What Really is Dystopian?
Happy Halloween! The typical genre for
Halloween is usually horror but honestly, there’s nothing scarier than the end
of the world, and our generation, being raised on dystopian movies, knows this.
The
Dystopian genre can be defined as displaying an imagined
future state or society that is undesirable or frightening where the
oppressive and controlling structure is being challenged. Typically, this genre
is used to explore and criticize current or developing issues in our world. Stories
about corrupt societies that must be challenged inspire viewers to think
differently about current issues and people are able to identify with the
heroes of the story.
One of the main reasons this genre is so successful is because
it caters to teenagers and young adults who are stereotypically considered
rebellious just like the heroes portrayed in post-apocalyptic movies.
Content:
The main themes in dystopian movies are anarchism and oppression displayed in the leaders and government while mass poverty and
citizens’ livelihood constantly declining in their subjects. The elements of
this genre include citizens’ deception in society through lies from the
government, extreme social divides through class or some type of faction, and
the most important element which is a total loss of individuality and being
forced to conform to the false feeling of safety.
This loss of individuality is crucial to the protagonists’ need
to escape and fight against the rules that have been imposed upon them. All information,
freedom, and thought have been restricted or censored in different forms such as the burning of books or propaganda from politicians.
For example, in Hunger Games, the people of the country of
Panem are so poor that they do not have access to televisions with accurate news
coverage, and they are constantly fed the idea that District 13, the only
district to ever rebel, is totally destroyed and insinuating that anyone who
attempts to follow in their footsteps will end up the same way even though they
are just reusing the same footage which is no longer accurate. These lies lead
the main protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, to begin doubting the government.
Another trope often seen is that this new society is fenced
in to “protect” the citizens and keep some danger out. In divergent, their
whole city is fenced in to lure the citizens into believing the government is
trying to keep them safe while in reality it is being used to keep them trapped
and observed by outer forces. this becomes their main focus when Tris and Four
are leading the war now against the scientists observing rather than their corrupt
leaders.
Almost all dystopian stories follow the same plot. They begin
with the protagonists’ lives being suddenly changed either through their society’s idea of coming of age or a loved one in danger since a common trait these
main characters have is fiercely loyal and protective. This sudden shift forces
them to finally confront the injustices they have been facing their whole lives
and act upon them. The protagonist then teams up with other rebels, usually
society’s outcasts, and they begin preparing for the war they lead. This
war usually has many casualties, usually someone important to the main
characters, and eventually leads to the main face-off with the antagonist they’ve
been fighting since the start. The hero wins this and completely changes how the
world works for their societies.
Production Techniques
Throughout the movies, the sea colors are seen in costume design and set design. These colors, usually gray, black, beige, and blue, display the bleak and dreary vibe that these movies are trying to evoke. They are often fast-paced and have very little dialogue to highlight the action scenes involved. They either have a dark and dreary mise en scene like in Equilibrium and Divergent or a more futuristic and sleek look like in What Happened to Monday which included many technological advancements.
There are also many action sequences to display the way these rebels are slowly climbing up towards their main goal and being able to successfully overthrow their corrupt governments.
Marketing:
These movies are usually targeted at teenagers and young adults. this is due to the fact that younger people tend to be seen as rebellious and it leads to these generations questioning their own government more due to strong influences from the characters in these movies. These movies are catered to all genders since protagonists range from teenage boys and girls to young adults questioning everything.
The posters for these movies center around the protagonists and their main opposers or identifying rebellious symbols. The majority have blue, gray, and black incorporated and clear, simple, bold fonts for the title. The protagonist is usually much smaller than its antagonists in order to emphasize the fact that this is a big fight that they are about to embark on, they are being overwhelmed by power and size. often they also include an image of their run-down cities.
Samples:
The film
Hunger Games is about a 16-year-old girl who is forced into a corrupt game the government imposes on people in order to control them since she is protecting her 12-year-old sister. Katniss is forced to face the Capitol, the corrupt government, after years of fighting off hunger and poverty for her family. she has always hated the government and is now being forced to pretend she is happy with them. the film uses grays and pale colors when she is in her home, District 12, to show the simplicity of her life due to poverty but when she is moved to the Capitol, the colors become much more vibrant and elaborate structures and outfits. The costume design is so important to show the contrast between the characters in this story. The people in the Capitol have never had to deal with poverty and so they are able to spend their money on unnecessary cosmetic procedures or accessories such as multiple colored wigs, while the people in the districts are dressed in simple outfits and barely have enough money to afford color outfits. The most important props in this movie are the identifying symbols of the rebellion and the protagonist herself. Katniss' bow and arrow becomes her life saver and her signature weapon throughout the games and later on her weapon for the rebellion and her Mockingjay pin becomes a symbol of the rebellion and she becomes known as the Mockingjay.
Divergent follows the story of a young 16-year-old girl who has now come of age in her city and must go into the faction she belongs to. these factions were created in order to keep peace in a society that was destroyed due to a big war in the past. these factions are meant to inspire unity and control. Tris, the protagonist, takes the test to fit into one of these factions and finds that she does not fit any, this is a problem since the government is not able to control her as easily. Being "Divergent" means she can fit into multiple factions and she is immune to serums that control the minds and actions of people. She teams up and falls in love with Four, another character who also has a problem with the way the government is treating its people. The factions are all decided and identified through colors, abnegation being gray, Dauntless black, Erudite blue, Amity being yellow, and Candor white. This costume design highlighted their conformity to their respective factions. The government has begun hunting Divergent people so Tris is directly at risk and this is who she fights since the government is administering a serum to control the soldiers and kill many people. Tris and Four are able to fight this and attempt to save as many people as possible, they are determined to succeed.
