Research into the British Board of Film Classification

Research into the British Board of Film Classification

How does classification work?

The BBFC examines a film before realise and age rates it, they do this in order to protect children from unsuitable or harmful content, this allows information to the viewers before whether to view it or not. Normally two examiners will view a film and from what they have viewed they will make an age recommendation, then in most cases a senior examiner will confirm the recommendation that was made by the first examiners.

The issues examiners look for when rating a film are; Discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous and easily imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex and violence.

Different Age Classifications
Suitable for ages four and Upwards

 

U- Stands for Universal, a universal film is suitable for the ages of 4 upwards.

What sort of films pass at U?

A U film can have a wide range of themes as long as it is suitable for a young audience.

Children's U films will usually contain positive messages, these messages will relate to loyalty, honesty and friendship. The film should have a happy ending for the child and the overall storyline should be one of reassurance. U films are unlikely to contain discriminatory language or behaviour unless its clearly disapproved of. Examples of U films are The Lion King and Up, these films are a U because they contain no material that could be likely to offend or harm.

Films that Require Parental Guidance

 

PG- stands for Parental Guidance, this means it is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG should be suitable for a child 8 years or older. A PG film will not contain any themes that may been deemed as inappropriate for a child, however PG films can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or Racism.  Examples of a PG films are Frozen and Wreck It Ralph, these films are PG because they contain mild threat within some scenes of the film.

Under 12/12A Films

12/12A- These films are not generally suitable for children under the age 12, no one younger than 12 may watch a 12A unless accompanied by an adult. If the film contains strong language it may be passed as a 12A, however discrimination will not be in a 12A unless it is condemned within the film as being bad/unacceptable. Moderate violence is allowed within a 12/ 12A as long as it is not dwelled on or in detail, this is the same rule for any violence or imitable behaviour within the film, or the use of drugs by characters within the film. Examples of 12/12A films are The Hunger Games - Catching Fire and Inception, the reason that these films are certificated as a 12/12A is because they contain moderate violence and threat, and infrequent strong language.

Under 15 Films

15- No-one under the age of 15 is allowed to watch a 15 film.

No theme is prohibited providing that it will be suitable for a 15 year old to be exposed to. Issues that could be included in a 15 film are, Strong violence, Frequent strong language, Portrayals of sexual activity, Strong verbal references to sex, Sexual nudity, Brief scenes of sexual violence, or verbal reference to sexual violence, Discriminatory language or behaviour and Drug taking. Examples of 15 certificate films are Ouija and Shutter island, these films have been certificated as a 15 because they contain strong horror, threat, strong language, bloody injury and disturbing images.


Under 18 Films

   

18- Films rated 18 are only suitable for adults, no theme is prohibited at 18 providing that the material within the film is not illegal or potentially harmful, so it is possible that some themes tackled at 18 may offend some adult viewers. Issues that could be included in a 15 film are, Very strong violence, Frequent and/or very strong language, Strong portrayals of sexual activity, Scenes of sexual violence, Strong horror, Strong blood/gore, Real sex (in some circumstances) and Discriminatory language/ behaviour. Examples of 18 certificate films are Wolf on Wall Street and the SAW films, these are certificated 18 because they contain very strong language, strong sex, hard drug use, very strong bloody violence and gore.

Our Final Idea - Maria

The final idea for our thriller sort of run along the genre of a psychological thriller mixed with a crime thriller. The general idea is that the protagonists sister has been murdered, but the only thing known about her murder is where she was found. The protagonist goes back to where her sister was found, to try and feel closer to her as she misses her very much. When she goes back, she finds her sisters bracelet which previously had not been there when the body was recovered. This scares her, so she makes a swift exit but is then followed. The identity of the killer is to remain a mystery throughout the film, although the killer does go on to follow and kill the protagonist. The only character shown in the whole film will be Maria's sister. The name of our film, Maria. is the name of the sister. We used this one name for the title because it is short and snappy, and reveals that even though Maria isn't in the film, the whole film is about her. It will also be made clear throughout that the protagonist is being followed, but it isn't until the end that she realises this. 

The location we will use is a wood near Gosfield which is quite secluded. The purpose for using this location is because we know it has a hut/shed there which is disused, which is a main feature of our storyline as this can be used for where our victim was known to die. Also, theres not really many paths in the woods so filming can be more random and it wont really look like the protagonist knows where she's going. which is what we aim for. 

The music used for our film will be tension building, so the audience can sense something is about to go wrong. This will be subtle, so that the audience can focus on the protagonists movement and the main prop of the film. 

The costume used in our film will be just plain costume. The protagonist will be wearing minimal makeup, and just leggings, a scarf and a jumper to show that they are just a normal plain person. This is so that they can be relatable to a wider audience, and not seem special in any way to highlight that these heartbreaking and scary things happen to normal people. 

Our titles will be nothing too fancy. They will just be simply black and white, again in order to not take focus away from the protagonist.

Brainstorm Ideas for our Thriller film

https://www.mindmup.com/#m:a1f2b7cdf050950132d6e44e064024706e

This is a mind-map of our ideas for our Thriller film. The mind-map includes features for a typical Thriller film, for example, Sound, Storyline, Camera Shots, Characters, Setting, Mise en Scene and Editing. 

Music and Sound

For our diegetic sounds we may include footsteps of certain characters, for example a stalker that is following another character. A diegetic sound that is vital for a thriller film is a piece of dialogue that will be exchanged between two characters.

For our non-diegetic sounds it is vital to use music to build up suspense, an example of another thriller film that uses music to build up suspense is Jaws.

Characters

Characters is a vital part of any film, not just a Thriller film, but for a Thriller film, it is vital to have a protagonist and an antagonist, which will fight against each other to create a suspense fulfilled Thriller film.

Storylines

We have thought of two ideas for our storyline, the first one being a stalker that had previously killed a relative of another character. The stalker will then follow that particular character, and attempt a brutal murder. We then discussed whether the Stalker will catch the character or whether he/she shouldn't, we still haven't come to a final verdict. Our other storyline consists of a character that buys illegal substances of the antagonist, then ends up dying due to the illegal substance. The brother of the first character that buys the drugs, then goes after the antagonist and tries to avenge his younger brother.

Camera Angles

We will use various camera angles in certain situations, for example we will use low angle shots of characters or objects, that hold greater power or prestige than another characters or objects.

Mise en Scene

The costumes will consist of the protagonist wearing formal clothing and the antagonist wearing dark casual clothing. 

The make up will be used when attempting to make a character look wounded or dead.

Various props will be used in the film, for example in both of our ideas for the Thriller film, there will be uses of Mobile Phones.

Setting or Location

Obviously for our Thriller film we have to use a location that has been permitted to use, but what we are looking to use in our thriller film is when outside, it may be raining, dark and cold, which will build suspense for our film. Indoors we will be using rooms with various lighting, for example when the stalker is following a character, it has to be dingy to build suspense and mystery.

Timeline of Thriller Films

Timeline of Thriller Films

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/359157/Timeline-of-Thriller-Films/

 How have thriller films changed throughout the years? And what do they have in common?

From 1913-1917 thriller films are being mainly based on kidnappings or thefts for example the $5,000,000 Counterfeiting Plot's (1914) storyline includes a forged note that ends up in the wrong hands consequently resulting in an entire gang being brought to justice. A film similar to this is Blind Justice (1916) as this films storyline also includes a crime and kidnapping as John Sikes is taken captive and imprisoned until years later when he is released early and on the hunt for his son Robert. 

Thriller films alter from 1916 during the 1920's as there is a rise in films being created that contain psychos and more obscure characters from earlier created thriller films, this is shown in the film Drakula halála (1921) in which the storyline is where a young girl visits an insane asylum and one of the inmates convinces her that they are Dracula, and now she is left to decide whether her visions are just a nightmare or reality.

Another film with an obscure character also from the 1920's is He Who Gets Slapped (1924) as this film is the first thriller film to use a clown within it, this film is similar to earlier films as the storyline to this film is also based around a kidnapping, as the clown goes out to rescue the young woman he loves from the count who once betrayed him.

In 1926 a film was created called Midnight Faces which is one of the first thriller films to be created that has an element of supernatural activity, as they believe they see someone in a house that is supposedly uninhabited. Midnight Faces is similar to Drakula halála in regards to characters as this film also contains a young girl who is running from the a knife wielding psychopath, however this is different from earlier films as many of the earliest thriller films will only contain male characters.

Although in 1929 and 1931 films were created called Blackmail and Night Nurse, in these films female characters have become more important within the films as in Blackmail a female is the main character as the suspect of a crime and in Night Nurse a female is the main character as well as the hero/rescuer of the film.

In conclusion many of the conventions from the earliest thriller films are still very similar to the conventions and features being used in thriller films in the 21st centaury, for example the use of music to build up tension, the use of low key lighting and the use of specific locations and characters to create a better atmosphere within the films.

Audience Research Into Conventions Of A Thriller

Conventions of Thrillers

We asked  members of the public to complete a survey that we had created. We analysed each individuals answers and have established that most people like to see a Thriller that has the main two characters, which play the 'Protagonist and Antagonist'. As a result of this, in our opening two minutes of out film, we would like to include a character that plays the role of the antagonist, and another character that plays the protagonist.

We also established that all the people we surveyed, think Se7en and Shutter Island are excellent films. We have researched into the two films and discovered that Se7en and Shutter Island have the editing in time with the music, such as fast cuts and explosions, this will create a mysterious and tension building atmosphere around the audience, in turn attracting the audience to the film, therefore making it enjoyable to watch.

Inspiration for our Thriller Film - Research Into Existing Films

Shutter Island

Shutter Island draws on elements of psychological thriller and film noir, Scorsese said that he wanted to inhabit many more genres within the film than a simple horror/thriller. This Martin Scorsese’s film uses a series of camera techniques including long, medium, and close up shots in order to convey a sense of detachment from society and a sense of solitude and loneliness that DiCaprio’s character exhibits within the film.

Trailer of Shutter Island:

Camera Shot:

One of the first camera shots that is seen in Shutter Island is this long shot which shows the full scale of the island which the characters are travelling to. The dark nature of this shot sets the scene for the entire film, conveying that it will be dark, mysterious and not a particularly nice place to be venturing. The sky is darker on one side to show a storm casting itself over the island, reflecting how the situation is likely to worsen and to predict the danger that is to come. The purpose of this shot is to highlight the setting of the film and to add some suspense.

This type of long shot is often used in thrillers, showing the main characters walking towards the camera. The point of this is to suggest to the audience the era in which the film is set and what type of character will feature, and also obviously to confirm the main characters. Natural but rather dreary lighting is used in this shot to show the realistic setting of the film. The formality of the police uniform and the suits are to convey that these characters are important, and the matching coats and hats of “Teddy” and “Chuck” are to reflect that they’re linked.

This high angle shot shows Teddy Daniels’ growing vulnerability as he gradually doubts himself more. He feels small as he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, he knows something weird is happening but he cannot put his finger on what is happening. In this scene he is in danger of falling to his death. This shot, like many others in the film, is inspired by shots from a Hitchcock film (Vertigo)

This mid shot of a background character, a mental patient, looking directly into the camera is a technique used throughout the film of including the audience in the scene. The direct eye contact is unnerving, and is designed to ensure the audience experiences a little bit of what “Teddy Daniels” would be feeling at that particular moment. We know she is a mental patient by her costume, the handcuffs and general frightened nature reflects this too.

This is almost the last camera shot in the film. It is a long shot of the character walking away from the camera, and creates the cliffhanger which the movie is left on. The audience doesn’t know if the protagonist is truly insane or whether he has regained some of his sanity and is just pretending. Even though this scene is brighter than most, it is likely that the protagonist is being marched to his death so is misleading like the rest of the film. This shot has an impending danger feel to it, and is the last we see of the protagonist.

Music and Sound

In the beginning of the film, the main protagonist, Edward Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is on a ferry, wretched with a seasickness. In the very first scene the audience is already bombarded by uncomfortable noises that are very difficult for the viewer to watch/listen to. The retching of the main character is the first noise that is really heard; many people associate this noise with painful memories, already causing the viewer to feel tense and uncomfortable. It is also intriguing, why is the character vomiting? Where is he going? Where has he come from. The title sequence for the film is shown shortly after, in which very loud and invasive 20th century classical music consumes the audio. For a moment the scene is engulfed in music, then Scorsese takes the scene straight out of the loud music and into dialogue between our protagonist and another character. This quick change between pace and tone is very effective in creating a tense atmosphere. Some songs also use the bass to mimic a fast heartbeat, which is a technique used in many thrillers and the noise influences the audience’s heartbeat to rise in pace. Many songs also quickly contrast high notes with very low bass notes.

Settings and Locations

The setting is a scarily forbidding prison called Shutter Island, a former civil-war fortress that has been converted into a maximum-security facility for the criminally insane.

The setting of the whole film is revealed in the first scene, and the way it is shown (in a long shot) reflects that it is impossible to escape from. It also suggests impending danger, just the island itself doesn’t look safe. The first glimpse of the sheer-sided rock rising from the ocean is computer enhanced, but the rocky coastline itself is Peddocks Island, which indeed can be found in Boston Harbor. The main building and the first two wards of ‘Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane’ are the in reality the disused Medfield State Hospital.

Characters

Played by Leonardo De Caprio, the main protagonist is called Teddy Daniels, yet we find out in the film that his real name is Andrew Laeddis. Teddy Daniels is a US Marshall invited to the island to investigate a missing mental patient, but during the film it is revealed that he is actually a mental patient who has been on the island for two years. None of what he thinks he knows about himself is true.

Chuck, Teddy Daniels’ sidekick who is originally deemed as a reliable character is later revealed to be his psychologist. This is shocking to the audience. When this is revealed, De Caprio’s character’s world is torn apart and he doubts every aspect of his life. This duo do not fit within the conventions of a normal duo in a normal thriller film, but fit the plot twists within the film making them very effective.

Dr. Naehring and Dr Noyce are the so-called main antagonists of the film. They’re Teddy Daniel’s psychologists and doctors, but throughout the film they seem untrustworthy and unreliable. Their costumes suggest importance, and their power over the patients and other characters is obvious.

In Depth Look at Two Different Thriller Films

Pyscho (1960) and Se7en (1995)

Pyscho (1960)

In the murder scene, Marion of which is the female protagonist, enters the shower and there is a high angle shot of her looking content as she showers. As a result of the high angle shot, we as an audience naturally look down on Marion and are clearly too able see how unsuspecting and innocent she is. In the shower she is also naked, which is again a commonly used convention in horror films before the female victim dies, as it represents how vulnerable they become as danger approaches them or they approach danger.

 Throughout the scene, there is a constant close-up of the protagonist’s face before, during and after the sudden murder. When the silhouetted killer, in the shape of an elderly woman approaches the shower, there is a front over the shoulder shot of Marion which creates dramatic irony for the audience because the protagonist is totally oblivious to the fact she is in grave danger, too the silhouetted character. Often in horror or thriller films, the killer is masked and unidentified which creates this suspense and edgy fear of the unknown in the audience, while adding to a film’s effectiveness to put terror in the minds of viewers. In ‘Psycho’ the killer actually subverts to the generic conventions, as she initially appears to be an old woman but turns out to be the hotel manager who disguised himself as his mother, to perhaps shift the blame. This gives us as an audience, a slight shock when the truth is revealed and makes the story line all the more chilling and twisted.

The conventional knife murder weapon used to kill Marion, adds to the gruesome gore in the film, as the murder scene becomes very bloody. When the knife is about to be used to attack the protagonist, it is shown in the light and therefore juxtaposes its shadowed background. The use of lighting on the murder weapon is used to draw the audiences’ focus towards it and alarm them of an impending attack.

‘Psychos’ popular shower scene, also caused a stir among some viewers as they argued that “Hitchcock may be scaring his female viewers, but he is turning his male viewers into potential rapists”, states Serge Kaganski (French film critic). Having said that, the films unique use of the portrayal of horror conventions used, did alternatively adds to its outstanding representation of the brutal killer and how far he/she would go to cover up his murderous actions.

Se7en (1995)

In the crime scene of the ‘Sloth Victim’ there are numerous close up shots that represent the emotion shown on a characters face, in this example, there are close up shots of the two detectives, showing the scarce look on their faces as they are evaluating the murder scene. With the lighting, this film/clip has dark and dingy lighting, representing the mysterious and secretive feel to the crime scene.

 Throughout this scene there is many high and low angle shots to represent the vulnerability of certain characters and the power of others, more often than not there are low angle shots of the detectives and the high angle close up shots of the police, which represents the detectives have a higher prestige over the police, also shows that the police perform the more dangerous jobs, and the detectives come in after the police.

In the clip of them discovering the body, there is a small light on in the background, of which doesn’t illuminate the room enough to provide sufficient detail of the setting, creating a lot of tension and suspense for the audience. Also the only light that is significant within the clip is the torches on the end of the police guns, of which provide that sense of insecurity, as the characters cannot see everything in the room.

The main props that are represented in this clip is a gun, of which is used to keep the police officer safe, which implies the the gun is a safety mechanism. On the end of the gun is a flashlight which is used to shine on a object, or a place of which the character wants to look at, in this case, the officer wanted to look around the room to see whether there is any danger, and to look at the dead body, to attempt to work out how the body was murdered. The flash light plays a significant part of the clip as it is used for a lot of reasons, for example the location in which the characters are situated is very dark and dingy, therefore the flashlight is very significant, so the character can see what they want to look at.

Contrasting both Thriller Films

Although the scene in which I have chosen are completely different, one being a crime scene, which is the clip from ‘Se7en’ and one being a murder scene, which is the clip from ‘Pyscho'. Both films share the same sort of conventions, although they are completely different, there are many close up shots, which is key in any thriller film to represent the emotion shown on a characters face, in the murder scene there is a lot of close up shots of the victim, which represents the oblivious state in which she is shown, and in the crime scene, there is many close up shots of the detectives and police, implying that they are nervous and afraid of what is in the crime scene.

In both films there are many high and low angle shots to represent the vulnerability of a character and the power of another character. In the clip from Se7en, there are many close up shots of the detectives and police showing that one is in more danger than another, for example the detectives are in less danger than the police as the police have to go into the crime scene first. In the clip from Pyscho, there is many low angles shots of the murderer, of which represents the character as being more powerful than the victim.

The props that are used in both scenes are completely different, in terms of the objects that are used. In the clip from Psycho, there is a knife which the murderer uses, where as in the clip from se7en, the murder has already occurred and the murder weapon has been hidden, which also relates to the clip from Pyscho, as the murderer takes the murder weapon with them, in turn hiding the weapon that is used.

In the clip from Se7en, there is very dark and dingy lighting, which informs the audience that there may be something very mysterious about to happen. Whereas in the clip from Pyscho, the film is done in all black and white, but from the lighting you can see mostly everything, which tells the audience that it may have been very bright, which is unique as it normally a murder is represented by lighting by being very dark and dingy, which makes the viewer not know who the murderer is, but in the clip from Pyscho it is very light, but they made it unique, by making the shadow of the killer very dark, so the viewer doesn't know who the murderer is.

Thriller Genre: Typical Characters

The typical characters in a thriller film usually consist of a villain and a hero or good and evil fighting or battling. Both characters are usually male and tend to both dress smartly this implies power and strength that women are not seen to have, this gives the men the ability to fight each other. The villain generally is well-built and is made to look fierce this also gives the audience a sense that he cannot be trusted as we are made to believe that from the way he acts, but usually the villain has a reason that they see life this way, something has usually changed the villain in their past to make them act the way they do, sometimes they have a group of people that are on their side and help with the battle against the hero. 

The heroes in the film are mostly someone whose life is in danger for example: police men, spies or the public that have been dragged into some danger this makes the audience see that they are fighting for safety and to remove the danger from their life, they also sometimes have people that support them and fight with them although in some thrillers they portray the hero and fight for the villain instead.

The Thriller Genre; What Are The Features Of A Thriller?

A thriller is typically film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. A thriller uses suspense, tension building and excitement as its main elements. Thrillers are designed to stimulate the viewer's moods, causing them to endure a rollercoaster of moods, giving them a high level of apprehension, ultra-heightened anticipation and expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and usually panic and terror. Films of this genre tend to be adrenaline-rushing with events happening in a fast-paced sequence. Editing, sound and character casting are important when making a thriller. One example of a thriller film is Fast and Furious 1, which in summary is about "a Los Angeles street racer falling under the suspicion of the LAPD as a string of high-speed electronics truck robberies rocks the area. An officer of the LAPD then joins the ranks of Toretto's highly skilled racing crew undercover to convict Toretto. However, O'Connor finds himself both enamored with this new world and in love with Toretto's sister, Mia. As a rival racing crew gains strength, O'Connor must decide where his loyalties really lie.". Even this summary on the cover stimulates the potential viewer's emotions, making them desire to watch the film for themselves. The promise of an exciting story line interests the audience.

 

 

Thrillers always include a protagonist and an antagonist, which ensures that the story has dramatic effect. Typical features which consistently arise within films in the thriller genre are surprises, quick cuts and camera angle changes, music to add tension, light to create shadowing, mirrors, stairs, point of view shots, prolepsis of time and flash backs. In the thriller film Se7en, make up is an important element to shocking the audience and making the film memorable.

Within the thriller genre there are many sub-genres; including psychological thriller (e.g. The Sixth Sense), crime thriller (e.g. Se7en), comedy thriller (e.g. The A-Team), political thriller (e.g.JFK) and conspiracy thriller (e.g.The Bourne Identity).

Thriller Genre: Typical Settings

The general location of Thriller Films depends on the lighting in which the particular setting gives. For example in a Horror film the lighting is generally quite dark, which creates a tense atmosphere for the audience. The setting also depends on what the story is, for example in the film ‘Insidious’ the main setting of which is used is the character Dalton Lambert’s bedroom, of which the lighting in there is very dingy, creating a tense atmosphere with in the audience. 

Conventionally, Thrillers are set in a normal everyday environment such as a house as this adds to the suspense of the action as it shows the antagonistic disturbing the normality. Small confined spaces are normally used to signify entrapment and isolation. More often than not, the locations used in Thriller films have two-key lighting in order to create a sombre and bright atmosphere. This will create tension as the audience are unaware of what could be happening, in the surrounding of the character.