Research - Age Certificate - Ms Begum

Age Certificate

 

 

What is the role of the BBFC?

 

The BBFC are a highly expert and experienced regulator of moving images. The BBFC also serves a serial function in society which is to advertise and protect viewers from moving images. They provide public information that infroms mostly parents to make appripriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care.

 

Moreover, they help to protect vulnerable viewers such as children and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unsuitable contect while respecting ault freedom of choice.

 

What are the different Age Certificates?

 

The 'Universal' age certificate means that all ages are admitted, and that there is nothing unsuitable for children. An axample of a universal rated film would be High School Musical.

 

 

'Parental Guidance' means certain scenes in the film may be unsuitable for young children. May contain mild language, and moderate violence if relevant to the contect. An example of a PG film would be Tangled.

 



 

 

 

 

A film thats considered as a '12A' rating are considered to be unsuitable for very young people, and those under the age of 12 has to be accompanied by an adult, aged at at least 18 or over. Films under this category contain mature themes and modersate swear words. For example the 2002 film spiderman was given a 12A rating.

 

 

A '12' age certificate is appropriate to viewers that are 12 or over. Nudity is seen as allowed with minimal sexual contect. Violence must not dwell on detail, with no emphasis on injuries of blood. King Kong is a well known film that follows the guidlines of a '12' film.

 





 

 

 

 

A '15' rated film is suitable for viewers that are 15 years or over. Themes of a '15' film include hard drugs, frequent strong language , strong violence and strong sex references and nudity without grafic detail. An example of a '15' rated film would be ' The dictator '

 

Finally, a '18' rated film is only suitable for people that are 18 or older. Films under this age certificate doesnt have any limitation on the bad language thats used, detailed sexual activity aloud. Very strong gory and sadistic violence is usually permitted. The ' Saw ' franchise is a well known '18' rated film because of its extreme use of gory and sadistic violence.

 

 

 

 

The '12A' rating

 

 

The '12A' rating is the most recently introduced age certificate, it was introduced in 2002. Although the guidlines are similair to the '12' age rating, on a 12A rating they need to be accompanied by an adult, this is because the '12A' certificate includes more graphic scenes. Although any children under the age of 12 could watch the film (if accompanied by an adult) the BBFC strongly recomends not taking young children to see a 12A film.

 

Spider-man is a well known comic book hero, a large number of children have watched or read spider-man cartoons or comic books. So therefore these children would want to watch the film of their childhood hero. The BBFC was aware of the violence that the Spider-Man  film had so they knew that this film wasnt following the criteria of a a '12' rated film, and they didnt want to give it a '15' rating because of the high demand by children, therefore the BBFC came up with a new '12A' rating for this film and the 12A rating has been used frequently since.

 

 What age certificates do thrillers tend to get and why?

 

Thrillers tend to have a age certificate of '15'. this is because thrillers create suspence and shock within the audience and this is conventional to a thriller film. There are also aspects of strong langauge that are used in thrillers, which categorieses thrillers under the age certificate of '15'



 

The age certificate that id give my thriller and why

 

 

Id give me thriller a age certificate of '15' because the film  wouldnt be suitable for people under the age of '15' to watch it. It would consist of scenes that would cause shock within the audience, and the effect it would have is that it would cause fear and suspence.

 

 Conclusion

 

To conclude, this research into age certificates have helped me understand the different age certificates that are used in films, and ive learnt the specific criteria that each age certificate has. Ive also researched about films that have different age certificates and the aspects of the film that follow its age certificate. I now know what age certificate thrillers go under, and what age certificate my thriller would get.





 









Planning - Editing Planning - Ms Begum

Planning: Editing Planning (Miss Begum)

Editing is important in films because the different types of editing can have an effect on the mood of the specific scene. I believe it is important to think about the editing, especially in thriller films because the different types of editing can change the atmosphere of the scene and that would lead to different responses from the audience.

Firstly the fast pacing editing is conventional to a thriller because as the intensity of an attack in a thriller scene increases, so does the pace of editing. The emotion this would create is that it would create suspense by the audience, keeping them at the edge of their seats and being shocked because of the attack that's taking place. Slow paced editing is also conventional to a thriller because it builds tension and has the audience wondering what's going to occur next. Slow motion emphasises what's happening in the scene, showing that slow motion is needed so that the audience can have a better understanding of what's occurring in the scene.

The editing I plan to use in my thriller consists of the following:

1. Slow paced editing will be used when the protagonist starts to wake up. I have chosen to use this to signify the building up of the scene, and create suspense. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates tension because the audience would be aware that something is going to happen shortly because of the built up slow pace editing.

2.  Montage will be used in between the credits, this would consist of the flashing images of the objects such as the bugs in the jars, bloody tools, religious symbols and the protagonist being stalked before being captured. I have chosen this type of editing because it confuses the audience and they wouldn't be aware of what would happen next. This is conventional to a thriller because montage is used effectively to confuse the audience.

3.  Fast pace editing would be used when the hooded figures approach and get closer to the protagonist. Fast pace editing would be used to cause adrenaline and anxiety. This is conventional to a thriller because as the intensity of the scene increases, so does the speed of editing, which would have the audience at the edge of their seats.

4. Fade to black would be used when the candle would be blown out at the end of the scene. This would be used to finish the scene off with a cliffhanger  leaving the audience wanting to know what would happen next. This is conventional to a thriller because it creates suspense and leaves the audience wanting to see more and questioning about what would occur next

5.  Fast pace editing would be used again when showing the flashbacks of the flashing images that the antagonist would be experiencing. This would be used to confuse the audience even further because they would just get a glimpse of each flashback and the fast pace editing would make sure they don't see exactly what's going on during the flashbacks. This is conventional to a thriller because the flashback that the antagonist would be having would cause confusion and the audience would want to understand what's happening in more depth.

Planning - Cinematography Planning - Ms Begum

Cinematography Planning 

Cinematography is important in film because the variety of shots that are used all have different meanings and are used for a specific purpose.  An example could be a extreme close up shot which concentrates on just a specific object/part of a character in detail to emphasise on it. I believe its important to think about the cinematography, especially in thriller films because the conventional cinematography techniques used for thrillers plays a big role in creating a effective thriller film. The cinematography techniques should create a chilling response from the audience also creating suspense keeping them at the edge of their seats.

Some of the conventional uses of cinematography in thrillers are close up shots, establishing shot and the Point Of View shot:

• Close up shots are conventional because it shows a characters emotions in detail and emphasises on the feelings displayed through the characters face.
• The establishing shot is conventional because it can set the scene at the beginning of the thriller film, the effect this has is that it shows the audience where the current scene would be taking place.
• The Point Of View shot is conventional to a thriller because it creates the sense that the audience is viewing the film in the shoes of the character, and it creates suspense and tension because the viewer wouldn't be aware of what would occur next

The cinematography I plan to use on my thriller consists of the following:

1. Close up would be used when the protagonist is aware that she has been captured and tied up. I have chosen to use this because this would concentrate on the characters frightened emotion and show it in detail to the audience. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience can see the shock and fright clearly.
2. Establishing shot would be used at the beginning of a scene. I have chosen this because it gives an idea of where the scene is going to take place at. this is conventional to a thriller because it would show where the thrilling and chilling action would be taking place.
3. High angle shot would be used when there is a camera angle shown on the protagonist. I have chosen this because it shown the victim as powerless and vulnerable. this is conventional to a thriller because it portrays the victim as being weak against the antagonist
4. An extreme close up shot could be used to show the victims eyes when she slowly strarts to realise where she is. I have chosen this because I want to portray the importance of a specific part of the characters face. This is conventional to a thriller because after being captured by the antagonist the viewers should be able to see clearly a part of the victim such as the eyes being effected.
5. A close up shot could also be used on the objects around the room. I have chosen to use this because the viewer would be aware of the objects around the room such as the jar containing spiders, and tools that could be used as a weapon such as a hammer and a spanner. This would be conventional to a thriller because the close-up shots of the tools would imply the message that they are are weapons that the mysterious hooded figures would use against the girl.
6. A low angle shot would be used when the camera angle is showing the antagonist which would be the hooded figures. I have chosen this because this camera angle would show the hooded figures as having strength and being powerful. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows the antagonist having superior power over the antagonist
7. A medium close up shot would be used when showing the hooded figures. I have chosen this because the body language and the posture of the hooded figures would be important to show to the audience. This is conventional to a thriller because a medium close up shot would show the antagonist as having a firm body posture which would signify the threat they have against the young victim.

Research - Censorship - Ms Begum

Censorship Ms Begum

Who are the BBFC and what is their role?

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent body which was originally established in 1912. Their role is to protect the public from anything offensive or that can cause any harm in a specific film. They decide the age rating of the film, and they also decide of a film needs to be cut or banned.

Why is the role of BBFC important to the film industry?

The role of the BBFC is important to the film industry because the film industry needs to be aware that the content of the film that they are producing isn't offensive or harmful to the public, therefore it would lead to the film being cut, or even worse banned by the BBFC.

What things get censored, and why?

Some of the main factors that lead to a film to be censored are:

• Violence
• Sex and nudity
• Religion
• Language
• Drug use

 

     The first reason as to why films get censored is because of the use of gory violence. The reason as to why the BBFC censor violence is because children shouldn’t be exposed to violent acts at a young age. Spider-man is a well-known superhero from comic books. Children all over the world read the spider-man comic books and watch the cartoons, so therefore if a film was released there would be a high demand for children to want to watch it. As displayed in the example spider-man is shown as using violent acts towards the villain and the scene finally results in the death of the villain. Is it correct to show a children’s superhero as killing another person?

Sex and nudity is another common reason as to why films get censored. people at a young age might not be mentally ready to witness nudity and watch sexual acts in films. Moreover children might witness sexual acts on films and they might want to copy the actions without considering the moral side of it.

Religion is also a factor that can lead to a film being censored. Religion is a very sensitive topic on its own. When a film is based on religion it would be censored by the BBFC because some religious films could be offensive to people. As shown in the example, the film ‘ the last temptation of Christ ‘ has been heavily criticised by religious people because it portrays Jesus as being tempted to engage in sexual activities. Moreover this lead to thousands of people from religious communities to protest against this film being produced.

The language that’s used in certain films also get censored. Films that are rated 12A contain inappropriate language and they have been censored by the BBFC. The film ‘ghost town’ starring Ricky Gervais contains two uses of the f-word and four used of the s-word had to be censored before it could be released.

The frequent use of drugs is also a reason as to why the BBFC censor films. Some films show frquent drug use which wouldn’t be suitable for children and people under the age of 18 to be seeing. As shown in the example a teenager from the film ‘ kidulthood ‘ is shown as taking drugs. This needs to be censored because teenagers that watch this film might think that drugs are  ‘cool’  and it could lead them to try it out themselves

What is the difference between films being cut and banned?

When a film is cut, this is when the film is edited or has had scenes taken out of it so that it would be appropriate to go on viewing. As displayed in the example, the film ‘saw’ had been cut so many times so that it could be appropriate to go on viewing.

When a film is banned, it means that a film is taken away from cinema viewing completely due to indecent, harmful or offensive material. The film ‘ a clockwork orange ‘ was banned due to the disturbing violent images.

Forna and Kamode debate

Aminatta Forna argues for censorship. Some of the reasons as to why she thinks censorship should be allowed is firstly because ‘the public associate themselves with the characters they see.’ This means that for example if a child’s favourite character is shown as a violent character, then the child would want to copy the actions of their favourite character. Forna also suggests that ‘undesirable acts such as rape encourages the audience to carry out these acts.’ The explanation for this is that if people are witnessing scenes such as rape they would unconsciously want to carry out the same as what they are seeing.

On the other hand, Kermode argues against censorship. Karmode says that ‘if a film is censored, that takes away the originality of the film.’ This means that if a film has been censored or cut, the original aim of the film would no longer exist. Kamode also suggests that ‘the public should be able to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction. Karmode is implying that the viewer should be able to know what's real in the film and what isn’t real.

In my opinion, I agree with Forna and I think that censorship should occur. This is because if there wasn’t censorship in films an innocent child could be exposed to violence and sexual acts at an age when they aren’t mentally stable to understand the morals of such a sensitive issue. Moreover, censorship stops people from taking part in undesirable acts such as rape.

To conclude, this research on censorship has helped me understand what the BBFC is and their role, the appropriate time when a film needs to be censored, the difference between a cut and a ban, and finally I was knowledgeable about arguments for and against censorship. Now I know what kind of material that would be suitable to use in my own thriller.

Research - Scream Analysis - Ms Begum

Scream Analysis – Ms Begum

Introduction of the opening of Scream:

In the opening of the film we can see the victim who is played by Drew Barrymore, as a young blonde innocent lady who is alone in a big house. She receives numerous amounts of phone calls from a mysterious man who later on reveals himself as being the killer. He also threatens to kill her boyfriend if she doesn't answer the questions that he asks her. At the end of the opening scene, we see the victim dead and hanged on a tree, witnessed by her parents.

How is the opening sequence of scream conventional to a thriller opening?

Mise en scene:

At the beginning of the scene we can see the setting as being at night time in a large house surrounded by trees. We can see the shot of the setting after the killer makes his first phone call. When there is a scene showing house in a film, it is normally referred to being a place of warmth and comfort, however in a thriller this isn't the case. The house shown at night, and the house being in middle of nowhere illustrates the fact that the character inside the house is vulnerable against an attack from the antagonist, and has a limited, if any chance of survival.   The audience would be able to sense trouble from the start of the scene, her being alone means that there wouldn't be anyone to around help if there was going to be some sort of dilemma.

Throughout the beginning of the opening we see the young lady having a calm form of body language with her not being scared or intimidated, with slow walking and a normal form of tone. However as the scene carries on we can see the character panicking which leads to her to run away from the killer because she is left with no other choice. The quick change is used to display how the body language of the victim can change as she feels under threat from the antagonist, which is the killer. This creates a chilling response from the audience because we can see the drastic change in body language from the victim, which shows that that victim feels that she’s in trouble which she portrays through her body language.

Low-key lighting is used frequently in the scene. An example of where Low-key lighting is used is while the young lady is starting to panic when realising her boyfriend has been tied to the chair. The effect that the low-key lighting has is that all the other objects around the character are dimmed so therefore it makes the viewer understand the victim’s emotions in a more clearly. This immediately causes a feeling of suspense and this could lead to the audience to think something bad is going to happen.

The costume that the victim and the protagonist wore had a specific meaning which is conventional to a thriller. Throughout the opening we see the victim wearing a white jumper and the antagonist killer wearing a black hooded cloak. The white jumper is used to present the victim as being innocent and vulnerable towards the antagonist, whereas the use of a black hooded cloak is used to portray the antagonist as being evil and violent. This classic representation is a classic convention in representing characters because it causes the audience to understand that the female character wearing a white jumper is the victim and the character in the dark hooded mask is the antagonist.

Sound:

The use of diegetic sounds are used as a convention in the scene. The first thing we hear while watching is the diegetic sound of the telephone ringing. It is also used at various other parts of the scene to imply that the killer is calling and harassing the lady. The reason as to why this particular diegetic sound has been used is so that the audience can acknowledge and experience the type of sound that the lady is experiencing and hearing. Therefore the audience would share the same amount of intensity as the victim because the audience and the victim aren't aware of when the telephone would ring.

On the other hand, non-diegetic sounds also are an important factor of sound in the opening. There is thriller specific music when the victim is running around and locking all of the doors which only the audience is aware of. The use of this non-diegetic sound adds suspense to the scene and signifies the point that the young lady is in danger. The audience is aware by this point that the intensity of the scene is increasing as well as the use of non-diegetic sounds.

There is use of an off-screen sound that has been used effectively. At the end of the scene the mother of the victim witnesses her daughter dead and being hung from a tree. We can tell she is devastated because she’s crying and screaming. As she does so, there is a imagine of her daughter while we can hear her scream. The director is doing this to address the shock that she’s going through by witnessing her daughter in such a horrific state. The audience then understands the emotions that the mother of the victim is going through by her screaming, whilst being able to see the victim being hung.

Cinematography:

There is an extreme long shot used to portray the location of where the young lady is. This is at the beginning of the scene after the second phone call from the killer. This extreme long shot is used to show the audience the surroundings of the lady and where she is, we can see a swing slowly swinging and all the lights of the large house being open. The impact that this shot has on the audience is that it gives a feel of the surroundings and signifies that there are no other people near so the victim would be helpless  if there was an attack from the killer

A close-up shot has been used on the victim to show emotion. During the phone call, the young lady is freaked out by the killer because she finds out that he knows her boyfriend’s name. The close-up shot then is used so that the audience can see the lady’s emotions after finding out this information. The close-up shot gives the audience a better idea about the feelings that the character is going through, in this situation the lady is helpless, and scared.

 There’s also a POV shot that’s been used effectively. We see the victim looking outside after locking the door to check if the killer is close or nearby. At this point in the scene the victim is terrified and worried so she feels the need to check her surroundings. The POV shot is conventional to a thriller because it enables the audience to have an exact feel about what the victim is witnessing so therefore the audience shares the experience with the victim in the scene.

Editing:

A frequently used editing technique would be the straight cut. There’s a straight cut used when the telephone rings for the third time onto the lady’s face to show her facial expression and her getting slightly spooked out. The use of this is to show the lady’s reaction towards the continuous phone calls she’s receiving. The reaction that the audience would have is that they would sense that the man on the phone is the killer is.

A jump cut has also been used. We see this when the camera is on the young lady, then jumps to the popcorn that she’s cooking. The popcorn starts to heat up and starts to get bigger and bigger. The impact this has is that it builds tension and creates suspense by giving the idea to the audience that the popcorn would explode. it creates a relation between the popcorn and the lady. This is conventional to a thriller because it leaves the audience at the edge of their seats wondering what would occur next.

The last piece of editing that I will be discussing is the reaction shot. This occurs when the victim lady realises that the killer had tied up her boyfriend. The reaction shot is used to effect to portray the reaction the young lady gives after finding out the terrifying action the killer took against her boyfriend. The audience would feel remorseful to the young lady, and the audience by this point knows that she is helpless.

Conclusion:

Overall, this in-depth research and analysis into the opening of ‘scream’ has helped me understand about the micro-elements that are conventional to a thriller film. I've also understood that some elements such as low-key lighting and close up shots are conventional to a thriller because of the effect it has on the audience.  This scene has helped me with the overall understanding of thriller openings by the use of thriller conventions, and the ideas i would take on board when filming my own thriller opening would definitely be the use of POV shots. This is because the POV shot displays the feelings  of the victim in more of an effective way and the audience can have more of an understanding about the fright the victim is going through. This analysis had a significant impact on me developing ideas about my own thriller opening as I am now aware of what aspects of the micro-elements I should use that are conventional to a thriller film.

Planning - Production roles - Ms Heath

Production roles – Ms Heath

The 7 camera roles and the definition for each of them:

Camera operator: This is the person who films the scenes, he/she would work alongside the storyboard organiser and the director to take instructions from them about how to operate the camera. Such as what shot, angle and movement to use at the specific scene or time.They should create shots which are effective to use for the thriller genre and not to confuse the audience by using the appropriate camera techniques.

Actors: These are the people who are getting filmed, they act as the characters desired in the film, they work with the film director to get instructions on how to be feeling and how they should be positioned in the scene. Their job is to play a convincing character and to deliver the genre of thriller to the audience.

Sound technician: the sound technician is the person that creates the specific sounds that are relevant to each scene. They have to work with the storyboard organiser to decide the type of sound to use. They make sure that the sounds are effective to the audience.

Editors: These are people that edit the scenes. They would work with the storyboard organiser and also the camera operator to decide the parts which would require cutting, and what type of montage to use and what sequence of shots should be used. They would make sure that the cuts they use do not confuse the audience and that they are effective for the thriller genre.

Film Director: This is the person who is in charge of everything that goes on in the film making, but mainly controls the actors, he/she makes sure everything is effective and reflect the film producers ideas. Moreover, they control all the elements of mise-en-scene. They work with the whole team and makes sure they are pursing in the producers aspirations.

Location manager: This is the person that chooses the location of the scene, he/she makes sure that the location would be conventional for a thriller film, and also he/she would have to work with the film directors to decide what time of the day and what area to set the scene at. This is to make sure that they have the best place to film the scene at the correct time to enhance the impact the scene has on the audience by choosing appropriate scenes so they can relate to making the audience more engaged and interested in the scene.

Storyboard organiser: The storyboard organiser is the person who creates the film on a storyboard which displays all the other workers of the film in rough idea of what’s going to happen in the scene, they make it relevant to a thriller. It implies the shot number, cinematography, soundtrack, actors involved, editing style narrative, dialogue and duration of the scene to give the workers a more detailed guideline and a general idea of what they are meant to be producing. The storyboard organiser would make it as detailed as he/she can so there would be less work to do on the day of shooting.

Who will take what role and why?

Camera operator: We assigned the camera operator in our group to be Jessica. This was because she told us she was confident with using the camera. She is also confident in creating shots that are effective to the thriller genre.
Actors: The actors would be, Kay, Latifa and I. This was because I feel like my acting would have a positive impact to our opening. Moreover Kay and Latifa felt that their acting would contribute in a positive way to the group because of their drama skills.

Sounds technician: This role would be taken by Jasmine and Jessica. They both had good ideas about the specific sounds that should be used, and both were confident in creating these sounds.

Editors: The editor would be Kay, this was because Kay was willing to go through the footage and decide which parts need editing, and what editing type needs to be used.

Film director: Everyone in the group would be contributing in directing the film. We would all make sure that everything is effective and that we put all our ideas together to make a successful thriller opening.

Location manager: The location manager would be myself. I think I’d be useful in this role because I will be able to find a suitable location and id be able to make sure that the location of the scene would be conventional to a thriller film.

Storyboard manager: this role would be taken by Jasmine because she is organised in making the storyboard which would make the film easier to produce.

Research - Mise En Scene/Lighting - Ms Heath

Lighting

What is lighting?

Lighting is used to convey mood and atmosphere in a specific scene or a film. It can also be used to guide the audience’s attention to a particular object, person, emotion or gesture. Lighting can also be used to cast shadows and build tension and suspense.

Key terms: Angles of lighting:

Under lighting:

The main source of light comes from below the person. As portrayed in the example under lighting tends to have a distorting effect on the character and is mostly used in thriller or horror specific films.

Top lighting:

The main source of lighting comes from above. As shown in the example, top lighting highlights the features of a character. It’s also used to create a glamorous look in a character.

Back lighting:

This is when the light source is behind an character/object. If little or no lights are used, silhouettes are created. As shown in the example, there is a dark outline around the object which is visible against a lighter background.

Types of lighting:

Low-key:

This is when the lighting is dark with only small areas of light. This also creates shadows.  As shown in the example dark lighting has been used to portray the cat.

High-key:

High-key lighting is when lighting appears more natural and realistic to the viewer. For example in a film it could be used to create a joyful mood with a mum and her children.

Natural lighting:

This is when no lighting effects has been put into practice, it is what the viewer is expected to see. As displayed in the example, we can see natural lighting used to portray the sunset onto a sea.

What genres might use low-key lighting?

Low-key lighting is mainly used in the horror thriller or genre to create suspense and to control how much of the surrounding scene is revealed.

What genres might use high-key lighting?

High-key lighting is frequently used in classical Hollywood films because it gives an overall lighting design which uses the fill light and back light to create low contrast between brighter and darker areas. Mostly used in daylight, but also can be used at night scenes.

Low-key lighting in thrillers:

In the example we can see a scene from Taken 2 which demonstrates low-key lighting being used and the use of dark lighting with only small areas of light. This also creates shadows which increases the level of intensity in the scene.

Low-key lighting and the atmosphere created:

The location with low-key lighting is usually somewhere like an abandoned house or an alleyway. The characters mainly consist of the usual protagonist and the antagonist.

The moon and the gutter:

While watching I realised that the use of low-key was dominant throughout the video. The affect that this had was that it added suspense and it gave an idea about the lighting that the lady was witnessing, which the dark lighting was used in affect also with the shade of small areas of light, for example when they were showing the shadow of the moon on the puddle. The lighting made me understand more clearly the situation that the lady was in and gave the sense that the lady was in trouble