Fantasy movie genre- Coursework prep

A fantasy film is a genre that incorporates imaginative and fantastic themes. These themes usually involve magic, supernatural events or fantasy worlds. Although it is its own distinct genre, these films can overlap into horror and science fiction genres. Unlike science fiction, a fantasy film does not need to be rooted in fact. This element allows the audience to be transported into a new and unique world.

Fantasy Movies

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Harry Potter

Narnia

The Wizard of Oz

How to Train your Dragon

The Hunger Games

Pirates of the Caribbean

E.T.

Star Wars

Edward Scissorhands

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

This is the opening to Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 2, about 30 seconds of the start are continued from the previous part 1, as there was a year release difference for each, the audience needed to be reminded of what happened in the last one. In Harry Potter there are multiple key characters but the 2 main ones are Harry Potter himself and Voldemort. in the opening you see Voldemort first after he finds the elder wand in Dumbledore's grave, This part shows the power Voldemort now has, it then cuts to Snape standing in a doorway of Hogwarts as he is the new headmaster watching the students at the 'dark times'.

Then after the death of Dobby, Harry id introduced looking into a piece of a mirror, where he sees someone else's face too, the scene is set as it cuts to a beach and the safe house where they are staying away from the death eaters. Hermione and Ron, Harry's best friends are sitting in the house, now most of the main characters are introduced.

Harry Potter is a fantasy by the key conventions we know and see, things happening that would never and could never happen in the real world; mythical characters, magic. Usually the props tend to be of a magical nature, in the case of Harry Potter, its wands, potions, broomsticks, etc. There is a villain in most Fantasy's , Voldemort is the main villain, along side his followers the death eaters. Also there usually is a happy ending, in HP its when Harry defeats Voldemort despite death of his friends and family, and the ruining of his school, Harry, Ron and Hermione end up happy together. The colours in Harry Potter are dark and dull, there is no bright vibrant colours but this fits in with the theme and what is currently happening in the magic world, during the 'dark times'.

Edward Scissorhands

The opening doesn't give much away about the actual movie, or what to expect. The credits run through, with who is starred, Johnny Depp is the main character, he was very well known then as was Winona Ryder who also had a large fan base, people wanted to watch this movie because they like these actors. The genre of fantasy is shown vaguely throughout, with weird machinery objects.

There is a dead body, which implies its something to do with the death of the person- he was the creator of Edward, changing him human, but died before he could put his hands normal, hence why he has Scissorhands. Its all very dark and you see the gateway to a large building, which was the factory when Edward was created, the opening is very dark and dreary, in contrast to the American street, which is colourful, bright and tidy.

AS Media Fantasy Genre Movie Opening

I have already used this video in my blog but I really like it and I struggled to find some AS media student made fantasy openings. In this opening, the 4 main characters are instantly introduce, by the speech you can see it is a fantasy, along side the dragon landing in the hills. The leader of the group is clearly the one in red as they others turn to him for advice. The scene is set is a hilly part of the country, possibly somewhere like Derbyshire. This group must have based their opening on 'the hobbit' as it has that fantasy theme to it, of a quest, no shoes, and the general scene.