Research on BBFC

The BBFC stands for The British Board of Film Classification and is the regulatory body that controls the British film industry. They create rules about film in the U.K. and decide what can and can't be shown in film as well as assigning age certificates for every film in the U.K. People can also complain to the BBFC if they are unhappy about the film they watched and want to complain. No film is allowed to go on the market if it hasn't received an age classification from the BBFC. 

 

Age certificates available- U, PG, 12A  (only available at cinemas), 12, 15, 18

 

What do they consider when awarding film certificates?

 

They have to consider scenes that would be disturbing or harming to a younger audience like:

 

> Strobe lighting 

> Scenes involving drugs, alcohol and/or cigarettes 

> Scenes involving child actors/characters       

> Scenes involving any kind of violence 

> Scenes involving sex and/or nudity 

> Scenes with discriminatory language 

> Scenes with obscene language

> Scenes involving self harm 

> Scenes involving criminal activity

> Scenes involving dangerous behaviour

They also consider context and if the film is reality or fantasy based or animated or live action. Normally animated or fantasy films can be given a low rating even if violence is portrayed as it is not deemed as 'real'. They consider the way in which issues are handled on screen; if drug use is showed in a minimal, sensitive fashion portraying it as something negative it may be given a lower rating to a film where drugs are used for fun without consequences. The tone of the film is also considered even if it doesn't include any obvious scenes containing any of the above. 

 

Using violence as a specific example:

> Does it seem normal?

> Why are they doing it? is it self defence? 

> Are there any injuries? has any harm been caused?

> Is the hero or villain being violent? 

> How does the perpetrator handle and treat the victim? 

> Is the violence enjoyed by the perpetrator or other characters?

> Is the violence glamorized?

> Is there a lot of violence?

> Is it realistic? 

> Do those get punished for doing violence? 

> These are all considered when determining what film certificate a film should get. 

 

The film certificate can also change depending on the format of its release, the BBFC are often stricter in dvd release than cinema release as they assume that people will be age checked when going to the cinema. 

 

The production company will send their film to the BBFC and they will give it an age certificate accordingly and they will then be able to release the film. However, if the production company is unhappy with the film they are able to go back and edit it for it to be re-rated by the BBFC. 

 

What film can/cant include to be awarded certain film certificates (info from the bbfc classification guidelines)-

 

Parental Guidance (PG)- this film should not disturb audiences 8 and older. No dangerous behaviour should be included that could influence younger children. Drugs and illegal substance abuse is only acceptable when carrying a strong anti-drug message with it. As well as discriminatory language- this is also only acceptable if it is disapproved of in the film. Mild bad language is acceptable but if used to frequently could make the rating higher. Any horror scenes that contain threat must not be prolonged, comedy and fantasy elements may change this however. Nudity is allowed if no sexual intent it applied, sexual activity may be implied but must be discreet. 

 

12A- this film will generally not contains material suitable for those under the age of 12. It is up to the parents if they choose to take a child under 12 to the cinema to watch a 12A rated movie. There should be no intended dangerous behavior which children would be obliged to copy, weapons should not be glamourized. Moderate bad language can be used depending on the way its used, discriminatory language must not be endorsed in the work as a whole. Drug use should not be glorified or shown with detail. If nudity is sexual it must be only shown briefly and discreetly. Some violent and threat scenes can be allowed if the overall tone of the film is not too strong or scary. 

 

15- violence and dangerous behaviour should not focus on any detail that could be copied. Discriminatory language is acceptable if it isn't a main focus of the film as a whole. There may also be strong language but very strong language may be permitted. Drug usage can be shown but not to promote any substance abuse. There are no restraints on nudity in a non sexual context, sexual nudity can be shown if it is brief with not much detail or if it is shown comically. Verbal references to sexual behaviour is acceptable. Threat, horror and violence are acceptable but should not be sadistic or be dwelled on any pain or injury. There can be strong verbal references to sexual threat and violence but should not be prolonged or detailed. 

 

18- any adults can watch this film at their own choice so little exceptions apply. If the material threatens the criminal law or has been created through a criminal defence it may not be aired. If the material seems to harm individuals it may also not be shown for example if rape is glorified. Films may be rated an R18 if the sexual content is more explicit. 

 

what would our certificate be and why?

 

In terms of our opening sequence and film idea, I think that it would be rated a 15 because there will be images of weapons in our opening sequences and criminal activity. If the whole film was made, I think it would contain some violence and threat as well as some strong language which is why I would give it an age 15 rating.

Finn's independent research

Independent Research for Opening Sequence

For our opening sequence involving a heist, props such as guns, fake money, bags, jumpsuits and masks would be necessary in order to make sure the viewers successfully perceive the scenario as an armed robbery executed by a gang.

For the concept of fake money and bags, the viewers can be tricked into believing that this heist is for a high sum of money using a large amount of fake money in multiple bags, which each character will carry. Inspiration for this concept idea:

Furthermore, in order to convey the characters part of a gang executing a heist, costumes such as jumpsuits and masks would be necessary. For example, red jumpsuits/overalls, similar to that of 'Money Heist' (Netflix Series) would be suitable for this concept: 

In addition, we would need to be able to shoot point of view/handheld shots for the section within the sequence involving the actual heist. In order to do this, the camera operator would have to position the camera itself directly infant of the character, facing away from them and tracking their eye-line in order to appear as natural to the viewers.

Poppy's independent research - Filming and writing a news sequence

Main idea - bank heist

Opening sequence - the getaway, whilst viewing live news on bank robbery 

 

Researching - live news broadcasts, how to write and present a news story

 

I have decided to research filming and editing news broadcasts because in our opening sequence idea, it is crucial that the news story looks realistic in order for our opening titles sequence to be effective. 

 

I first started to research how people present news reports and how to script them to make them seem real and came across this video- 

The man speaks about making your news report conversational to seem more natural as well as including photos/videos of the news that is being reported (this will make the footage seem more realistic in our opening sequence) 

 

The speaker says to 'ask yourself what is the main point of your story' - this is useful because when filming our opening sequence, it is essential that the audience are able to connect the news story with the bank heist playing out on screen. 

 

He talks about the three C's of news writing 

 

-to be clear 

 

-to be concise

 

-and to be correct 

 

Using simple language is more effective as more people will be able to understand, keeping things as brief as possible will also keep audiences more interested. It will be crucial that the news report we write is correct on describing the bank heist members so that the audience can connect both the heist on the news broadcast and the heist playing out around the tv. 

 

After researching how to write and present a news report on screen, I then made the decision to research into how news reports were filmed in studios and came across this report on YouTube- 

I chose to analyse this report because it is shot in a studio which is more accessible and achievable when filming at school.

 

When watching the report, I looked at different camera angles and techniques that were used. Often, wide shots are used to show the news reader as well as videos and photos of the news playing out in the background:

In between shots of the reporter, shots of the news is overlapped with voice overs which is effective; in our opening sequence, we could film the heist members in their overalls carrying out a part of a robbery and have a news reporter doing a voice over on the tv screen which would help link the action that happens outside the news feed on the tv in our opening sequence.

 

At the bottom of the news broadcast, there are subheadings and short summaries of the news stories- in our opening sequence, when showing the news report on the tv, we could write about the bank heist taking place and we also had the idea to display the opening credits through this as well so that the credits are embedded and a part of the opening. 

 

Overall, by analysing this news report and watching a video tutorial on writing a report, it has helped me to understand the elements in which you need to film one in a studio. By doing this research task, it will allow us as a group to make a news report that is hopefully realistic and we will also be able to approach filming it with more ease and knowledge because of the techniques I have discovered.

Matilda's independent research task

The characters for the opening scene are going to be purely down to the Heist members with no other characters making an appearance. This will ensure that the crew members are the full focus throughout the entire sequence with no other characters stealing the spotlight. We discussed and came to the conclusion of their being four Heist members in the crew along with them all being female. With our sequence set in the 90's where male dominance was at its prime in terms of leading the well payed jobs, we though it would be a good and impacting idea to disrupt the social standard of society and have the crew be women. This would be done in order to create disrupt in what was the social norm in the 90's and open up the debate revolving around the idea that women can work just as hard and well as men.     

In order to match this idea of proving that women are just as worthy in the work place as men, the character need to be portrayed and ruthless and strong, just as that of a man. By exaggerating this idea of strength through subtle things such as the way they portray themselves, their posture and their use of words, the audience will get a larger understanding that this group of women are working to prove society wrong.     

Examples of movies that display this same idea of women empowerment:   

- Wonder Woman

- G.I. Jane  

- The Matrix

- Terminator 2 

These women, presented in highly successful films, manage to create a sense of ruthleness and strength just through the way they are presented. Therefor, when thinking about our own characters I want them to appear in this same way.

With regards to most of the Heist characters bodies being covered up by their red jumpsuits, I needed to focus on the areas that would be in sight. For their Hair it would be necessary for it to be tied back for the majority of the sequence. This would give all the women a professional appearance and allow everything to be out of their faces during the action shots. However, towards the end on the sequence once the hard work is over, it may be a good idea to have the characters let down their hair to reveal the them as women. 

Adding sound to my short film

 

Short film task

 

What is storyboarding?

> Story boarding helps to organise shots and details before your shoot day in order to have the most efficient filming day possible. 

> Drawing and writing about details of your shots also really helps to visualise your sequence and create a more detailed picture in your head. 

> Story boarding also allows you to try out many different ideas in order for the sequence to be as creative as possible, even if many ideas are scrapped. 

What goes on a storyboard?

Storyboards can vary, however usually they consist of the following.

> Drawings - A small but detailed drawing of each shot. Gifted artists may provide more detail in their drawings and therefore less written, however if you are not as talented at drawing you may want to add more detail in words but still attempt to draw the shot as best as you can.

> Shot number - In order to know in what order your shots go in and help you remember which shot you are working on at the time. 

> Location - Each shot needs to include the location of where you will be shooting it. This is so no confusion or complications are reached between the group and for more efficient timing. 

> Action - Each shot needs to include the action taking place on screen. More or less detail of the actions should be written down depending on how detailed the drawing is. 

> Lighting - Any lighting that needs to be organised before the shoot or a time of day that the shot needs to take place. 

> Transition - What kind of transition will occur between different shots.

> Shot duration - knowing roughly how long each shot will last. 

Examples:

I decided to research some advanced and successful storyboarder's to show many different ways they can be done.

This is a section from a story board by Josh Shepard showcased on thestoryboardartist.com, which includes very detailed drawing and therefore there is not as much need to write a lot of detail. 

This is the storyboard my group will be using as it has a clear layout with lots of space for detailed writing and some space for small drawings that are going to be drawn by Matilda.

We will all do one shot each and move on to the next whilst Matilda draws the shot in the boxes.