Class notes
Fam 1000s : District 9;Genre and National Identity notes
- Course
- Institution
This is a comprehensive and detailed note on District 9; Genre and National Identity for Fam 1000S. Quality stuff!! U'll need it!!
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
anyiamgeorge19
Content preview
District 9: Genre and National IdentityGenre:
Easy to recognise, more difficult to explain.
Genres based on plot pattern, emotional effects, setting, theme, aesthetic, form.
Change, development of genres – hybrids.
Conventions and expectations.
“Genre, it had always seemed to me, was a set of assumptions, a loose contract
between the creator and the audience.”
Science Fiction:
“Literature of change”.
Science fiction “deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and
technology.”
Different worlds and different times, dealing with actual, here-and-now issues.
“What speculative fiction is good at is not the future, but the present.”
Possibilities and limitations, science and technology, humanity.
Subgenres:
o Time travel (Back to the Future).
o Aliens (Men in Black).
o Space Opera (Star Wars).
o Dystopian future (Mad Max Fury Road).
o Apocalyptic (Armageddon).
o Monsters and mutants (Godzilla).
o Cyberpunk (The Matrix).
o Space Westerns (Cowboys and Aliens).
Mockumentary:
Using elements of documentary form for comic effect, parody.
Handheld camera.
Direct address.
Interviews.
Newsreel.
Grainy.
Neill Blomkamp:
Born in 1979, in Johannesburg.
Immigrated to Canada at age 18.
Graduated from Vancouver Film School’s 3D and Visual Effects programme in 1998.
Worked in animation.
District 9 – Background and Production:
Preceded by short film Alive in Joburg (2005).
Written and directed by Blomkamp, produced by Peter Jackson.
, Won the 2010 Saturn Award for Best International Film.
Nominated for four Academy Awards in 2009: Best Picture, Best Editing, Best
Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects.
Budget: $30 Million.
Themes:
First contact, and what happens after.
Aliens humanised.
Dystopia.
Xenophobia, discrimination (2008 xenophobic outbursts in SA).
National identity.
References made:
Spaceship hanging above Johannesburg syline: Armageddon, Independence Day.
Body transformation: The Fly.
CNN-style news coverage.
South African Touches:
Large part of its success: being a South African sci-fi.
Local vs international audiences.
Language.
Van der Merwe.
Soweto – shacks.
Local actors.
Blomkamp on District 9:
“My upbringing in [Johannesburg] had a massive effect on me, and I started to realize that
everything to do with segregation and apartheid, and now the new xenophobic stuff that’s
happening in the city, all of that dominates my mind, quite a lot of the time. Then there’s the
fact that science fiction is the other big part of my mind, and I started to realize that the two
fit well together. There’s no message, per se, that I’m trying to get across with the movie. It’s
rather that I want to present science fiction, and put it in the environment that affected me. In
the process, maybe I highlight all the topics that interest me, but I’m not giving any answers.
You can take from it what you will.”
Social critique:
“District 9 utilises the generic elements of the science fiction film to critique both
apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa.”
It both acknowledges and subverts science fiction tropes.
Globalisation – private military company MNU stand in place of the apartheid
government.
Xenophobia – critiqued, or reinforced?
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anyiamgeorge19. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $11.50. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
78677 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now