2

10 BRINGING BACK THE FUTURE

04 A RETURN TO THE MOON

14 MAN VS MACHINE VS MONSTER

08 SSFM 2012

20 INTERVIEW: NEILL BLOMKAMP

18 INFOGRAPHIC

23 COnTRIBUTORS

o4

Imagine that all of the movies

made in your lifetime

don’t exist. Pretty difficult, isn’t it? Now try

imagining that all of the movies that have

come out in the past century no longer exist.

You’re probably wondering to yourself, “Did

movies even exist that long ago?” Believe it

or not, they did! However, one hundred years

ago, movies were extremely different from

what we’re used to here in the 21st century.

One hundred years ago, films were meant for

the upper class, whereas today, they’re open

to anyone who can afford them and they can

even be watched at home. A century ago,

movies were mostly short films that typically

lasted no longer than twenty minutes, whereas

today, they can last up to three or four hours,

and sometimes more. Movies were more primi-

tive in their production methods, unlike today,

where we have the advantage of technology to

create sounds and visuals through editing.

109 years ago (67 years before the Apollo 11

moon landing), Georges Méliès conducted a

different mission to the moon. As writer, direc-

tor, and star, he released a 14 minute short

film titled, Le Voyage dans la lune, or better

known in the U.S. as A Trip to the Moon. It

was the first film in the science fiction genre. It

has made a lasting impression across multiple

fields in cinematic history, and has had a great

impact on the genre and its following films. It

is also known for using the earliest forms of

innovative special effects.

Georges Méliès was a famous French film-

maker during the silent era of film. Initially, his

interests began in the arts and expanded into

magic and ultimately, cinema. As part of the

audience at the Lumière Brothers’ unveiling of

the cinematography, he was inspired to learn

more about moving pictures. He was later able

to build his own projector and screen other

peoples’ movies, then eventually his own.

With filmmaking as a new tool in his arsenal

of creativity, Méliès was determined to go

beyond the visual capabilities of stage theatre

and into special effects in film. One of the

most famous special effects he discovered

is known as the “stop trick.” He accidentally

discovered this trick when he was filming a

street scene in Paris and his camera jammed.

He stopped rolling to fix the jam and resumed

rolling after. Later, when he screened the

footage, an omnibus in the street was instantly

replaced by a hearse. This was just one of the

many visual tricks he used in his films that has

been utilized throughout filmmaking history.

Others include double exposure, actors per-

forming with themselves over split screen, and

the use of dissolves and fades.

In A Trip to the Moon, Méliès films the moon

landing in two different ways: first with a

bullet-shaped rocket landing in the eye of the

moon, which has been made to look like a face

(a scene which would be remembered through-

out cinematic history). Secondly, with the

rocket landing on the flat surface. This tech-

nique would be echoed in Edwin S. Porter’s

Life of an American Fireman. Other notable

visuals and techniques in Méliès’ most famous

film include creating sets and backdrops with

simple, painted flats, having detailed costume

designs for the moon people and the moon

face, and making the moon people explode

into smoke through camera trickery. Although

these seem primitive today, we must remem-

ber that these were filmmaking innovations

started by a master of illusion and editing over

one hundred years ago.

06

7

As the largest producer of fiction films in

France, Méliès had a large output of hundreds

of films which ranged from one minute to forty

minutes. Other filmmakers started to follow

his trend in lengthening their films as well.

However, his earliest films focused on camera

tricks and special effects, and some were even

devoid of plot, due to his emphasis on special

effects.

`A Trip to the Moon runs for about fourteen

minutes and has both a plot and special ef-

fects. It was inspired by Jules Verne’s From the

Earth to the Moon and H.G. Wells’ The First

Men in the Moon, two popular science fiction

novels at the time. What makes A Trip to the

Moon the first in the science fiction genre is

that it established all the elements necessary

in the genre: adventurous scientists, a futuris-

tic space voyage, special effects, and strange

aliens from a place far from earth. The rest of

the films within the science fiction genre all

have at least one of these elements in com-

mon with Georges Méliès’ most famous film.

Movies like The Thing from Another World,

2001: A Space Odyssey, the Star Wars trilo-

gies, The Terminator, The Matrix, and District

9, while having distinctive plots, all share a

common element with the very first film in

science fiction. In spite of how long ago it was

made, we can always point to A Trip to the

Moon and remember how much it resonates in

the entire genre.

08

Highlighting Sacramento’s Fall events calendar for 2011 is

something we at Continuum have all been waiting for. The

Sacramento Science Fiction Film Festival kicks off on Friday,

November 11, running through the end of the weekend. Fol-

lowing the ever-popular Sacramento Sci-Fi & Horror Show,

held at the Scottish Rite Center each September, the Film Fes-

tival aims to bring some of the most beloved science fiction

movies to downtown Sacramento.

Films will be shown at three venues, all located along a 10-block strip of K

Street. The classic Crest Theatre will serve as the festival’s home base, with

satellite venues including the Downtown Esquire IMAX screen (reserved for the

special effects-driven films), as well as the Downtown Century Plaza Theatres.

With three theatres and three days worth of science fiction culture to immerse

yourselves in, the festival is on our must-attend list. Set in the heart of Sacra-

mento, there will be plenty of other activities available within walking distance

to supplement your film-viewing. Old Sacramento, situated along the city’s

beautiful riverfront district offers museums, shops, dining and various entertain-

ers. All of this is set within a fun Western-themed atmosphere which parallels

the city’s rich history as the capitol of California.

The entire downtown area is abuzz with fine

dining and bars, galleries, parks, and shop-

ping. The downtown mall will be a central

hotspot during the festival, as it is home to

one of the venues. Much of the downtown

and popular Midtown areas can be explored

just by walking. A pleasant stroll among the

large trees that cover the area will lead you to

eclectic, hole-in-the-wall eateries, scattered

throughout an interesting mix of residential

and business pockets. Sacramento’s nightlife

is also bustling. Outdoor patios are abundant,

making after-hours mingling an essential part

of your visit. Check out http://downtownsac.

org/venture-out/plan-my-visit/ or http://oldsac-

ramento.com/ for some more things to do.

Another popular Autumn destination is Apple

Hill, just up Highway 50 from Sacramento.

Comprised of over 50 ranches and orchards,

the area is open to the public with every type

of apple treat you can think of. A micro-brew-

ery, vineyards, and spas make it a fun day trip

for adults and kids alike. Directions and events

for Apple Hill can be found at http://www.

applehill.com/.

BY ZACH MCWILLIAMS

All of this rich culture surrounding Sacramento

is one reason the Crest Theatre was chosen

as the main venue for the Science Fiction Film

Festival. Since 1912, its location has been

the home to some type of theatre. Though

the names and purposes of the building

have changed several times, it remains one

of the most recognizable icons in the city.

First used as a vaudeville performance house,

it converted to a motion picture theatre in

the late 1920s. This continued for several

decades until varying factors forced the

closure of the theatre in 1979. In 1986, the

Crest was re-opened through the efforts of a

local group who wanted the historic building

to once again be enjoyed by the citizens of

Sacramento. Since then, The Crest has hosted

many events, musical performances, and films.

Booths and entertainment related to the Sci-Fi

Festival will be set up around this location all

weekend, so plan on stopping by.

Although the science fiction genre is often

seen as exclusive or too “geeky” for some

people, the Sacramento Science Fiction Film

Festival is set up to be an introduction for

those who may not know much about it. At

the same time, the festival will show plenty of

films that are near and dear to the hearts of

the hardcore fan. Georges Méliès’ 1902 film,

“A Trip to the Moon,” will show every day of

the festival. This 14-minute narrative was the

very first science fiction film created, and used

never-before-seen special effects. A wacky

adventure, this short film serves as a histori-

cal foundation for what was to come in future

years in the science fiction world.

Science fiction is essentially a form of fiction

that draws imaginatively on scientific knowl-

edge and speculation in its plot, settings, and

themes. It is a genre of fiction dealing with

imaginary but more or less plausible content

such as future settings, futuristic science and

technology, space travel, aliens, and para-

normal abilities. There are many sub-genres

of science fiction as well, and the goal of

this year’s film festival is to present a series

of movies that span the entire history of the

genre and encompass everything the genre is

indicative of. The specific schedule of show-

times has yet to be released, but we do know

which films will be presented:

The Andromeda Strain

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Star Trek

Ghostbusters

Children of Men

Mad Max

Soylent Green

Solaris

Century Plaza445 Downtown Plz.Sacramento, CA800.326.3264

E.T.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

The Matrix

Tron

THX1138

A Clockwork Orange

Back to the Future

Esquire IMAX1211 K StreetSacramento, CA916.443.4629

A Trip to the Moon

BladeRunner

2001: A Space Odyssey

The Star Wars Saga

Alien

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Terminator

Planet of the Apes

Crest Theatre1013 K StreetSacramento, CA916.442.5189

10

FUTUREWhen Captain Picard of Star Trek: The Next

Generation wanted to do some research, all he

had to do was reach for his touch-based mini

control panel, PADD. He had an entire galaxy’s

worth of information at the tip of his fingers,

and never needed to pull out a ten pound

dictionary. So why should we? Apple manu-

factured the iPad, a device similar to Captain

Picard’s in many ways, so we can follow in the

footsteps of the hip Star Trek crew.

Remember the flying car from Blade Runner?

Or what about the flying car from the Jetsons,

Harry Potter, and Fantastic Four? The flying

car was a characteristic which lent these mov-

ies an element of fantasy. However, fiction no

more! The flying car was unveiled by Milner

Motors at the 2008 New York Auto Show. In

2011, the National Highway Traffic and Safety

Administration cleared it for the road. Any day

now, we may see a Flying Car in our rear view

mirrors.

bringing back the

Oh snap! For just five thousand smackeroos

you can own Marty McFly’s futuristic Nikes

from “Back to the Future Part 2.” No way!

Futuristic! “Back to the Future Part 2” came

out in 1989. Wouldn’t that make these Marty

McFly shoes dated? Apparently not because

on its release date consumers rushed online

and paid thousands to own a pair of these

awesome glowing sneakers.

Trinkets from the Science Fiction genre have

made a huge impact upon our imaginations. It

is no wonder that many of these once “futur-

istic” gizmos from the movies are now sitting

in our living rooms. So impressed was our

generation, that having these gadgets remain

fiction just seemed like a huge waste. Aside

from the Marty McFly shoes, here are some

items that were born on screen but have now

walked into our lives:

BY LISA LAM

11006

If you’ve watched Star Wars and wished that

R2D2 was your best friend, then look no more!

Various companies in Japan have made it

their goal to manufacture intelligent robots to

clean up after us, play with our kids, and even

challenge you to a good game of chess. The

robots Wakamaru and PaPeRo are not toys

that just swivel and turn. They are actual intel-

ligent droids that respond to the stress levels

in our voices, to decide whether or not they

will listen to our commands. R2D2 may have

been a piece of science fiction, but Wakamaru

and PaPeRo can be purchased online and in

Japanese stores.

Medical advances that were considered im-

possible in the 1970’s sci-fi TV shows The Six

Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman are

now a reality. The bionic implants that were

once a fictional stretch on both TV shows,

have found its way into the lives of selected

individuals around the world. Thanks to the

German company, Otto Bock HealthCare,

prosthesis devices controlled by the mind are

now being pioneered and prototyped. Certain

individuals like Christian Kandlbauer, who lost

his left arm in an electrical accident, regained

the ability to drive and move naturally by hav-

ing a bionic implant. Although the technology

is still currently being studied, it is predicated

to be more widely available by 2013.

Remember a time when holograms were

considered a fantastic wonder? In the original

Star Wars, R2D2 projected a hologram of Prin-

cess Leia recording a message seeking help.

At the time, the idea of having a projected

moving holographic recording of anything

was incredibly awesome, yet without a doubt

impossible. However, the technology of pro-

jecting holographic images are coming closer

to home every day. At the 2005 MTV Europe

Music Awards, the rock band Gorillaz gave the

first holographic performance ever on stage.

The technology at the time was considered ex-

pensive and not profitable; therefore, was not

used by many musicians. However in 2009 the

first ever virtual pop idol Hatsune Miku, cre-

ated by the Japanese company Crypton Future

Media, gave a first live concert utilizing the

holographic technology. Since then, Hatsune

Miku sold out concerts world wide and can be

seen regularly in the US via Toyota TV com-

mercials. And while all that sounds incredibly

cool, it is not even the most advanced form

of holograms because they still involve the

use of projection on glass. In early 2011, the

Japanese announced the development of laser

plasma emission technology which projects

holographic images in floating points of light.

Suddenly, the current hype of 3D television

sets don’t seem so impressive.

We are now just beginning to catch up. These

gadgets are ideas that were thought up by

some Science Fiction geeks, forty-some years

ago. We have now just begun transitioning

these fantastic gizmos into reality. It is hard to

imagine what type of technology Science Fic-

tion will influence, forty years later.

13

14

Suddenly, the current hype of

3D television sets doesn’t seem

so impressive.

“Suddenly, the current hype of

3D television sets doesn’t seem

so impressive!”

15

Trending for years in science

fiction, man has been placed

in precarious situations with

monsters and robots, but

typically all of these situation

was the fault of none other

then man himself. Yet why do

we empathize with his plight?

Man is constantly in search

of new extremes in all facets

of life such as technology,

knowledge, speed, travel,

and many others. However in

search of these new extremes

he finds himself carelessly

creating new problems in

the hopes of further pushing

humanity. I set out in search

of reasoning for why man is in

this situation a lot of the time.

Lets start with monsters!

Monsters vary from the gross

disgusting type with huge

teeth, beady eyes, ravenous

claws and growths oozing

puss on their back to the

monsters resembling a human

so much that they blend in

with society. They haunt man

in his closet or under the bed

as children and they devour

man on space stations lost

in space. First, we have to

compartmentalize the main

monsters categories:

We have monsters directly

created by man. Examples

include Frankenstein, The Fly,

and the famous Mr. Hyde.

These characters were cre-

ated by human motivations

or emotions such as greed,

addiction, and arrogance. The

monster from Frankenstein

was created through curiosity

and experimentation with

human body parts. However,

the good Doctor Frankenstein

was horrified by what he

had created and ran into the

streets when the monster had

awoken. The monster became

out of control and gave birth

to the phrase, “I created a

monster.” This is typical of

science fiction in that many

times the main character

doesn’t think ahead of the

long term ramifications.

BY SEAN VOEGELI

16

Finally, rounding out our

monster categories we have

our mutated variety. Fan

favorites include Godzilla,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Zombies, King Kong, Mothra,

The Toxic Avengers, and

countless others. These char-

acters were typically created

by a horrible accident or the

collision of technology and

mother nature. Of course the

most famous of the mutants

is Godzilla. His origin lies in

the Cretaceous time-period,

where his species “Gojirasau-

rus” roamed the earth in a

form similar in scale to a large

Tyrannosaurus. Unfortunately

as with most relatives of

the dinosaurs they died off

and only two eggs remained

buried deep within the South

Pacific Ocean. Around World

War II man began testing

nuclear weapons near the

Marshall Islands resulting in a

huge does of radiation for the

lone Gojirasaurus eggs. The

unborn Gojirasaurus rapidly

mutated and grew into what

popular culture know as

Godzilla

Now lets talk Robots! When

it comes to robots man has

typically created robots to

help society only to let the

technology get out of hand.

Examples include The Day the

Earth Stood Still, Terminator,

Blade Runner, A.I. Artificial

Intelligence. Typically these

movies have the human race

embracing the technology

of humanoid or the typical

metal box robots assisting

the human race only to cause

mayhem at some point. No

other movie exemplifies

man’s plight against a robot

foe better then the Termina-

tor series.

Next we have the ever-pop-

ular extraterrestrials. Stars of

the extraterrestrials include

Predator, The Thing, the

bugs from Starship Troopers,

and countless others found

in galaxies far far away from

Star Wars and Star Trek. Some

of these characters come

to planet earth, but science

fiction movies almost-always

feature man’s conquest of

other galaxies. Starship

Troopers shows man at war

with an alien race (“The

Bugs”) to gain possession of

planets and their precious

resources. Ironically the story

shares a parallel to the most

recent wars occurring in the

middle east. “The Bugs” were

served to the general popu-

lace by way of propaganda

as an enemy that the people

should unite to exterminate

as they are a threat. How-

ever underneath it all are the

interests of resources and

possession of new territory.

17

The events of Skynet basically

break down like this:

1. Man creates computer.

2. Computers improve

exponentially.

3. Computers are at-

tached to man’s defense

systems.

4. Man gives computer free

will (Skynet computer

system).

5. Man decides that the

freewill of a computer

may not be so safe and

decides to deactivate

Skynet.

6. Skynet decides to bite

back in the hope of

its own survival 2029

by causing a horrible

nuclear apocalypse.

Through this experience man

becomes nearly extinct and

is forced to live underground

beyond the surveillance of

Skynet much like a cockroach.

What man had created was

now deciding his own fate.

What do these categories

have in common? Man’s

plight to be ruler of the uni-

verse often times can nearly

ruin the existence of man all

together. Granted science fic-

tion movies take us away from

our day to day lives and offer

a two hour escape from our

problems. What most people

don’t realize is that often

times man is responsible for

his situation. For example if

you ask the average person

what Terminator was all about

they would probably respond

with something like, “Oh,

that’s when Arnold was a

robot trying to kill that one

lady—Sarah Connor.” Science

fiction movies need to evoke

emotion in an audience such

as anxiety, fear, and uncer-

tainty, but they also serve as

a vehicle for self examina-

tion. Self examination of us

individually, as a human race,

a world and where our future

lies. Science fiction can serve

as a warning to how we effect

our surroundings big or small.

18

Science Fiction has featured technology that has fascinated the imagination

of audiences for years. No other science fiction franchise has impacted the

technology world as much as star trek. In this infographic w e take a look at

what has actually become reality over the years thanks to Spok and friends.

TRACTOR BEAM:

In science fiction, space

ships including the Star-

ship Enterprise snatch

each other up using

tractor beams. Optical

tweezers are as close

as you’re going to get

to a legitimate tractor

beam on current-day

Earth. Scientists have

harnessed small lasers

into beams capable of

manipulating molecules

and moving them with

precision.

COMMUNICATOR:

Introduced to star trek

audiences in 1968, it

appeared to be incred-

ibly small and advanced

way to communicate

with the crew on the

Enterprise. Today flip

phone technology al-

lows the same remote

push to talk conve-

nience for connecting

with your buddies.

PHASER:

In science fiction,

spaceships including

the Starship Enterprise

snatch each other up

using tractor beams.

Optical tweezers are as

close as you’re going to

get to a legitimate trac-

tor beam on current-day

Earth. Scientists have

harnessed small lasers

into beams capable of

manipulating molecules

and moving them with

precision.

TABLET COMPUTER:

First appeared in

the original Star trek

in 1987 nicknamed

“PADD”. The iPad

from Apple arrives with

explosive popularity

in 2010. It even has an

application available

that is designed to

replicate the computer

in the Star Trek Next

Generation.

INTERVIEWER’SCUT:WITHNEILLBLOMKAMP

In the sci-fi world, the marriage between

special effects and realism has always been

a balancing act. These days, there are an

infinite amount of ways to wow the audience.

There are explosions, complicated gadgets,

tools, and futuristic weapons that can blow

your mind. In some cases, special effects can

become unrealistic and when the effects in

a movie just looks too fake, the audience

can lose interest —cue the scene of Neo vs.

the Smiths in The Matrix Reloaded. Another

factor that steps into the balancing act is the

emotional attachment. Sci-fi films are more

than just idealistic futures and action-packed

scenes, they also touch on emotional state

of the story. A good sci-fi movie captures the

essence of the humanity and animation such as

the film District 9 directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Neill became a success after District 9 became

a surprise hit in 2009. The movie not only was

successful in the box office, it was commended

for its special effects plus its emotional depth.

But who is Neill Blomkamp? Below is an inter-

view with Neill questioned by blogger Todd

Gilchrist of Moviefone.com.

INFORMATION GATHERED BY: MELISSA PASCUAL

21

Q: District 9 was a hit mostly because it had

an original storyline and wasn’t a product of a

sequel or remake.

A: That’s true, that does make it a bit left of

the norm. I think about this a lot—a hell of a

lot actually —and how it plays out within the

genre of sci-fi and horror. This concept of

“Where does that fiction [in its source material

form] come from?” If you look at the most

meaningful science fiction, it didn’t come from

watching other films. We seem to be in a place

now where filmmakers make films based on

other films because that’s where the stimuli

and influence comes from. But go back and

look at something like [Joe Haldeman’s 1974

novel] “The Forever War” that is very much

rooted in his experience in Vietnam, that’s

where the stimulation comes from. And that’s

my goal, really, is not to draw from other films

in terms of the overall inspiration and stimuli.

Q: Your budget to the film was relatively low

compared to most films involving special-ef-

fects and allowing you some creative freedom.

Usually, when studios have big budgets, they

tend to please audiences.

A: That’s exactly right and that’s precisely the

reason I don’t want to do high-budget films.

I’ve said no already to doing the Hollywood

movie thing with big budgets. And that is the

exact reason. I think that I’d say $25 to $45

million is kind of where I want to be. I don’t re-

ally want to make movies that cost much more.

If you’re James Cameron or Peter Jackson,

then you can. Because then they’ll give you

that much more, and you can do what you

want. But if you’re not them, then you’re not

going to get to do what you want if they give

you $150 million. You’re going to do what they

want, which I’m just not interested in.

Q: The social conflict between the humans

and aliens are essentially a metaphor between

whites and blacks in South Africa. Were you

concerned with politics being too strong in

the film?

A: No. Obviously I don’t want to make a film

that offends people, but the whole world is

so politically correct—I’m not going to not

do something because it may be politically

incorrect. At some point, the metaphors and

allegories break down. They disappear, and

you just have science fiction. So maybe that’s

where this film is a little dodgy. If you just stick

to metaphors and allegories, then you can

address them. But if at some point it becomes

just an interest in sci-fi, and, for example,

the aliens being this termite hive that have

lost their queen, then maybe you’re on shaky

ground. But I like the idea that they’re from

this society that’s lost their queen and their

leadership, and they need to reestablish that.

Q: The film reflected a lot with your experi-

ences growing up in South Africa. Do you feel

like your message came across in the film?

A: Yeah, I think so. For the most part, “District

9” is absolute popcorn. It’s absolute fluff com-

pared to how serious those real-life topics are.

The topics in the film are on my mind all the

time and they’re very interesting to me. The

bottom line is “District 9” touches on 1% of

those topics in terms of how severe they could

be portrayed, and I knew that when I made it.

But people got the messages. Xenophobia,

racism allegories—they got all of it. I don’t

think the film was misunderstood. Not every-

body loved it. Nigerians weren’t happy. They

were pissed. And I suppose that’s fair enough

because I directly named them and they don’t

come off well in the film. But that was part of

the whole satirical nature of the film. And that

conflict, well, that’s a South African thing.

Q: Was there anything about your first feature

that threw you, or surprised you?

A: Yeah. Yeah, totally. The shoot was incredibly

grueling. The shoot was tough as hell. What I

was completely unprepared for is, if you talk

about the two-and-a-half-year timeline of this

film, and a shoot being a hundred times longer

than you’re used to, all of the plotting where

you are on that curve. So on day 37, you’re

shooting a scene that occurs in the first five

minutes of the film. It’s like you have to have

this mental map in your head of this extremely

long timeline, and every component is scaled

up. I think that is what I was most unprepared

for: “Holy shit, this is a massive undertaking.”

So you’ve got to go through it to come out on

the other side.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: Well, I’ve got another sci-fi film that I’m

going to start writing when I get back to

Vancouver, which I think is my next film. Just

another kind of idea.

Q: Your first film was highly influenced by your

homeland, South Africa. For your next film,

will you be going to other locations or back to

South Africa?

A: The setting for the next film takes place

150 years from now. There are two cities

that I’m choosing between. They would play

as themselves. They are not in South Africa.

The success of District 9 as made things a

lot easier. I can get other things made. The

thing I won’t forget though is that you’re re-

ally only as good as your last film. The whole

flavor-the-week thing — that’s how Hollywood

works. If I screw up the next one it will be like

I never made District 9. I’m totally aware of

that. It can all disappear in 30 seconds.

22

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production

production

team leader

copy editor

art director

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