CERTIFICATION - CHARLIE

'The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), is a non-governments organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the UK. It has a statuatory requirement to classify videosm DVDs and, to a lesser extent, some video games under the 'Video Recordings Act 2010'. The following are the types of certificates that can be given to films:

U -Stands for universal which means the film is suitable for people of all ages.
PG - Stands for parents guidance, which means that younger audiences can see it however they will need parents with them as some parts may not be suitable for them.
12A - This means the film can be watched by younger viewers underthe age of 12, however they MUST be accompanied by an adult, if they are not accompanied by an adult they would not be allowed to view the film.

12 - This means the film is suitable for those aged 12 years and over.
15 - This means the film is suitable for those aged 15 years and over.
18 - This means the film is suitable for those aged 18 years and over.
R18 - This means the film is explicit and can only be shown in licensed premises only.
 
It is important that the correct cerftification is chosen for the film that is produced so that audiences that are young do not see material or scenes that is not suitable for their age.
If a film was going to be shown in cinemas, it would get sent off to the BBFC beforehand in order for them to give the film a certificate as to which audiences it is suitable for.
Majority of thrillers are usually rated either a 15 or 18 as many have scenes of violence and contain swearing.

MID-PROJECT SURVEY RESULTS - CHARLIE

My Comments:
I have conducted this mid-project survey to see what the audience think of the current stage I am at in the process of creating an opening scene of a film. The survey is based on questions about what I have produced so far from gathering footage and putting it together, and the current state of my blog.
This has really helped me with the improvements that i can make to my work because with an opinion from the target audience I have been able to identify and get more of an idea of what they want and where I am currently going wrong.

CHARACTER PROFILES - CHARLIE

My Comments:
This presentation is a breakdown of the characteristics and roles of the characters that are in the opening scene. It shows how we have presented the characters as mainly bad people because of their previous criminal crimes being stated on the left hand  side. There is also a description of how important the character is in the scene on the right hand side.

MARKET RESEARCH - CODES AND CONVENTIONS - CHARLIE

We will be creating a film in the thriller genre and will therefore be conforming to things such as:

- Intimidating and tense music

- Abrupt sound effects (slamming phone back onto the hook)

- Typical noises (Train pulling up at train station)

- Not being able to see certain characters faces until later in scene

- Creating suspense and tension

- A range of camera shots

- Dark credits and unusual font style

- The use of props.

We will not be subverting from anything in a way because I feel that when making a scene in the thriller genre it is important to stick to the conventions as that is what makes it appeal to the audience in the first place. If there was a lot of elements subverting from the stereotypical representations then the genre might lead away from Thriller and into a different genre and we don't want this happening.

Many thrillers these days draw from more than 1 set of conventions. However, it is still possible to create a list of thriller conventions. Below are some typical characteristics of films in the thriller genre.

Thriller Generic Characteristics:
- The narrative centres around a crime e.g. a theft, violence or a murder.
- The title is often short and catchy so it is easy to remember. 
- The narrative presents ordinary situations in which extraordinary things happen.
- Micro elements combine in a build up of suspense.
- Themes of identity are common: mistaken identity, doubling, amnesia.
- Themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring. Manipulation of perspectives and optical illusions are common.
- A series of important enigmas are set up in the opening sequence of the film, it is further complicated during the first part of the film and only resolved at the very end.

LINK FOR MID-PRODUCTION SURVEY - CHARLIE

Click here to take mid production survey

My Comments:
This is the link that will take you to the mid-production survey!

PRODUCTION MEETING NOTES: DECEMBER 14TH, 2013

December 14^th, 2013:

What I have completed since the last meeting:

- I have now decided that the opening scene should be created in the thriller genre, primarily because thriller was amongst the most favourite genres when the audience research survey was conducted.

- The tasks that I have completed are the treatment, storyboard, response to brief and the location, equipment and organisation research.

- I have managed to film all the footage needed.

What I still need to complete:

- Tasks that I aim to complete hopefully by the next meeting consist of a write up of the target audience research survey, at least three existing product analysis’s, begin the editing of the footage we have recorded.

How is the blog currently looking?

- All work that I have completed has been posted to the blog, I have written a small paragraph about myself and why I am studying A-level media studies. This has made the blog look more professional and the colour scheme conforms to the thriller genre.

How is the filming/editing currently doing?

- ­I have completed all of the footage at the moment and plan to begin editing very soon. I have not yet edited the footage that I have as I wanted to get all the footage together before I began the editing process.

THRILLER GENRE MOODBOARD - CHARLIE

Above, are a collection of thriller covers. Although not all stereotypical we have a range from fantasy thrillers, to down and dirty thrillers. Although different movies nearly all have one thing in common, all of these covers use well known, famous characters on the front with serious down to business faces to promote the movie. 

A similarity between the covers are the colour scheme. In a number of these covers we see the colour red being used on the titles. Red is stereotypically a colour associated with blood, death, horror and therefore being used for a thriller cover projects the association. Meaning the movie may contain certain horror aspects but still fits appropriately in the thriller genre. Not only do they use the colour red, a lot of films also plaster it on a black backdrop to intensify the colour and really make the title stand out and catch the eye of the customer looking to buy it. This, as well as creating a good image for the thriller genre is a great marketing technique as these will be posted on buildings, bill boards and buses and to have such striking titles and images it will be one that will stick in the viewers mind.


In this DVD cover we see a range of similarities with the poster. Firstly, they have the same colour scheme as each other with the DVD cover having the luminous white capital letters standing bold against the solid black background, making the writing stand out so when people skim read the small writing at the top they take notice to the writing in white (supposedly the most important part). On the poster we have familiar colours mainly for promotion purposes. This creates a familiar association to the movie, as people with reading disabilities can easily associate the colours and images to the movie. However, unlike the poster, on the DVD release we see the appearance of a famous actor (also the main character). This creates a visual recognition for people who may not have gone to see the movie at the cinemas. For they may see his face on the front cover and know that they've seen other films of his such as 'Casino Royale' and 'Quantum of Solace' and want to see this movie because of it. 

My Comments: This is a moodboard that I have created of the typical thriller films that I aspire to make the film similar to. Films such as Dead Man Down, Safe House and The Bourne Legacy are films that create that thrill for the audience to experience and I want to try and breakdown the different aspects of these films so that i can incorporate the different techniques into my production.Some aspects that I have noticed about films in the thrill genre have is that they contain:- Tense ongoing music to keep the audience engaged and interested.- Fast movements by characters so that the atmosphere is intense.- A wide range of different shots in scenes where there is fighting and violence.- Where there is violence there is a tendency for objects to come flying towards the camera at speed to make the audience jump.The thriller genre is a common genre chosen by film makers as it is one that can be used to entice and excite the audience when viewing, this is the main reason why I have chosen to create an opening scene in this genre.