BBFC Institution Research

What is BBFC?

The BBFC is an independent, non-governmental body which classifies cinema films. It's a not for profit organisation, it's income is from the fees it charges for its services.

How are films rated?

Examiners watch films for cinema release in the BBFC's cinema, in order to accurately reproduce the effect that sound levels and special effects will have on the cinema audience. DVDs are viewed in the BBFC's viewing rooms on plasma screens, to recreate the 'home viewing' experience. Where the work is in a language not spoken by any of the Examiners and there are no subtitles, the BBFC will use an interpreter who will sit alongside the Examiner or team. Examiners log details of what they watch, including: general context - plot, characters, outline of individual scenes, timings of key moments, including camera angles, type of shots, on- and off-screen moments, bad language, sex and drug references etc.

The issues faced when categorising a film?

They need to consider:

• conflict with the law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• harmful to the viewer
• unacceptable to appear to a wider audience 
• acceptably portraying the dominant issue 
• problematic within its tone

Alongside considering the relevant legislation, the main age rating issues that need to be taken into account include:

• Violence

• Sex

• Sexual Violence

• Drugs

• Horror

• Imitable Behaviour

• Discrimination

• Language

Controversial Decisions- The Dark Knight

The main classification issues in The Dark Knight are violence and threat. BBFC Guidelines for 12A at the time stated ‘Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries and blood’ and ‘Sustained moderate threat and menace are permitted. Occasional gory moments only. The examiners who classified the film agreed it met the Guidelines criteria, however, there were a significant numbers of complaints about the 12A rating from members of the public. The rating was given due to the identification with Batman and the fact that the previous Batman was also rated a 12A. Although the antagonist, the villain, The Joker, uses a knife, the use of the weapon is not accentuated or glamorised to encourage the use of the violence. The BBFC received 364 complaints about the age rating. Parents and viewers thought that the tone of the film was too dark to show to younger audiences without making them feel uncomfortable or scared.

Guidelines for a 15 Certificate

15 Certificate - 'There may be frequent use of strong language. The strongest terms may be acceptable if justified by context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable'. 

• strong violence
• frequent strong language
• 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

Juno Classification

12A Uncut- It was submitted to the BBFC with a PG request. The key classification issues in the work are infrequent strong language, moderate sex references and brief sight of a gory scene from an old horror movie The Wizard Of Gore (rated 18). When making their recommendations examiners also discussed the film’s tone, likely appeal and audience, and the treatment of the theme of teenage pregnancy.

Preliminary Exercise Evaluation Feedback 

Evaluation mark: 6/10

Grade: C

WWW: A solid evaluation that uses some media terminology effectively and picks out some key strengths and weaknesses in the production. You’ve clearly reflected on the process too – this will help with the real MEST2 coursework.

EBI: Your written English is a little informal – this is something to consider for academic writing over the next 18 months as your A Levels progress. For the top grades, you lack the detailed analysis of key shots, edits, sounds etc. and the possible interpretations for the audience. You do consider the audience which is good to see but I’d like more detailed and specific discussion of certain shots, transitions etc. 

LR: 

1. Include detailed analysis of the key shots, editing, sounds ect. and go into more detail when evaluating possible interpretations for the audience.
2. Make sure that my English is more formal and go into more depth.
3. Analyse transitions and shots.

Arthouse Film Institution Research

Production: Independent film studios

1.

• Donnie Darko- this film was made by the production 'Flower Films'.
• The Falling- this film was made by the productions 'BBC Films' and 'British Film Institute (BFI)'.
• iLL Manors- this film was also made by the production  'BBC Films' along with 'Film London Microwave' and 'Aimimage'.
• It Follows- this film was made by the productions 'Animal Kingdom', 'Northern Lights Film' and 'Two Flints'.
• Appropriate Behaviour- this film was made by the production 'Parkville Pictures'.

2.

• Flower Films:Whip It, He's Just Not That Into You and Happy Camp.
• BBC Films: The Woman In Gold, Philomena and The Awakening.
• British Film Institute (BFI): Under The Skin, The Lobster and Robinson In Ruins.
• Film London Microwave: Strawberry Fields, Shifty and Cubs 
• Aimimage: The White Darkness, My London and Leaving Baghdad.
• Animal Kingdom: Short Term 12 and It Follows.
• Northern Lights Film: This Is Where We Take Our Stand and Killer Poet.
• Two Flints: And Then I Go and I'll See You In My Dreams 
• Parkville Pictures: Borrowed Time, Part Of Me and Madame Ida.

3. 

• Flower Films: in 2005 Flower Films signed a two-year deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Flower Films has become one of the most successful film companies to produce low budget independent films for the pleasures of the Arthouse audience. 
• BBC Films: the two most successful films they have made are 'A Cock And Bull Story' and 'Africa United'. 
• British Film Institute (BFI): Sight & Sound, published by the British Film Institute, has conducted a poll of the greatest films every 10 years since 1952.
• Film London Microwave: their most successful films are iLL Manors, Shifty and Lilting which are all low-budget independent films.
• Northern Lights Film, Aimimage and Two Flints: these three production companies are best known for their participation in the film 'It Follows'.
• Parkville Pictures: Parkville Pictures is a BAFTA-nominated and multi award-winning independent film production company based in London. Parkville Pictures’s feature credits include 'Borrowed Time'.

Distribution: Independent film distributors

10 Steps Of Film Distribution:

1. Films can be conceived in a variety of ways. Sparked by a unique moment of inspiration, maybe an adaptation of a carefully chosen book, a true life story, an historical figure, an event, a moment in time. The labour to create a film, the greater the desire to ensure it finds exposure beyond those immediately connected with it. Film is about shared experiences, about letting everyone in to enjoy a time of escapism, be it through drama and excitement, comedy or tragedy. Films have the power to inspire, to convey strong emotions, to express what people want to say, but cannot necessarily find the words themselves. 
2. Films influence the games we enjoy, the music we play, and they inspire the fashions and advertising images that spring up all around us however films can have an impact, both commercial and social. It is the task of distributors to identify and deliver the largest possible audience for every film. Tailor-made, audience-focused distribution is, and will remain, vital to the prospects of individual films. 
3. Distribution is the highly competitive business of launching and sustaining films in the market place.The distributor's challenge is to bring each one to market by:
• identifying its audience
• considering why they'd go and see it
• estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release
• persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film
• developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film
• aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits                                                         
4. The UK has six major distributors and many independent distributors who tend to handle films made outside the major studios.
5. When considering acquiring a new film, distributors normally look for distinguishable features in order for the film to sell and become a success. They would also need to consider the target audience. They will need to put together a detailed marketing spend and organise film festivals to make a wider audience aware of the film's release. Distributors recognise the importance of local product. Distributors sometimes choose to launch films at a suitable international festival, where critics and insiders may discover them and go on to champion them in early reviews and columns.
6. Distributors sign a formal contract with the producer, sales agent or studio, specifying the rights they hold in respect of the title.These normally include the right to release it in UK cinemas and promote it in all media before and during its release. Distributors normally seek to acquire all available rights in their particular territory, spreading the risk and opportunity across multiple platforms. 
7. A distribution plan needs to be prepared.
   The distributor will develop this in consultation with the producers and/or studio as appropriate.
8. The most important strategic decisions a distributor makes are when and how to release a film in order to optimise its chances. Through a combination of market knowledge, commercial experience, statistical research and professional judgement, distributors gauge the audience for each film.When distributors have estimated what a film may earn, they prepare a budget to release it. As with every business plan, the goal is to recoup the costs and turn a profit.As distributors review what kind of film they have, they will begin to form assumptions as to the type of release they need. 
9. The job of a distributor is to create visibility and to raise enough awareness and interest in a film to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets to go and see it at the nearest cinema at the earliest opportunity. The marketing plan – produced to complement the overall distribution plan – is designed to navigate a route to market that allows interest to peak as the film opens in cinemas. This will take into account the competitive environment, to ensure that the opportunities to raise interest and awareness are not lost under the weight of other films or entertainment on release.
10. A key consideration in any distribution plan is where the film should play. Every theatrical release is effectively a joint-venture: the distributor supplies the film, the exhibitors provide the screens, and the arrangements are reviewed week by week.The distributor's sales and marketing strategies go hand in glove, with the film's target audience kept front of mind. 

• Donnie Darko- this film was distributed by 'Pandora Cinema' and 'Newmarket Films', the first screening was at 'Sundace Film Festival' and it was only shown on 58 screens nationwide, it had a budget of $3.8 million and made $7.6 million.
• The Falling- this film was distributed by 'Metrodome UK', The Falling premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, 2014 and it had a limited release in the United Kingdom, it had a budget of £750,000 but only managed to make £368,378.
• iLL Manors- this film was distributed by 'Revolver Entertainment', The film was given a wide release to 191 cinemas in both Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, it had a budget of £100,000 and made an amazing profit of £453,570.
• It Follows- this film was distributed by 'RADiUS-TWC' and 'Dimension Films', The film was given a wide release to 191 cinemas in both Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, it had a budget of $2 million but made an outstanding profit by making $19.4 million.
• Appropriate Behaviour- this film was distributed by 'Gravitas Ventures'.

Curzon Artificial Eye- They are the UK's leading independent film distributors. Curzon Artificial Eye has been releasing critically acclaimed films to discerning UK audiences by some of the world's greatest directors, including Michael Haneke, Lars von Trier, Abbas Kiarostami and Andrei Tarkovsky. Curzon Mayfair and now has 11 cinemas nationwide. Curzon launched its Curzon Home Cinema service in 2010, making films available to watch at home on the same day as their cinema release.

Still Alice

This trailer has taught me to ensure that the storyline of my production is interesting enough to keep the audience engaged throughout. Also, the shots are visually appealing due to the use of wide/establishing shots which has inspired me to include them into my film.

Lilting

This trailer has inspired me to use foreign language in my production and also the storyline of this film is unique which has helped me to change the narrative of my production to make it original. 

Wild Tales

The use of different locations in the beginning of trailer has inspired me to include the concept of flashbacks in my production. Furthermore, the use of fast pace music which gradually gets louder and then stops creates a dramatic effect which is vital in my film.

Exhibition: Arthouse cinemas

The BFI Southbank: BFI Southbank (from 1951 to 2007 known as the National Film Theatre) is the leading repertory cinema in the UK, specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute. It is sited below the southern end of Waterloo Bridge, forming part of the cultural complex on the South Bank of the River Thames in London.  Their target audience could be adults more than teenagers since the movies they are screening are not something teenagers would watch; as it isn't as mainstream. They are currently screening: Carol, Steve Jobs, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her and The Challenging.

Electric Cinema: The Electric Cinema is a movie theatre in Notting Hill, London, and is one of the oldest working cinemas in the country. It is located at 191 Portobello Rd, London. The target audience could be both teenagers and adults (15-35+) due to the fact that they screen mainstream films. They are currently screening: Carol, Star Wars, Big Hero 6 and The dressmaker.

A case study in independent film production: Film London and Microwave Film

Film London: Film London is London's film and media agency - sustaining, promoting and developing London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital. Film London aims to ensure London has a thriving film sector that enriches the capital’s businesses and its people.

Film London’s objectives are to:

• Grow the film industry in London
• Maximise investment in London through film
• Sustain London’s film culture
• Promote London to the world through film

Microwave Film: Microwave funds films, they give development and mentoring support to all of the shortlisted projects, as well as production finance and distribution support to the final commissioned films. Twelve teams are shortlisted for the scheme, and receive concentrated training at Film London Microschool along with mentorship and development funding. From this shortlist, six projects are selected to go on to a second phase of development with further funding. Lastly, two features are appointed and receive additional development, in addition to production funding of £100,000 and distribution funding for finished films.

London Calling: London Calling is open to all new and emerging film-making teams resident in the capital. Run across nine months, highlights of the scheme include: 15 short films are awarded a maximum of £4,000, training and mentoring is provided to all film-making teams, match funding can be sought for any film being produced through London Calling. 

Borrowed Time

 The unique concept reveals that the film is independent. The binary opposition of the characters reveals the conflict and the intriguing narrative. The target audience would predominately be 15-24 year old's due to the narrative being based around a young teenage boy and it relates to many teenagers.

Lilting

This film is a British drama and due to the use of the foreign language we can tell this is a art house film. The narrative involves homosexuality therefore I do not think the target audience would be older because elder people would stereotypically be traditional and set in their ways whilst younger people tend to be more accepting and open to the idea of homosexuality.

Freestyle

The mis-en-scene of the film suggests it is low budget. The target audience would be 50/50 males and females due to the subversion of the stereotype of all girls not being sporty, which would therefore appeal to the female demographic. Overall, this film would mainly appeal to teenagers.

• I need to make sure my script doesn't have too many and locations, instead I need to identify my protagonist and make sure it's a clear narrative. 
• I need to make sure I know exactly who my film is for and I need to stick to that audience and make sure the film will suit their requirements and appeal to them.
• The narrative must be interesting and intriguing in order to engage the audience; I need to include enigma codes and features.

Existing Product Research 

                                                         

                                                           Donnie Darko

The mise-en-scene in this clip suggests that the female character is a therapist or social worker due to her professional attire whereas the male character seems to be in a casual t-shirt which could infer he is a young boy who could possibly be talking about problems with a girlfriend. This link has been made due to the jump-cut to a flashback of the boy and a girl jumping on the trampoline. Other than this jump-cut there are only straight cuts used back and forth between the women and the boy as they are in a conversation. The pace of the clip is normal, its neither slow, it flows smoothly and at a decent pace through which the audience can clearly understand the conversation, this clip is also continuity editing. Additionally, there is an example of juxtaposition because of the continuous use of the eye-line match of both characters looking at each-other. Furthermore, the shot at the beginning of this clip is a wide shot and it is also a birds-eye-view shot as we are looking down at the characters jumping on the trampoline. In addition to that the clip consists of medium shots after that but towards the end the shots have zoomed into a medium close-up. Also, the sound at the beginning of the shot is non-diegetic because the music playing at the back has been added during post production, the music sound is also parallel to the scene as the characters seem happy and the music being played is soft and relaxing. Moreover, the sound during the rest of the scene is diegetic as the characters are having a visible conversation and the only sounds being heard are their dialogues. Research suggests that this film is targeted towards teenagers, specifically those who enjoy psychologically based films.

The Falling

The mise-en-scene in this clip suggests that the female protagonist is a teenage school girl as she is wearing uniform, the women seems to be either the girls mother or teacher due to her sophisticated hairstyle. Additionally, the bell could signify that this film may have some horror or thriller element sine films of those genres do include props like bells etc. Furthermore, the clip in some places is a montage as it consists various different clips which don't follow a chronological order however towards the end of the scene there is continuity editing. Also. the pace of the clip is slow at the beginning, it then gets fast during the middle and then goes to a normal pace towards the end. In addition to that, there is an example of juxtaposition at the start when we see an eye-line match of the girl looking at the women doing her hair. On the other hand, the scene starts with a big close-up of an ankle with a bruise on it, it then straight cuts to a close-up of the back of a women's head which then straight cuts to a another close-up of the girls face. The clip then jump-cuts to a medium shot of a girl having sexual intercourse in a car which jump cuts back to a medium close-up of the girl. The clip then jump cuts to the montage of a variety of different clips placed together in a fast pace. This then goes to a medium close-up of a bell to a wide shot of a school. Moving on, the sound at the beginning of the clip is non-diegetic because a voice-over of the girl has been added. This voice-over continues to play as a non-diegetic sound throughout the clip up until the montage. During this there is once again non-diegetic sound however it is now music of a buzzing sound which is also parallel to the clips as the clips are moving at a fast pace. This then goes to a diegetic sound of the bell and school crowd making noise. 

iLL Manors

The mise-en-scene in this clip suggests that the main character is a teenage thug who contributes in drug taking and distributing. Also, the uniform attire makes it evident the other characters are police officers however the female protagonist is this specific clip is presented as more of a mature character and this is also due to the fact that she's a social worker. The setting of this scene is on a road near a alleyway, this suggests that the narrative of this story is based around young thugs on the streets. Furthermore, the sound throughout the scene is diegetic. The beginning of the clip starts with a wide shot which then goes to a medium shot of the boy. However in the background we can spot a group of teenage boys who we assume are rapping and this is the case as the scene then straight cuts to a medium shot of a group of boys rapping. The sound then is a conversation on the phone which is diegetic as the boy is holding a phone, after this the scene consists of a conversation which is diegetic sound. In addition to that, the clip mainly has medium/wide shots and it also is continuity editing as the shots follow a chronological order. The pace of the scene is normal as there's nothing dramatic going on, the clip simply consists of conversations. The target audience for this clip is young teenagers who enjoy movies about the struggles of life on the streets.

 

                                                         It Follows

The mise-en-scene in this clip makes us interpret the main female character and the other characters are in casual attire because they are in a school and the setting is in a school and we know this because the start of the clip set in a classroom and school corridor. Additionally, the character wearing the white night gown is the ghost-like figure and we can interpret this because what the old woman is wearing doesn't fit in with the setting. On the other hand, the clip begins with a wide shot of a classroom, there is then camera movement of panning from the teacher speaking to the classroom to a medium shot of the female character. This then goes onto a eye-line view of a establishing shot outside the window. The clip then goes back and forth from the medium shot of the girl to a wide shot of outside the window which is an eye-line view of the old woman, this then zooms into a medium shot of the old woman. This then goes to a wide shot panning movement of the girl leaving the classroom. After this the clip consists of a tracking shot which follows the girl walking out of the school and being followed by the old woman. Furthermore, the sound at the beginning of the scene is diegetic because it is a teacher speaking and the shot is also of a teacher in a classroom. However, there is non-diegetic sound of horror music being played when the girl identifies the old women outside the window. This element of music continues to play throughout the part when the girl is in the classroom and it gets louder as the old woman gradually gets closer to the school. The non-diegetic sound then changes to dramatic music being played while the girl is walking in the corridor and this also gets louder as the old women follows the girl out of the school. Also, the clip is continuity editing and the pace of the scene begins slow but gets fast paced along as the music gets louder- the pace at the end of the clip is very fast paced as the girl is running away from the old woman. 

Appropriate Behaviour 

The mise-en-scene in this clip suggest the female characters are mature women rather than teenage girls. The setting also emphasises this as its in a lingerie store and older, middle-aged women are more likely to shop there. Furthermore, the scene starts with a wide shot of the store which then straight cuts to a medium shot of the female characters in the store, this then cuts to a medium close-up of the worker which then cuts to an eye-line view of the main female character, the clip then cuts back and forth between medium close-ups of all three female characters when they are talking and then medium shots of them all standing. Additionally, the clip is continuity editing and follows a regular pace due to the clip only being based around a conversation. In addition to that, the sound in the clip is diegetic sound of dialogues, however, there is music playing in the background which gets louder towards the end of the scene but we are not sure whether it is diegetic or non-diegetic because it could be music playing in the store or music that's been added to the production to prevent silence at the end once the characters stop talking. The target audience for this clip will be homosexual teenagers as this is based around homosexuality but also for all late teens and adults in general as it consists of parties and the late teenage/adult life.

Preliminary Production Evaluation

The brief was met really well with our preliminary exercise as we achieved all the things required; the girl opened the door, there was a match on action shot, the girl spoke to another girl and exchanged a few lines of dialogue. However, there were certain shots that weren't framed particularly well, e.g. the over the shoulder shot during the conversation between both girls. Furthermore, the layout of our script was not professional but it was quite simple and easy to follow without any difficulties. Also, the storyboard was not done efficiently but still gave a clear idea of what the shots would look like in the clip and what angles were going to be used. Although, both the script and storyboard were not exactly detailed, they were efficient to use on this preliminary exercise, however for the real thing they must be more detailed and more in depth in order to create an even better production. Additionally, the shot-list was again very simple therefore during the real thing we need to ensure the planning is sufficient enough for us to refer back to in order to create a better production. 

On the other hand, the dialogue in our production was very simple and easy to follow but we could've made it more interesting because the whole idea was very basic. The timing of the music was cut really well and the choice of music was parallel to the narrative. The different shots were really good, in terms of continuity editing as it followed a chronological order. Overall, the production met the brief really well.

The weaknesses however were that there was a humming sound in the background when the two characters were talking and when Aliza got up and left the room there was just silence, which made the production feel incomplete and strange. As I said previously, the over the shoulder shots were not framed correctly at all, there was too much empty space with nothing going on. This also made the character speaking in that shot seem very distant as there was unnecessary space surrounding them which therefore diverted the attention from the central focus. In addition to that, there was also a shot when Aliza sat down and it cut from that to an over the shoulder shot, which looked really odd as it didn't flow as smoothly as the rest of the production and it made it stand out like a sore thumb.

The genre of this production would be relationships, specifically friendship between two girls. The main protagonist is portrayed as a 'bitchy' character who is very blunt and directly says what is on her mind. The hair flick when the character walks in makes us as the audience interpret that she is a confident and strong character who allow anyone to overpower her. However, the other character Ria seems innocent and afraid of Aliza. This is further shown through body language when Aliza sits quite confidently, with her back straight against the chair but Ria sits almost huddled up and cross legged, like she has something to hide and is holding her guard up.

Overall, the preliminary production met the brief and was very simple yet effective. There were many mistakes, which would be taken into consideration for next time and therefore would be much better next time.