Monday, 30 March 2009

The Production Report

In What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our task was to produce a thriller opening sequence, we chose ours to be aimed at 15 year olds as we thought that this is the age when most people do not worry about things they see on the screen. We chose this as the BBFC allows us to have sequences of action and scenes of gore as long as it is not too visual. It is hard to define the thriller genre as there is many sub genres with in this genre however a thriller genre usually contains fast action or psychological events. A thriller normally contains a killer, suspect, investigator and a victim, usually starting with a victim, keeping us in suspense about who the killer may be. In the title you have to show who has been involved in the creation and who has starred within it. It is important that the audience is able to understand what is happening at the beginning and can see the action clearly. We can do this through the use of many different camera shots and angles, as well as this we can also use editing to ensure that the narrative flows. Identifying who the victim or the suspect can also aid this we can do this through the costumes they may be wearing or through the reactions they have in certain situations. Thrillers are often seen as dark and gloomy films with the picture not always being clear to ensure that the audience is kept in suspense. They are also always seen to be set either far away from any big cities or right in the centre of one, contradicting each other, the only thing that is really common between to the two is that there will always be isolation. Neither of these elements are sure to change. A thriller normally begins with equilibrium which is then broken by that of a killer, and then the equilibrium is restored normally by the finding of the killer. However some directors like Luc Beeson decide to have action at the beginning enticing the audience carry on watching the film. They also may show the killer in the opening sequence allowing the audience to know what the characters do not. In Brian De Palma’s, “The Untouchables” he begins the film with the opening sequence in the train station. This is an effective opening as you can see the dominant character as he is shown from a low angled shot, making him seem more dominant and powerful; there is also the good use of the clock within this opening sequence showing that he is waiting for somebody. As well as setting the scene and film you also get the first part of the action towards the end of the scene when you see the two gangs come together until there is only one left. The use of sound builds up the tension within the scene as you can here the babies’ pram dropping down the stairs making the tension peak until the end of the fight scene. Also this sequence is effective as when the action begins to build up the edits between shots are quicker to ensure the chaotic part to the scene is seen the same way for the audience, making the audience feel like they are physically in the action. Watching and evaluating those thriller openings helped me create my own thriller opening as it ensured that I had a good understanding of what was expected in an opening sequence all of which involved some action. They also gave me knowledge about the editing as most of them whenever the action began the cuts were far faster than any other point with the scene. For my opening sequence I have ensured that my thriller shows the killer; however just like all other thrillers keeps you in suspense as you do not get a clear view as well as this you can also see build up in pace through the changing of camera angles making my opening seem more frenzied and also more realistic, I wanted to do this as I wanted to make the audience feel more involved within the film and also to make sure they felt what the character may be feeling. I helped define the characters through mise-en-scene for example the costumes the characters were wearing showed the difference in their roles. I decided to do this to make it clearer to the audience what was happening. However I would add more sound effects as at the moment there is no sound although this does add effect to the piece there could always be a heart beat or a scream to help enhance the whole sequence.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In my production I have stereotypically shown youth to be thugs wearing huddies and hanging around in gangs. Not that I think this is true about the youth of today but I wanted to show how intimidating a group of youths could be and what any passer by would be thinking about as they approached a gang of youths. I showed them to be thugs through there costume as all of them were wearing hoodies hiding their identity as well as this it makes them look more intimidating to the audience. This use of costume is stereotypically what you expect to see youths wearing. As well as this I chose only males to perform these roles making it a more brutal, as males are more dominant and powerful as well as this, the victim who saw the attack was a female as they are seen as more delicate, making them seem more vulnerable throughout my piece. We showed this through camera angles like point of view shots, we made these fast cuts to show the panic that the character felt.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My film would be distributed by Lionsgate, I think the main reason that my film should be distributed by this organisation is because it has dealt with thriller and horror films before, the most well known of them being saw. As well as this the company has also managed to create success with such films like American Psycho. With this organisation been a big and well known one it means that the audience may want to watch more as they have seen other films distributed by Lionsgate which have been good meaning that they will think my production is good as it is distributed by such a company. Frank Giusta founded the company in 1995 and started off by buying a number of small distributors for example Artisan entertainment. This company is located in California USA.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
My film will be aimed at 15 year olds to about 40 year olds as this the age where most people begin to watch thriller films as well as this it also the age that many other thriller films are aimed at. Mainly because of the narrative that will be involved with the thriller stories for example the BBFC will not allow any detailed gory scenes until the film is within this age range as well as no allowing any real scenes of violence. I think that the main bulk of my audience will be males as they are more interested in the frightening and gory scenes that may be involved within a thriller. They will be expecting to see some action within the film therefore it is important to ensure that this is added within the film. I do not think there will be a certain income that my audience has to have or a certain background that they will have to have come from as I believe that everybody will be able to relate to what my film is about as well as this they can understand it as the story starts and ends in one film therefore it is not a follow on from any other film. I found this research out through asking people to fill out my questionnaires, I found that most of my audience expect a thriller film to be dark as well as this they also expect to see a murder weapon.

How did you attract/address your audience?
I ensured that my thriller’s opening sequence has action involved within to entice the audience to watch it as well as this I also finished it on a cliff hanger to ensure that my audience would come and watch it to find out what happens next with that scene. With the mise-en-scene that was used ,such as the costume, I think this will appeal to my audience as they will all be able to understand and relate to what I am trying to represent with the thugs that are portrayed in my piece. As well as this I think the beginning will be very appealing as the audience do not find out what is going on within the sequence as there is just the woman walking down the road therefore there is nothing suspicious about it. During editing we wanted to make faster cuts during the action scene to make the audience feel within the action as well as this we also wanted to show the frantic actions that were going on in the action through the editing, however this proved to be difficult but we still managed to make the scene seem chaotic as we had a faster pace during that scene as well as this we put the audience into the action as we used P.O.V shots. I want the audience to want to find out what happens next within the scene as well as this I want the audience to wonder why the thugs are beating up the other guy, as there may be a further plot behind the story. As the plot within my sequence is not clear, enabling the audience to make their own judgement on what may be happening throughout the film. However I do want to show them what they may see throughout the film and allow them to relate to characters that they feel sympathy for, like the victim. I think that this opening to a thriller meets most of the expectations that my audience may have although it does not make the plot clear, it does give them action as well as leaving them wondering what happens next. They may not be scared by the events happening on the screen; like they would in most thriller openings. On the other hand they may be shocked by what they see on the screen, giving them a similar affect. I do not think that BBFC guidelines have affected what is in my thriller opening scene as you do not have to show anything that is really gory within the opening scene. However I do think they would make me tone down any violence that may be seen within the film to ensure that I reach my target audience as if there is too much in it they will not be able to see the film.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learned through using the camera that unless you are trying to track the character then it is far easier to film with a tripod than it is by filming without. Also I found that for making the action seem more realistic it is better to use P.O.V shots to ensure your audience believes what they are seeing. As well as this I also learnt that it is far better to have more shot then necessary, than only just enough shots, as if you are in editing and find that it may look better if you added in an extra shot, then you do not have the time to go out and shot this. During editing the hardest thing was the CCTV shot, as we could not use the camera to create that effect therefore we had to do all of this during the editing process as well as this we also had to add the date and time onto the CCTV shot. I learnt how to do this during the editing stage as well as this I developed my fading skills as we tried to create a realistic flow between the shots until we had the sharp changes during the action scene. All of our editing was done in Adobe Premier Pro. I learnt how to create the titles through this programme as we decided that we want some to overlap pictures and appear throughout the production. Also I learnt hot to cut the scene with this programme allowing us to make them the length we needed or if we needed to cut out any imperfections. Throughout the shooting stage we learnt that it would be far easier to changing the lighting throughout the piece during editing rather than waiting until night to shoot a scene. We also enhanced some of the sounds within our for example the sound of the heels as the woman ran away. We made these louder as we did not want them to be as quite as they were as well as this it also added an extra effect as they faded out towards the end of the production.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the preliminary task we did not do as much planning as we could have done meaning we wasted a lot of our shooting time trying to figure out what angles we needed. However we managed to get every shot we needed to produce our piece. I think that the editing process preliminary stage was successful as we managed to ensure the performance ran smoothly and we added in fades. As we did not do enough planning for this first task I thought it would be far easier if we did extra planning for this next task. We did decide to use far more camera angles for example we intended to use low angled shots of the victim or just shots of there feet to show the build up in pace. As well as this we wanted to us longer ranged shots as in the preliminary task all of our shot were fairly close to the action. Also we had a shot missing when it came to the editing stage which meant we had to work around that problem as we did not have time to film again therefore this time I thought it would be easier if we had a shooting script. The first problem during the preliminary task we did not know what shots we needed, this was the major problem as it meant we had to spend half our shooting time figuring out what shots we needed to ensure the smooth flow throughout our piece. Also there was the problem of planning before as we were not certain of where we were going to shoot our preliminary task until we actually had to shot it, we found the space last minute and it was the space we were thinking of using. I do not think theres a lot of things I would do differently in my preliminary task as it was a simple task as well as this mine was not poor however we could of added more shots and cuts to build up the tension but we did not need to build up the tension, although it would have kept the audience in suspense. As a group I do not think we worked very well, for starters we did not prepare very well for the preliminary task. When we did I did most of the work apart from the story board which never got finished. The other member of the group was in the process of leaving therefore he was not doing a lot of work. This meant that for the preliminary task I did all the planning work. This eventually did not matter as my group members did not even look at this throughout the shooting stage. During this shooting stage we shared this equally, this turned out to be a success as we got enough shots as well as using the best camera man for each part. Then the editing stage, my group members did not use computers very well. As one of them had left and the other just did not understand therefore I did most of the editing for the preliminary task, although my group member did prompt me on what looked good and what looked out of place within our piece. Meaning that we shared this task as we did it as a group. All in all I think we produced a good preliminary task although we had a lot of trouble getting to the finished piece.

Tuesday, 24 February 2009

Trouble

We have found out that we are not able to use the corn exchange meaning we can not do the planned idea. We have had to change it to the idea with the thugs and as this is last minute we are now struggling with the actors and actresses as we can not get all the ones we had before. I found this out on the Tuesday before we were supposed to be filming.

Idea

The idea that we are going to us is theirs of the caretaker working late and turning round with somebody else being there. We have to book the corn exchange to do this and our shooting date is over our half term. On Friday 20th Febuary is when we are planning to do it.

Change

I have been put in a new group along with my partner as he is never he we are now together with Olie Anderson and Eddie Spain.
These are the ideas they have had:

Idea 1:
•Starts with a shot of the victim asleep in bed.•Jumps to various other shots of a flashback from the victim of her husband being killed.•You then see the killer from the flashback walking up dimly lit stairs, then jumps back to victim in bed as she wakes up to sounds on the landing outside her door.•See the door fly open, then jumps to outside the house where you hear screaming.the feedback we rechived from the audience was that the film would be to pradicatable and very similar to a film that we have seen before.

Idea 2:
•First shot is a wide shot of a dark and gloomy lake early in the morning with a old man with fishing gear walking in from the left.•Mid shot of the old man setting up at the side of the lake, preparing to start fishing.•A p.o.v shot shows something rushing up behind him, he turns around at the last minute, this unknown creature kills him instantly and he falls into the dark lake.•The next morning a group of young children find the old man’s fishing gear in perfect condition and a hole in the algae where it looks like someone has fallen into the water.the feedback that we rechived from this idea was that it would make a great opening. but in ways of filming it would be very difficult and we would struggle on location and the set up would be very technical.

Idea 3:
There is a caretaker in a London west end theatre.
As he is locking up and switching off the lights.
There are mid shots showing him locking doors and switching lights off.
There are some shots to show him doing his work but it looks as if someone is watching him.
As he goes to lock the final door the camera gets closer to his back creeping up on him.
He gasps and turns around and the screen goes black.
on our final pitch we rechived posative feedback. the audience suggested locations that would be sutiable i.e. stamford corn exchange, bourne corn exchange. and the schools threatre department. we thought that this idea would be a good idea because of location is easy to find. the audience was very helpfull when commenting on this idea because before we generated our pitch we thought this idea was already very good and that we could use the audiences feedback to make the film opening better.

They were planning to do idea three so we now have a choice from this one or the my groups.

Planning

We have now planned the shots that we are going to use although my partner is still not here on a regular basis. For the thugs the actors will be Zak Johnston, James Ayliff, Ross Flight, Joe Ray, Greg Dickinson and George Berry. For the man getting beaten up we have Nathan Reeves. For the women who meets with one of the thugs we have Harriete Johnson and for the women who finds the killers we have Demi Barnes planned. It will be set in Bourne, down an ally way which is behind the Robert Manning school. Everybody has got the costume as it was only hoodies that were really needed.

Filming

We were supposed to film on Tuesday the 10th February however due to the snow the week before other groups have not been able to film theirs meaning that we have to make ours a later date to ensure that the schedule carries on as normal just at a later time. Maybe this was a good thing as still my partner is not a certainty and we still had a couple more costumes to sort out and the setting.

Currently

At the moment we still have not found the right setting, and we are not certain of who is acting and whether they have the right costume, im not pinning the blame but it is hard as my partner is never here for me to discuss what is going on. My media teacher has suggested that i join another group but at the moment we are waiting to hear from Callum incase he is staying.

Mise-en-scene

Costume
For the thugs who are going to be the killers we would like them to be wearing white hoodies as we feel that white hoodies are much more threatening than black hoddies however if white hoodies are not available then black or grey will do. There is no other specific costume as we want it to look as normal day as possible.

Sounds
No certain sounds are needed may for the fighting bit we could include some effects however it is not important to have this involved within it. We may also include the foot steps of the women walking and enhance this sound to make it more of a feature than it would normally be.

Setting
As Bourne is the nearest town for both of us we are going to film it there, however there is a problem with this as we can not film a fight scene in Bourne incase we are caught by the police and they believe it is real. In Bourne down the main road there is an ally that would be perfect for this however it is in the centre of Bourne. But as long as it has an ally then for setting there is no other real points that have to be there.

Problems

Already problems in creating my production as my group started as a three and just after we finished our pre-lim task one of the group left leaving just two of us for the thriller opening. So far he has been doing the storyboard and he is not here very often infact it is rare if we do see him. This is why i can not show you i have done one.

Shooting Script

Shooting scripts

Establishing shot of the scene
Pan to women’s face
Close up of women’s face of walking
POV shot of women look at her feet
Shot of her looking over her shoulder
Reaction shot
Mans feet behind her
Mid-shot of man walking behind her
Another reaction shot
Long shot of women walking out of shop into the arms of the man
Reaction shot of woman relieved
Then calm shot of her walking towards the ally
Flash to a shot of man getting beaten up in ally
Noise heard by women reaction shot
POV from women looking down ally
Thug looks up and begins walking towards women
Women walks away
Looks behind at one thug stood at entry to ally way
Shot of her feet building speed
POV looking back seeing all thugs walking behind her
Women turning back to face the way she is walking
POV from thugs looking at the women
Long shot of women turning the corner
With thugs just behind her.

Thriller Target Audience

The normal target audience:
  • Teenagers-15+
  • Adrenaline junky
  • Usually Male
  • Like action, adventure and horror genre of films.

When an audience goes to watch a film the bring things like:

  • Upbringing
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • Attitudes
  • Education
  • Emotion
  • Knowledge
  • Expectation

New Idea

This new idea was creative around the ideas we had first but we have furthered it and ensured that there is the characters that people expect to see which are the victim and the killer it is also set in a city or a town and as my local town is Bourne that is the easiest place for it to be filmed. I can not say what the weather will be like. As it is thugs and a body on the floor there is action involved which i also thought should be added from my results as action was the most common watched genre.

Narrative

Woman walking through Bourne at night, notices somebody in a hoodie behind them, a women comes out of a shop/restaurant and greets the man following, she reacts relieved and then, walks past an ally ,looks down an ally sees a group of hoodies with a body on the floor, walks faster person behind walks faster as if following them then she speeds up and the hoodies come out of the ally, the first hoodie turns to see if they follow begins to walk faster as the woman does.

Not good enough

None of the first ideas extremely appealed to my group and the only one that we thought had any potential was the first however it still needed some improvements, so already we are set on one idea it is just not the finished article.

First Ideas

Ideas for thrillers

Mid morning a young girl is walking with her mother down an quiet wide alley The small girl is singing. Suddenly a WHITE VAN PULLS UP MASKED MEN JUMP OUT AND SNATCH THE GIRL THE WOMAN IS SCREAMING AS SHE IS PUSHED TO THE GROUND THE van speeds off the woman is left unconscious time passes she is a woken by a friendly homeless man. Scared the confused woman runs out crying

Farm killing- a farm out in the middle of no-where, somebody comes from the darkness to slaughter the whole family and the animals. What at first seems like a red diesel theft before the magnitude of the bludgeoning is uncovered


Person coming home late from church decides to take a shortcut home not a sound to be heard but the wind blowing through the trees. They go to turn away from the forest but remember that the other root is blocked off by overgrown bushes unless they force their way through, the other option is the longer route through the trees. All the birds leave as the actor turns to look at the trees and notices a much more sinister shadow present

Affect on my Production

My research i found from the questionnaire will help me as i now know who would be the prefered actor (Johnny Depp) and who would be his perfected partner (Keira Knightly or Angelina Jolie). I know that most people prefer to watch comedy and action films, however i will not be doing either of these as the task is to create a thriller opening therefore it is a good job that thriller was the next best thing to these two, i also thought that as action was one of the favourites, i could create a thriller that involved action in it. Green Street and Gladiator having a lot of action in them as they are both peoples joint favourite film show how action is enjoyed by most people. As films are usaully watched with friends then as long as it stays with the age giudelines then it will be ok. I feel that my target audince is 15 year olds and above as it is only really at this age that not a lot of things can affect you however my film may even be aimed at 18 year olds and above as it allows my group to have more freedom. Saw 4 is the most common watched and it isa under the genre of a thriller therefore it is a good time to create a new thriller as they are being enjoyed at this current time. My film does not want to be anything like High School Musical as they are different in genre and it is the worst film according to some people i asked. My thriller should either be set in a city or town or in a forest or woods as this is were more people expect them to be set. My thriller should have clear characters including a killer and victim. With the use of a weapon either being a gun or a knife. Weather permitting it would be preferable if it was raining or in a storm however quite a few people still think that overcast or a mist is acceptable in a thriller.

Results Analysis

I asked an equal amount of men and women to ensure it was a fair test, i also asked more 13-19 year olds as they are the most likely to watch films. This was proven in my next question were more people said they watched films regularly then not watching them regularly. With most people watching films about once a week. The most common genre i found that was watched were comedy and action with thriller not far behind. If i had a choice of actors that i could use by popular demand it would have to be Johnny Depp and his female co-star would be either Keira Knightly or Angelina Jolie. I asked what their favourite film was as it enabled me to see what at the moment on the market is popular and that proved to be Green Street, Gladiator and Ace Ventura. Most people watch films on DVD twice as many as do on sky. Normally people are watching films with their friends or family therefore it will reach a wider audience in on viewing. I also wanted to see what the last film that people had seen was to check what sort of films were being released at the moment and the most watched was Saw 4 and James Bond. I also wanted to see what route my film didn't want to follow therefore i asked people what the worst film they had ever seen was and the most common was High School Musical, Hairspray and Epic Movie. Most people i ask expect a thriller to be set in a forest or a city. They expect to see all four characters involved however there has to be a killer and victim but they still expect a suspect and a police officer. The most common prop expected to be seen in a thriller was a kinife or gun, obviously as the murder weapon. The perfect weather condition for a thriller would be a storm or when it is raining.
Media thriller questionnaire
1.Gender
Male Female
16 16
2.Age
13-19-24
20-29-1
30-39-2
40+-3
3.Watch movies often
Yes-18
No-12
If yes How Often
Once a week-9
two a week-4
three a week-3
four a week-3
4.Genre
Horror-6
Thriller-8
Action-10
Comedy-14
Sci-fi-2
Romantic-6
Drama-2
5.Favourite actor
Johnny Depp-5
Heath Ledger-2
Sean Bean-2
Chris Fountain-1
Charlie Hunnam-1
Jim Carrey-4
Colin Firth-1
Russell Crowe-2
Robert Deniro-1
Adam Sadler-1
Jason Strathorn-1
George Clooney-1
Daniel Craig-1
Will Smith-1
Bruce Willis-1
Chad Michael Murray-1
Josh Hartnett-1
Ricky Gervais-1
Lee Evans-2
Jack Black-1
Matt Demand-1
Or Actress
Imogen Stubbs-1
Keira Knightly-2
Catherine Zeta Jones-1
Sarah Jessica Parker-1
Angelina Jolie-2
Jude Law-1
Jessica Alba-1
Reece Witherspoon-1
Alexis Bledel-1
Lauren Graham-1
Nicole Kidman-1
6.Favourite Film
Seven-1
Love actually-1
Wild hogs-1
James Bond-1
Green Street-2
Exit Wound-1
Gladiator-2
Adulthood-1
Ace Ventura-2
Four Brothers-1
Batman-1
Matrix-1
XXX-1
Taxi-1
Alvin and the Chipmunks-1
Shawshank Redemption-1
Pirates of the Caribbean-1
Dirty Dancing-1
Mamma Mia-1
Saw-1
Chicken Little-1
Toy Story-1
Lion King-1
The Notebook-1
Pearl Harbour-1
7.How watch films
Cinema-8
DVD-15
Sky-7
8.Who with
Family-19
Friends-22
Alone-13
9.Last seen
What a girl Wants-2
Stepbrothers-1
Adrift-1
Superbad-1
James bond-2
Saw 4-4
Norbit-2
Mamma Mia-2
Saw 2-1
Saw 5-1
From Hell-1
Pirates of the caribbean-1
Little man-1
National treasure-1
Patch-2
The day the earth stood still-1
Saving private Ryan-1
The Eye-1
Cloverfield-2
The Pacifier-1
10.Worst ever seen
Chicken run-2
Eye-1
Hairspray-3
Epic movie-3
Team America-1
Cloverfield-1
Saw-1
High School Musical-6
Shrek 3-1
Chicken little-2
Grease 2-1
Cabin Fever-2
West side story-1
Saw 4-1
Bee movie-1
House of wax-1
Stepbrothers-1
Wolf creek-1
11.Setting of Thriller
Forest-12
City-10
Warehouse-5
House-4
Village-3
12.Characters in Thriller
Killer-26
Victim-21
Police-18
Suspect-18
13. What Props
Knife-22
Gun-22
Rope-14
Shovel-19
Axe-1
Water-1
14.What weather
Storm-19
Rain-16
Overcast-13
Mist-14

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1. Are you male or female? Male/Female

2. Which age group applies to you? 13-19/20-29/30-39/40+

3. Do you regularly watch movies? Yes/No
If yes please state how often...................................................................

4. What is your favourite genre of film? Horror/Thriller/Action/Comedy/
Sci-fi/Drama/Romantic/Other
If other please state.....................................................................................................

5. Who are your favourite actors or actresses?
Please state................................................................................................

6. What is you favourite film?
Please state.....................................................................................................

7. How do you watch a film? Cinema/DVD/Sky/Other
If other please state.........................................................................................

8. Who do you watch films with? Family/Friends/Alone/Other
If other please state.........................................................................................

9. What was the last movie you saw?
Please state………………………………………………………………….

10. What is the worst film you have ever seen?
Please state…………………………………………………………………

11. Where do you expect to see a Thriller set? House/warehouse/school/forest/city/village/other
If other please state…………………………………………………………..

12. What characters do you expect to see in a Thriller? Killer/victim/police/suspects/other
If other please state……………………………………………………………..

13. What props do you expect to see in a Thriller? Knife/gun/rope/shovel/other
If other please state……………………………………………………………..

14. What weather do you expect to see in a Thriller? Storm/rain/overcast/mist/other
If other please state………………………………………………………………

Thank you for filling in our questionnaire.

Tuesday, 10 February 2009

BBFC




BBFC- British board of film classification.



This organisation was created to classify cinema films and then later on videos and DVDs. It is not run by the government but the BBFC classifies films on behalf of the local authorities who license cinemas under the Licensing Act 2003. In classifying films, videos or video games, the BBFC also gives consideration to the following basic principles:
Adults should as far as possible be free to choose what they see,providing that it remains within the law and is not potentially harmful to society.
Works should be allowed to reach the widest audience that is appropriate for their theme and treatment.
The context in which something (eg sex or violence) is presented is central to the question of its acceptability.
The BBFC’s Guidelines will be reviewed periodically. The Guidelines, and the Board's practice in applying them, have particular regard to any changes in public taste, attitudes and concerns; changes in the law; or new evidence from research or expert sources.








Universal classification


The BBFC says that they can't predict what may upset a child. However a film rated universal should be suitable for ages four and above. Universal films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offev reassuring counterbalance to any violence, threat or horror. Uc films classified with normally don't have a problems that arise therefore are suitable for pre-school children.


The use of problematic themes must be sensitive and appropriate for the younger audience. There is not allowed to be frequent use of even mild bad language. No sexual behaviour only that of kissing. Mild violence occasionally mild threat or menace only. No empgasis on realistic or easily accesible weapons. No dangerous behaviour that young children could potentially copy. Mild horror which is brief but has a reassuring outcome. Illegal drugs are never mentioned.







Parental Guidance


Some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A child may watch a PG alone as it will not disturb a child around the age of 8 or older. But it is up to the parent to decide whether it will upset a younger or more sensitive shild.


Serious issues feature for example domestic violence or racist abuse. Mild bad language with no sexual context but can be implied but discreetly and very rarely. Moderate violence is allowed without detail only if justified in the setting. No emphasis on realistic weapons or easily accesible ones. No detail on dangerous behaviour that children may copy. Frightening sequences should not be sustained ot intense.






Suitable for 12 years and over.


A younger child may not see a film with this classification at the cinema unless accompanied by an adult. A young child may not rent or buy a film with this classification. If a child is allowed to watch this film then it is the accompanying or supervising adults choice.


Mature films are accepted but it must be suitable for younger teenagers. The use of strong language mest be rare and racist abuse is also a concern. Nudity is allowed however if sexual context it must be brief and discreet. Sexual activity may be implied. But only if it reflects what is likely to be familiar to most teenagers but may not go further. Violence must not last, no emphasis on injuries or blood. Sustained scenes of threat amd menace are permitted. Portrayal of drug misuse is permitted but infrequently.


Suitable for ages 15 and above.


Any child younger may not see a film classified 15 in the cinema but may not rent or buy one.


No theme is named as long as it is appropriate for 15 year olds. Strong language is permitted however the strongest terms are accepted but only if it is justified in the context. Nudity is allowed in sexual context but no strong details are allowed. Sexual actions can be portrayed as long as there are no strong details. Violence may be strong but may not last on the infliction or pain. Threat and menace is permitted but strong gory images are unlikely to be accepted. drug taking can be shown but as a majority the film must not promote or encourage the misuse of drugs.



Suitable only for adults.
No person younger than 18 may view this film in a cinema and no younger person is allowed to buy or rent this film either.
The only times when i film not be suitable at all is when the material or treatment appears to be a risk or harm to an individual or through their behaviour to society for example a detailed portrayal of violent acts or illegal drug use- which is likely to promote the activity. The more explicit scenes may be excepted if it is justified by the context. The only time when explicit scenes may be shown is when they are there to inform the viewers about safe sex or they are educational.
This is the research i found on the BBFC.



Monday, 5 January 2009

The Untouchables

camera shots
in the opening sequence to this film there is the use of low angled shots for example the one of the gangster on the balcany showing his importance as well as wide shot like when it is looking at the camera. there is also the pov shots of the gangster looking down at the people passing.

there isn't a lot of lighting used in this film therefore as the viewer you begin to wonder what may be in the shadows, which then makes the viewer wonder what may happen.

there is not a lot of speech used only when the two gangsters talk at the start and when the shotting has finished you wonder what is going on as you don't get any imformation from what is said therefore the viewer wants to watch on as they try to find out what is going on.

the tapping of the pram wheels on the stairs also biulds the tention as it begins to get louder and louder and faster and faster biulding up the tention. also this biulds up the confusion in the scene as there is other people walking around.

the basic story line is that the gangsters are coming at midnight therefore there are good guys there to stop them doing whatever is planned. the good guy helps the lady and pram up the stairs. there is then a shootout when they reach the top of the stairs the pram begins to fal bck down the stairs and is stopped at the bottom by a good guy. most of the action is in slow motion allowing you to see everything that is going on making the iewer feel more involved. most of the gangsters are left dead and there is a hostige situation with a citizen being held by a bad guy. there is then another slow motion shot as the biult is fired and hits the bad guy.

Sunday, 4 January 2009

No country for old men

at the start there is landscape shots which are extreme long shots this enables you to see what sort of setting the movie is set in. The opening scene is that of the fight scene in the police station. this shows the killer escapping from prison, this allows you to see the killer at the start, making the viewer wonder may happen ahead.

it then goes to a shot of the murderer killing the victim, this makes you wonder what he is capable of as h only kills the guy for his car rather than for any reason.

there is the a pov shot looking down the barellel of the gun this gives the viewer a view of what is going on around the character this also puts you in the action as you are seeing it as you would if you where there.

the fact that there is then no noise until the noise of the gun shot this then makes the viewer wonder what has happened. the pov of view shot of the blood on the floor has the same affect as you wonder why there is blood and what has happened.

at the crime scene there is nobody alive therefore you begin to wonder whether the murderer did it however they all have guns therefore you wonder why they are all there and why they have been killing each other. the camera goes along the floor whilst the man is walking through investigating. this keeps the viewer in suspense for longer, which biulds up the tension.

the suspense is also biult up when you see the mans feet behind the tree, as the viewer wonders whether he is still alive nd having a rest therefore the man is going to be killed. this also biulds the tension in the scene.