BBFC Age rating, Right or Wrong?

What is the BBFC?
The BBFC, or the British board of film classification, is the company that decides what age rating, any film or TV show, is given.
Their goal is to be 'helping children and families choose well by providing them with the guidance they need to help them choose what’s right for them and avoid what’s not.' 


For more information, they talk about it on their BBFC website and their main staff.




This is England - 18+ 

This is England, a classic Warp film, directed by the auteur director Shane Meadows, received an 18+ age rating from the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). This upset Meadows as not only could the main protagonist not see the film because he was under age, but because the movie was for a primary audience at the ages of 15 - 17, completely killing the message and the preferred reading when the film was released. 

An Image of the reasoning stated on the BBFC website as to why This is England received an 18+ 

This caused a massive outrage from several parties, to the point that even The Guardian added their part to the argument. 

The Guardian article about the argument

On one hand it absolutely kills the target audience of the film, stopping the message it has, get to the people the message was meant for. The film is a film about TEENS trying to find their way and end up going down a dark road, but just like Shaun, people can change the way their heading, and it doesn't matter how far you are down a road. 
So, when that audience is taken away, the reading changes and an audience 18+ will, most likely, be unable to access the preferred reading of the film. 

In an interview with Meadows, he stated this: 
"It's like I've somehow overachieved. By having one piece of violence and one piece of really acute verbal violence I've managed to get an 18 certificate, whereas someone else can slay thousands of people in a single film and that's OK. To be honest I don't understand it because, yes, the film is affecting but I think it's something that someone of 15 can cope with. It's not like it's a film about the 80s that has no value; it's incredibly relevant politically. It's as much about Iraq as it is about the Falklands. It's as much as about England in 2007 as it is about England in 1983."1

This helps show just how important an age rating is, towards a piece of film. It also illustrates how important it is to appeal to a primary audience and, in this scenario, a secondary audience. I think this is a great example to keep in mind in our film opening, as a reminder to keep to the guidelines of the age rating for our primary audience.   


 1Meadows, S (April, 2007 ) At The Guardian, available from https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/apr/23/an18forthisisenglandthis (13/12/2019)  


Sweet Sixteen - 18+ 

On the other hand, it can be argued that the BBFC are just following guidelines they have followed.
Further on in the reasoning the BBFC provided as to why This is England received the rating, they state another example

The last line of the explanation of the This is England BBFC explanation 

Sweet Sixteen is a 2002 drama film directed by Ken Loach. Set in Scotland, the film tells the story of a teenage boy from a troubled background, Liam, who dreams of starting afresh with his mother as soon as she has completed her prison term. Liam's attempts to raise money for the two of them are set against the backdrop of the Inverclyde towns of Greenock, Port Glasgow and the coast at Gourock.

The film is often shown with subtitles because, as with many of Loach's films, the dialogue is extensively in a local dialect, in this case the Inverclyde variant of Glaswegian (itself a mix of Scottish English and Scots with Irish and Highland influences). 

Credits to Wikipedia - Sweet Sixteen ( Planning to be updated at a later point) 

In the explanation the BBFC provided about the decision of Sweet Sixteen 's age rating, they provide a very clear reason as to why it was given and equally, if they follow the same guidelines, for This is England.

BBFC's age rating choice for Sweet Sixteen


Now if the BBFC use these guidelines for all films shown in Britain, then it's understandable that This is England got the rating it did, as not only was the language similar to that above, but then it also uses several racial slurs, and it's reasonable for them not to encourage this type of language.

The Worlds End - 15+ 

Goes the other way, even though strong langauge is used :
https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/worlds-end-film
(Going to be Updated later on) 

Denotation and Connotation

In preparation for mock exams, I wanted to look into the base analysis of any media and how to answer the exam question.

The meaning:

DENOTATION -
Denotation is the first level of analysis, referring to what an audience can literally see. This may be as simple as 'there was a red rose on the wood desk' but it is analysing the frame of a clip and what is completely visible to a viewer.
It is important that it may not only be sight, but that it could be an auditory denotation, as in, the sounds an audience may hear, but the point is still that no further analysis of a symbolic link to the literal description of the sound ( or visual, point is the same )

CONNOTATION -
Connotation is the second level of analysis, this is then where further analysis, past the literal meaning, is drawn. After the denotation of a clip, the analysis then falls to the symbolism of the clip, and broken even further down, the symbolism of an object or part of the clip. This becomes more complex as it is no longer an objective analysis of the clip. An example may be 'the red rose symbolises love and passion' or depending on the genre 'death and blood'

Connotation is the follow up to the denotation and they compliment each other in that regard.

Examples:
To help illustrate the point, here are some examples.
Denotation will be highlighted - denotation
Connotation will be highlighted - connotation
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Analysis-

You can denote an energy drink, specifically a normal can of red bull. The character this belongs to is likely young as energy drinks symbolise youth, however it also connotes that the character is not the smartest, and is probably a dumber character overall

The Bechdel Test

The Bechdel test is a way to analyse a film to find female presence, and how developed those characters are.
It was originally created by Allison Bechdel in her comic Dykes to Watch Out for in 1985.
To prevent any bad explanation here is a video about it:
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Film opening, group and idea changes

Recently myself and Spikey films asked to join Scope films and Trihard prodcutions in creating the film opening, as their third member disbanded from the group, allowing the four of us to work together (As the max for one group is a four). Both of them generously accepted and it is now the main group we are in moving forward.
From this we decided that we wanted to stick with their idea as it is much more developed and has a lot more potential.
This is a video of the discussion we had as a group.
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Credits to Spikey films filming and uploading this clip.

A Wipe, in media terms

A wipe is a type of transition on screen, it moves through shots by pushing one shot out by another. This creates a smooth flow of shots that can be used as establishing shots for the opening of a film.
The example that I would draw inspiration from is in Shaun of the dead
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After the conversation with the main protagonist, the film continues to give more detail as to the location and social standard of the film using a series of shots that wipe from one to the next.

Pre-production points

Characters:

• Main protagonist - Danny Romero - Intertextualising genre directors (Danny Boyle, George A Romero)
• Love interest - Mia Jones
• Best friend - Fred East - intertextualises Fred West, a serial killer
• 3 to 4 zombies 

Extraneous points: 

• Cornetto trilogy + Shaun of the dead - Cornetto ice cream, like in Shaun of the dead
• Shallow focus (zombie eating body from far away)
• decaying title
• slow zombie movement type, unlike 28 days later

DDC: Digitisation, Disruption and Convergence

Digitisation

The ongoing but advanced process of moving from analogue (eg VHS) to digital production, distribution and exchange, which has reduced costs and time, which led to convergence and disruption

 

Disruption

Radical changes to the established methods of distribution, often leading to new competitors arising

Convergence

 The reducing gap between professional and amateur/consumer/prosumer level equipment; the shrinking distinction between audience and producers as old top-down approaches and passive audiences are replaced by active audiences (web 2.0) and a dynamic two-way flow (UGC); the blurring of once clear divides between media industries - film and TV are notable, and think about how both now extend across web and smart devices too, plus VR

 

E.G

Film4 and the BBC are UK TV channels/producers with limited funds for film production. Where Amazon and Netflix spend billions worldwide, and over $100m just in the UK, the combined TV/film budget of all traditional UK TV channels (and their film wings) is far less than Netflix's UK spend alone. They pay upfront for rights to low budget films like Warp's output. This, combined with non-repayable grants from the likes of the UK Film Council(today that is the BFI) and its regional wings like EM Media and Screen Yorkshire(using government and National Lottery funding), or EU funds. These grants ensure cultural diversity in film production, which would be impossible on raw commercial terms.

Film opening analysis of About a Boy

- Fade up

- Audio bridge to first scene

- Diegetic sound from TV 

- Bird's eye view

- Tracking shot

- Protagonist - proppian archetypes

- Rule of thirds

- Narrative enigma - not showing protagonist's face

- Intertextual reference to 'Who wants to be a millionaire'

- Camera movement and zooming, connotes tension

- Anchored tension with tense music from tv show

- His answer to the show foreshadows events - In addition he is most likely to relate to Jon Bon Jovi character, connoting comedic genre 

- Voice over - inner monologue

- Non-diegetic sound - guitar strings

- Red Bull signifies youth, not very smart

- Tea cup with saucer juxtaposes with the Red Bull because it signifies older age and sophistication

- Cigarettes - negative connotations - complex preferred reading

- Campbell's hero's journey/monomyth - all narratives center on journey and progression of protagonist

- Big book - intelligence, sophistication

- Lower case bubble font block white - connoting comedic genre

- Navy blue slacks, gry blue crew neck jumper, blue shirt, grey blue monochromatic mise-en-scene - conservative guy

- Large collection of books and LPs, electric guitar, speakers - rebellious, again connotes complex preferred reading

Theme 2: Titles

THE RAW NUMBER
- Around 4 titles appear at the beginning of the film

- The time titles last can be often as long as 4 minutes or as short as 20 seconds

THE SPECIFIC WORDING + ORDER
- When a title refers to a company, it will present that company with 'In association with Company X' or 'Company X presents'

- When presenting the director, the wording is usually 'A film directed by Director X', however if the director is an auteur the wording is 'A Director X film'

- Actors are often listed using ' Introducing' however if the film is a star waggon 'starring' or 'featuring' is more common

- Films often go company, director, then actors however this changes depending on several factors. An example is if the director is an auteur, their title is more often first. This is a similar circumstance to films that are star waggons.

DESIGN
- The style of the titles usually is based around the genre, similar to points like the title colour and font.

- Serif fonts are often used in genres such as romance, drama, social realist, horror, slasher and thriller. Serif fonts tend to signify a more serious film. Where as fonts that are Sans serif are used for genres like action and comedy, as they can be impactful or simple

- Depending on the importance of the title, such as a 'starring' title, or an auteur title, the font size will be bigger and tend to stand out more.

- Whether the title is uppercase or not depends, as it can be used to bring focus to the title, however it doesn't fit with some genres such as Romance

- The colour of the title is most commonly white, as it can be used with most genres if not all, in combination with the font. It also allows important titles like star or auteur to be further highlighted by having them on a black background ( a common background )

FX, ANIMATION
- Non-diegetic titles are titles that are added post production and often move through the scene all though don't effect, just look cool. An example of this is in Zombieland

- Equally there are also diegetic titles that are in the scene that actors could touch or see in real time.

- Often titles just fade out, however different title transitions are also based around genre, so that they fit better with the film.
 

THEORY Postmodernism, Deconstructionism, Intertextuality, and Simulacra

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Postmodernism.

Postmodernism argues that all 'isms' (E.G capitalism, communism) are meaningless because these meta-narratives can no longer explain how the world run. However it is extremely self contradicting because Postmodernism is an ism!
The concept of postmodernism refuses definition to some extent, but Dominic Strinati outlined 5 key characteristics that help break it down:

1. Breakdown of the distinction between culture and society
2. An emphasis on style over substance
3. Breakdown of the distinction between high art and popular culture
4. Confusions over time and space
5. Decline of metanarratives ['grand theories such as Marxism, Christianity and ... modernism have lost their use for current societies']

Deconstructionism.

This refers to the use of existing convention for ironic purpose, in a knowing way, and the audience is assumed to be in on irony.

A perfect example of this is in the movie Scream, the Matthew Lillard character decides to get more drinks and as he is leaving he dramatically calls out "I'll be right back", a reference to the classic horror convention that denotes a character will be killed.  The other teens at the party respond with the knowledge of this old trope, all of this happens whilst in a scene where they're watching Halloween.  Craven is deliberately making fun, or attacking the genre he played a role in creating 1972's The Last House on the Left.
This occurs in all media, the Depeche Mode video is a classic example, breaking down the band's poor tawdry image and the male gaze.

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Intertextuality

A simple but important concept that originated from Kristeva. It refers to the idea that, for an audience to access the preferred reading (Stuart Hall) they must have knowledge of a secondary text, which is usually a older text that is referenced in a newer text. This is most easily seen through TV shows such as the Simpsons as they are built around the very concept, but there is a very strong presence of this idea in the slasher genre. This is why John Carpenter cast the daughter of the 1960 scream queen, as his final girl. It helps gain publicity.

Simulacra

Scary movie best represents the ideas above. It takes intertextuality to a new level with little details like how Screams working title was scary movie, and the film is a comedic remake. It very clearly, and quite literally, shows the conventions (eg the Carmen Electra scream queen sees a sign giving the options for either death or safety... and runs up the stairs where the death sign points to, as the dumb scream queens tend to).
These movies have been analysed in detail, especially as far as gender representations. Baudrillard might argue that this leads nowhere as there is no ultimate meaning behind an endless limits of signifiers; Scary Movie is an expression of many existing ideas or signifiers, which cannot be tracked back to any concrete 'true reality' or meaning. 

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References
DB (2011) Theoretical evaluation of production post on blogger [online] Available from http://prodeval.blogspot.com/2011/04/postmodernism.html [17/11/19]
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TITLES scream main title

Sounds
- High pitched female scream
Very stereotypical in slashers, helping create suspense but also helping to anchor a preferred reading
- Heart rate speeding up
Helps create suspension and build up fear throughout the trailer
- Phone ringing
Again helps to create suspension, and the ring sound the phone makes is very average which helps anchor the slasher genre
- Crash sound effect
Not only helps build tension to the literal breaking point but also serves as an audio distraction so that the viewers are distracted by the sound so its harder to focus on what just showed creating sense of mystery
-Wolf howl
A stereotype to the slasher and horror genre, again anchoring the preferred reading
- Knife slashing sounds
Another stereotype to the slasher and horror genre. Could be an intertextual reference to past slasher classics
- Gunshot
Again not only helps build tension to the literal breaking point but also serves as an audio distraction
- Violin
Massive effect on the tension, and an intertextual reference to Psycho
- Audio Bridge
Helps keep the audience engaged

Ident 
- Blue tint
Intertextual reference to Halloween opening
- Sans serif font
Commonly used in slashers as its very bold matching music
-Black background
Use of dark colours with a black background helps anchor preferred reading

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(Scream trailer)
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Updated Film Opening Pitch

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'Sleep well' pitch (1) from LouisHodges3

Changes looking to be made:

- Addition of a postmodernism element

- Changing newspaper to new broadcast

Credits to: Spikey Films

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