Ratings

Analysis of BBFC Ratings

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. They are an organisation that gives films age ratings to allow people to know whether a film is suitable or not. There are several age ratings, and the content of the movie determines its rating. However, the guidelines are not especially strict, and are generally only enforced in cinema viewings and DVD sales. The movies someone watches is entirely up to them or their parents/guardians. Here are the guidelines for age rating movies:

     U

U stands for Universal, and can be watched by all. Most films with a 'U' rating are made for young children, generally under 4 years old. It may include:

• VERY mild language (such as damn)
• VERY mild sexual behaviour (such as kissing or hugging)
• VERY mild violence and threats, and a good outcome is always assured
• No dangerous or anti-social behaviour that a child might copy
• Rarely any reference to drugs

     PG

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that most people should be able to watch it, but some scenes my be unsuitable for young children. It suggests that parents should review the content of the film before showing younger children. Although the films are generally suitable for children, they may not have been expressly made for children. A PG film may include:

• Mild language, although generally infrequently, and with little or no aggression - it depends on context
• Mild sexual reference/behaviour, if any at all - again, it depends on context
• Mild violence or threat
• Some dangerous or anti-social behaviour may be shown (for example bullying) providing it is portrayed as wrong or unpleasant, and not glamorized
• There may be references to drugs, although these are not focused on, and are portrayed as negative

     12 and 12A

12 and 12A are very similar, but are used for different reasons. Both mean that the content should be suitable for people aged 12 and over. 12's are used for DVD ratings, and only people over 12 can buy them. 12A is used for cinema releases, and means that under 12s can enter if accompanied by an adult. A 12/12A film may include:

• A pleasant tone, as if a film includes the things needed for a 12, but has a dark or unpleasant tone, then it may be given a higher rating
• Strong language, although like the PG rating, it depends on context and frequency. Mild/moderate language may be used and is generally more acceptable
• Sex, nudity, and sexual behaviour may be allowed if it is used briefly and discreetly
• Moderate violence is allowed, although details of violence (such as gore) should be minimal.Occasional strong violence may be permitted if it can be justified and makes sense in the context
• Some dangerous or anti-social behaviour may be shown, providing there are no/few details, and they are presented in a way that children are unlikely to imitate. Discrimination should not be shown unless it is clearly condemned
• Drugs may be used, but they should not be glamorized or shown in a way that instructs the viewer on how to use them

     15

15 films are made for 15 year olds and higher. They include things that are not suitable for children or younger teens. 15 films may include:

• Strong language, as frequently as desired, and occasional uses of the strongest language. However, aggressive or frequent uses of the strongest language may not be permitted
• Sexual behaviour and nudity is allowed, although details are not to be shown, and especially crude references may not be allowed
• Strong violence can be shown, although there are still some very strong violent acts that are not permitted
• Dangerous behaviour may be shown, although details should not be dwelt on
• Drugs can be shown, although they should not promote drug-taking. More accessible substances (eg. legal highs) should not be shown

     18

18 films can only be seen by adults. They are not suitable for children or teenagers in any way. They may include:

• Any language - there are no limits whatsoever
• Sexual behaviour is permitted as long as the film is not a sex work (a film whose purpose is to arouse). There are a few things that are not allowed
• There can be as much violence and gore as desired
• Although most things are allowed, extreme dangerous behaviour that may have a negative effect may not be allowed
• Drugs can be shown providing the whole film does not encourage drug misuse

Photo Composition

Photo Composition

Man-Made Framing:

This focuses you on the main subject by blocking out the surrounding. Though your eyes can see what is surrounding the subject you're drawn immediately to the subject (in this case the character and then a sculpture). Man-made framing can be used with buildings, fences, stair frames etc.

Natural framing:

This is very similar to man-made framing except it uses nature. Here we are drawn to a character standing in the distance. Natural framing can be used with tree blanches, plants etc. 

Rule of thirds:
Rule of thirds is used to create a nice image/scene. The red circles are called hotspots; this is a very common place for a subject to be put. The is usually a limited amount of things within the shot created several different effects. Below we have a person as the subject for the hotspot and the second one we have a very clear top, bottom and sides, another useful effect. It creates a sense of emptiness until we see the center which has a lot going on. 

Leading lines:Leading lines draw your eyes to a specific point. In this images we can follow the bins to the subjects in the background (the two people talking). We can also see lines within the tiles on the ground that lead to them. 

All three:Here we have the lockers framing the subjects on the bench, the shape of the wall also works well for this. We have pillars leading the way and also floor tiles as reading lines. Rule of thirds is also used in this image. We can see this from the clear sides. Little is happing on the right and left of the image and the ceiling and floor is empty.

Todorov

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Equilibrium:
1. State of equilibrium
2. Disruption to that equilibrium
3. Recognition that disorder has occurred
4. Attempt (or attempts) to resolve the situation
5. Return to equilibrium or establishment of a new one

Movie that contains this theory:
"Taken"- 2008
1. Divorced parents to 17 year old daughter, mother has a new partner, father leaves CIA to be close to his daughter (who lives with mother and partner).
2. The daughter wishes to go abroad (to France) with a friend and the father doesn't want her to due to his old job but lets her go anyway.
3. Daughter calls her father from France because they are being attacked. She is taken whilst on phone to her father.
4. The father goes to France in attempt to find her using evidence from the call finding out she was taken by traffickers.
5. He finds his daughter and stops that group of traffickers. Once they return home the parents are more at peace with each other.

Movie that doesn't contain this theory:
"momento"- 20001. A man is shot, but in reverse... this is neither a positive start to a movie nor a representation of an ordinary lifestyle.
2. There is no equilibrium to being with, it starts from this state.
3. The guy is in constant awareness of his disruption.
4. The whole movie is of him trying to get to the beginning therefore there are continuously different moments of disorder following resolution.
5. It just goes back to the beginning which means nothing has really been resolved.

Camera Shots

Camera Shots

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

Extreme close-up is exactly what is says, it is an extremely close capture of a certain feature, e.g. a section of the face such as an eye. This shot can be used to create a sense of intimacy with a character. With an object it may give the sense of some significance. The use of an ECU is rather wide though it may not show much, it can give emotions, a sense of intimacy, show slight or sudden reactions and create a sense of drama. Great genres for this sort of shot could be: horror- to create tension or a specific detail to a character/object, romance- to create a sense of intimacy or emotion to a character. As you can see, it has many effective uses. However, this shot must not be over used, it is a very important shot and is easily misused. If it is placed in too many places it can lose any effect it is trying to portray.

Close Up

A close up would be another helpful use to show an emotion of a character. It can contain the shoulders, head and a little bit of room above the head. From this shot we can see more of the character and part of the way the hold themselves, Because we can see more we are likely to feel more towards the character than the ECU would give of. This is probably due to the fact we can see more and it is more trusting. Useful genres for this shot would be: romance- again for intimacy reasons... In fact, this shot is so widely used it fits into most anything. However, if this shot is over used we miss out on a lot, especially the story, because we would get much of the surrounding and we wouldn't see what it is the character is doing.

Mid-Shot

This shot gives a much greater sense of the character but still not enough. From this we can see a characters head, shoulders and waist/hip area. This shot shows us more of a character, In some cases we are able to see more of a background but not too much, we may just about be able to work out what kind of atmosphere they are in but not where exactly it is. This shot is very effective in many genres such as: fantasy- to create a sense of mystery, action- to show what the character is doing and creating intimacy. This shot is very good, however it still doesn't give off enough information about the character or surroundings.

Long Shot

A long shot. Finally we are able to see all of our character from head to toe. We are given a bit more of a sense as to what their surroundings are but not too much. From this we are able to read the character much more clearly; we can see what they are wearing, if they've been shopping, how the are presented and more. This shot can be used in genres such as: comedy- we can see if the character has something interesting on, action- we can see if they're holding a weapon and what its uses are. If this shot is used too much we can lose a connection with a character and though we see how they hold themselves it can be much harder to read facial expressions.


Mid-Long Shot

This shot is great at giving a sense of atmosphere, we can now see all of the person and more of the background. The setting is very visible and we can associate the character to their surroundings easier and link dialogue to the images making an easier flow to the story. Genres this can be seen in are: thriller- where a character is running, comedy- to show where a character is and their reactions. This is a very nice shot to use as we can see what the character is doing but we lose a sense of connection. 

Extreme Long Shot

This shot gives a much greater sense of the surrounding and is normally more focused on what the setting is than what the character is actually doing. (A lot of the time an extreme long shot is more aimed at background and multiple characters rather than just one- though having one character is still very effective. This shot can give us relations between characters and give us a very large impact of the atmosphere. Very good genres for this could be: comedy- to show an impact of something that has happened, romance- to maybe show a whole wedding, action- to show a battlefield. This shot can be very widely used. However, if it is used to much we can lose a sense of intimacy with the characters and also get confused if it is too far back.

Camera Movements

Camera Movements

Tilt

A tiled shot is a camera movement best used on a tripod. It is
very good at capturing things such as big buildings or even to reveal a character. When using a tripod, tilt would be used to either move up to down or most commonly from bottom to top. Tilt can be really effective when using it so show the height of something as it really emphasises how big it really is. When revealing a character is can really create tension.


Panning

Panning is another movement that would work really well on a tripod. It is very good at following a movement very smoothly. The difference between tracking and panning is that the camera just pivots when panning, whereas the camera in tracking is actually following an object.


Handheld

A handheld camera has many benefits to film making. It is much cheaper to use and can allow some free movements that a tripod couldn't. People also believe that handheld cameras are better at collecting natural surround sounds whereas microphones may be used in other cases and pic up individual sounds.
For people with low budgets a handheld camera is much more efficient  and can still do a decent job.


Zoom

With zoom there is no actual camera movements.  The only thing that actually changes is the focal length. It is very clear on a phone... you don't see the phone stretch forward or change, it is only the lens. The zoom adds a better focus on things within certain distances depending on the quality of the camera.