Re-Classifying our film Certificate - BBFC

Before we started the filming process and during our early research and planning we came to the decision that we were going to give our film a BBFC rating of 15. However, since filming and editing we have come to the conclusion that our film should not be a 15. We have decided to re-classify it as a 12A.  We felt as though there was nothing in our trailer that suggested that it was a 15 rather than a 12A.

In films that are classified as a 12A they are not generally suitable for children aged 12 and under. Those under the age of 12 are not allowed to see a 12A film unless accompanied by an adult, it is then down to the adult responsible for the child to decide on whether the film is suitable for that child to see.

Here are somethings which are to expected in a 12A film:

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

Drugs

Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

Imitable Behaviour

No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

Language

There may be moderate language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be brief and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained.

Violence

There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context.

The main difference between a 12A certificated film and a 15 is that the different aspects, as described as above, aren't as in depth or frequently shown.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment from leannefaye78

Filming Reflection

Shot List - First Cut

Final Film Title Font

This is the font that we have chosen for our title. We decided as a group that this is the design that suited our genre the most but also looked sophisticated. In order for this title to be effective it needs to be able to stand out and the audience need to remember it.

Results from the Title Font Questionnaire

This is the results from our questionnaire; we found that three fonts stood out the most to our target audience. The three fonts have a red square next to them. Now that we have the results, we will have to decide as a group which one to use but we could still change it after the target audience has viewed the first draft.

Choosing a Title Font - "Guilty Suspects"

As a group we decided to change the title of the trailer because we felt that it didn’t suit our genre which meant we needed to think of a new one. We found that, Guilty Suspects, worked a lot better and we were happy to continue with this one. Since it was a new title, we had to use a new font to make it stand out, in order to find out which one our target audience liked the most we made a questionnaire for them to complete. We decided on 9 different fonts that we thought would grab and keep the target audience attention.

This shows what the questionnaire looked like. Using the feedback from our target audience will help us to select a font to use.

Questionnaire Feedback

Here are pictures of the completed questionnaires for the first draft of our trailer.

The Editing Process - For First Cut

When it came to editing the first draft of the trailer, we decided to use iMovie because we have used it before so have experience with it and also Georgia has access to the software at home on her iMac which meant we could edit it outside of school. This allowed us to focus on the more important aspects at school during our lessons and then could edit outside of school.

The process that took the longest was going through all of the footage we had and then trying to select the ones that were appropriate and would work well. Once that was done, it meant we could start to pick which clips would go in what order but we had to make sure everything all flowed together. This task was time consuming because we had to make sure that the dialogue could be heard and that no other sounds were heard such as, the camera moving. The image above shows some of the processes we did, we had to cut certain clips to the right length that we needed and then put them in the right order. During this process we made the decision to reshoot some scenes because we felt that it was not the best footage to use and wanted to make everything perfect. One of the scenes you can see an umbrella in the corner of the camera so we knew we would have to reshoot that scene. Therefore we are scheduling a time that suits all of us in order to film again.

Unfortunately in certain clips the sound was quite weak because of many factors like the wind for example; this meant we had to detach and delete the sound or make the sound quieter. From researching similar trailers we realised that many use a background song in order to stop the audience from getting bored, as well as the voiceover done by Leanne Brown as her character we also added some sad background music. Even though we knew we wanted to add background music and also a voiceover, it proved harder than we thought because in some clips it meant that you couldn’t hear the dialogue between the characters.

The overall process turned out to be very consuming but it was beneficial for us to produce a first draft so that we could show it to our target audience and gain some feedback from them.

First Cut Questionnaire Template

This is the questionnaire we will hand out to the viewers of our first draft for the trailer. This will enable us to find out what went well but also what we could improve to make sure we make the best possible trailer.

Final Credit Block

As a group we decided that this was the design that we thought was most effective and suited our genre the most.

Change of Title - "Guilty Suspects"

After filming our trailer we found that the title we had chosen "Last Laugh" did not suit our story. We decided to come up with a new title instead and eventually came up with "Guilty Suspects". Despite not asking our target audience whether it fit a Crime-Drama genre before they had seen our trailer we decided to use it for now.  In the Questionnaires regarding feedback for our first draft we will have a question will ask them if they think that the title is appropriate.

First Cut

Credit Block Questionnaire

This is the questionnaire that we gave to our target audience in order to find out which credit block design we should use. We wanted to use the one that would most appeal to our target audience which is why we chose to give the questionnaire to them instead of giving it to anyone. The last credit block was a favourite because it stood out and looked professional, which is why our target audience also chose it as their favourite. Underneath are pictures of the completed questionnaires. 

Creating a Credit Block

During the making process of our credit block, we had to consider what jobs were relevant to our production and if they appear in a crime drama genre trailer. This meant that jobs like a special effects designer or make-up artist don’t appear in our credit block because they were not relevant and wouldn’t be needed. We decided on four different fonts and then created a questionnaire to give to our target audience so that they can pick their favourite one. We wanted our credit block to look professional but also one that would suit our chosen genre.

Enigma Codes

We can apply Roland Barthe's Enigma Codes theory to our film trailer. Enigma codes are unanswered questions within a media text that keeps the audience engaged.  This can be applied to our Film Trailer because it contains a lot of unanswered questions. Why has Faye gone missing?  Has someone taken Faye?  Why are they suspects?  How are the suspects involved?  These questions will encourage the target audience to continue watching the trailer and want to watch the film when it comes out in order to get the answers to their questions.