The BBFC

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification)

 The BBFC are an organisation that regulates films, videos, DVD's and games to check that they are suitable for the age classifications that they have been classified for, films producers must have their films classified before they are released, and so therefore the BBFC are a legal company. The  classification of the film is determined by the guidelines that have been set for the BBFC to follow.

Two main principles that the BBFC should follow are that:

• The works should be allowed to reach the widest audience that is appropriate for their theme.
• Adults should be allowed to determine what they see as long as it stays within the law and if not harmful in any way.

Some other aspects of the film may influence the classification that it is put within; the expectations of the public, the works genre, the manner in which the work is presented, the intention of the filmmaker and the original production date of the work all may effect the classification that it is put in.

Where needed to BBFC are allowed to change the film, makes cuts and add warning captions in order to allow it to be placed within a certain classification.



The Classifications that films are placed in are:

Suitable for all- U films are set with a positive moral framework, and are suitable for any child to watch on their own, but should at least be suitable for any child 4 years and over.

In a U film, no discriminatory language or behaviour is used, no reference to illegal drug or drug use, is shown, scary sequences should be mild and should not put the child/ viewer under any stress or cause anxiety, no dangerous behaviour can be shown in case of a young child attempting to copy it, no bad language can be shown and no sexual behaviour further than kissing can be shown. Mild violence can be shown but nothing that that will have a serious outcome and the theme of the movie must be sensitive and appropriate for young children.

Parental Guidance- General viewing, but some scene may not be suitable for younger children. Any person unaccompanied may watch this rated film, the contents should not disturb and child aged 8 or older. Parents are therefore said to accompany any child younger than this age in case the images may be upsetting to them, in a film rated PG discriminatory language is not to be used, unless it is in a historical or educational context, frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense, no details of potentially dangerous behaviour can be shown and only mild bad language can be said, mild sex references can be shown only and only natural nudity is allowed and moderate violence without much detail may be allowed depending on the context that it is in.

Suitable for 12 years and over- The 12A category only exists in cinemas, no person under the age of 12 can see the film unless accompanied by an adult, as anyone under 12 may find the contents upsetting and/or parents may not think it suitable for children under this age to watch. In a 12/12A film discriminatory behaviours must not be endorsed, misuse of drugs must not be glamorised, moderate threat may be permitted as long as disturbing sequences are not sustained, any dangerous behaviour can not be shown in detail, moderate language and violence is allowed and the theme must be suitable for young adults.

Suitable for 15 years or over only- No one younger than 15 may see or buy a film rated 15 in a film rated 15 drug taking is allowed to be shown although it cannot in anyway promote drug misuse, strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic, dangerous behaviour shown should not dwell on detail, nudity is allowed and violence can be quite strong, any theme in permitted although it must be suitable for a 15 year old.

Suitable only for adults- No one younger then 18 may see or buy and 18 rated film. In order with the Human Rights Act, the BBFC have to keep the idea that adults should be able to choose their own entertainments and so films categorised as 18 do not have many guidelines, they are more guidelines for human rights rather then decency on screen, no criminal act can be shown or carried out when making the film, no risk or harm can be put on any individual and any sexual images must be justified in context.

Only to be shown in specially licensed cinemas and sold in licenced sex shops and to adults only- Any material that is in breach of the law may not be shown, any portrayal of sexual activity that doesn't show consent cannot be shown and infliction of pain or physical harm may not be shown.







 The eci (Extended Classification Information) is the detailed information about the content of every film that is classified by them, to justify the classification that it has been given. It gives much more detail into the issues and the plot lines involved in the film.

Media Institutions

The media institution that I think will be the most suitable for the media product/thriller that I am producing it Paramount Pictures.

I have chosen this thriller due to the other films that it has been involved in: Vertigo, The Italian Job, The Odd Couple, The Godfather, Star trek, Ghost, The Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones, Saving Private Ryan and Transformers, among others. There is a wide range of different films that Paramount Pictures has been involved in including a few thriller films, one of which is Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Vertigo, which is a well known thriller, and he himself is a well known director for the thriller genre. By having a wide range of films, it has experience in producing films in all areas.

Paramount Pictures has been going since 1910 and is a well known and well respected media institution. It has been involved in a number of different films, and has a lot of experience in film production.

They also have a very large income, with a revenue of $3.0 billion in 2005 and so they have enough money to fund new films, and see them all the way through until they are released and further. Due to them having this money and being such a large company they may be more lenient with new films, agreeing to take on some that are a bit different and that haven't been done before. They will also be able to take on new films as they will have enough money to fund them and will have enough to cover any loses that they make. 

Paramount Pictures is one of America's oldest media institutions and is based in LA, Hollywood, by being based here they will have all of the resources at hand, and will have space to make the film.

It is a company that is recognised worldwide and so will allow the film to have a huge amount of publicity all over the globe.

Key Terms

Institution- a business/ organisation involved in media production/ distribution.

Distribution- the means of getting a media product from the institution to the audience.

Exhibition- places where the media text can be seen e.g. internet, TV channel, ect.

Regulation- ensuring that the content of the media texts are suitable for their audience.

Conventions and Expectations of a Thriller Opening

Some aspects of an opening to a film are just expected by the audience watching:

• Opening Credits- introducing the company, the actors and the director ect.
• The Name of the film- which will usually hint towards the genre of the film
• The Music (Non-Diegetic) - which will usually be atmospheric, and will usually be instrumental.
• Setting the Film- this will give the film opening a sense of place and time.
• Start of Narrative- usually at the beginning of a thriller theme an event will happen to set the narrative up for the rest of the film, this will usually be very dramatic and tense to hook the audience. This event will also set the theme of the movie.
• A Significant Event
• Interesting time sequence/ Flashbacks
• Fast paced shots/ Editing
• Variety of shots/ Camera angles

The Key Elements for Thriller opening:

• Chase
• Psychological Dimension- unconscious/unknown
• Close ups- Human element
• Normalcy vs Unexpected
• Darker side of life
• Injury/ Death
• Nightmare
• Disturbing
• Disjointed time- Flashbacks
• Creditability/ Believability
• Distortion of Reality

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Before we began making the preliminary task, we planned what we were going to make, by creating mind maps of ideas we could use, shot lists and a story board planning out which shot went where and all of the key details within the scene, like the transitions between shots and the angle and type of shot that would be used. I found this story board very helpful when carrying out the task as it was helpful to have a plan, a main frame from which each shot can be started from even if the shot was not exactly the same, each shot plan was a good starting point and because of this it was easy to keep the scene in the order that it should be so that it flowed properly throughout.

When making the scene, I found keeping the camera still when shooting quite difficult, and I also found the zooms hard to keep at a steady rate, as they either went very fast or not fast enough and I think that I could improve on this for the next task.
I also found the placement of the camera quite difficult, working out where the camera could be placed for the best shot, were it should be placed to keep to the 180 degree rule and also where it had to be placed to make sure that the continuity through the scene was right.

When editing the scene, I found making each of the shots join together in the right way so that it flowed properly a lot more difficult than I expected it to be, if I were to do this exercise again I would make sure that I had more versions of the shot, and also I would make sure that I leave more time before and after a shot to cut and edit if necessary. During the editing I also found it hard to find the right transition and sound for each shot and section of the scene, although I found it helpful to try them all and find the one that suited the most, but from this I have a better idea of what the better transitions are to use for certain shots, for example fade to black for fast moving, dramatic shots works well and from doing this I also have a better idea of what sound effects work well for the thriller genre compared to others.

I enjoyed this task, and making the scene, and I have learnt alot about how to use the camera for the best shots and effect, that will help me alot in the next task.

The Dark Knight- Analysis

How does Christopher Nolan create tension and convey The Dark Knight as a Thriller?

The Dark Knight is a mixture of a few different thriller sub-genres; it has conventions of crime and actions thrillers, and also some conventions of the psychological thriller genre, all of these sub-genres play apart in creating tension within the film.

In the opening of the film the music is very quiet, and slowly builds as the scene unfold. At the beginning certain sounds are made more prominent than others. A ticking can be heard in the background, this creates tension as it gives the viewer the impression that something is about to happen in the scene.

At the beginning of the scene, an establishing shot is shown of rooftops in a city scene, this shot then focuses and zooms in on one building in particular, this building is large a looks like a office building, with rows of small square glass mirrored windows, then shot them zooms further in and one of the windows smashes, this is a prominent sound in the shot, and draws most of the viewers attention making it seem important and adding tension, the shot then cuts to the inside of the building, to the room from which the building was broken, where the viewer is now show a shot of two men wearing clown masks, one of which is holding a gun which a string and hook attached to it.

The shot then jumps to a low angle mid to long shot of a man standing on a side walk with a duffel bag over one shoulder, and in his other hand holding a clown mask. The shot then zooms in on this mask, which gives the viewer the impression that it has importance in this scene, and the idea of a clown has importance in the movie. By using a clown to cover up their identities, it creates a sense of tension and fear, as it plays on people’s fears and nightmares as a lot of people are afraid of clowns, especially ones that have haunted faces, which are the type portrayed with the mask, by using this is makes the men seem scarier, more dangerous and sinister.

We then see this man jump into a car that has three other men inside, all of which are also wearing clown masks. This shot them jumps back to the rooftop shot, showing both of the men inside the building moving from the building they are in to the rooftop opposite them using a zip wire, as they move across they are shown from a bird’s eye view from which the viewer can see the scene below. This gives a sense of danger and vulnerability and creates tension among the viewer. When the two men land on the building, they fall into the camera, this gives the viewer the impression that they are not in control of the situation.

As the men begin to speak they talk about the job at hand, which hints to the viewer what is about to happen, and they also talk about someone called the joker. This shows the viewer that these men are hired, and that everything has been planned for them and also tells the viewer that they are not in control of the situation at all and only know what they have been told as none of them know who it is that has told them to do this. This gives a sense of mystery and tension, and the identity of this person has been hidden more than the other men in clown masks. Also from hearing this name, it gives the viewer some insight into why these men are wearing clown mask.

The men then all start loading guns in the car and as they jump out scan the area and then run into a building, which the viewer can infer is a bank. At the same time, the viewer sees the other two men breaking into an electrical box. This scene is quite dramatic and creates tension for the viewer as they can see that these men are quite dangerous, as they have guns and seem to know what they are doing, as they are quite planned and are acting quite strategically.

As the men are robbing the back, the viewer sees who they infer is the bank manager as he is in a smart suit and has a separate office, from the rest of the bank realise the situation that is unfolding. He appears quite powerful at first, attacking the robbers and shooting at them. But this image of him is then reversed when he is shot and the robber that shot him is shown from a low angle shot, giving the viewer the impression that he is powerful and dangerous creating tension.


As the men begin to break into the vaults and rob the bank, each start to kill the others off, each saying that they have been told to kill each other by the joker when one has finished the job which shows the audience that the joker has a lot more control over the situation than was thought before, and also gives the impression that this has all been carefully planned, which creates tension as the viewer wants to know what this person has gone to so much trouble for.
At the end of the scene the audience sees two men dragging bags of what they can infer are full of money into a pile at which point one pulls out a gun ready to shoot the other guy, but this guy says something about a bus, at which point one comes crashing through the glass doors. This creates tension as the viewer sees that this man knows more than the others, and so they wonder who this man is and why he knows more than the other men, they begin to wonder, and infer the idea that he might be the joker.

The group of men that are robbing the bank are shown in a very stereotypical way of robbers, wearing masks, working together and then turning on each other, being very planning strategic and also being shown as dangerous and ruthless, not caring is they hurt of kill anyone to get what they want. The bank manager is also shown in a very stereotypical way, very smart and powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0&feature=player_embedded

The Dark Knight Bank Robbery Scene HD