Final Film Opening

P5 Certification Classification Based on Feedback Final Film

Meaning and purpose:

The meaning and purpose of a certification based on feedback is to ensure that I am giving the correct age rating to my film. This is important because children can become unsettled if they are watching something for example, with violence or references to alcohol. By giving an age rating, children will only watch films that are suitable and appropriate for them. 

Below is a brief introduction to my questionnaire explaining what it is based on with a link to the film opening so that the people answering the questions can watch the film opening. 

Below is the first question. From the responses I can see that most of them think that the film needs parental guidance with 88.9% and only 11.1% saying that it does not. From this I have decided that my film does need parental guidance. 

Below is my second question which asks whether my film is inappropriate for children under the age of 8 due mild reference to drugs and alcohol. The most popular answer was that this film is not inappropriate for children under the age of 8. 

Below is my third question which asks whether the film could unsettle a young child under the age of 8. 11.1% say no, but then there is the same amount for 'yes' and 'maybe' So from this I have decided that this film would unsettle a young child under the age of 8. 

Below is my fourth question which asks whether the film is generally inappropriate for a child without parental guidance under the age of 5. Most people answered yes with 77.8% meaning that I decided it was inappropriate for a child without parental guidance under the age of 5 years old. 

Below is my fifth question where I asked if they found any parts of the film offensive, with 100% saying that they didn't. 

Below is my most important question which asks what age rating would you give the film opening. Most people answered PG with 88.9% and 11.1% answering 12A. This shows that I should rate my film PG from what the majority of people answered in this question. 

Below is an extra questions just asking why they gave the film the certain rating. Many people said that it was due to the mild reference of drugs and alcohol. 

From the questionnaire I have decided to rate my film PG. This is because there is slight reference to drugs and alcohol, which may unsettle a child without parental guidance, as well as the main character running away. There is no strong violence or language meaning that children are able to watch it just as long as they have consent from their parents and are guided when watching. 

Above is a screenshot of my final selected certification level - PG - Parental guidance. 

Draft letter to the BBFC

BBFC

3 Soho Square

London

W1D 3HD

To the British Board of Film Classification 

I am writing to you to request permission for my film to be age rated Parental Guidance, as a Media Studies student at Kent College Canterbury. 

I created a questionnaire in relation to the BBFC and their age rating guidelines to see what the audience would rate my film as well as focus group feedback. I have decided to give my film the following rate of PG, Parental guidance. From the results of my questionnaire and feedback from focus groups I have learnt that the mild reference to drugs and alcohol, and the young boy running away from home may unsettle or upset children under the age of 8 which is why guidance from parents would be advised. 

I hope that the rating I have suggested is to your satisfaction and I look forward to your reply

Thank you

Anna Weston, Kent College 

P4 Focus Group Screening & Feedback

Meaning and Purpose:
Certification of films is so important because it lets the audience know what age rating this film is. For example, it could be completely unsuitable for children with reference to horror scenes, violent scenes and scenes with strong language meaning it is rated 18, only suitable for adults. This stops children from watching something that is unsuitable for them. An incorrect certification of a film has commercial implications. 

Above is a small focus group I organised with a brief discussion where I have asked two people a few questions on my film opening in relation to what age rating it should be based on the BBFC guidelines. I had a discussion with two other people and they both said that my film should be rated PG due to the mild alcohol and drugs and the young boy running away which could unsettle a young child without parental guidance. They both also said that if I gave it a PG rating, then parents can decide whether they think it is suitable for their child to watch or not. 

Below is a video of feedback given to me on my film opening by the A2 media class. This was helpful as they gave me positive and negative feedback in order for me to improve my film opening. For example, one negative piece of feedback I was given was the font family for the opening credits. I watched this over again and changed the font for my opening credits which gave a huge positive impact on my film opening and helped it to be better.




British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) 
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/

As already mention in my treatment, my film is classified as PG meaning parental guidance.


There is 7 film certification categories on the BBFC which I will briefly summarise.

1) U (Universal) - Suitable for all

- At U infrequent use of very mild bad language is allow (E.g 'damn' and 'hell')
- characters may be seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour however there will be no overt focus on sexual behaviour, language or innuendo.
- Violence is generally mild. May include brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger. However, moments of emotional stress or threat will be quickly resolved and the outcome will be reassuring.
- Potentially dangerous or anti-social behaviour which young children may copy must be clearly disapproved of.
- Generally contains positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship.
- No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless there is a very clear anti-drugs or educational message which be understood by younger audience.

2) PG (Parental Guidance) 

- Film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around 8 or older.
- Not always made for younger audiences.
- Does not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child. PG works can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism.
- There may be mild bad language but the context and delivery are always important.
- Sex references are treated the same irrespective of sexuality so there could be mild or undetailed references at PG.
- Violence will usually be mild. There should be no detail of violence in a PG work, so while there might be some blood, we would not see how injury was inflicted in strong detail.
- Potentially dangerous or antisocial behaviour which young children are likely to copy, such as bullying will not be condoned or seen to go unchallenged.
- There might be innocuous or passing references to illegal drugs or drugs misuse in a PG work, although there should be no strong focus on this.

3) 12A - Cinema release suitable for 12 years and over &
4) 12 - Video release suitable for 12 years and over 

Films that are classified as 12 and 12A usually follow the same guidelines:

- No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult.
Requires an adult to accompany any child under 12A at the cinema and is enforced by cinema staff and a cinema may lose its license if adult accompaniment is not enforced for children under 12.
- The BBFC's guidelines state that strong language may be passed at 12 or 12A, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency and any special contextual justification.
- Any discriminatory language or behaviour will not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language is unlikely to be passed at 12A or 12 unless it is clearly condemned.
- Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers.
- Moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if they can be justified by their context.
- Action sequences and weapons may be present and there may be long fight scenes or similar.
- Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated.
- There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse but the portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional detail.

5) 15 - suitable only for 15 years and over 

- No one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or boy/rent a 15 rated video. 

What might I see in a 15 rated film or video?

Any of the following:

•   strong violence
•  frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
•   portrayals of sexual activity
•   strong verbal references to sex
•   sexual nudity
•   brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
•   discriminatory language or behaviour
•   drug taking

(Taken from the BBFC website)

- There could potentially be a great deal of strong language. At 15 there is no upper limit on the number of strong language. 

- There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this. 

- Sexual activity can be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

- Violence may be strong. It should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury, however, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. 

- There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context. 

- Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse.

6) 18 - Suitable only for adults 

- No one under 18 are allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated video. 

- No theme is prohibited

What sort of issues might I find in an 18 film or video?

18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:

•   very strong violence
•   frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
•   strong portrayals of sexual activity
•   scenes of sexual violence
•   strong horror
•   strong blood and gore
•   real sex (in some circumstances)
•   discriminatory language and behaviour

(Taken from the BBFC website)

- There is no limit of uses of strong or even very strong language. Uses could be aggressive, directed, frequent or accompanied by strong violence. 

- There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language at 18. 

- There can be strong and detailed portrayals of sex at 18, including full nudity. 

- Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. 

7) R18 - Adult works for licensed premises only

The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. R18 videos may not be supplied by mail order. 

Using the guidelines from the BBFC website I have created a questionnaire with a link to my film opening in order for me to decide on what age category my film should be classified as. 

Here are examples of my questions:

All questions I have asked are in relation to the BBFC and watch age rating I should give my film. By asking these questions I will see what the majority answered, and this will be the decider for what I age rate I give my film. 

P3(d) Linking Audio to Visuals and Applying Audio Effects

When uploading a clip to Adobe Premier Pro and dragging this clip onto your timeline, if you have used both Audio and visuals when filming, they will automatically be linked together when on your timeline. Once you have dragged the clip onto you timeline, you can right click the clip and unlink the Audio and visuals so that they are not together. This means you are then able to delete an audio or visual you do not want but at the same time keep the other on your timeline.

For some clips I have kept the audio and visuals linked, as shown in the image below:

This means that the audio originally attached to the visuals from filming is kept. This clip is termed 'Oli waking up and mum shouting' Here I kept them linked so that the audience is able to hear 'Ben' sleeping and his mum shouting and waking him up.

Below I have unlinked the original audio and visuals in order for me to delete the audio and add another in. Here I have added a song called 'Freefall' by Helen Jane Long.

Below, again I am using a song called 'Freefall' By Helen Jane Long. The difference with this though is that I did not replace all the original audios with the song. For the first few clips on this timeline I have kept the original audio linked with the visuals, this if for the first part of the song, and the original audio lasts for the whole of the bedroom scene. Once Ben starts walking downstairs, original audio is unlinked with the visuals and deleted, and all that is heard is the song I have added in, which is on audio 3 on the timeline. The music is fairly slow and has a 'sad' effect to it which is why I took away original audio in order for the audience to fully engage with the sad music and visuals. All the audience are concentrating on would be the sad music along with the visuals which have an increased sad feeling to them due to the music.

Below, as you can see on audio 3 on the timeline I have added in another song which I uploaded from youtube called 'Free Falling' which is fairly slow and sad matching this particular scene in the film opening where Ben has just run away and he is walking with Martha towards the woods all alone. I have unlinked and deleted the original audio which matched the visuals and have just used the song so the audience can fully engage with the sad music and scene without any distractions. As you can see I have also adjusted the volume of the song right at the start, where it starts quiet and gradually gets louder. This was effective because for a sad scene, a sudden change in music would not have worked, the gradual build up enables the audience to get a feel for the music and they appreciate it more once it has reached its full volume potential. I did this by adjusting and decreasing the level at the start of the song on audio effects. I then adjusted the level again and increased it to the songs full volume potential a few seconds after the start for it to gradually build up.

Below, on audio 3 on the timeline I have added another song uploaded from youtube called 'suspense music - Seeking The Truth' As well as unlinking and deleting certain original audios. The original audio I did keep at this point was a clip where Oliver is speaking into the camera, which I used as a voiceover for when he is running away. The song I added is obviously, as it says in the name, suspense music and helps build up tension right at the end of the film opening before the title of the film suddenly appears on screen. As the title appears on the screen I have also added a 'thud/boom' sound in Audio 2 on the timeline which gives a dramatic sound as the film title appears. This helps the title stand out more and makes the film opening finish with a dramatic effect. The film also finishes on a cliffhanger, and with this thud sound the audience will be feeling many emotions such as tension, suspense and wanting to know what happens next. This one small thud sound can make a big difference to the ending as it results in a very tense and dramatic effect.

Below I have many different audios used for one clip:

P3(c) Applying Visual Effects and Transitions

Below is a screenshot of a toolbar in Adobe Premier Pro. The selected tool below is the cutting tall where I am able to cut a shot to make it smaller or to split it up. This enabled me to adjust the length of the clip to fit in and run smoothly in my film opening.

Below is an example of one clip where I have used fast colour corrector and changed the saturation from 100 to 50. This made the image slightly darker, with a slight hint of grey to suit the dark and mysterious film opening. It also took away the yellow/look to the clip. 

Below I have selected a cross dissolve in the video transition effects to use on this specific clip transition onto the next clip:

Here you can see that by placing this transition effect on the end of the clip, it will cross dissolve and get darker in order to slowly start the next clip. This makes the film opening more interesting and nice on the eye rather than just switching from clip to clip, which is boring for the audience. The first image fades into the next image which gives a slow and steady transition into the next clip.

Below, again I am using a cross dissolve in order to show a smooth transition from one clip to the next. This creates a more exciting and interesting effect for the audience. The cross dissolve causes the first clip to fade into the next by dipping to black to start the next clip. 

As you can see, the first clip was an opening credit 'WESTSCOPE PRODUCTIONS' and then it cross dissolves into the next clip which is a pan shot of the field.

Below I have taken a screenshot of an opening credit at the beginning of my film. 'A Film by Anna Weston' I added this by selecting 'title' in the effect controls and dragged the title onto this specific clip. 

Below I have added a title by selecting it in effect controls and dragging it onto the specific clip.

Below I have added in a 'dip to white' video transition from the effect controls. I selected this effect and dragged onto the specific clip ending in order for a smooth, exciting and interesting transition to the next clip. 

As you can see, at the end of the clip the first image fades to white gradually until you are unable to see the first clip, and then it switches to the next clip. This is effective because rather than switching to the next clip, it gives a slightly dramatic transition into the next clip. It is also an effective way to end the scene, as the screen does not show any clip at one point meaning the scene has ended and a new scene is about to start.

Below I have added a title 'THE RUNAWAY' and dragged it onto a black, blank image. This is the film title, and because I am showing a film opening, this title will appear right at the end of my film opening, after the first part of the film has been shown. This is more effective because at first the audience are trying to work out what the film is about before the title of the film appears, and at the end when they are left at a slight cliffhanger it suddenly appears and they are ready to begin the rest of the film. 

P3(b) Producing and Reviewing an Off Line Edit

I edited my film opening on Adobe Premier Pro. On this, you have a timeline of where you put your different clips in order. There is a red line that you can drag onto a specific clip which will then show the selected clip. This is called the time code indicator. By having the timeline and the timecode indicator I know exactly which clip is which as it shows the clip above, and I also know how long each clip lasts.

Here are examples of my timeline with the renamed clips:

Here, the time code indicator is placed on the clip 'Pan of Field' which means it will not show up above on screen exactly what clip this is. I can also see exactly how long this clip is making editing easier. Here I constructed meaning in the timeline by putting this pan shot at the start of the film opening because it sets the scene and the audience know that the woods now has significance to the film and will appear later on. 

This clip also matches the storyboard which includes a description of a long shot and pan shot.  

Here I have placed the time code indicator onto the clip 'oliver asleep and room pan' So I know exactly what this clip it is when it shows above the timeline as well as knowing the length of this clip. Here I have constructed meaning in the timeline by placing this clip here after a clip of the kitchen. The audience now know that this boy 'Ben' lives in this house and the fact that the kitchen is a mess with alcohol and pills the audience already begin to feel emotion, possibly sadness towards him. I add a variety of angles of Ben asleep so the audience become familiar with the setting. 

This also matches the storyboard exactly which shows a medium shot of Ben in bed. 

Here the timecode indicator has been placed on the clip 'feet downstairs' and the clip has appeared above so that I know exactly what clip this is and how long it lasts. Here I have constructed meaning in the timeline by placing this clip here, as you can see on the timeline I have another shot of Ben coming downstairs showing a variety of different shots to make it more interesting for the audience. 

This storyboard does not exactly match the clip above, I did in fact have a medium shot of Ben walking downstairs but during the filming processes I made a decision of shooting another clip of a close-up of Oliver's feet walking downstairs. I then had a variety of shots, one medium shot and one close-up shot for me to use for a more interesting scene. 

Here the timecode indicator has been placed onto the clip 'Oli walking into kitchen' and so the clip is shown above to enable me to know exactly what clip this is and the length of the clip. Here I have created meaning in the timeline because as you can see, just before this clip on the timeline there is a medium shot of pills in the kitchen, and then the clip changed to Ben walking in, and then it changes to Ben picking up the pills and putting them in the bin. From this the audience can see that his home life is not great and they feel sorry for him.

This storyboard matches the clip above which is a medium shot of Ben walking into the kitchen.

Here the time code indicator has been placed onto the clip 'walking outside' and so the clip is shown above enabling me to know exactly what clip this is and the length of it. Here I have created meaning in the timeline by placing this clip after Ben has packed his bags, this shows the audience that Ben is now running away as they have just witnessed him packing. They start to realise that Ben is not coming home. 

This also matches the storyboard showing a medium shot of Ben slamming the door. Although on the storyboard I then said the on storyboard that I would capture a close-up of Ben's face which on the day of filming I decided not to as it was not necessary. 

Here the time code indicator is placed on the clip 'walking into the woods' and so the clip has been shown above enabling me to know exactly what clip this is and the length of it. Here I have added meaning in the timeline by showing the audience of Ben trying to find somewhere to sit down in the woods. As you can see in the timeline before this clip there is a shot of ben walking on the field, which then cuts to this clip where he is walking towards the woods. This shows the audience that Ben does not really know where he is going. The variety of shots on the timeline also help the audience familiarize themselves with the setting. 

The storyboard matches the clip above, it also says there will be a long-shot of the woods which I have already taken and shown - the pan shot of the field and woods.