PLATFORM
SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival
SCI-FI-LONDON is an annual film festival which aims to showcase low, or even no, budget science fiction films, thus, it has its own division focused on short films.
The festival’s aims are to draw new viewers to the genre, and to expand the boundaries of what can be defined as a science fiction film. It does this by presenting films which break stereotypes, so that a wide range of viewpoints are represented in an entertaining way, including that of strong women.
For example, in Over the Moon (2014), a woman tries to stop American astronauts from landing on the moon. She is proactive, knowing what she wants, and eventually manages to fix her spaceship which was damaged in the opening sequence shoot-out with the American astronauts, thus enabling her to leave the moon, and get her robot back. However, as she takes back her robot with a magnet on the bottom of her ship, the robot takes hold of the lunar module. The closing shot therefore shows the astronauts standing on each other’s shoulders trying to reach the lunar module as it floats inches above them, just out of their reach (see fig.1).
SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival
SCI-FI-LONDON is an annual film festival which aims to showcase low, or even no, budget science fiction films, thus, it has its own division focused on short films.
The festival’s aims are to draw new viewers to the genre, and to expand the boundaries of what can be defined as a science fiction film. It does this by presenting films which break stereotypes, so that a wide range of viewpoints are represented in an entertaining way, including that of strong women.
For example, in Over the Moon (2014), a woman tries to stop American astronauts from landing on the moon. She is proactive, knowing what she wants, and eventually manages to fix her spaceship which was damaged in the opening sequence shoot-out with the American astronauts, thus enabling her to leave the moon, and get her robot back. However, as she takes back her robot with a magnet on the bottom of her ship, the robot takes hold of the lunar module. The closing shot therefore shows the astronauts standing on each other’s shoulders trying to reach the lunar module as it floats inches above them, just out of their reach (see fig.1).
Fig. 1 Over the Moon (2014)
Jokes like this give the film a humorous tone, shown by the upbeat music which plays at the beginning of the film.
Other short films which have competed in the festival have also been humorous, including the comedy Infinite Loop (2012). In this film, two scientists are attempting to work out time travel in the bathroom of their flat – but their flatmate wants to take a shower. Thus, the film shows humour through irony, such as the opening scene, where we see close-ups of scientific equipment, and hear a voiceover of the scientists debating the paradox which would be created by going back and killing your own grandfather. However, when one of them asks, “you want to know what really happens when you go back in time, don’t you?”, the flatmate unexpectedly answers, “no, I asked, why have you made such a mess in the bathroom?” – leading the audience to discover the scientists sat in the bathtub with their time machine device, much to the annoyance of their flatmate (see fig. 2).
Other short films which have competed in the festival have also been humorous, including the comedy Infinite Loop (2012). In this film, two scientists are attempting to work out time travel in the bathroom of their flat – but their flatmate wants to take a shower. Thus, the film shows humour through irony, such as the opening scene, where we see close-ups of scientific equipment, and hear a voiceover of the scientists debating the paradox which would be created by going back and killing your own grandfather. However, when one of them asks, “you want to know what really happens when you go back in time, don’t you?”, the flatmate unexpectedly answers, “no, I asked, why have you made such a mess in the bathroom?” – leading the audience to discover the scientists sat in the bathtub with their time machine device, much to the annoyance of their flatmate (see fig. 2).
Fig. 2 Infinite Loop (2012)
Other instances of humour in this film include the flatmate beating up one of the scientists when the scientist throws his potted plant out the window to prove they have time travelled, and the end scene when it is revealed the scientists have told a radio station they know what the Christmas number one will be, although it is not a well-known song at this point in the narrative.
Nonetheless, SCI-FI-LONDON also showcases short films which have more serious tones, such as Planet (2017). This is mostly due to the plot’s secretive and speculative nature, since it follows a husband who buys his wife a planet for their anniversary, but five years later the aerospace administration want the couple’s permission to search there for life.
The film is another example of strong women within films shown at the festival, since the administrator is clearly in charge, signalling to the employees when she wants information to be revealed to the couple – and thus, the audience – as well as pushing how important this discovery is. Yet, the wife has her own agenda, and pushes for the story of the discovery to be broken by her husband, who is a struggling science writer. These revelations and motivations act as important plot points. Nevertheless, as shown by the film’s final shot of the planet, the story aims to contemplate our place in the universe (see fig. 3).
Nonetheless, SCI-FI-LONDON also showcases short films which have more serious tones, such as Planet (2017). This is mostly due to the plot’s secretive and speculative nature, since it follows a husband who buys his wife a planet for their anniversary, but five years later the aerospace administration want the couple’s permission to search there for life.
The film is another example of strong women within films shown at the festival, since the administrator is clearly in charge, signalling to the employees when she wants information to be revealed to the couple – and thus, the audience – as well as pushing how important this discovery is. Yet, the wife has her own agenda, and pushes for the story of the discovery to be broken by her husband, who is a struggling science writer. These revelations and motivations act as important plot points. Nevertheless, as shown by the film’s final shot of the planet, the story aims to contemplate our place in the universe (see fig. 3).
Fig. 3 Planet (2017)
This is similar to Adirondack (2012), which explores what could happen if ice caps on Mars begun melting, producing oxygen and water which would make the planet habitable for humans. However, the film is presented in the style of a documentary. For this reason, characters are introduced through interviews - (see fig. 4) - with the plot unfolding in the B-roll which accompanies this.
Fig. 4 Adirondak (2012)
Due to the film emphasising the wonder of space exploration, its tone is hopeful and inspirational, highlighted by the music used, as well as the character’s statements, and personalities – both characters are driven and optimistic about the mission.
Overall, it can be seen from these short films that SCI-FI-LONDON presents films in many different styles, which have different tones, but break stereotypes, and speculate about the possibilities of science from a wide range of human points of view – from being able to time travel and thus predict the Christmas number one, to thinking about our place in the universe due to the discovery of a new planet.
Because of this, The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl could fit the festival, as it speculates about the discovery of parallel universes, and how humans could be affected if they were to discover another version of themselves.
Overall, it can be seen from these short films that SCI-FI-LONDON presents films in many different styles, which have different tones, but break stereotypes, and speculate about the possibilities of science from a wide range of human points of view – from being able to time travel and thus predict the Christmas number one, to thinking about our place in the universe due to the discovery of a new planet.
Because of this, The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl could fit the festival, as it speculates about the discovery of parallel universes, and how humans could be affected if they were to discover another version of themselves.
DUST
DUST is a YouTube platform for science fiction short films, which aims to use science and technology to encourage audiences to think about what the future could hold for the human race. Therefore, speculation and exploring what it is to be human are important aspects of DUST’s content, meaning that at the centre of each film is a character with complex emotions and motivations.
For example, in What If Wendy (2017), a case manager for a genetic engineering firm who has lost her daughter uses the genetic engineering technology to create a simulation of her daughter on what would have been her seventh birthday. Thus, the theme of loss is explored within the plot, making the film’s tone serious and emotional, but this theme is also shown through the main character’s traits, such as her cleaning obsessively (see fig.5), and repressing her emotions.
DUST is a YouTube platform for science fiction short films, which aims to use science and technology to encourage audiences to think about what the future could hold for the human race. Therefore, speculation and exploring what it is to be human are important aspects of DUST’s content, meaning that at the centre of each film is a character with complex emotions and motivations.
For example, in What If Wendy (2017), a case manager for a genetic engineering firm who has lost her daughter uses the genetic engineering technology to create a simulation of her daughter on what would have been her seventh birthday. Thus, the theme of loss is explored within the plot, making the film’s tone serious and emotional, but this theme is also shown through the main character’s traits, such as her cleaning obsessively (see fig.5), and repressing her emotions.
Fig. 5 What If Wendy (2017)
The character is seen to be overwhelmed by the scientific possibilities, but this helps her to stop repressing her emotions. The film overall considers whether using technology like this would be beneficial to use in cases of loss, but without a clear answer, encouraging the audience to think about what their emotions and motivations could be in the same situation.
The Lie Game (2019) also explores the theme of loss, when a computer scientist creates an app which can act as a companion for people with depression after the loss of her boyfriend. This gives the film a sentimental tone, as the main character often thinks of her boyfriend, shown by photographs of him around her desk, as well as flashbacks. Yet, this motivation also makes the character dedicated to her work – so much so, she even falls asleep on her desk at one point (see fig. 6).
The Lie Game (2019) also explores the theme of loss, when a computer scientist creates an app which can act as a companion for people with depression after the loss of her boyfriend. This gives the film a sentimental tone, as the main character often thinks of her boyfriend, shown by photographs of him around her desk, as well as flashbacks. Yet, this motivation also makes the character dedicated to her work – so much so, she even falls asleep on her desk at one point (see fig. 6).
Fig. 6 The Lie Game (2019)
However, this dedication means that although she fails several times to get funding for her app, she doesn’t give up, even though the pressure on her increases throughout the film, eventually culminating in the time limit set during the job interview she has, where the lie game takes place. This also causes the film to be tense, highlighted by the quick cuts and music used. Although, the character’s dedication is shown to pay off in the end.
This emphasis on hard work can also be seen through Space Girls (2019), where the main characters – four nine-year-old girls – are smart and motivated to learn about science so they can reach their dreams of going to space. These dreams are shown through a game the girls play where they blast off into space - (see fig. 7 & 8) - which highlights their imagination, making the film inspirational and fun in tone.
This emphasis on hard work can also be seen through Space Girls (2019), where the main characters – four nine-year-old girls – are smart and motivated to learn about science so they can reach their dreams of going to space. These dreams are shown through a game the girls play where they blast off into space - (see fig. 7 & 8) - which highlights their imagination, making the film inspirational and fun in tone.
Fig. 7 Space Girls (2019)
Fig. 8 Space Girls (2019)
The filmmaker wanted the film’s protagonists to be girls, so that the film would show how essential girls learning science can be, and thus believed this could be done by showing girls with agency, who loved science, as it could help encourage girls to dream of space, since they see themselves represented in this way in the film.
From these short films it can be seen that DUST shows different representations of women in science – a computer scientist, a case manager for a genetic engineering firm, girls with the ambition of traveling to space – which could encourage women to think about science, as well as see a place for themselves in the field.
This is why The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl could fit this platform, since it aims to show female scientists who are driven and dedicated to their work, as well as explore their motivations and emotions surrounding their discovery of parallel universes, combining the extraordinary science at the forefront of their work with relatable human reactions.
From these short films it can be seen that DUST shows different representations of women in science – a computer scientist, a case manager for a genetic engineering firm, girls with the ambition of traveling to space – which could encourage women to think about science, as well as see a place for themselves in the field.
This is why The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl could fit this platform, since it aims to show female scientists who are driven and dedicated to their work, as well as explore their motivations and emotions surrounding their discovery of parallel universes, combining the extraordinary science at the forefront of their work with relatable human reactions.
AUDIENCE
Due to the film’s focus on women in science, the target audience for The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl is women between 16 & 30. Due to young people in 2019 now spending over an hour a day on YouTube, (as stated by Ofcom) this could be the best way to reach this audience using a channel focused on science-fiction content such as DUST.
The reason for this target audience is partly due to the gender gap in science, an example of this being that only 38.6% of researchers in the United Kingdom in 2015 were women, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This has been linked to the fact that girls are less likely than boys to pursue A-level subjects which are science based, with physics being the least likely. For this reason, the gender gap in physics is the widest, and may take longer than other science subjects to reach equality.
However, women are also somewhat underrepresented in science fiction films. Within the past 10 years (between 2009 & 2018), of the total science fictions films which were released in this time, only 29 (14%), focused solely on a female main character, as discovered by research from the Women’s Media Center & BBC America.
It has been argued that more proactive female characters in science fiction films could help the words of the films be more believable, by enabling them to show a more diverse range of viewpoints regarding ethics and questions of technology. Yet, even overall in film, women have been found to commonly have ambitions linked to their personal/social lives, rather than to their work.
For these reasons, The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl aims to represent driven female scientists who are focused on their work, since this could encourage more women to think about pursuing science as they are able to see the possibilities through seeing themselves represented.
Due to the film’s focus on women in science, the target audience for The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl is women between 16 & 30. Due to young people in 2019 now spending over an hour a day on YouTube, (as stated by Ofcom) this could be the best way to reach this audience using a channel focused on science-fiction content such as DUST.
The reason for this target audience is partly due to the gender gap in science, an example of this being that only 38.6% of researchers in the United Kingdom in 2015 were women, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. This has been linked to the fact that girls are less likely than boys to pursue A-level subjects which are science based, with physics being the least likely. For this reason, the gender gap in physics is the widest, and may take longer than other science subjects to reach equality.
However, women are also somewhat underrepresented in science fiction films. Within the past 10 years (between 2009 & 2018), of the total science fictions films which were released in this time, only 29 (14%), focused solely on a female main character, as discovered by research from the Women’s Media Center & BBC America.
It has been argued that more proactive female characters in science fiction films could help the words of the films be more believable, by enabling them to show a more diverse range of viewpoints regarding ethics and questions of technology. Yet, even overall in film, women have been found to commonly have ambitions linked to their personal/social lives, rather than to their work.
For these reasons, The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl aims to represent driven female scientists who are focused on their work, since this could encourage more women to think about pursuing science as they are able to see the possibilities through seeing themselves represented.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1. Over the Moon (2014) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/108943364 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 2. Infinite Loop (2012) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/35871955 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 3. Planet (2017) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/227842770 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 4. Adirondak (2012) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/40941998 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 5.What If Wendy (2017) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BNLZp2iNIs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=10&t (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 6. The Lie Game (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgilCOIBCXA&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=11&t (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 7. Space Girls (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvJw-zjFyc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index= (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 8. Space Girls (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvJw-zjFyc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index= (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 1. Over the Moon (2014) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/108943364 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 2. Infinite Loop (2012) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/35871955 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 3. Planet (2017) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/227842770 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 4. Adirondak (2012) [Film Still] At: https://vimeo.com/40941998 (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 5.What If Wendy (2017) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BNLZp2iNIs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=10&t (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 6. The Lie Game (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgilCOIBCXA&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=11&t (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 7. Space Girls (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvJw-zjFyc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index= (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
Figure 8. Space Girls (2019) [Film Still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvJw-zjFyc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index= (Accessed on 17th November 2019).
REFERENCES
Billson, A. (2018) ‘The final frontier: how female directors broke into sci-fi’ In: The Guardian 16/3/18. At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/16/female-directors-science-fiction-sci-fi-patty-jenkins-ava-duvernay (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
DUST (s.d) WHO WE ARE. At: https://watchdust.com/about/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Lauzen, M. (2018) It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the 100 Top Films 0f 2017. At: https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2017_Its_a_Mans_Celluloid_World_Report_2.pdf (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Lipscombe-Southwell, A. (2018) ‘Why aren’t there more women in science.’ In: Science Focus 13/9/18. At: https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-arent-there-more-women-in-science/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Ofcom (2019) UK becomes nation of streamers… but traditional broadcast TV leads the way on UK content. At: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2019/uk-becomes-nation-of-streamers(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Savvy, L. (2018) ‘About SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival.’ In: SCI-FI-LONDON 5/12/18. At: https://sci-fi-london.com/about/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival (2017) THE FESTIVAL. At: http://archive.sci-fi-london.com/festival/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018) Women in Science. At: http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs51-women-in-science-2018-en.pdf (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Women’s Media Center & BBC America (2019) Superpowering Women in Science Fiction and Superhero Film: A 10-Year Investigation. At: http://www.womensmediacenter.com/reports/superpowering-women-in-science-fiction-and-superhero-film-a-ten-year-investigation (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Yong, E. (2018) ‘When Will the Gender Gap in Science Disappear.’ In: The Atlantic 19/4/18. At: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/when-will-the-gender-gap-in-science-disappear/558413/(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
YouTube (s.d) DUST About Page At: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7sDT8jZ76VLV1u__krUutA/about(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
YouTube (2019) The Lie Game [Video Description] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgilCOIBCXA&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=11&t (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Billson, A. (2018) ‘The final frontier: how female directors broke into sci-fi’ In: The Guardian 16/3/18. At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/16/female-directors-science-fiction-sci-fi-patty-jenkins-ava-duvernay (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
DUST (s.d) WHO WE ARE. At: https://watchdust.com/about/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Lauzen, M. (2018) It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the 100 Top Films 0f 2017. At: https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2017_Its_a_Mans_Celluloid_World_Report_2.pdf (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Lipscombe-Southwell, A. (2018) ‘Why aren’t there more women in science.’ In: Science Focus 13/9/18. At: https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-arent-there-more-women-in-science/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Ofcom (2019) UK becomes nation of streamers… but traditional broadcast TV leads the way on UK content. At: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2019/uk-becomes-nation-of-streamers(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Savvy, L. (2018) ‘About SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival.’ In: SCI-FI-LONDON 5/12/18. At: https://sci-fi-london.com/about/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival (2017) THE FESTIVAL. At: http://archive.sci-fi-london.com/festival/ (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2018) Women in Science. At: http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs51-women-in-science-2018-en.pdf (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Women’s Media Center & BBC America (2019) Superpowering Women in Science Fiction and Superhero Film: A 10-Year Investigation. At: http://www.womensmediacenter.com/reports/superpowering-women-in-science-fiction-and-superhero-film-a-ten-year-investigation (Accessed on 17 November 2019).
Yong, E. (2018) ‘When Will the Gender Gap in Science Disappear.’ In: The Atlantic 19/4/18. At: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/when-will-the-gender-gap-in-science-disappear/558413/(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
YouTube (s.d) DUST About Page At: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7sDT8jZ76VLV1u__krUutA/about(Accessed on 17 November 2019).
YouTube (2019) The Lie Game [Video Description] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgilCOIBCXA&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=11&t (Accessed on 17 November 2019).