• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.41-76
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• 2020

Recently, the cinema industry faced a crisis on the rise of various media platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, IPTV, and Kakao Page. The rate of film release in the theater has become ever shorter, and the secondary consumption of film through IPTV, tablet, PC, or mobile has seen a drastic increase. In the midst of this new media-geography, the most significant change in recent years would be the rise of the 'fantasy film' genre. This paper explores the conditions and characteristics of fantasy films in the way in which the genre has been constituted, and delves into particular aspects that its contents contain. This is an attempt to understand the sociology of the birth of a new genre. In this process, this paper will ask two frequently raised questions in regard to this genre. The first is to ask whether we can discern fantasy from reality, and the second is to examine whether the fantasy genre implicates certain social subversion. These two questions aim to discover how fantasy forms a relationship with reality and what this means. To do so, this paper will trace the genealogy of the fantasy film genre in Korea and analyze recent big hits such as the series as the model case of digital fantasy film. Through this exploration, this paper will be able to provide a new sociology of the fantasy film production and consumption in the 21^st century Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.10
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• pp.112-128
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• 2007

As fantasy films in which super heroes with superhuman abilities play an active part are rapidly becoming more popular, super hero stories are taking root as a new genre in fantasy films. The costumes in films play an important role in visualizing the virtual reality of fantasy films when those costumes are worn by characters so as to express and define them. In the meantime, in the antagonistic structure of good versus evil as a typical subject in these films, it may be said that the costumes of super heroes who advocate good and those of villains who represent evil have been created as an image of power. In this sense, it is necessary to establish an analytic system of how images of the power of good and evil are visually created in costumes for fantasy films. As such, this study seeks to analyze costumes in fantasy films more systemically through semiotic, which has taken root as a science of analysis in all areas of science. From the perspectives of aesthetic semiotic developed by Morris and costume aesthetics, the syntactical dimension is analyzed into formative elements and the principles of costumes; factual and expressive meanings, themes, and inherent meaning, all of which are immanent in costumes, are elicited in the semantic dimension; and the influence of costumes on viewers is described as identification in terms of pragmatics. This study provided a system to analyze costumes in fantasy films(especially 'Superman', 'Batman' and 'Spiderman') from the perspective of Morris' semiotic, and based on the analytic system, examined how 'power' is revealed in the costumes of super heroes and ruffians, and what it implies.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.78-96
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• 2016

This study investigated the colors of the costumes and backgrounds of characters in the fantasy film, Alice in Wonderland(2010) by Tim Burton. The methods used were literature studies including related books, articles and internet materials, and positive research with DVD color analysis. Twenty-one scenes were selected by the researcher. Five scenes were selected from novel and film components representing, exposition, complication, crisis, climax, and denouement. After controlled pixel by photoshop program and the represented colors, hues and tones were analyzed. The results were as follows; First, in four characters, Alice's dress colors changed depend on the situation and the passage offered from blue to red, metal light, and blue green. The Mad Hatter's colors were orange with green which signified madness and passion. The Red Queen's red dress and blue make up represented countrified and evil. The White Queen's all white dress and hair, black eyes and vivid red meant purity and nobility. Similar characters' colors were limited. Second, the background colors, especially tones were an important component of the fantasy image. These were different for each type of scene in the film such as exposition, complication, crisis, climax, and denouement.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.397-428
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• 2019

Fantasy emerges from the cracks and crevices of rational reality. Italo Calvino says, "Fantasy is possible when the reader stays at a certain distance without falling into the text." Fantasy does not form farthest from reality. It comes from the confusion between reality and fiction. In short, fantasy does not exist on the contrary of reality, but on the boundary of reality. Reality and fantasy are also structurally intertwined. We can't distinguish the reality from fantasy clearly. In fact, in this case, the reader or audience is confused about whether what I see is real or not. Todorov calls this case "hesitation." Hesitation is a key element of fantasy. Two texts that expressed "hesitation" are Kim Young-ha's short novel Vampire (1997) and Wes Anderson's film The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). On the surface, these two texts seem to have nothing to do with narrative structural similarities. And both also arouse readers' and audiences' interest by letting confuse reality to fantasy. In Kim Young-ha's Vampire, we can look at the process of confusion of reality called "narrative infection" when a text is read to the reader. In the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel, we can find a strategy to make an unreal story feel like a fact in history. And we can also find a process in which the success stories of alienated characters become reality through 'solidarity' in the film. This paper is a study of how fantasy creates "reality", makes readers feel fantasy, and how it spreads through these two texts.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.963-978
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• 2008

This study examined the images and formative features of female characters portrayed in fantasy films. This study aimed at providing an applicable theory to modern fashion by reconsidering the images of women appearing in fantasy films and arranging fantastical features reflected in costumes of female characters. The followings were the results of the study: The first divine nature that human beings discovered was woman nature. The discovered stone worked of the prehistoric age had a meaning of the great mother of universe and expressed a positive image. Such positive images of the goddess were variously differentiated to negative images or reduced in their roles and meanings in the settlement process of patriarchy as well as sociocultural transition. The foremost examples of negative image were expressed as grotesque, destructive, otherness, sensual, and exotic. The positive image of a goddess in fantasy films was not especially emphasized. On the other hand, the negative images of the goddess and the case of costumes were variously expressed as well as emphasized the typicality of the negative image of the characters. It was reconsidered that the typical features of characters in fantasy films were a result of the image of women following sociocultural transition. In addition, it was confirmed that such result was being reflected in film costume.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1063-1077
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• 2007

The purpose of this research is to comprehend the various range of expressions of fantasies and to summarize the expressive effects of fantasies that appear most commonly in today's popular culture such as film and fashion. The followings are the results of the research: Fantasy means a genre of literary arts, which uses magic and supernatural figures as the themes or plots. The characteristics of the expressive effects of the costumes in fantasy movies are summarized as metaphor and symbol, hybrid, otherness, grotesque. After analyzing the costumes in fantasy movies, it is concluded that these characteristics can be conceptualized as the characteristics of the expressive effects in the field of fashion and they can be used as the basis in setting the visual images. This research also aims at recognizing and predicting the fashion trend by understanding closely at the popular cultures, using the films as a tool, which can be led to examining the possibility of combining various popular cultures.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.48-54
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• 2013

This paper explores J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in order to analogize two primary sources which enabled the fantasy literature to be restored to its former popularity in 1930's-50's. First source is the cinematization of the original novel, based on the advanced digital technology, and second, the adaptation of Norse mythology to the original novel. The advanced digital technology rendered a distinguished contribution to the resurrection of the fantasy novel today. Peter Jackson, the director of the film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy gained an un-heard popularity in the history of the fantasy movie. It was practicable with the advanced digital technology. Nevertheless, it could be realized only with the fact that J. R. R. Tolkien's original novel retains the excellence of plot. The episodes of the novel present the author's broad knowledge of Norse mythology and his attempts to employ it to the novel, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Through such two directions, this paper describes that the advanced digital technology and the quality of the original plot are two key elements to succeed in authoring and filming the fantasy literature.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2013

This study deals with the aesthetic characteristics in Gareth Pugh's fashion film. As fashion films are becoming a newly emerging communication tool in fashion, the aim of this study will be to build a database on these films. For the specific method in this work, literature reviews were performed along with the empirical study of seven pieces of fashion film. The results of the study showed that Gareth Pugh released the fashion films from 2008 to 2012, and he collaborated with SHOW Studio member and photographer Nick Knight and Ruth Hogben. Common themes in their films were fear, fantasy, dynamics, and going off-limits, and these can be summed up in the following ways. First, a sense of fear was expressed via black colors, bizarre mechanical sounds, decalcomania shape in abstract images, and transformed physical body images. Second, an image of fantasy was presented with diverse expression techniques including colorful light presentations and abstract image setups from repeatedly changed image reproduction. Third, dynamic feature was denoted with a combination of fast development of images and quick reproduced layouts, as well as quick beat sounds, and big and powerful action movements. Fourth, characteristic of going off-limits was reflected, by showing the collections with a communication tool called fashion film instead of existing collection concept.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.9
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• pp.220-234
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• 2005

The article deals with the reality subject of animations. Animations are created on the basis of fantasy. Disney's introduction of the narratives and styles of live action film into the field of animation, which laid a foundation for the hyper-reality animation, has produced an unintended consequence of marginalizing other animation genres which have emphasized fantasy through free experimentations of various images. A combination of Disney's world view of hyper-reality with later-developed 3D computer animation technology has made fantastic figures and spaces much more real than the real ones, and succeeded in creating a matrix of simulacre, a world of mere copies without the original.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.117-124
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• 2019

This paper investigates how digital technology innovates the aesthetic ontology of film images. The modern civilization of computer and internet bring about the new ontology of film images. Digital hybrid image expands the contradictory combination of physical reality and filmic fantasy. It is inevitable to recount Walter Benjamin' s concept of mechanical reproduction in the age of digital cinema. The modern condition of image arts changes the concept of mechanical reproduction to the logic of digital configuration. In addition, computer simulation innovates the film aesthetics of montage to the aesthetics of digital collage. The technological and aesthetical development of computer simulation and internet network leads to the new ontology of digital hybrid images. This study suggests a new theoretic point that the aesthetic ontology of digital hybrid images leads to the expansion of filmic fantasy and expression.