Research: Age Certificates- Ms Begum

The BBFC?:
-The BBFC (British board of Film classification) are a highly expert and experienced regulator of the moving image world. They serve a social function within society which is to advise and protect viewers from harmful moving images/films/movies. The BBFC provide public information that empowers them and parents to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care. Furthermore they help to protect vulnerable viewers and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unsuitable content while respecting adult freedom of choice, inturn they developed a systematic way of rating films for different ages, shown below along with the BBFC logo:

The Age Certificates:
-U- Universal
The age rating U stands for universal which means that the film is suitable for every age group to watch, this inturn means that a pre- school child can watch this film withought their parents having to be afraid of any harmful scenes that their child may come across as U films are always positive or have a positive way to counter-act any bad things that the child may see. In this film bad things hapen to some characters which may scare a vulnerable child however this is always counter-acted by something good within the film. An example of a U film is Ice Age, shown below:

PG- Parental Guidance:
This age certificate is aimed at children who are 8 years of age or older, as the film may disturb a child who is younger than that age. The term Parental Guidance means that it is the parents duty to check if this film is suitable for their child, one film with this rating is The Pink Panther shown below:

           

12&12A:
These two age certificates both do not allow  child under the age of 12 to watch these films as the content may upset or disturb yonger children. However the only difference between these two ratings is that children 12 and above are able to watch a 12 rated film without their parents worrying about the content in contrast to a 12A rated film where a parent is advised to look at the content and decide if this film is suitable for their child as the child could be sensitive etc. an example of a 12 rated film is Sherlock Holmes and an example of a 12A rated film is The Hunger Games, both shown below:

12A?:

Why 12A you may ask; Well the rating 12A was created when the first ever spiderman movie came out, this was because there was complaints about the film being to violent and not being suitable for a child aged 8 and under, due to these complaints the BBFC decided to rate the film a 12. However after doing this more argumens arose which stated that Spider-man was infact a comic book hero who children looked up to so it would be unfair if children could not watch it, this then drove the BBFC to creating a 12A rating which meant that children can watch spiderman as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Spiderman is shown below:

15
The age rating certificate is aimed at people who are 15 years of age or older due to these films containing material which may upset children under 15, this category exists purely for video works as no one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work. An example of a 15 rated film is Collateral, shown below:

18:
The last age rating in the UK is 18, this is for people aged 18 and over as the content shown in these films may touch upon criminal law and display criminal offence. Also these films may sho violent or dangerous acts, illegal drug use, portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which may endorse or eroticise sexual assault. An example of an 18 film is The Green Mile, shown below:

 

 

Thriller age ratings:
Thriller film age ratings vary from 12A upwards depending on its use and display on things such as drugs, illegal acts, portrayals of sex or violence. Most thriller films are rated at 15 as they usually contain violence and which may harm kids younger than 15, however there have been exceptions within the industry, such as, the film Spiderman which was labelled a 12A even though it shows fighting scenes that may harm a 12 year old. This in turn was why the rating 12A was formed, so that parents were able to go with their 12 year old children and see if the film is suitable for them to watch.

Conclusion:
Conclusively I am able to say that I have learned the different age certificates and how they affect parents and their children. due to me being equipped with this knowledge i am able to have an advanced judgement on what my thriller movie rating may be and how to adjust it to suit a certain audience. In my personal opinion I think that the creation and use of the age certificates is a brilliant and effective thing, this is simply because the films children watch can have a massive impact on their future lives, for example, a young child usually playfights with his/her friends and may find extreme violence good and 'cool', this, in turn, is why we must place age certificates on many films so that the young children are not exposed, effected or influenced. Ultimately, this information has helped me to determine what my thriller rating may be which is a 15, furthermore it has given me the information necessary to help me keep my thriller age rating with the 15 border, rather than raising it to an 18. Furthermore I now fully understand why the BBFC put age certificates on many films and what the age certificates mean.

Iconography & Location (Mise-en-scene) - Ms Gibbings

What is Iconography?:
- The word Iconography is another word for the images and/or the symbolic representations that may be used to represent a person or an object. For example you may associate large holding containers and cobwebs with a warehouse etc.

                           

examples relating to a building site may include:
-Machinery: such as cranes/ forklifts which are used to lift/ transport materials around the site.
- Other materials: such as wood/ metal/ plastic etc.
-Clothing: some builders may leave their work clothes on the building site for example a hard hat or a pair of gloves etc.
- they're are many other materials and pieces of equipment that may be left on the building site however the ones i have highlighted are the most common materials and equipment that you may come across due to the obvious fact of there not being any irrelevant materials or equipment on the building site.

Collateral example:
-For an example of good use of Iconography i will use the club scene in the film collateral in which one of the characters Vincent is on his mission to kill a witness- shown below:

                                   

In this scene we see exactly what we expect from a club- packed with people, a bar, people dancing etc. within this scene we also see police enter the club trying to stop the well- planned murder, we see people equipped with guns as they are their to protect the witness. Furthermore in this scene all of the people who are fighting are highlighted from within the crowd which also makes it hard to tell who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist. Inturn this scene leaves the audience confused but thrilled at the same time as they witness an action packed shoot-out scene where people are killed and injured. Furthermore what is so good about this scene is that at the end of the scene the audience is shown/told who the protagonist was and who the antagonist is.

Conclusion:
- During this lesson i have learnt how Iconography and the location or setting effects the scene and the audiences perception and feelings towards the scene. I am now able to identify all the different feautures of Iconography and how they are used as a whole to make a film enjoyable and meaningful
                                                        

Research: Editing- Ms Begum

Editing is one of the most important features within the creation of a film, it is used to enhance the impact of a film and grab the audiences attention through their emotional responses. The editing within a trailer is used solely to give the audience an insight on what they will be watching and to set the atmosphere of the film. Furthermore editing is responsible for the way the audience feels during and after the film; for example: slow-paced editing may be used within a dramatic scene in order to calm down the atmosphere of the scene. Editing has a huge impact on a films atmosphere and the audiences response to the film. For example, where there is fast editing the audience may feel a sense of thrill, and where there is slow paced editing, the audience may feel empathy or relaxed depending on the scene.

Film Editing
-is used to put together two separate scenes to form a sequence or a full scene. For example the video below shows how easy it is to edit something.

Speed of editing
-Films are merged together at specific points depending on what the director wants to get out of the scene, this then determines the pace the film will travel at and also helps determine the mood/atmosphere of that particular scene.
The speed of the editing informs the audience of what kind of editing there is for example, fast pace editing determines the atmosphere which could be a chase scene.


Fade to black
-This is when one slide/shot moves into another one leaving a black filter in between both shots as they merge together. In the clip of the ending scene of the film Insidious we see the woman standing looking at the camera as she has discovered something, then her husband touches her on her shoulder and she turns around and screams. At this point the screen then fades to black, this in turn creates suspense among the audience as they feel a need to know what happens to the wife next. When there is a fade to black during a scene, it helps to create suspense among the audience as they don't know what will happen next or what will pop up on the screen.

                                               

Straight Cut
-This is when one shot moves into another without confusing the audience at all. This is used to help the audience follow the narrative easily. Also it prevents confusion as it is a subtle and simple change; this makes it easy to follow. When using straight cuts within a scene, it helps the audience to feel as though the film is real instead of thinking that the characters are all actors and the film is make believe.

                             


Wipe Cut-This is when two separate shots collide by sliding into one another. Most wipe cuts form as a shape as the two shots collide which is usually a long line that slides across the frame. When a wipe cut is used within a scene it can have many effects on the audience, for example they may feel that they are reading a comic as such, or they may get detached from the film; however the normal reaction is that the last scene leads on to another so the audience may feel that the scene they see after the wipe cut is leading on from the last.

Dissolve
This is when one shot disintegrates into another. This creates a smooth change between the two scenes without confusing the audience. When this is used within a scene the audience may feel as though it is showing where the character is at a different time of the day, for example in the scene below we see a character walking and then it dissolves and the character is seen walking up to a desk, from this the audience feel as though it is just cutting out the long walking scene showing him getting to the destination.

Reaction shots
-Any shot which uses a cutaway to move from the main scene in order to make the persons reactions to a previous shot the main subject.
Reaction shots allow the audience to see how a person reacts to something using their facial expressions or body language, without reaction shots a persons reaction towards something wouldn't be as effective. Within this trailer we see many reaction shots from the hulk in the film 'the Avengers'

 

Montage
a Montage is the speed of editing, the shots edited out are juxtaposed together to create excitement- This is usually featured within a trailer. When the audience see a montage, they get a sense of thrill and tension, however all these images/ scenes shown in a montage it doesn't confuse the audience.

180 Degree Rule
When a scene is filmed on either the left or the right side of a character(s) conversation. The camera cannot be placed on both sides as it would look as if the two people were facing the same direction which would confuse the audience. In this scene of Batman the Dark Knight we see the camera circling all three characters in the scene in order to follow the 180 degree rule without confusing the audience at all. Also by doing this in the scene it signifies the relationship between the three as if they were one.

  

Slow editing
is when different clips/shots are placed together at a slower pace, this is used to create suspense and capture action.

Fast editing
This is where clips are merged together at a fast pace, this is used to create suspense and thrill. This is most used within fighting scenes as it makes the fighting look more realistic and it keeps the audience intrigued in the scene.

Shot reverse shot
this is used when a conversation is taking place- one shot follows another very quickly, from this we are able to see the facial expressions of each character. This stops the audience from getting confused and they understand where each character stands within the conversation.

                                                                   

Jump Cut
A jump cut is a camera movement that is easily noticeable to the eye. For e.g. the shot below shows the official trailer of the film entitled Jumper. In this film the main character has the ability to jump almost to anywhere he pleases; however it isn't done by physically jumping high and landing, it is that the person is able to visualize himself being somewhere and then physically end up there in a matter of seconds.  Jump cuts can be used to tell the audience that two scenes link together in some way. 
        

                                                                     
Conclusion:
From this lesson i have learned about how to use different editing techniques and i have seen how they should look, in my own thriller i am planning to use a montage, fast editing and maybe the dissolve technique. Furthermore i plan to edit my thriller with adobe after effects, this will allow me to add in things such as a fade to black or a straight cut. When using these i know i will have to understand when and how to use these effectively. When creating my own thriller I plan to use the fade to black, a montage, reaction shot and fast editing. These will help me to create suspense, tension and thrill effectively among the audience.

Research: sound- Ms Begum

Sound- Sound's are normally used in a film to allow the audience to have a better understanding of the scene as it sets the mood of a scene. Thriller films include sounds and soundtracks into their films in order to build the audiences understanding of what is happening in the film. The sounds are used to represent the characters feelings and emotions in order to influence the audience/ get a certain response from the audience. Sounds used are also able to symbolize both the protagonists and the antagonists movements or feelings in a scene. By using a well thought sound it will create a conventional atmosphere in context to the thriller genre. There are many different sound techniques that directors use within a scene, examples of these would be on- screen/ off-screen sounds etc.

Different types of sound

Diegetic Sound

- This is basically sound which is part of the film world, for example; the dialogue within the film, music from a radio or TV  The sound heard doesn't have to be on screen as it could be laughter heard from a scene with people playing on a beach, whether we see the person laughing or not we still hear it. What we hear allows the audience to understand what is going on in the scene clearer; as it is based upon realistic sounds it makes the scene a lot more intriguing for the audience to watch. Furthermore, Diegetic sounds enable the audience to understand the film/narrative easier, this is due to the fact that the sounds heard add to the atmosphere and mood of the scene. In turn these sounds can cause the audience to emphasize with the scene and the characters within it due to the audience being able to understand the scene.

                                                   

Non-Diegetic Sound

- This sound is when the sound is part of the film and/or visible on screen as it could be a soundtrack, sound effect or voice over etc. These sounds are edited in after the film is created. Furthermore these sounds such as voice-overs can also be used to explain an event within the scene that wasn't shown to the audience this in turn gives the audience a better understanding of what happened/ what is happening. Also it helps to create a suspense filled feeling as the audience are then able to determine what will happen next in the scene e.g. someone is going to die etc. 

                                                                      


On Screen Sound
- On screen sounds are able to be seen by the audience, for example a car alarm going off and the audience being able to actually see the car. Due to the audience being able to hear the whole conversation, they are able to understand the narrative better. Also it has a better effect on the audience as if they could only hear the girl talking (in scream) the conversation wouldn't have a good enough impact. Also it may confuse the audience and cause them to lose interest. Furthermore, on screen sounds help the audience to understand what is happening in the scene easier as they know exactly where the sound is coming from and why they are making that specific sound, in turn on screen sounds allow the audience to feel a sense of understanding.

                                                              
 Off screen sound
- Off screen sounds are sounds that can be heard but not seen by the audience, E.g. Traffic Sounds, a Police siren, someone coughing etc. Off screen sounds can also be used within a thriller film in order to build suspense and tension e.g creaking floor boards or a window smashing etc. due to them being able to build suspense and tension, it also allows the audience to empathize with the atmosphere and mood of the scenes containing off screen sounds.

                                       

Parallel Sound

-  A Parallel sound is a sound that is expected to be heard by the audience for example if we see a window break the audience will expect to hear a crack or smash; similar to the setting being in a traffic jam, we expect to hear horns and shouts of people getting frustrated etc. Parallel sounds are conventional as the audience expect to hear some kind of parallel sound in any film they watch. This creates a sense of reality within a film as the audience understand what is going on in the film and it helps to build and create a humanized atmosphere.

                                                   

Contrapuntal Sound

- A contrapuntal sound is when the sound heard does not match the on-screen performance for example in the film "Jaws" the scenes of the beach are accompanied by the contrapuntal theme song "dur dur dur", this sound does not match with the happy images which confuses the audience and also builds up tension and suspense as they get disconnected from the film so they are not able to interpret what will happen next. Contrapuntal sounds help a lot when it comes to building suspense within a scene.


                                           

Conclusion:
Conclusively; studying the different types of sound has helped me to think about my own thriller film and what sounds i will decide to use. I have been able to identify sounds that are conventional to a thriller such as a soundtrack within the opening scene. I have warmed to the effect of Contrapuntal sound simply because I wish to confuse the audience in order to build up tension, this in turn will prevent the audience from determining what will happen next. Also i feel as though it will make the audience feel a sense of reality within the film.

Research: Cinematography?- Ms Begum

What is cinematography?:

The term Cinematography is a word often associated with film making and motion pictures, usually shortened to '' Film. '' The word origin is from two Greek words Kinema which means movement and Graphein which means to record.

Cinematography looks at Different angles of a framed shot and also the movement of the camera. The audience will then build up a better opinion of the character and respond in different ways

Different Terms:

There are many different terms used in modern day movies these days a Panning shot is used most commonly; a panning shot is where the camera moves across the scenery showing whats in view, this term is often used in films or TV shows to follow where someone is walking. Panning shot allows the audience to see what kind of environment the character is in, The Video below is an example of a panning shot. For example below: 1 minute and 23 seconds in to the clip, spiderman is seen within a panning shot.

 

The Amazing Spiderman

Another term used is a Tilt shot where the camera moves up or down at an object being photographed or a movie scene, instead of being on the same level. Tilt shots are often used to be more dramatic than a normal straight shot. For example, if someone is running up stairs of a huge building a tilt shot will be used in a situation as that to show the audience how far he will have to go. The use of a tilt shot can influence how the audience will interpret the situation the character may be in.

                                                    Tilt shot animation

A Crane shot, is a dolly shot but airborne. A crane is a large, piece of heavy equipment which is useful for moving left, right, up, down, zooming in on something or zooming out diagonally. The camera man and the camera itself is counter-balanced by heavy weights to avoid injuries to the camera man. If a crane shot is of a character or the people around the character it can make them seem insignificant and meaningless to the audience for example crane shots are often used in action films where the main character is walking through a crowd of people.

The Matrix

Moving on Zoom shots are often used to capture emotion in a characters face, or to get away from something by zooming out. Zoom shots can decide the audience's feeling for example a long shot of a person lying unconscious wont have the same effect as it would if the body was shown close up as the cause would be evident and the damage would be visible.
                                          The Amazing Spiderman              

 

The Point of view is in other words known as 1st person where it looks like its from a personal view. Point of view thriller scenes which have a Protagonist for example about to open a door or walk around a corner will often have low-key lighting setting and fast pace music to create tension and suspense among the audience. This will also make the audience put themselves in that particular situation or imagine that happening to them etc.

                                         The Amazing Spiderman

Different camera shots:

Close Up

- This shows very little background and mainly concentrates on a face or a very detailed mise-en-scene which could be a object. Close ups magnifies the object or an expression on a person by doing this close ups 

takes us into the mind of the character and shows us how their feeling or what they could be thinking.

Harry potter 7

 

Extreme Close up

- Extreme close up is used to emphasize a facial feature, emotion or movement. For example a extreme close-up of a face for instance will show the mouth or eyes with little background detail The image below is an example of a close up, the audience can interpret the characters facial expressions and emotions as sometimes extreme close ups are there to tell the audience something has happened etc.

Harry Potter 7

 

Mid Shot

-  A mid-shot is a shot of a character from the knees/waist up, most mid shots are normally used to show some detail of action. A mid shot could be to show the body and facial expressions of a character in order to show their emotions or their injuries e.g a gunshot wound etc.

 

Batman- The Dark Knight

Long Shot

- a long shot is a shot that shows the full size image of the character from head to toes. it doesn't necessary have to be a character for example, a movie could have a long shot of the earth which then zooms out into the universe or zooms into someones head etc. Long shots allow the audience to see the character and and where he is standing e.g. surroundings/ scenery

Batman- The Dark Knight

High Angle

-This is not a bird's eye view, high angle shots are taken when the camera is elevated above the character using a crane to give the audience a general overview. High angles make the objects/characters less significant or less scary all though in some cases this has the reverse effect.

Fight Club

 

Low Angle

- Low angles are useful as they increase the height of a character and gives of a sense of authority. Low angles can also give of a sense of confusion and powerlessness to the audience within the action of a scene. The background of all low angles tend to be the sky/ ceiling as they all lack detail adding to the disorientation.

Batman- The Dark Knight

 

Filming Techniques:

Hand Held

- The camera moves with the person as the camera is hand held. Hand held cameras are often used in budget/amateur movie clips such as a school project. The audience may not like this as the camera operation could have shaky hands and ruin a good scene. Such as the film entitled 'The Blair Witch project', this film was filmed using a hand held camera.

 

                                                              The Blair Witch Project

                           

 

 

I was able to learn the combinations of different camera features and how i can get the most out of a shot using different techniques; this will help me when creating my own short thriller scene. I  have also learned the origin of the name cinematography which is in fact from Greece. When doing my own thriller i will be using a lot of theses new techniques I've learned and develop my skills which will enable me to make my thriller to be of a high standard.

In my thriller i plan to use shots such as the long shot, zoom shot, a mid shot a close up and an extreme close up. However we may decide to use other shots or not use the same ones I have picked out.

Research: What is a Thriller- Ms Begum

What is a Genre?:
a Genre is a category that a film will fall into, the genre is important as it helps the audience to get an idea of what there about to watch e.g. someone watching a film with a horror genre will expect to see scary/gruesome scenes. There are many different types of genre e.g. horror, thriller, Sci-Fi, Romance, comedy, fantasy etc.

What is a thriller?:
A thriller is a film that gives the viewer a nerve-racking feeling; very different to a horror movie as a thriller always has the viewer scared to see what will happen next, frightened when they see a dark corner or a misty window. By leaving the viewer in suspense the thriller is able to build up tension through low key lighting and high pitched sounds within dramatic scenes where simple loud sounds are able to frighten the audience. The narrative of a thriller can be hard to follow depending on the sub-genre

All thriller films have a protagonist ( a hero/ victim antagonist (a villain(s)). The antagonist is usually plotting something deadly or trying to kill the protagonist who is either the hero or a victim.
 

Examples of a thriller film?: 
The Dark Knight is said to be an action-thriller simply because it is filled with gun and fighting scenes and it has the ability to keep the viewer in suspense in order to build tension. Batman the Protagonist in this film is the well known dark night who protects the streets In Gotham City, where the Joker and his accomplices rob a mob-owned bank. After orchestrating their deaths, he escapes alone. Batman and Lieutenant Jim Gordon decide to form an alliance with the new district attorney Harvey Dent, who is also dating batman's newly found love Rachel Dawes, their plan is to take on the Mafia.

                                          

sinister is also another great thriller movie; it is what we call a horror/thriller movie. In this film we see a writer who creates books about murders that have not been solved; however this time the writer and his family move into the house of where a murder happened and a supernatural demon which feeds on the souls of children has come along to make sure they have the time of their lives!

                                      
                                                                              
Sub Genres of a thriller and Examples?:
Sub-genres give you a better idea of what to expect from a film e.g. a thriller film could have the sub-genres of a horror thriller where in this film all conflict are more physical/ gruesome rather than mental.
Another example of a thriller sub-genre is  a Supernatural Thriller where in this sub-genre other world elements are introduced, usually as an Antagonist’s evil force. Some characters may have physical abilities which are out of the ordinary; some other supernatural elements may be present.


Notes:

Codes and convention :
The most common features that you'd expect to be in a thriller or any film it is used only to appeal to the target audience for example, the lighting or the sound.

1. Examples of Codes and conventions used in thrillers are:The use of mirrors-Mirrors are used as a convention of a thriller film through the use of reflection. For example a mirror can reflect the darkness within someone e.g. an inner soul. An example of this is in Spiderman where Norman Osbourne (The Green Goblin) talks to his inner self in the mirror 49 seconds into the clip below.                                                                          
2. Shadows are related to the use of low key lighting, they are used to represent someones inner darkness, they can also be used to add tension or create suspense among the audience.
3. A thrillers use of flashbacks create a sense of time and space disorientation within a thriller. Even though it can confuse the audience it can also help them to find out what happened in the past to give the audience an insight into characters past. A film that has done this is Batman the dark knight rises, where we see a flashback on Bruce wayne (batman) as a child right after his parents were killed.

                                                            

               

target audience :
This is the rating that the BBFC believe to be suitable for the film being shown to an audience for example: 'High school musical' is rated at U and 'Sinister' is rated at 15 as a lot of the gory scenes have been watered down or cut from the film so that it is suitable for younger ages.
Common themes and Examples?:
Movie themes are the story lines or subject that will be seen in the actual movie. There are many different themes however; common movie themes that we see today are of revenge, sin, action, murder, exorcisms etc.

                                                 
Response from the audience:
Most thriller films are always  able to build and preserve tension among the audience. Thrillers often leave you wondering what’s going to happen next as they are all so unpredictable. They usually use soundtracks throughout the film and then add a loud/sudden noise every once in a while to again build up any lost tension. 
Conclusion:
The introduction to the media course has given me a better understanding of how the course will operate and what each lesson will be like; also  being able to discuss what makes a thriller and what makes a horror i am able to understand the difference between the two. In addition myself and others will soon be creating an opening trailer of a thriller and watching a few related adverts has helped us to start thinking of how we want our 3 minute thriller to turn out and how we can stick to creating a thriller rather than a horror as the two are easily mixed up.

I believe meeting the coursework requirements will be hard which is why I must stay on top of my coursework and not fall behind, to achieve this I will need to keep all my work up-to-date and give 100% effort on all tasks I do.