BBFC Regulation Guidelines

 When creating a moving image text it is necessary to take into allowance the regulations of that area of the media, in this case the BBFC. I think that having a clear idea of the Guidelines and what certificate you want your text to be helps give a clear idea into what I can and cannot include in my film, so I am going to do soe research.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was orignally established in 1912 as an independant body, which previewed films before release to classify them with a certificate which allowed audiences to see what films were suitable for who. Before the BBFC it was the local authorities who had the responsibilty of classifying films and when the BBFC was introduced they accepted the change and followed the decisions made by them however under the licensing act of 2003 local authorites still have the power to overrule the BBFC's decisions and are legally responsible for what is shown in cinemas. In 1985 after the 1984 Recordings Act the BBFC became the statutory authority for classifying films.

Here are the main issues that the BBFC look for when they are classifying a film:

Drugs
• No work taken as a whole may promote the misuse of drugs and any detailed portrayal of drug misuse likely to promote or glamorise the activity may be cut. Works which show drug misuse while emphasising the dangers may receive less restrictive classifications than works that present drug misuse in a neutral manner. Where smoking, alcohol abuse or substance misuse feature to a significant extent in works which appeal to children, this will normally be indicated in the Consumer Advice and/or Extended Classification Information.

Language
• Many people are offended, some of them deeply, by bad language. This may include the use of expletives with a sexual, religious or racial association, offensive language about minority groups and commonly understood rude gestures. The extent of that offence may vary according to age, gender, race, background, beliefs and expectations brought by viewers to the work, as well as the context in which the word, expression or gesture is used.
• For these reasons, it is impossible to set out comprehensive lists of words, expressions or gestures which are acceptable at each category. The advice at different classification levels, therefore, provides general guidance taking account of the views expressed in public consultation exercises.

Sex
• The portrayal of sexual activity can range from kissing and verbal references to ‘making love’, to detail of real sex. This is reflected in the classification system, in which progressively stronger portrayals are allowed as the categories rise.
• Sex works (works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation) are likely to be passed only in the adult categories. Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the ‘R18’ category. ‘R18’ video works may be supplied only in licensed sex shops which no one under 18 may enter.
• ‘R18’ films may be shown only in specially licensed cinemas.
• These Guidelines will be applied to the same standard regardless of sexual orientation.

Violence
• Violence has always been a feature of entertainment for children and adults. Classification decisions will take account of the degree and nature of any violence in a work.
• Works which feature the following are likely to receive more restrictive classifications: portrayal of violence as a normal solution to problems, heroes who inflict pain and injury, callousness towards victims, the encouragement of aggressive attitudes, and content which depicts characters taking pleasure in pain or humiliation.
• Sexualised violence or works which glorify or glamorise violence will receive a more restrictive classification and may even be cut.
• A strict policy on sexual violence and rape is applied. Content which might eroticise or endorse sexual violence may require cuts at any classification level. This is more likely with video works than film because of the potential for replaying scenes out of context. Any association of sex with non-consensual restraint, pain or humiliation may be cut.

Taken from the BBCF website – http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/main-issues

Taken from the BBFC Guidelines

After reading through all of the guidelines that the BBFC give on how they classify their films I believe that my short film would be classified as a PG. My film includes no discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, bad language, nudity, sex, or violence. The theme is also not enough to qualify a 12 yet still I believe enough to qualify for a PG. This is because although my film is harmless to all viewers it is not a film that I would let a young child watch wihout an adult.

However it is highly probable that a U could be the classification of my short film. It is impossible to be one hundred percent sure as I do not know what the BBFC would decide. It can be seen that my video is completely harmless (inlcuding nothing in the guidelines that could be harmful) to all viewers and is universally suitable, in which case it would be classified a U.

Having completed this research into the BBFC it is now a lot easier for me to have a clear idea what ceriticate my film will be. From this research i have learnt  that fi I want my film to be classified as a PG which I do there are certain areas which I have to be careful on such as drugs use. These guidelines will make sure that I stick within them for my film, although with my current film idea there are not many worries with this.

Audience Research - questionnaire

I feel at this stage in my project it is necessary for me to complete some audience research to gather some information about what the general view of short films are, who watches them and why they might watch them. To present this I think that I am going to create a questionnaire which I will get people to fill in so that I cant obtain all the results and compare them to hopefully understand my audience better.

This online survey that I have created using Survey Monkey will be linked on to emails which I will send out to people as well as being linked on to social networking sites so that anybody who is interested can fill one in. Then all I have to do is await the results.

Correspondance with Emmanuel Benbihy

Having watched and enjoyed the Paris Je T'aime and New York I Love You short film compilations I feel that Emmanuel Benbihy the creator of this franchise is a man with a great deal of experience in this field. So I am going to attempt to track his email address down and contact him partly for advice and also partly as my idea is to create a short film within the same concept as New York I Love You and Paris Je T'aime and I feel that it would be respectful of me to attempt to ask permission.

Click on images to see larger viewing size

Having emailed Emmanuel Benbihy and recieved this fantastic response from him I have now decided that I am not going to run with my idea, however his advice is still extremely valid in whatever short film I decide to make. Also recieving permission to use pictures from the short film in my textual analysis was very kind of him as well as taking the effort to send me some extra unseen pictures, that are above on this post. This has taught me that making the effort to attempt to contact necessary people is not only important but also can be rewarding in some instances such as this one.

Textual Analysis: Paris Je T'aime - Pere Lachaise - Wes Craven

Textual analysis is an extremly important part of the reseach and planning into making any media text. I feel that I need to complete a textual analysis of a short film so that I can fully understand the conventions and techniques that are generally used. The short film that I will textual analyse is Pere Lachaise from the compilation of short films Paris Je T'aime.

This text is a short film extract taken from the compilation of short films which create Paris Je t’aime. I have chosen this text because it is an interesting take on love and the stereotypical representation of men and women and how that can be changed. This short film also has what I think is a fascinating twist which separates this film from other short films which I have seen. How often do you get a lesson in love by one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian era?

The story is of a young couple who are supposedly on honeymoon in Paris, although they are not married for another month. The reason for the pre honeymoon is because the guy took a new consultant job which filled his schedule for the next six months to the women’s disappointment although she didn’t make this clear and as a typical woman expected him to realise that she was lying. Even when this couple are together in Paris they are still arguing. They are in the famous cemetery of Pere Lachaise where the woman is obviously looking for something and is intrigued by the cemetery whereas the guy is not; he has their 5 star restaurant dinner on his mind which they are missing. All the while the couple are arguing about their issues and how the guy does not make his future wife laugh. It is clear that she is focused on whatever it is she is looking for. Eventually she becomes downhearted not being able to find what she is looking for, when she turns round and realises its there. It turns out to be Oscar Wilde’s grave which she is amazed by, the man says it is ugly and doesn’t understand why she is so fascinated by it. Their argument comes to a head and she runs off leaving him, the guys goes to turn in the opposite direction and trips over a tree root, hitting his head on the tomb. Oscar Wilde appears telling the guy that if he lets her go, he will die. “Death of the heart is the worst kind of death”

He runs out of the cemetery chasing Francis, apologising, kissing her passionately. He then unknowingly quotes Wilde impressing his finance and she laughs, they make up and whilst hugging, he notices Oscar Wilde fade away and the couple go of happy together.

This is a five minute short film with three main characters, the man and women who remain nameless except for towards the end and Oscar Wilde. The location is Pere Lachaise cemetery, in Paris which is said to be one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. The sequence begins with two establishing shots. The first is a bird’s eye view which shows us the world of inside the cemetery from outside. We can tell this as inside this shot we can see that the camera is placed at the edge of a building which is outside and also because of the cars parked on the outer perimeter of the cemetery. This is just giving us a glimpse as if the world inside is hidden, it is concealed by trees. The second establishing shot is still a bird’s eye view but it has panned across so that the trees are not concealing so much. We are then able to see that this is a cemetery, we are getting closer to this “world”.

 

We are then allowed in to the cemetery, which we can see as peaceful and beautiful. The location is obviously still the cemetery however the inner location is a long pathway entrapped by tombs and trees. We are then introduced to our two main characters from a long shot. At this point we are not aware that they are a couple and we do not know why they are there. Close-ups follow of each characters face whilst they have a conversation, bantering together, with mid shot of both characters which makes us infer that they are a couple.  Although we do see the characters together, the number of close-ups that we see makes them look individual however when we do get a shot of them together they seem distant and opposite.

The two characters are very different; the man seems to be very serious, very stuck in his ways. He is well dressed, with smart trousers and a dark jacket. This is in contrast to the women who is also well dressed but is wearing a light jacket. She seems to be lighter, not so rigid and wants to be with someone who will make her laugh. As a couple they seem to be very distant, almost incompatible. They are unable to click to link together and agree on anything apart from one thing which is that they love each other.  The women is really determined that she wants the man to make her laugh and this is emphasised by the point of view shot of who women walking along with a baby in a pram laughing as they go. The laughter sounds distant and this shows that laughter is what she yearns for.

The shots are still very separate as we keep going through this short film and you can’t help but notice that the female character is constantly running out of shot away from the male character. This is because she is obviously looking for something whereas in a conventional love film you would usually see some evidence of the love, maybe a kiss, hug, or just even holding hands. In this though you don’t they are two people who say they are in love but don’t seem to know how to show it or just don’t want to. She is always focused on something else, the first thing on her mind is whatever it is she is looking for and the second is her relationship. This isn’t how it should be conventionally.

Although they are often separate in shots we do get to see their facial expressions, in particular the guys who seems to be realising that the women isn’t necessarily who he has been assuming or imagining she is. The surroundings although would normally be seen as a morbid or uncomfortable place, it seems comfortable, almost beautiful and tranquil. One interesting shot is a tracking shot when the couple are arguing/discussing/bantering (depending on the interpretation) taking a path which is behind the tombs and the camera is tracking along the front of the tombs. We cannot see the couple and the audience are left looking at the tombs whilst listening to the dialogue. The sound of this dialogue is echoed, this is because we are hearing it from a distance and this adds a realistic feel to the dialogue and what it would actually sound like if we were there.

We then reach the point where the couple come out from the intertwining paths in between the tombs and come back out into the open of the path way. The women still not being able to find what she was looking looks dejected and the guy is still following her. Out in the open the women looks around and finds the tomb she has obviously been looking for, Oscar Wilde’s tomb. During this scene we are giving a close up of the tomb of Oscar Wilde which is interesting in itself covered in kisses which women have given to him over the years since he has been dead. The woman is placed on camera right up close to the grave and the man is placed further back. This could represent the distance that seems to be between them as a couple. There is also a difference that can be seen with their reactions to Oscar Wilde’s tomb. The woman has an expression of adoration and the man of disgust. Once the couple begin to argue they automatically become close again. It is a common link that brings them together.

Once the woman has run off, and the guy has hit his head on the tomb, we see a third character of Oscar wild joining the film. He is first introduced into shot, sat on a bench opposite his own tomb, dressed smartly and relaxed, smoking a cigarette. He looks real but sounds distant which suggests that he is not real. Depending on the audiences knowledge of Oscar Wilde they may not realise quickly that this is who it is. However it is soon clear with just the way that he talks and what he says that this is who it is, also by the way that he is dressed as most people nowadays do not take to wearing this style of clothing.

The ending of this short film, equals a completely new equilibrium with the couple actually happy and expressing their love for the first time in the film. The shots used for the last conversation are traditional over the shoulder shots with the film ending on a high angle shot as it began with.

Within this short film the pace of editing is rather average not too fast and not too slow however the pace of editing increases with the male character’s realisation that he needs to go after his fiancé. The conversation between Oscar and the guy gets faster and fast as the conversation gets deeper and the realisation becomes clearer. The editing of shots between when the male character runs after his fiancé is fast as this is the “action” of the film, trying to catch up with her and apologise.

The sound in this film is the usual, diagetic sounds that you would find in a cemetery which is surrounded by trees is bird song and trees rustling. There is dialogue within this film, with the two characters talking about what they are doing and how they feel. There is a negative/positive contrast within the dialogue and between the characters who are the speaking the dialogue. Laughter is an important sound in this short film, it is only heard twice, the first time by a stranger who we do not know, which the woman is watching and secondly from the woman herself. The two sounds at the opposite ends of the film show how the film develops as does the love between the couple, with at the beginning the female character having to just listen to other people laugh and by the end laughing herself. The other diagetic sounds are footprints and leaves rustling.

There is non-diagetic music within in this short film, it is backing music consisting of strings and a piano It opens the short film, then continues until the couple begin to argue. This music is slow and almost sad. The same music begins to play later in the short film, when the couple reunite, the section without music symbolising the break in the couples relationship and communication ties. The pace of the music as with the editing gets faster when the male character goes after his fiancé. When he kisses her the music turns into a lighter, romantic piece which continues through the dialogue and the realisation the Oscar Wilde was not real. One of the most important sounds of this short movie is the female characters laughter. Throughout the whole of this short film, the woman has been expressing how she wants to be made to laugh and the event of her laughter brings the film to its conclusion, successfully tying up the lose ends.

It is a break of convention that this is a happy story set in a sad place. A place of death and a place of sorrow, but then of course not everyone accept this interpretation. If you look deeper into the location of a cemetery, and why they exist, you can find the other side of the coin. They can be places of lessons, memories, celebration and of course happiness. Who better to take advice from, than the dead who most likely have more life lessons than us living do, in particular Oscar Wilde.

The process of analysing Pere Lachaise has allowed me to look at every aspect of this short film in great depth and detail. From this I have learnt that short films are unique and often one of a kind, with meaning. Within a short film there is often meaning with everything. For example in this short film the location, the music, the characters, every single item has been individually crafted with an interpretable meaning which when edited together creates a wholly unique product with a particular viewpoint or opinion. I have also learnt that short films are allowed to be different and almost weird, having a dead famous person come back to give someone advice in the cemetry they are buried in is classed as weird, allowing the maker to experiment with what they want. After learning all these things about short films I feel that I can take them away and incorporate them into my own film and if not include them then keep then in mind even if I am breaking a convention.

Vladimir Propp’s Theory of Narrative

The third and final figure in my research into theories is Vladimir Propp. I will be researching him and his theory of characters.

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres of

action' or functions. From a comprehensive study of folktales Propp came up with

seven different character types:

• The hero, usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium

often by embarking upon a quest (or search). Propp distinguishes between

the victim hero, who is the centre of the villain's attentions, and the seeker

hero who aids others who are the villains victims. The hero is invariably the

texts central character.

• The villain who usually creates the narrative disruption.

• The donor gives the hero something, it may be an object, information or

advice, which helps in resolution of the narrative.

• The helper aids the hero in the task of restoring equilibrium.

• The princess (the victim) is usually the character most threatened by the

villain and has to be saved, at the climax, by the hero. The father's (who in

fairy tales was often the king) role is usually to give the princess away to the

hero at the narrative's conclusion. He may also despatch the hero.

• The dispatcher sends the hero on her or his task (who can typically be the

princess father)

• The false hero appears to be good but is revealed, at the narrative's end, to

have been bad

Characters can fulfil more than one sphere character type, for example; a princess

may also be a helper.

If we apply this to a mainstream film - Shrek

• The hero would be Shrek
• The Villain would be  Lord Farquaad
• The Donor would be Donkey
• The Helper would be Donkey
• The princess would be Fiona
• The dispatcher would also be Lord Farquaad
• The False Hero would be Prince Charming

Again this research has given me a solid understanding of this theory and allowed me to think about how this theory could be related into my own project. 

Within my short film it is extremly difficult to try and recognise the characters that Propp distinguished in this theory. This is because there is only two chracters and even within this, these two characters do not fit with the conventional characters mentioned here or that are seen in mainstream films. Propps theory is generally related to mainstream feature films whereas my film is a short film and generally the chracters are different and not so easily categorised.

Tzvetan Todorov’s Theory of Narrative

Tzvetan Todorov and his theory of narrative is the next figure within this project that I am researching.

Tzvetan Todorov is a franco-bulgarian philosopher who writes books and essays on theorys realted to literature, culture and thought history. His theory of narative is what I am interested in.

Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:

1. a state of equilibrium at the outset;

2. a disruption of the equilibrium by some action;

3. a recognition that there has been a disruption;

4. an attempt to repair the disruption;

5. a reinstatement of the equilibrium

This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many ‘mainstream’ film narratives.

If we apply this to a mainstream film - The Hangover

1. The state of equlibrium is the normal life of the friends and the marriage which is going to take place between Doug and Tracey

2.The disruption of this equilibrium is when they travel to Las Vegas for Dougs Stag weekend and lose Doug in the process

3. The recognition of the disruption is when they wake up and discover that Doug has disapeared.

4. The attempt to repair the disruption is the hilarious antics the guys get up to when trying to search for Doug and retrace their steps.

5. The reinstatement of equilibrium is the discovery of Doug and the marriage between him and Tracey.

I find Todorovs narative theory very interesting and I believe that it will be useful for when structuring my own narrative, being able to follow the stages that he has created. I can also recognise each stage within mainstream films and understand that not all films can fit into this structure.

In my short film:
1) The state of equilibrium is Ben taking his pictures on the hoe.
2)The disruption of this equilibrium is when Ben sees the female character walking along.
3)The recognition of this disruption is when Ben realises that Anna does not know who he is.
4)The attempt to repair the disruption is when Ben tries to explain who he is and how he knows the femaler character to her.
5)The reinstatement of equilibrium is when Anna realises who Ben is and goes to catch up with him and they leave together.

Laura Mulvey Male Gaze Theory

This piece of work is focusing on theory of the male gaze created by Laura Mulvey. I shall be able to understand what the male gaze and be able to recognise when it is being displayed within a media text.

Laura Mulvey

·   A British Feminist film theorist

·   Currently professor of film and media studies at Birkbeck, University of London

·   She previously worked at the British Film Institute

 

·   She introduced the concept of the “male gaze”

 

The Male Gaze

The male gaze is a theory, which shows how women are represented differently to men in mainstream cinema. The mainstream cinema

industry is dominated by men, who often not only dominate in front of the camera but also behind the camera as well. In cinema women are often represented as weak,  sexualised characters who are dependant on men. The male gaze shows how the audience is put into the

perspective of the male and shows us how the gaze of a man will often linger on the sexualised parts of the female body.

An example of the male gaze, is a scene in Love Actually where Colin Firths character is seen watching his housekeeper undress and jump into the lake to rescue his book which she had accidently allow to be blown away.

The  character Aurelia is shown undressing slowly, the camera follows the fall of her dress to the floor. The camera stays constantly in line of her body, moving up and down, stopping to focus on her breasts and bum. In this scene the character is sexualised by not only the

character watching her, but also the camera operator most likely a male and also the male audience watching the film. This is the male gaze.

Laura Mulvey’s argument is that in mainstream cinema, the male gaze almost always is more dominant than the female gaze.

After this research on Laura Mulvey's male gaze I am now able to recognise this theory in action with film texts. I agree that the male gaze is almost always more dominant than the female gaze in mainstream cinema however I am unsure of the importance of this and why this matters, as of yet. I am still undecided of my film narrative which means that I do not know whether the male gaze will be included into my short film.

In my short film the male gaze theory can be applied when the female character is the one who is being watched from a high angle by the male character. However the male character is not sexualising the female character and the theory has been broken as the female character is the one that is taking control by standing up to the male character in being honest about the fact that she does not know who she is.

Conventions of a short film

To be able to accurately produce a realistic short film I need to be able to acknowledge and understand the key conventions of the short film genre.

This research into the generic conventions of short films, enabled me to understand what features are usually found within the short film genre. For example the twist which can be seen in so many short films which have been made. Knowing and udnerstanding these conventions, now allows me to take these and use them when writing the narrative for my own short film. When writing this narrative I will aim to follow at least some of these conventions and if not then I will be able to explain why I have chosen to break the conventions mentioned here.

The History of Short Films

I have decided to produce a short film for my A2 media course work from the design briefs that we have been given. With the short film are two ancillary tasks which I must also complete, I have chosen the poster for the film and a film magazine review page featuring the film. But first, before any of this I must present some history of short films, and some research into the conventions and features.

Research and information gathered from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-life/7593291/The-long-history-of-short-films.html

This timeline that I have created narrates the history of the short film, from its birth to now. It is important to understand the history of short films because they used to be the only films around and now they can be deemed insigificant in comparison to feature films. However they are not insigificant and as my timeline explains, short films are still extremly popuular nowadays with specific short film, film festivals and websites dedicated to this type of media. Now I understand the history I need to continue with my research into the conventions of this film genre.