Research - Film Classification Guidelines

Film Classification Guidelines

The film classification guidelines are about how the national classification and censorship of films and video works (E.g, television programmes, adverts, trailers, public information, campaigning films, menus, bonus content, etc) are determined through the level of content they convey to the audience.


The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is a non-governmental organisation founded by the film industry in 1912 and has a statutory requirement to classify all video works released on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and to some lesser extent video games, under the Video Recordings Act 1984.

BBFC Insight is a short description of the issues found in a film or video work.

U - Universal (Suitable for all)

A U film should be suitable for audiences ages four years and above.  

U films should be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to to any threat, violence or horror. If a work is particularly suitable for pre-school, this will be indicated in the BBFC Insight.


Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disproved of.

Drugs

Reference to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be infrequent and innocuous, or have a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for children.

Imitable Behaviour

Potentially dangerous or anti-social behaviour which young children may copy must be clearly disproved of. No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.

Language

Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

Nudity

Occasional nudity, with no sexual content.

Sex

Only very mild sexual behaviour (E.g kissing) and references to such behaviour.

Threat

Scary or potentially unsettling sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.

Violence

Violence will generally be very mild. Mild violence may be acceptable if its justified by context (E.g comedic, animated, wholly, unrealistic, etc). 



PG - Parental Guidance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly dated work with no likely appeal to children. Discrimination by a character with whom children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.

Drugs

References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or

carry a suitable anti-drug message.

Imitable Behaviour

No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour that young children are likely to copy, if that behaviour is presented as safe or fun. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No focus on anti-social behaviour which young children are likely to copy.

Language

Mild bad language only. Aggressive or very frequent use of mild bad language may result in a work being passed at a higher category.

Nudity

There may be nudity with no sexual content.

Sex

Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.

Threat

Frightening sequences or situations where characters are in danger should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.

Violence

Violence will usually be mild. However there may be moderate violence, without detail, if justified by its context (E.g history, comedy or fantasy).


12A/12 - (Suitable for 12 years and over)

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, they are recommended to check the BBFC Insight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs

Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

Imitable Behaviour

No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

Language

There may be moderate language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, it's frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There may be nudity, but in sexual context it must be brief and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained.

Violence

There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context.

15 - (Only suitable for 15 years and over)

No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (E.g instructional detail). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substance (E.g aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Imitable Behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (E.g hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.

Language

There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.

18 - (Only suitable for 18 years and over)

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 1 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

- Where the material is in breach of criminal law, or has been created through the commission of criminal offence.
- Where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society (E.g the detailed portrayal of sadistic or sexual violence which make this violence look appealing; reinforcing the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence; or which invite viewer complicity in sexual violence or other harmful violent activities.
- Where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work or where the primary purpose of the images in question is sexual arousal in the case of the video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Sex Education at 18

Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality or safer sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may be permitted.

Sex Works at 18

Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing only material which may be stimulated are generally passed 18. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at R18 is also unacceptable in a sex work at 18.

R18 - (To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or suppplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults only

The R18 category is a special legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. R18 video works may not be supplied by mail order.


Sources:
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/guidelines (Visited 25/12/18)

Research - Camera Movement in Thriller Films

Camera Movement

All film genres utilise the wide variety of camera angles and movement within the film industry, but within the certain genres they are used in different ways to convey certain things or create certain effects on the audience, in this case we are seeing how they're used in the genre of thriller films.

Low Shot

This shot is used to emphasise a character, this can be an antagonist or protagonist and is used to make them look more powerful and intimidating. This is because they're over the camera and therefore provide a more omniscient look because they're above us.

In the above example we have Bane from Batman, looking down on us, which gives him a more powerful look, than if it were a regular straight shot onto him.

High/Aerial/Bird Eye Shot

This shot is used to convey the aspect of weakness and vulnerability upon the item or person that is being looked above. In the case of a thriller, a more powerful enemy or antagonist(s) looking upon the protagonist(s).

In the example above, we have Harry Potter on the ground with the camera above him showing that he may have potentially been knocked or pushed to the ground, indicating weakness to the audience.

Close-Up Shot

A close-up shot is usually used to bring out the detail in an object or person, therefore in thriller films it is used to convey the emotion that the character is currently feeling and it provides the audience with information about the current situation, through the reaction of the character.

In the example from 'Die Hard' above, we can see that John McLaine is struggling through a vent, the use of the close-up shot exacerbates the idea of being claustrophobic and stuck because we are very close to him. This also tells us that he his not enjoying the situation due to his facial expression.

Tracking/Panning Shot

This type of shot is used to maybe show that a character is being followed or watched, as it expands into a wider angle than other shots giving us more of a view and allowing us to establish not only the scene but also the situation. However, this also builds tension as we don't know whats going to happen next, hence this shot is used in thriller films.

In the example above we have a boy going down a hallway on his toy tricycle, however we have a slightly wider angle and he's turning back to look at something, insinuating that he's potentially being watched or followed, but we can't see what, therefore building tension.

(Extreme) Long Shot

These shots are used to mainly provide a greater view of the location, but they are used to convey to us something about the location. Therefore the features shown to us give us details about the atmosphere and what the situation may entail.

In the example above we have a long shot of an abandoned building hallway. The fact that the shot contains so many features, we don't know what's meant to happen so it builds tension, or it just provides us information of where the next scene will take place.

Handheld Shot

This shot is used to create verisimilitude within the film because the camera work looks natural as it has no stabilisation. Due to this the audience feels more involved as it feels like they're there themselves.

In the example above from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we have the use of handheld camera work. This make it seem as if a bystander is watching in shock from a distance, and therefore creates a greater sense of realism.

POV Shot

Similar to the handheld camera shot, a POV shot creates a greater sense of verisimilitude as we are viewing what the character is currently viewing. Due to us being able to see what they're seeing it involves the audience more and make us feel as if the same thing is happening to us.

In the example above, we have a character looking down on us, but due to how close his hands are to the camera, it almost looks like we are experiencing the same thing, which involves the audience and creates a sense of realism for the audience.

Zoom Shots

These shots are commonly used to build tension and suspense within a thriller film. They are used to greater express the emotion of a character or the appeal of a certain thing like a wound.

In the example above from Breaking Bad, the camera zooms into his face to greater express his emotion of shock, but also builds tension and suspense because we don't know what he's reacting to.

Over-The-Shoulder Shots

This the most commonly utilised shot in all film genres. It is not only used in conversation between characters with intercutting, but in thrillers it tends to be used when a character(s) is on their own facing a mirror. This allows us to see the same thing the character is at the exact time because its a perfect reflection, and allows us to really absorb what is happening in the scene because we are practically there.

In the example above from The Conjuring, the lady keeps looking back because there is someone supposedly behind her due to the reflection, but when she turns nobody is there. When the witch suddenly appears it provides a massive scary effect because overtime tension has been built then released all at once onto the audience.

But this is also exacerbated through the use of the mirror because we can relate to a situation like this because all people have a mirror and know how they work, therefore we know what it's like to use one, but this scene is abnormal, and therefore creates a better reaction from the audience.

Sources:
http://windsorgirls.weebly.com/gemini-productions/camera-angles-types-in-thriller-films (Visited 22/12/18)

Research - Fonts and Writings - (Opening & Ending Sequences)

Fonts and Writings

All films have introductory and conclusive title sequences, on top of this, titles used throughout the film. These are used to show us the variety of people and production groups that assisted in producing the film. Also, occasional titles appear within the film to depict certain aspects to us such as location or character details. However, these writings simply cannot be placed randomly on the screen, they must have some structure and appeal to the way they are presented to us. The way the writings are depicted through font, size and colour help reinforce the way atmosphere and character is created in the film, whether it be a colourful and funky writing or a bland, simple one can have a lot of impact on the audiences thoughts about the film.

The Passengers (2016)

The Passengers is a science fiction thriller, therefore to compensate for this genre the font and writings have been altered to match the century that this film is set in, which is supposedly very technologically advanced.

The opening title immediately infers to the audience that this film is indeed a science fiction film. The letters look very modern and different and the general font is very tidy and clean.

Furthermore, general details about the opening scene are in the same font style - very clean, white and modern looking.

Full Opening Scene

This font is also used extensively throughout the credit scene, in which it contains the details of production, which is usually shown in the opening scene.

Full Ending Scene

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The title to the film has the phrase 'Dragon' in it. Naturally we associate dragons to be ancient and mythical creatures that have merely been conveyed in myths or fictional texts, as they aren't real. To compensate for this title the opening font has been altered, in that it has been given a small leading effect, in that the letters slowly carry on as if they had been written. This gives them a more ancient look.

Full Opening Sequence

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

This movie is part of the massive Marvel franchise and Marvel began as comic books in 1939. Now, it has grown into the massive and popular film series that we know today in the 21st Century. Due to this, the opening to this film has a comic book theme, this being simple colours and shapes to relate to the how Marvel originally began in 1939. However, the font is therefore also very simple, just like a comic book.

Full Opening Sequence

Research - Product Inspiration

Product Inspiration

LED Mask

The theme of our thriller is mainly going to be based around the horror genre. In this case, I'm going to be putting a lot of attention on the characteristics of my antagonist. In preparation I have decided to purchase some props, one being this LED mask.

I had seen this mask on various social media platforms very commonly and thought it would be an interesting prop to use for my antagonist. This mask looks rather creepy and hides the identity of my antagonist, giving it that thriller feel.

Furthermore, I specifically chose this mask because it contains LED's in the shape of a creepy smiling character. I am intending on my film mainly consisting of low-key lighting, this mask will therefore stand out in those dark areas making the antagonist seem scarier.

Example

Dark Clothing

As my film is going to be based around that of a horror thriller film, the aspect of low-key lighting is quite important to provide the 'spooky' aspect. In matching this, my antagonist is going to be wearing some form of dark clothing such as a dark cloak or dark hoodie.

The dark clothing of my antagonist joint with the LED mask will really function well together, and give my antagonist the best look possible.

Research - Thriller Films - (Locations, Costumes, Props, Music)

Research into Thriller Films

Locations

Certain atmospheres of menace or sudden violence, such as crime or murderous intent, characterise Thriller films. These not only can be conveyed through the props and makeup of a character, but also the setting and location. Thriller movies utilise a wide variety of locations, such as abandoned houses, dark forests and dark outside areas.

Abandoned Houses

Abandoned houses are generally used in thriller films because the audience have no clue what could potentially be inside the house, as it's completely abandoned. This creates the feeling of tension in a thriller film because nobody knows what could possibly occur. In many thrillers, abandoned houses are seen to be haunted which creates a sense of mystery to the audience because they're completely in the dark and don't know what to expect.

Dark Forests

Dark forests are also quite commonly used in thriller movies. This is due to the fact that they create a strong feeling of tension and mystery because you have no idea what could be lurking in the forest and could potentially attack you at any time. The fact that forests seem to never end and that your stuck in the dark and dense area, gives the audience the feeling that there is no escape and to expect  that something bad is going to happen to the characters.

Normal Home Environment

Some thrillers are based in a normal home environment. This gives the connotations of being safe and secure so that when something bad happens, it gives the audience a scare and potentially make them feel like it could happen to them too.


There are many outside locations for thriller films such as ally ways, country side and even people's own personal space. These settings make it very obvious to the audience that something thrilling and mysterious is going to happen.

Some areas that are used in thrillers usually seem to be in the middle of nowhere. These setting create an eerie feeling as they know absolutely nothing about the area. This then creates an effect on the audience to feel as if something is about to happen. Its the unknown that gives the mysterious feeling.










Costumes

Like the other conventions of a thriller film, the costumes vary on the various sub-genres within a thriller such as; crime, missions, mystery, supernatural, detective skills, psychological, kidnap, etc. Within a film the various costumes are determined by the setting and the characters within the film.

The various costumes of certain characters within genres allow the audience to identify the characters roles within the film, whether it be an antagonist or protagonist.

Supernatural

There many relations between supernatural films, one of the main things being the costumes used to display the antagonist or protagonist. The main theme is that the antagonist characters tend to mainly wear forms of dark clothing such as dresses or suits. This is evident in movies like;

The Nun (2018) and Mama (2013)

Within the two films the antagonist characters both associate with the dark theme and both wear dress like attire. Naturally, this helps to evoke a greater sense of fear from the audience and match the aspect of the film being related to the supernatural theme. From seeing this in the film, we can identify them from everybody else more easily, but we see them less than the protagonist's, therefore when they come into a scene or maybe even do a 'jump-scare', its more horrifying due to the certain conventions of the character.






Props

Just like costumes, the props vary depending on the genre of thriller, crime, missions, mystery, supernatural, detective skills, psychological, kidnap, etc. The props define the characters within the genre of the film and allow us to identify the types of characters, creating the atmosphere of the film.

Missions

Many 21st Century mission thrillers are based around modern day technology and certain advances in technology. This specifically refers to technology that cannot be currently be achieved in today's society, in which the film talks about things that yet don't successfully exist but they do in the film. An example of mission thrillers that revolve around this theme is the Mission Impossible Franchise. The franchise is based around Missions that must be completed in order to prevent a catastrophic event, in doing so the characters use advanced technology to complete their missions.

The images show Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise, using gadgets that are practically revolutionary. Such as sticky gloves that can support a whole person's body weight and a contact lens that acts as a camera. All these props are used to convey the fact that they are advanced people and have a certain skill-set, not only

this, but the props keep the audience interested because if we can't have it in real life, then the audience at least want to see what the gadget does. Props are a key aspect not only for defining characters and creating atmosphere, but also keeping the audience intrigued. 



Music

Music plays an absolutely crucial part in films and is an essential element in thriller films. The use of music in parallel with the on screen images assists to create the atmosphere for the moving images, without it the audience would have to watch the images with ambient sound in the background, which would be extremely boring and would not have the same effect as music does in films. However, obviously not all music is the same as it varies between the variety of genres within the thriller theme. For example, a large battle scene may contain massive orchestral and epic music, whereas a sad scene may contain simply one instrument like a piano to convey the emptiness and sadness. The music simply cannot be thrown in, it must work in parallel with the images to support them and create a certain mood, whether it be joyful and happy or sinister and sad. Not only does music create the atmosphere but it also may introduce characters via things like theme tunes that match certain personalities of characters. Today, there are many composers that have written very popular scores that many people love such as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Steve Jablonksy and more.

Orchestral Music

These scores are just a few out of the multitude of incredible scores that the composers (above) have created. These scores mainly fall under the more orchestral and epic category, as these songs are fit for large and powerful films or series's.

The score for Jurassic Park written by John Williams is not only an amazing score but is also a very popular theme used in every Jurassic Park film and is a very memorable theme that lots of people know.

Steve Jablonsky is another very talented composer who has composed for film, television and video games, however he is most popular for his score on transformers, called 'Arrival To Earth'.

Amongst these composer generally the most popular one is Hans Zimmer who has been known for composing a plethora of incredible scores such as 'Inception', 'The Lion King', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', 'The Dark Knight' and many more. However amongst these one of his most popular scores is interstellar.

Horror Music

Music typically used in supernatural-thriller films is quite different than that of action-thriller films. Compared to the large and epic sound of orchestral music, super-natural thrillers use much less instruments in their music, or may not even use music at all, or only play in short bursts. This is to reinforce the supernatural theme of the film and exacerbate certain events in the film, mainly tension building.

This scene from IT (2017) uses a variety of music, such as ambient sound, monophonic sound and polyphonic sound (a small scale orchestra), to create atmosphere within the certain events throughout the scene.

The following scene from the Woman in Black (2012) has a much more specific use of the 'shorts bursts' of sound. This is repeatedly used throughout supernatural-thrillers to build tension and to notify the audience that something is going to happen.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre) (Visited 16/09/18)
http://windsorgirls.weebly.com/estrella-studios/typical-locations-for-thriller-genre# (Visited 16/09/18)
https://prezi.com/xqww5xskgjqh/conventions-of-the-thrillergenre (Visited 16/09/18)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jablonsky (Visited 16/09/18)