Final Project

Final Project
The final project for this class will be due at the end of the last module. You will have a choice of two projects to select from.

Final Project Option 1

Throughout the course of the semester, we have watched and analyzed a number of science fiction films and television shows. We have thought about how the mind, the brain, the body, and the self has been portrayed, what these reveals about how we think about perception, memory, thinking, emotion, and ourselves. For the final project for this class, you will be responsible for developing and pitching your own scifi film that explores cognition, the mind, and the brain.

You are encouraged to be as creative as you wish with this project. The only requirement is that you connect your film to the themes we have been discussing the semester. As you brainstorm film ideas, consider 

This project has a number of different components, so be sure to include all of them. 

Title
Make sure to come up with a title that reflects the content and tone of your film. You might want to think about how the 

Setting
In science fiction, world building is a crucial part of the story. Please write one 200 word paragraph detailing the setting of your film, and select at least two images to represent it. Be sure to specify both the location of the action as well as the time period (far future, near future, etc) and to include a brief explanation of why you made those selections. How does the setting contribute to the meaning and action of the film? 

Plot
Please write a detailed plot summary, at least 500 words, about the content of your film. What is the story, the narrative? Who is the protagonist? What does he or she or it want? Who is the antagonist? What is his or her or its goal? Who are the secondary characters? What is the arc of your protagonist? How does he, she, or it change over the course of the film? What is the structure of your story? You can find some information about story structure here and here. 

Genre
Your film will be science fiction, but as we have seen over the course of our five weeks together, there is a lot of variation within this genre. In a 100 hundred paragraph, please identify which subgenre(s) your film could be categorized. Take some time to look at the different characteristics of subgenre and genre hybrids. Is your film an action scifi, a scifi thriller, scifi horror, scific romcom, etc. In what ways does your film conform to genre conventions or expectations? In what ways does it depart from or subvert those expectations? 

Casting
Casting is an important part of any film. In fact, arguably, your characters don’t exist until they are cast. Please select actors to play the main roles in your film and, in a 200 word paragraph, provide an explanation about why you selected the actors you did. As you explain your casting choices, consider the age and gender of the actor, their physical appearance, their past roles, their celebrity persona and personal history. Are these actors like Daniel Day Lewis who disappear into their roles, or someone like Robert Downey Jr., who always seems to play some version of Robert Downey Jr in his films.  What does casting this particular actor bring to the role that casting another, different actor does not? 

Moodboard
Also referred to as aesthetics or picsets, moodboards are a collage of images that create a sense of atmosphere, visual style, or narrative. For this project you will be required to make one in order to convey the artistic style and visual aesthetic of your film. You moodboard should establish a sense of setting and costuming, and might also include images of the actors or important symbols in your film. Moodboard can be created for free using Adobe Express and it should include at least nine images. 

Once you have created your moodboard, in a 200 word paragraph, please explain why you selected the images that you did? Why do they convey about your film?

Example moodboards:

Example moodboard. Includes nine images, including a person in a cape, a woman with a visor over her eyes, a digital projection of a brain, computer circuitry, and others.  example moodboard. It contains nine images. Two images are in black and white: one, the close-up of a woman's face and hand, and two, packets of pills and dollar bills. The other images are brightly colored, and consist of screens, and psychedelic pictures of landscapes and people.

 

 

 

 

 

Soundtrack
Develop a soundtrack to accompany your film. Please select at least five songs (you are welcome to select instrumental songs for a musical score or licensed popular music) and, in a 200 paragraph, explain why you selected the songs you did, how they fit into your film. How do the songs you selected establish the feel, mood, or tone of your film? What scene or event in your film to you imagine the song accompanying?  Provide an explanation for each song. 

Brain Matter
Over the course of the semester, we have learned about different ways of thinking about the mind, the self, and the body. We have looked at how science fiction films represent the relationship between mind and body, self and memory, empathy and emotions. In a 400 word paragraph, explain how your film explores one of the topics we have discussed in class. If we were to analyze your film in this class, what are some of the observations we might make about it. How does your film reflect what you have learned in this class? 

Final Project Option 2

There are far more science fiction films and television shows that explore the brain, the mind, and human and non-human cognition than we could possibly cover during our 6-week summer course. This final project asks you to make the case for switching out three films or television episodes we watched this semester with a different option. You will be responsible for accessing and watching these films or television episodes. Then you will write a 400-450 word mini review for each one. 

In this review, you should include the following: 

  1. Briefly describe the plot or premise of the film;
    This overview of the films’ premise should be no more than a few sentences. 
  2. Evaluate how successfully it executes its premise, by commenting on:
    1. Casting 
    2. Performances 
    3. Direction 
    4. Plot and story structure 
    5. Music
    6. World building (including, costume and set design) 
    7. Theme
      You don’t need to comment on all of these, just the ones that you think are most relevant to the film you are discussing. 
  3. Connect the film explicitly to what we have discussed in class; how do you see this new film fitting into the course?
    1. Which module would you slot this film into? 
    2. Make specific reference to topics covered in our course VoiceThread lectures in your analysis and assessment of the films.
    3. Makes explicit connections between the particular moments in the film and the topics we have covered in class.
      For this portion of the assignment, it is not enough to say “this film is about memory and we talked about memory in class.” Rather, I am expecting you to analyze what the film is saying about memory, and how it is saying it. Does the film’s representation of the mind match or diverge from the research we’ve been learning about in class.   
  4.  Identify which text you would eliminate so that we could watch the one you are reviewing; what film are you going to replace?
      1.  What would be lost in the exchange? What would be gained? What could we discuss or what gets illuminated with this one that we couldn’t get with the original? Etc.
  5. Rate the film in two categories.
    1. Quality as film (independent of this course)
    2. Suitability of the film for this course
      You can develop whatever system you’d like!

If you are interested in this option but are not sure where to start, please let me know! I have a list of films that I considered for this course but, ultimately, was unable to use. I am happy to make recommendations.