RESEARCH: BBFC Film Certificates

By law, under the Video Recordings Act (2010) all films require a BBFC rating. There are seven different types of ratings the the BBFC use:





The first official BBFC logo is 'U', which stands for Universal. The logo shows the audience that the film is suitable for everyone, in particular audience aged 4 or over to watch solely and that there is nothing unsuitable for children.

The second BBFC logo is 'PG', which stands for Parental Guidance.This means all ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8 years old. A parent/guardian should consider whether the child needs to be accompanied when viewing the film.

The third BBFC logo is '12A'. Films categorised under this certificate are deemed unsuitable for very young people. Those under the age of 12 years old are only admitted if accompanied by an adult.

The fourth BBFC logo is '12'. This means that nobody younger than 12 years of age can view the Movie. Films under this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.

The fifth BBFC logo is '15'. This means that nobody younger than 15 years of age can view the Movie. Films under this category may include adult themes, hard drugs, strong words, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity.

The sixth BBFC logo is '18'. This means that nobody younger than 18 years of age can view the Movie. Films under this category may include do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity is also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context.

The seventh BBFC logo is 'R18', which stands for Restricted 18. This means that only adults are admitted. Films under this category can only be shown under licensed cinemas or sold at sex shops. Films under this category have material the BBFC does not allow for its "18" rating, thus the violence and sex activity will be stronger in R18-rated VHS s, DVDs and films than those rated "18," however, there is still a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating.

After reviewing the different types of film certificates labelled by the BBFC and taking into consideration what the ratings contain, I think our film would receive an 18 rating. In our Target Audience Research we found that people thought horror films weren'tvery good if they were below an 18 rating, so we decided our film had to be an 18. This is because, within the Movie it may contain bad language, and visually disturbing death scenes, that may not be suitable for people under the age of 18.

RESEARCH: The Werewolf Movie

The legend of the werewolf has been around for centuries and has become a familiar figure in horror films. The following is some general information about werewolves and their place in cinema.


http://horror.about.com/od/horrortoppicklists/tp/bestwerewolfmovies.htm
‘silly story full of hammy melodrama, cheesy effects and gratuitous nudity, but the quick pace and prolific, bloody action’
‘werewolves are vulnerable to silver and are marked with a pentagram’
‘blend of horror, drama and even a bit of comedy, with smart, crisp dialogue’



http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=368
‘from the point of view of the werewolf’/’ POV perspective through the werewolf’s eyes’
‘birth of an unwanted child on Christmas Day curses it to turned into a werewolf’

RESEARCH AND PLANNING: Preliminary Conclusions

1) What have the deconstructions told you about the openings of movies?

My deconstructions have varied greatly, as each opening has presented a different way of starting. For example, Rushmore focuses on introducing his main character, but Dead Poets' Society focuses on clarifying where the film is set. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince continues the story from another film, by presuming its audience understands the action of the opening, whereas Wuthering Heights creates an atmosphere. In regard to our film, I think Wuthering Heights offers the most inspiration. Though it is not the same genre, it uses sound and camera shots to create tension, something we need to do in our film.

However, Dead Poets' Society is also useful, as it has shown me how to use props and costume to present themes and characteristics of the film.

2) What has your target audience research told you about likes, dislikes and viewing habits?

My groups target audience research has told us the majority (82.6%) enjoy horror films. This result is very positive, because we are doing a horror film and it is reassuring to know that the majority of people asked do enjoy horror films. However they do not opt for Werewolves when it comes to favourite horror characters, which is a negative because in our film we planned to use Werewolves.

The British horror industry is the most popular in the world, so it is beneficial to know that people within our area of the world, make horror films the most successful. Open ended questions at the end of the survey asked whether they had any comments on the production of horror films. The feedback we got from this was that horror films have to be an 18 rating to properly scare the audience. We got a negative response stating that the public have moved on from horror films because they are boring.

3) How have you used the above research to make panning decisions regarding your movie?

In the Target audience research we also found that, Werewolves were not the preferred choice of the audience as horror characters. As a group we discussed that it may not be a good idea to include a Werewolf, but to include the 43.5 favoured physco or a serial killer. We came to the conclusion that it did not matter, because in our first two minutes the audience do not see the werewolf, but are given point of view shots. This may work positively because it will keep the audience guessing. Overall, I feel that it is essential not to give too much of the plot away, but to keep it vague and get the audience guessing, in effect to create tension and to get them more involved with the movie.

RESEARCH: Target Audience Survey

In order to collect information about audience likes and dislikes, I created a survey on surveymonkey.com
Here is the survey.

I also posted the survey on Facebook, as this meant we would get results directly from a diverse demographic.

76.9% of the audience answered that they enjoyed horror films, which immediately meant good news for our film.
Not so good news was that only 3.8% chose werewolves as their favourite character, compared to the 42.3% that favoured Serial Killers and Psychos.
The British horror industry was most popular with 44%, followed by America, then Asia and Europe both with 12%.

At the end of the survey, I asked the audience whether they had any comments on the production of horror films. These two particular comments stood out:

"I think horror films have to be gritty and at least an 18 rating. I don't think you can properly scare anyone if you have to remove swearing and dumb down the horror."

"They are just too boring these days ... We've moved on from horrors now ... They're boring."

PLANNING: Storyboard

PLANNING: Film Brief and Director's Pitch

Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group.

The opening two minutes of a werewolf movie. A teenage couple drive to a secluded spot for a romantic evening. Using the Bus Technique, a Farmer interrupts, but then he is attacked by the werewolf. Shot in the style of a low budget B-movie, the audience doesn’t see the werewolf, but it’s introduced through Point Of View shots. My group and I intent to shoot on location near Kilsby. We need to consider lighting, as it will be a night shoot. Our initial plan is to work with the car’s headlights, camping lanterns and external torches.

RESEARCH: Deconstruction of Rushmore

Cert.15 , 1999
Director: Wes Anderson
Genre:

The music begins over the production company's (Touchstone) logo - it's light, yet sophisticated strings, but alightly abstract. A red curtain then appears and opens to reveal a painting of a family. A few credits appear next to the painting, but then the curtain opens on a school sign, which is also the film's title, 'Rushmore'.
Music cuts and the scene jumps to a view out of a classroom window, but quickly pans horizontally right across the class to stop on the teacher. The students are dressed smartly, and the teacher is standing in front of a blackboard, giving away the time period and setting. There is diegetic sound of the class talking but then silence as the teacher begins. The camera is positioned almost as a Point of View shot from the students, especially as one boy addresses the student. The camera follows the students' attention as it pans left to look at another blackboard, then back to the teacher. The music begins again and as the students talk, the camera tracks right, still at eye level, to stop behind an individual, reading a newspaper.
The teacher addresses him, so the camera jumps to be in front of the character and he puts dwn the paper. The fact he is named (Max) signifies that he is the main character, or a character of importance. There is a cut-in of his desk, showing papers, completed work on equations, a sketch of the Eiffel Tower, a calculator and a cup of tea on a saucer. His desk very organised and tidy, and there is a close-up of him buttoning up his blazer, so together, this shows Max to be efficient, intellectual and refined.
Match on action is used to show speed as the teacher throws a piece of chalk (which Max demands, showing his position within the classroom) to Max, and then, after putting his tea down, he begins writing. A fast-playing flute is added to the musical accompaniment and the camera jumps continuosly between different shots of Max (his face, the teacher's face, the back of Max, the side of Max's face, the front of his face, his back), which creates the illusion of speed.
As the teacher announces that the equation Max has completed is correct, the class cheers and celebrates, chanting his name. After a few seconds of this, the scene jumps to a new scene, where Max is smiling in his sleep, but the chanting is still there. Therefore, the audience realizes that Max had been dreaming, and they have to question the characteristics that Max had previously given himself in the dream. This goes back to the class, then to Max sleeping again, to the class, but then the music cuts sharply and Max is awoken to the sound of applause from the people sitting around him. As he joins reality, the camera zooms out to show the chapel full of boys in school uniform, giving the film it's definite setting.

Within this opening, Anderson focuses on introducing his main character. Through the character's dream, the audience is presented with the character's personality and desires regarding social standing and academic ability. The opening establishes the charcter relatively well, but the opening isn't particularly effective, as the story isn't really introduced and a lot of audience members may be put off by it's relatively slow-moving structure.

RESEARCH: Deconstruction of Wuthering Heights

Cert. U, 1939

Director: William Wyler

Genre: Period Drama

The film begins with the title over a still scene (in black and white). It shows a house and the sound is large and dramatic with a loud crash. This is an establishing shot, not just for the location, but also the mood of the film. Then, the music softens and becomes far more serene as the credits role over fading transitions between stills.

However, the music becomes more dramatic again, matching the image of trees thrashing in the snow storm. The introductory text appears, giving the film context - this was a common practice in film making from silent movies.

A man is seen struggling through the snow and the sound turns once more to become more sinister and eerie, creating tension and apprehension. Despite lack of dialogue and action, the audience is already involved in the film, purely through the film score.

Then there is a wide shot of the man as he tries to open a gate, a close-up of his anguished face and then back to a wide shot as he opens the gate. The house before him is dark, solitary and in need of repair. The character falls in the snow, and the music changes once more to be very quiet. Through Match On Action, the audience sees him enter the house and then a clear wide shot once he's inside shows how he's dressed in clothes associated with the 18th century.

Not long after he has entered, a large dog runs into the shot barking aggressively. The dog is unfriendly to visitors and this is reflected of the house - it is an unwelcoming house and the audience immediately worries for the traveller.

I believe that this is an incredibly effective opening. Even though the first two minutes are dominated by credits, Wyler still manages to set a very clear tone. It is a prime example of the significance of music in film and the connotations of particular sounds paired with even still images.

RESEARCH: Deconstruction of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Cert. 12, 2009
Director: David Yates
Genre: Action – Fantasy

The film’s opening is signature to the Harry Potter films, as the camera appears to move through cloud towards the Warner Bros. logo. It’s dark and thundery, making it more sinister. Then we hear a woman laughing maliciously, which is asynchronous. This sound is a continuation from the previous film and therefore Yates presumed that the audience would recognise the film is picking up directly where the last film ended.

From the thundery clouds, the scene fades into an extreme close-up on an eye, and due to the round glasses, the audience knows that it’s the main character, Harry Potter himself. The flash of photos denotes that something important has just happened and the close-up of Harry’s scratched face secures this idea. We then see the character next to Harry put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, which puts the event as something that could’ve upset or distress, rather than a positive celebration.
The sound of the photos flashing is diegetic, but the music behind is mournful.
It continues as the scene jumps back to the clouds from the beginning within the flash of one of the photographer’s cameras, and the film’s title appears, an iconic image of the film.

The clouds fade again to reveal a tower of offices and the music before changes into music that is far more sinister. The thunder continues but is now clearly diegetic sound. The camera travel inside the building, showing business men and women stopping what they were previously doing to look outside, as the storm seems to get progressively more violent and unusual.

Back up into the clouds, the camera starts to pan up to show a skull in the clouds. This in itself is unnerving and sets the scene for something evil or the like. Three black plumes of smoke snake out of this cloud and the camera begins a fast track as it follows them through exemplary places in London.

This opening is quick and does quite a lot in the first two minutes; the film’s title and Production Company appear but NOT over the film itself, there is reference to the previous film and then the scene is set for this film.
It’s quite active, so it grabs the attention of the audience immediately and opens up the film’s questions. It’s a very effective opening.