yet, since several different versions of them often end up existing at the same time, they are not the prime versions of themselves anymore, and end up as secondary to the other versions of themselves whose pasts they have gone back to (Mitchell, 2005).

Overall, Primer uses not only time travel, but most importantly the relationship of the characters and their differing morals to explore identity, and how this can change in a short amount of time, leading to the end of a friendship.

Influence on my film

Writing

Primer influenced me to concentrate on the relationship between the two characters in The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl, Vera and Roni, because of how it focuses on Abe and Aaron's relationship and how this changes as they form different opinions on what their device should be used for.

Therefore, I thought it would be interesting if Vera and Roni's relationship changed because they ended up in the reverse situation near the end of the film. For most of the story Roni is trying to convince Vera to come with her to other universes, but Vera, unconvinced she is real, works trying to figure out how she got to this universe. However, towards the end of the film the change in the characters' relationship in Primer influenced me to write a scene where Roni, having taken over Vera's work, becomes disheartened about travelling between universes - as Vera had done at the story's turning point - and Vera has to convince her to travel with her to other universes.

I aimed for this to show the change in the characters, especially Vera, due to their relationship, but also to emphasise that they are versions of the same person from how they react in similar ways to situations.

Gravity (2013)

Gravity centres on astronauts stranded in space due to an accident which causes debris to spread and begin destroying their spacecraft. It was written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, with Jonas Cuarón as a co-writer.
The film can be classed as a thriller, since in the very early stages of developing the movie the writers took inspiration from "propulsive, stripped-down thrillers with an existential dimension", not intending to make a sci-fi film set in space, but instead wanting to centre their story around the theme of adversity (Rose, 2014).

Theme

A film's theme is the message the film conveys to the audience about the world or about being human - "the film's central, unifying concept" (Masterclass, 2019). It is portrayed through all of the elements of a film, such as plot, character, dialogue, and even music; therefore, it can help filmmakers make choices about these elements when they are developing the film (Grant, 2013:74-5).

The theme is not directly pointed out during films, but rather is highlighted by the film's elements (Masterclass, 2019). Because of this, when the theme changes, the overall idea and outlook of the film also changes (Reich, 2017).

Therefore, when developing Gravity, the writers decided on their theme of adversity before coming up with the story (Rose, 2014). All of the other elements of the film then led from this.

Metaphor

For example, the theme of adversity informed metaphors which were used throughout the film, such as the debris symbolising adversity (Roper, 2013). Thus, during the film the debris is mainly used to raise the stakes. For example, the main character, Ryan, spots a pod amongst the destruction, identifying it as her last chance to get back to Earth. However, as she is making her way over to it, more debris appears and comes hurtling towards her and the pod, raising the stakes since now she has to not only get to the pod, but also avoid the debris.
Nonetheless, Cuarón has stated that, "in Gravity nearly everything is a metaphor for the main character" (Roper, 2013). Ryan's personality is therefore shown through aspects of her environment including her spacesuit - she is a person who seems to be living life as if trapped in her own world, and is therefore trapped in her spacesuit for a lot of the film (Roper, 2013) - Cuarón also often uses shots which show her from an exterior viewpoint, framing her as boxed in by a window (see fig. 7).

Fig. 7 Gravity (2013)

However, adversity is also hinted at in other ways, such as the character's backstory, which, although brief, helps inform her decisions, and by the end of the film, how she changes as a person.
Ryan is a character with no one waiting for her when she gets back to Earth, having lost her daughter whilst she was young, something which she can't seem to be able to let go of. This hints at adversity, also providing another metaphor - Ryan needs to "shed her skin" and let go of this in order to keep going, shown through how she also has to escape her spacesuit in order to survive since it's running out of oxygen (Roper, 2013).

Characters changing due to story events

Cuarón has said that overall "the story is about rebirth as a possible outcome of adversity" (Roper, 2013). This can be seen in the final shot of the film when Ryan pulls herself to shore after finally landing back on Earth, crawling along the shore, and then getting up slowly, before eventually beginning to stumble on two legs, getting re-used to the effects of gravity - this shot plays like a quick version of evolution, symbolising that Ryan has been re-born on Earth after the adversity she has been through in space (Woerner, 2013) - (see fig. 8 & 9).

Fig. 8 Gravity (2013)

Fig. 9 Gravity (2013)
Because of the events of the film, it can be seen that Ryan does change as a character and that this is what gets her back to Earth. This again links to her backstory - something which is important to Cuarón as for him a character's personality and their backstory help create each other (Roper, 2013).
After the metaphors help set up Ryan as someone who needs to escape her own world and learn to let go, the writers set up events which show that this is what Ryan has to do to survive - as well as help her start to change. This is her "character arc" - the way she changes and grows as a character throughout the movie, which needs to be evident in each scene and linked to a motivation in order to be seen as credible by the audience (Ballon, 2012:63-4).
Ryan's motivation is her daughter, evident in each scene, such as when she decides to give up after hearing a baby crying over the communications panel, wanting to be back with her daughter, and when she states that she doesn't do much now because of what happened to her daughter except for "just drive", shown through how she is sometimes unable to act and doubts her own abilities.
The other astronaut, and the events he causes are what help her to change. This other astronaut is the only character Ryan connects with emotionally in the film, set up by him being the person Ryan tells her backstory to (Ballon, 2012:62). Therefore, when Ryan reaches her low point - deciding to give up - he encourages her by talking to her about her daughter and giving her an idea on how to get back to Earth.
This allows Ryan to let go by giving her a different perspective on her daughter's death, and thus getting her out of her own world. Therefore, instead of questioning what she should do next - about both her daughter and getting back to Earth - Ryan instead takes action, decides not to quit, and therefore is able to make it back to Earth using her own abilities.

Mixing fact & fiction

To help with portraying astronauts in space accurately during the film, different experts, as well as astronauts spoke to the filmmakers about subjects such as tethers and how objects and people would move in microgravity (Roper, 2013). Nonetheless, it was necessary for some details to be changed for the story, and also to simplify some things - such as the process of the astronaut's safety measures and the positions of the space stations so as not to drag down the story and inundate the audience with too much information (collect SPACE, 2013).

However, gravity is represented in the film accurately, since this was a focus for Cuarón due to the film's title and its links to the metaphor of rebirth used in the film (collect SPACE, 2013).

The filmmakers also used science such as the fact that sound cannot be heard in space - although they decided to use music and have the audience hear what the characters would, such as when one of them is drilling (Roper, 2013). Cuarón uses sound like this throughout the movie, with the audience often only hearing what the main character does - for example, in one scene when water is rushing into Ryan's pod, when her head goes under, sound becomes muted for the audience, as it would be for her. This helps to place the audience in the character's position, creating empathy, which is important for the climax - when Ryan decides not to give up and gets back to Earth - to be satisfying. Cuarón also achieves this identification through point of view shots from Ryan's perceptive, often from inside her helmet (see fig. 10).

Fig. 10 Gravity (2013)

Cuarón also places the audience with the astronauts by using long, extended tracking shots. He decided to do this to give these scenes "a sense of real time", adding realism by sometimes using only one moving camera to cover a whole scene, as if filming a documentary, and giving the audience a chance to watch uninterrupted by cuts (Roper, 2013).

Overall, Gravity uses its theme of adversity to inform all of the elements of the film, including story and character. This helps the audience to identify and empathise with the main character, Ryan, thus allowing the conclusion to be satisfying.