Research

Research

By Taliah Lamont

What ‘Dreamscape’ Means to Me and Research into Dreams

In my opinion, the word ‘Dreamscape’ refers to the possibilities of dreams, or if dreams (or at least the worlds they created) occupied the same plain of existence to form a landscape; obviously hence the word ‘Dreamscape’. However I also think that if such landscape existed, it would include the variety of dreams; not just by what they include, but by the nature of them. Because, although normal dreams are most common, we also experience:

-Nightmares

A dream that disturbs and frightens the dreamer causing them to wake up feeling anxious and afraid.

-Lucid Dreams

When the dreamer realises they are in a dream. This is normally followed by waking, however it’s equally as common for someone to remain conscious throughout their dream and find themselves able to ‘control’ it.

-Fever Dreams

A result of a real fever, a fever dream is characterised by being very intense and vivid, as well as confusing and also scary sequence of dreams that feel like they don’t end.

-False Awakening Dreams

These are more common in ‘bad morning’ people, but these are dreams about the dreamer getting up and going through their morning routine, however it’s so real that they often believe they are going through it as normal.

-Recurring Dreams

These are simply dreams that occur more than once, being nearly identical each time.

-Healing Dreams

These are particularly peculiar as a healing dream is how the body communicates with the brain if it’s about to have an asthma attack/migraine while the dreamer is asleep; in essence they are a warning system. These also link getting over illness or grieving as well.

-Prophetic Dreams

These are also known as precognitive, or psychic dreams, but they entail the apparent ability to foretell the future. One theory behind these is the subconscious parts of the brain piecing information together to form conclusions, although it’s difficult to precisely dissect its true cause.

-Signal Dreams

Signal dreams have the ability to help the dreamer solve problems in their real life by showing them solution via dreams.

-Epic Dreams

Epic dreams are perhaps as far on the good scale as a dream can get. Also called cosmic, great, and numinous dreams; these are so beautiful, complex, vivid, and engaging that the dreamer can remember them for years, and recall them as if they just happened. They are also described as being life changing, and waking from one summons profound feelings of enlightenment on both the dreamers’ life and the world itself.

-Progressive Dreams

A progressive dream refers to when you wake from a dream, but when you go back to sleep (even if it’s the next night) it continues right from where you left off. Using specific memory methods, lucid dreamers can access this ability easily.

-Mutual Dreams

A mutual dream is simply a dream that’s shared between two people. These are particularly difficult to explain, although if two people work to build up a strong, trusted relationship, it has shown to greatly increase the chances of a mutual dream.

It’s the combination of these dreams that make up a dreamscape, and the combinations of these dreams is what I would like to utilize to make my final film varied as well as more realistic. Another element of some of these dreams is how it physically affects people. These are commonly referred to as parasomnias which covers:

-Night Terrors

A disorder which causes dreamers (normally young children) to have their nightmares physically affect them. This goes from sleep talking, to thrashing, and sleep walking. They last about 15 minutes per attack, and the dreamer very rarely remembers it once they have awoken.

-Sleep Walking

Fairly self-explanatory, sleep walking is the act of physically walking around in your sleep. Most dreamers don’t know they’re doing it until they wake up and this can lead to a slight spell of disorientation and confusion.

-Confusion Arousals

This is an incredibly common one, it is simply someone waking from a deep sleep and the transition of which causes confusion. This is easily the most common as it occurs when someone is woken abruptly which would obviously lead to confusion. During this state, the dreamer is generally slow to respond to questions, and takes longer to process any information. It can also lead to the dreamer forgetting having the spell entirely the next day.

-Rhythmic Movements Disorder

This is almost exclusively suffered by children and is identified by the dreamer, although being laid flat, thrashing their head violently against the pillow or rocking against their hands and knees. This also occurs before the dreamer falls asleep.

 -Sleep Talking

Another common, and self-explanatory issue; sleep talking is the act of a dreamer talking out loud in their sleep. It can range from small, inaudible noises or attempts at speech, to full monologues and sentences. Dreamers almost never recall these instances either, they rely entirely on someone else hearing them in order to know if they have said anything or not.

-Nocturnal Leg Cramps

This is a sudden, involuntary contraction of calf muscles (Although this can spread to the thighs too) during the dreamers sleep. The cramps can last from a few seconds up to 10 minutes, and the pain afterward can go on for hours. This is most common in elderly dreamers although any age group can also be affected.

-Sleep Paralysis

This is one of the scarier parasomnias; Sleep paralysis occurs when the dreamer is either falling asleep or waking up and it causes either a partial or full skeletal paralysis of the dreamer. Alongside the paralysis, it’s very common for the dreamer to experience hallucinations during the attack. These hallucinations can be visual, auditory, or both; they also commonly take the form of demons, or demonic forms sitting on the person and holding them in place, however dreamers fears have been known to get mixed up as well. It isn’t directly harmful, however the fear of not knowing what’s happening/ the hallucinations can lead to panic attacks in some people.

-Sleep Cardiac Arrhythmias

A condition of the heart being lower on oxygen during sleep and is characterised by an irregular heartbeat. This is one of the more dangerous conditions as it’s more common among elderly dreamers and it’s not uncommon for a sufferer who isn’t treated to suffer heart attacks during their sleep.

-Sleep Behaviour Disorder

This disorder basically entails the dreamer physically acting out violent/dramatic dreams. The dreamer can normally be easily awakened from this, and can even recall vivid details of their dreams.

-Sleep Bruxism

In Lehmans terms, this is the involuntary and excessive grinding of a dreamers teeth in their sleep. It’s not harmful, but it can cause week teeth and gums, and case lots of future dental work.

-Sleep Enuresis

To put it simply, its bed wetting. Obviously involuntary, it’s most common in children but adults suffering from certain medical conditions can be prone to this as well.

-Nocturnal Paroxysmal Dystonia

This is definitely one of the worst parasomnias as it involves the dreamer having several full seizures during their sleep. It’s been connected to sufferers of epilepsy however non-epileptic dreamers can have very rare experiences with this parasomnia. Its dangers are the same as normal seizures as sufferers can injure themselves when they thrash, and can also bite their tongues/lips which will often lead to bleeding.

These physical affections make dreaming a much more realistic topic to study, because I think when a film is based on a subject that can be dismissed or turned away from (such as computer technologys ability to be turned off, and dreams being able to be woken up from), it lacks the real life threat to keep the viewer intrigued; therefore, to keep the story moving and the characters motivated, a real life threat (or at least one that endangers the character somehow) is necessary. This, to me, also works better when it’s something that everyday people experience or could suffer from as having a realistic threat connects the viewer into the story better.

Also because so many people suffer from the various parasomnias, I don’t think it’s fair to exclude them from ‘Dreamscapes’.

What Genre Do I Want to Work In?

The main genre I want to explore and use for my final project is fantasy/sci-fi. Due to the nature of these two genres they do tend to overlap and combine more effectively than most other genre combinations why is why they tend to be so expansive and populated so densely. 

I chose it over my other favourite genres, like action and adventure, or crime, due to the nature of my plot and brief as I felt it would lend itself better to something with more imagination. Basically, I feel it would be practically impossible to make a dream based film come off realistic without first expanding its concept into something more fantastic.

I also prefer sci-fi because it allows to bend the rules of a universe, and in some cases create a whole new universe or world; this is especially critical to my film as I wantit to include advanced technologies and as these technologies aren’t advanced enough in todays world, I have to make my own world to fit them into. This will also allow me to expand weapons technologies and how the villain operates in a more advanced world and how he/she can exploit it.

What demographic am I appealing to?

As per usual I try to appeal to someone of either gender, but preferably between 16-32. I normally work within this age range because artistically I can relate so much to it. A large amount of my friends also fit within this age range so using he knowledge of what they like/don’t like I can get a rough approximation of the most broadly appealing aspects of the genre I will be working in. I also tend to focus moe on people who would be considered outcasts, normally a social one; again, this is because I relate so much to it and I know there are a lot of people like that and having characters they can relate to is such a positive feeling that can hopefully inspire them to accept themselves and do what they want instead of trying to appeal to everyone.

Key Movements in the Science Fiction Genre

As I have chosen the genre of science fiction to work within for my final film, understanding its roots is crucial to creating my own film to place within the genre.

As with most other genres, sci-fi began in literature. Its first instances can be dated back as early as the 2^nd century where history and mythology blurred slightly, but it wasn’t until 1666 when Margaret Cavendish’s book ‘The Blazing World’ was published as the first true science fiction novel, with Jonathan Swifts ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ following 60 years later in 1726. Other landmark classical sci-fi writers include: Phillip Nolan, H.G Wells, and Jewels Verne.

The first film to be properly classed as a sci-fi was 1895 film called “La Charcuterie mécanique” the film was produced in France by the Lumiére Brothers. It was about a machine that turned a pig into a string of sausages.

Off the bat, this isn’t the sci fi type of scenario we are used to today, but as it was 1895, the idea of a machine being able to turn an animal into a processed product was one of fantasy but from this simple little flim, the genre of sci-fi was born.

Another early landmark was ‘A trip to the Moon’ by George Méliés in 1902. It was another short film, but this cemented the sci-fi genre better as the weird and crazy one we know. It featured much more surreal make up, designs and storylines, this film marks the much more recognizable style the genre would soon adopt.

After the considerable amount of short films science fiction made, it wasn’t until 1913 before a feature film was made.

‘A Message from Mars’ was released in Britain in July of 1913 at 68 minutes in length. It was about a self-centered, arrogant egotist who receives a message from mars explaining the error of his ways, he then turns invisible and eavesdrops on his friends and family and is shown a harsh truth when they all talk about him. This, in my opinion, is the official start of sci-fi as this is when it was showed publicly in large numbers.

Popular films that followed after were ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ in 1916, ‘The Master Mystery’ in 1918, and ‘Then First Men in the Moon’ in 1919.

By decade, here are some of the most famous and popular sci-fi films up to the present day:

1920’s

It was still a fairly unknown genre, so the list is short. The technology restricted a lot of ideas and with no sound and the use of title cards, atmosphere was difficult at the best of times. But this didn’t stop people making sci-fi films by a long shot. Popular films at the time were:

The Mechanical Man (1921)- a 60 minute Italian film about a scientist accidently creating a robot.

The Last Man on Earth(1924)- A 70 Minute feature film about a female aviator finding the last fertile man on earth as the rest are sterile. The plot is a text book definition of dated, but it still became one of the pioneers of sci-fi.

The Mysterious Island(1929)- A 95 minute feature film based off the Jules Verne novel of the same name, and because of the popularity of the source material, this was one the most successful sci-fi films of the 20s.

1930’s

With the introduction of sound in 1927, films have now been able to expand their worlds, add depth, atmosphere, and much better acting with subtle vocal nuances. However this was also the time of the great depression in America so there was very little money around, and as such the film industry suffered greatly. But here are a few sci-fi titles of the 1930’s:

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931)- a 98 minute, makeup effect invoating film about a regular man who transforms into his evil, sexually menacing side, and harasses the town. Until they die in the end.

Flash Gordan(1936)- One of the first majorly successful serial films about the adventures of hero, Flash Gordan. Its running time equals 245 minutes.

1940’s

A slow decade for sci-fi due to political circumstances; with the war either being fought or recovering from its damage, any film concerning fighting was a delicate topic to say the least; a wrong character or plot choice could see it hated for its outlook on certain parts of war or combat, but from this sci-fi began to grow into a more surreal genre. People would do anything to avoid realism as it hinted to the very real dangers of war, hence why more unbelievable aliens were introduced. But even the most popular ones fell victim to the cutbacks and rations of the 1940s so the genre couldn’t reach its full potential just yet. But here are the films for the 40’s:

Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940)- This serial film focuses on the parents of a child who dies at the hands of the power mad scientist, Dr Satan and the epic fight that follows.

The Purple Monster Strikes (1945)- Another serial film, only accumulatnig 100 minutes about Cryus Layton after he observes a meterorite land and brings back the alien aboard to observe. It ends with Cyrus Layton killing the purple monster.

The Mysterious Mr M (1946)- A final series of films, The Mysterious Mr M is about a man who uses mind control dugs and blames the alter ego Mr M to steal a submarine.

1950’s

Rationings now coming to a close and it’s been a whole decade since the war was finished and bizare and fantastical direction for the genre has stuck and now blindingly good film after film is being released with most reaching a more classical status in todays eyes. Here are the 1950’s films:

It Came From Outer Space (1953)- A 81 minute film about another meteorite crashing thats witnessed by a crowd and the dangers that ensure when the inhabitants of the meteorite walk the earth and snatch humans.

War of the Worlds (1953)- A defnite landmark in sci-fi, this radio show turned film originally caused a considerable amount odf suicides when the radio show that was playing it did such a good job of making the main alien invasion sound real, that people jumped off buildings and commited suicide to avoid the wrath of the aliens.

Tarantula (1995)- A beginner of the weird sci-fi horror slicks, this movie is simply about a giant tarauntula attacking, the plot is literally just that.

1960’s

The decade before the big sci-fi boom, technology is picking up by greatly now and its effects are showing as more ambitious films take to the screen with better colours, effects, and writing. Sci-fi is being recognized as a serious genre with the same potential and artistic integrity of any other genre. These are the examples for the 1960’s:

Day of the Triffids (1962)- About a man who cares for carnivorous plants, The Day of the Triffids is about the destruction they cause when they are accidently released upon the world by the kgb and how the plants surpress the humans into colonies on islands.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)- An abstract, but critically acclaimed legend. 2001: A Space Odyssey questions evolution and is famous for it featuring a man in a space ship with his computer Hal 9000 and the weird insane events that follow.

Planet of the Apes (1968)-Planet of the Apes explores the lives of apes as they surpass human intelligence and attempt to reclaim the earth as their own once and for all.

1970’s

It’s in this decade that science fiction explodes into the mainstream cinema scene. Again the progression of technology is baffling the world and as one of the most expansive genres, sci-fi happily shows off its potential as well as the technologies. This technology wasn’t cheap however, as such a lot of low budget sci-fis were coming out, but with the budgets for mainstream films increasing, quality wasn’t left behind.

 Although I have left out undeniable greats such as Superman, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the third kind, and Star Trek, here are some examples of 1970’s sci fi:

A Clockwork Orange (1971)- Clockwork Orange is well known for being incredibly strange and disturbing featuring scenes of beatings, robbery, murder, and even rape. Its distintive style is also well known and is replicated by fans all over.

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)- In a 50's style world, a typical couple, Brad and Jannet break down on a car ride and happen accross a mansion full of sweet transvestites and promiscuity as a twisted scientist shows off his creation of the most beautiful man alive.

Alien (1979)- After recieving a distress signal a team get attacked by alien eggs and have to deal with the spawn upon the ship as the kill their way through the crew. We then follow the last survivor, Hellen Ripley, as she fights off the creatures.

1980’s

The boom for sci-fi hasn’t quite quietened down at this point, so some all-time greats are still being released with more and more incredible classics being created or adapted for the cinema screen.

Again, I could easily list all the other greats of the decade but I want to keep it short so here are the 1980’s examples:

Blade Runner (1982)-Set in a dystopian future, Rick Deckard is a replicant hunter and must kill 4 replicants who have arrived to earth illegally. Investigatin major corporations, and the creation of replicants, its a very surreal and well developed world which has stood as lassic since its creation.

Ghost Busters (1984)- Following a team of ghost hunters, Ghost Busters is a comedic and very cartoony sci fi film. They fight against the law for the greater good of the world. It has an incredible following and its theme is one of the most recognisable in the world.

Back to the Future (1985)- Back to the Future follows Marty McFly and his friends Doc Browns time machine when he accidently send himself back to 1955 and meets his parents, but after messing up the timeline of them meeting, he has to get them together befoer hes erased from existance all together.

1990’s

Sci-fi has started to cool its heels at this point. With cinema genres no longer battling for dominance and a more harmonic system has been put in place, the quality of sci-fi has definitely not been compromised. But after its incredible climax over the past 20 years, films are definitely being released at a slower rate.

Here the 90’s sci-fi examples:

Jurassic Park (1993)- A scientific innovation leads to dinosaurs once again walking the earth, but for peoples viewing pleasure in a theme park. But during the tests before its grand opening, the dinosaurs break free and begin murdering the visitors, scientists, and employees. All this occurs alongside the sabotage of a disgruntled employee trying to leak the secrets to a rival company. In short, it’s a very bad day at Jurassic Park.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)- An animated film about a robotic Cop, Motoko Kusunagi, and her persuit to take down an elusive hacker known as 'The Hacker' as he causes un paralled destruction around the city and even takes over the minds of existing robots to suit his needs.

The Matrix (1999)- When Neo, a computer hacker, realises the world he lives in is a lie, its his job as 'the one' to defeat the men in charge and reinstate freedom for everyone under their control.

2000’s

Going full circle, sci-fi receded so much in the past decade that it has become once more, a niche genre with more cult successes than mainstream fame. However superhero movies keep the mainstream success and high budgets coming in, but the darker, grittier sci-fi films gain loyal fans and more respect as an art rather than ‘nerd fodder’.

Here’s the examples for the 2000’s:

Donnie Darko (2001)- A kid finds out he has to save the world and in the process, everything goes crazy. This film is difficult to summerize, its strange and bizare and can leave a lot of confused faces, but its brilliant and has earned 7.7 billoin since its release.

V For Vendetta (2006)- A political thriller, V for Vendetta exploes a crumbled america with a supreme addiction to the oppresion of its minorities into concentration camps until V, an activist, takes responsibilty for an attack on the city and rallys thenm together at the next fawkes night to defeat their government.

District 9 (2009)- Set 30 years after aliens have invaded, District 9 shows how the humans have supressed the aliens into being the poorest of the poor, they kill their children and force them into slums. But when an important overseerer of the aliens is infected and turns into one himself, he finds out how horrible the humans really are as they try submit him for testing so they can further surpress the already oppressed aliens even further.

And as the 2010’s are only halfway at this point, this is where its key moments ends. It definitely hasn’t had no remarkable films since the beginning of the 10’s, but I feel we must wait for it to play out before we critique it.

However below I have a more in depth look at some favorite sci-fis, with the contemporary list being focused on ones that have been released in the past 3 years.

Historical and Contemporary Examples of Science Fiction Film

Historical

Godzilla

Godzilla is easily one of the best known sci fi classics of all time. A simple concept of a giant dinaosaur attacking a giant city, yet its simplicity is what pull in most of its audience. It speaks such a menacing but kind of childish threat; like imaging your toy dinosaur might come to life. But he has also been a seriously terryfying character indeed, especially through the times as his films are given bigger budgetsd, better writers, better teams to work on it; this has made him the big daddy of monsters himself. Alongside cthululu and beelzebub, a godzilla proudly stands. He's also a hallmark from a technological standpoint asmost of his films used new techniques, and soared higher to make him scarier, more realistic, more threatening, and plain out cool too observe. Thats why he's one of my favourite classics.

The Thing

The thing was never really a great film. Its effects were obvious, its story was bland, its acting was okay, but its still a classic. The thing is just one of those bad films that may have made a slight wave in his day, but boy did he crash the carts in the future. The cult following for films such as the thing is terryfying, people love old horror; and people love old, bad horror even more. Its got such a charm to it, the bad writing seems to be attractive just for how hard it tries, the laughable effects just remind how far weve come, and acting shows you how much smarter we have had to tani actors to make them believable. Its watching the evolution of cinema from its roots, you can't help but love this toddler as you sit beside the grown adult it becomes. Knowing the potential and what these films lead to make them a historical force of nature and how aging them has done more good for them than ever.

 Contemporary

The Avengers 

Easily one of my favourite films of all time, The Avengers is masterful writing, incrdible effects and a sound track to kill for. I've rarely seen 5 characters share a screen so perfectly, there characters are brought out in such subtle hints like there fighting styles to how they dress, or how they spend their time. The action also blows minds; it creates this epic scene with such a strong threat, yet the way they wrote these teammates, how one takes control to  control the situation but doesnt come across a leader, just a team player. Its fantastic. Superhero films have always embraced sci-fi and its impossible for them to be without it now, but seeing films like this come out that stun millions is what keeps it going so I sincerely hope that it never ends.

The Worlds End

 I adore satirical films, especially in nerd culture because it adheres to its stereotypes so perfectely, it can somehow appeal and relate to every age and The Worlds End is a perfect example. Its about a groups of guys who go out on a pub crawl in their home town to realise everyones been replaced by robots, but these middle aged men just want a good night out but can't leave incase they're ratted out. It escalates fantastically, and climaxes in a beautifully sad scene that resonates in anyone and reflects themes of regrets, suicide, expectation, and peer pressure. You see the teenagers in these men, what they once were, and what they are now and how the became what they are. They deal with eachothers personal issues alongside fighting ink filled legions of robots out to kill them and I think the ability to make a sci-fi so bizare, yet hit so close to the heart is baffling. I think combining emotional struggle with new rules of a new world is a perfect way to emotionally attatch a viewer to the characters as if they cant relate to the world, they must relate to their feelings instead, which if they are as well written as these, is easy to do and dangerous. 

Thats why these films make up my favourite historical as well as contemporary pieces.