BBFC

The BBFC (British Board Of Film Classification) are the ones responsible for the classification of films. 


The first classification 'U' is suitable for children aged 4 years and over. The guidelines are:
Discrimination: No discriminatory language or behaviour. 
Drugs: No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse, unless for an educational purpose or strong anti-drug message suitable for young children. 
Horror: Scary sequences should be brief and unlikely to cause any anxiety to children of a young age. 
Imitable Behaviour: No potentially dangerous behaviour which young children will be likely to imitate, with no emphasis on easily accessible weapons. 
Language: Infrequent use of very mild bad language. 
Nudity: Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context in it. 

Sex: Mild sexual behaviour such as kissing, and mild references such as 'making love'.

Themes: Problematic themes may arise but they must be treated sensitively and appropriately.

Violence: Mild violence only. Occasional mild threat or menace.  






The next classification is PG, this stands for parental guidance. A 'PG' film should not disturb children aged 8 or over, so parents it may be unsuitable for young children. The guidelines for this classification is:

Discrimination: Unlikely to be accepted unless shown to be clearly dissaproved of or if used in an educational context.

Drugs: References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Horror: Frightening scenes should be short and not intense, a surreal setting may make the scene more acceptable.
Imitable Behaviour: No potential dangerous behaviour which children may imitate, and no showing off of weapons. 
Language: Mild bad language.
Nudity: Only natural nudity with no sexual context. 
Sex: May be implied but should be very discreet. Mild sex references and innuendo's only.
Themes: If more serious issues are featured e.g domestic violence, they should not be treated with an acceptable behaviour. 
Violence: Moderate violence, without any detail may be allowed. 





'12A/ 12'

These films are for children aged 12 and over. Content in the film may upset or disturb children under 12 or contain unsuitable content. The '12A' category is for cinema's only, stating that the film is not recommended for children under the age of 12. An adult may accompany a child under the age of 12 if going to a '12A' making it the adults responsibility for allowing the child to view the film. Discrimination: Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be accepted unless shown to be clearly unacceptable.  Drugs: Misuse of drugs should be brief and not detailed. Horror: Disturbing sequences should be brief. Imitable behaviour: Dangerous behaviour should not be detailed and appear pain or harm free.  Language: Moderate language is allowed, with the use of strong language being very infrequent.  Nudity: Nudity is allowed but if used in a sexual context, be brief and discreet.  Sex: Sexual activity should be brief and not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Crude references are unlikely to be acceptable unless very infrequent. Theme: Mature themes are accepted but they must be treated suitably for persons of that age.  Violence: Moderate violence is accepted but should not be detailed. Injuries or blood should not be emphasised and sexual violence may only be implied.

'15'

Suitable for ages 15 and over. Noone younger then 15 may be permitted to see a '15' film in the cinema. Discrimination: As a whole it must not endorse discriminatory behaviour.   Drugs: Drugs may be shown but the film must not promote or encourage the misuse of drugs. Horror: Strong threat and menace are allowed unless sexualised. Imitable behaviour: Dangerous behaviour must not be detailed, so as to be copied.  Language: Strong language may be used frequently. Aggressive, repeated use of the strongest terms may be unlikely to be accepted. Nudity: Nudity may be allowed in sexual context but not in strong detail. Sex: Sexual activity may be shown but not in strong detail and there may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, the strongest references are unlikely to be accepted though. Theme: No theme is disallowed, the treatment of the subject just has to be appropriate for 15 year olds. Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on infliction of pain. Strong gory scenes or images and strong sexual violence is unlikely to be acceptable and there may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but portrayal must be discreet. 

'18'
Noone younger than 18 may be permitted to view an '18' in the cinema. The findings of the BBFC's public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, the principle that adults should be free to choose there own entertainment. Exceptions are likely only if the material is in breach of the criminal law, the material or treatment appears to risk harm to individuals through there behaviour, or portray detailed violent or dangerous acts, illegal drug misuse, anything which may cause harm to public health or morals.  Explicit sex material may be used when to genuinely inform and educate in topics such as human sexuality and safe sex and health.  Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are normally passed. 







'R18'
R18 is to be shown only in licensed cinema's or supplied in licensed sex shops and to adults aged 18 and over.  It is a special, legally restricted classification for explicit works of sex or fetish material involving adults. Films may not be in breach of the criminal law and must not be likely to encourage sexually abusive behaviour (eg. incest or rape) and it must not show un-consented sexual activity. 











By looking at the guidelines, we have decided the classification for our film will be a PG, this is because the film is suitable for all ages but some scenes could possibly be seen as scary as the opening sequence features a mysterious edge to it which could disturb the youngest of viewers. Violence is not displayed which means the film doesn't go into the '12' or '12A' category and theres no explicit detail or anything so it cannot go into any higher classification.  We ensured the dialogue had no obscene language, no sexual content or potentially dangerous imitable behaviour.

Wall-E: How It Fits The Genre

Wall-E is a film about a robot. The genre of the film is Sci-Fi and the film fits this genre by the way its set about robots, this is a typical feature of something Sci-Fi. Wall-E also fits the genre of Sci-Fi by making the humans not have a major role within the film, instead the narrative is based around one little robot that is left to clean up the humans mess for the entire planet.

In the opening sequence you are only shown the little robot which is putting emphasis on how he is the main character, also that a robot is a typical element of Sci-Fi, fitting well within the genre. Another element of Sci-Fi that is present in Wall-E is the narrative and screenplay is surreal, this element is presented one way through the robot having emotions which is something beyond our technology, adding to this, the chances of such a global catastrophe is highly unrealistic.

The films genre could also be seen as a hybrid, with the element of fantasy portrayed in the film. The narrative involves characters such as Wall-E that could not exist in real life, also the scale of the catastrophe with all the rubbish being left on the Earth makes it an event that could not possibly happen.  The robot also features human characteristics, when watching a video of a man and woman holding hands, this brought sadness to the robot due to the loneliness of being alone in the world, this adds to the surrealness of the whole film but also makes it relatable for the audience as they feel the robots loneliness.

Codes and Conventions for a Particular Children's Genre

Pirates of the Caribbean is an Adventure/Action and Fantasy. Action is determined by the use of stunts, chases and pyrotechnics. It is adventure as well as it includes exciting stories, new experiences and exotic locations. Also, fantasy is also included as it includes mythical creatures and has stories which would not exist in real life, for example, Davy Jones Locker.  


The narrative for these genres usually include an epic like hero who saves the Earth. Despite part of the genre being fantasy, no magic or wizards or witches are included within the narrative. This is a very unorthodox way of representing Fantasy. For example, the use of magic is used in Harry Potter. 


The main sub genres are Adventure and Fantasy


Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional 'good-guy' heroes (or recently, heroines) battling 'bad guys' - all designed for pure audience escapism. Includes the James Bond 'fantasy' spy/espionage series, martial arts films, and so-called 'blaxploitation' films.


Fantasy films, usually considered a sub-genre, are most likely to overlap with the film genres of sci-fi and horror, although they are distinct. Fantasies take the audience to netherworld places (or another dimension) where events are unlikely to occur in real life - they transcend the bounds of human possibility and physical laws. They often have an element of magic, myth, wonder, and the extraordinary. They may appeal to both children and adults, depending upon the particular film.

Opening sequence to Toy Story

The opening sequence to Toy Story typically includes the introduction of the characters, it does this by showing the characters (childrens toys) being used in an imitation of a rescue scene that most children can relate to as having done this themselves. The character 'Woody' in the opening sequence is given more screen time than the other characters, giving the impression that 'Woody' is going to be the main character throughout.
          
Another convention that is found in Toy Story is the colour theme that is used Blue, Yellow and red. These colours are primary colours, they're bold and simple, making the colours recognisable to the film. It also follows the stereotype by the use of the colours, as typically childrens films are brightly and simply coloured, this is so it makes it more interesting for the child. The simplicity of the colour theme mirrors that of the title of the film as it is simply a story about toys which most age groups would be able to understand and enjoy.

Opening to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Opening sequence for Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone differs from that of a typical opening as it excludes the use of credits and starts with the media company, warner bros, and logo of Harry Potter. After this the first frame establishes the location by stating the name of a road. During the first three minutes the audience has already been introduced to the main characters. The score for the film is basically the same for all the films with minor changes and remixes as the characters grow up which helps reflect on their childhood. The score also fits the fantasy genre as it includes a lot of orchestra and choir singing. Another example of a fantasy theme tune is in the film Edward Scissorhands.



However, this film has different conventions to Harry Potter as it has opening credits to those who have starred, produced, written and directed the film.

Preliminary Task - Craig, Lucy, Andrew and Lily

At the end of our task, we were going to record a conversation between the two characters, however, our camera died. We've all decided that we will either take another battery just in case or record our dialogue first, or at least during the time we are filming, for example, adding in sentences if they are needed so that we have at least some dialogue. This has helped us prepare for our main task as we have had a feel of the camera, figured out how to use it as to not waste any time while filming.

Preliminary Task

For the preliminary task we have to film a 30-40 second video, featuring 6 key features such as establishing shot and reaction shot. This is our storyboard, the plan for our clip.  

How does the conventions constructed differently in your two chosen film opening sequences?

The conventions in Monsters Inc and Harry Potter are very different, despite their target audience being similar of age. Monsters Inc. is mainly graphic and cartoon based. The animation bounces off the music, which is a happy, jazzy saxophone, this kind of music would be more intriguing to children as its fast paced and generally fun, something that is stereotypically used in order to appeal to children. In comparison to the Harry Potter opening sequence, Monster inc. has a more cheerful nature to it, giving the sense that it is going to lead on to be a more cheerful kind of movie, something which could also appeal to parents as some parents may not like the level of graphic behaviour, although it's still appropriate, it could still be seen slightly untoward. The Harry Potter opening sequence is one that would appeal to the more curious aspect of most growing children, this is due to the eerie music, and dark on screen features such as mysterious clouds, thundering rain and how the camera is coming in from a high angle. All these aspects to the opening sequence add to the stereotypical features of an Adventure/Fantasy, but at the same time making it suitable for children of ages 6+.