Explanation of our childrens film classification

 Our film is based on an action adventure which involves crime. The classification we have decided to base our children's film on is "12A". This is because the films itself has scenes of violent conduct and may have use of bad langauage. Violence is used during the scene of Batman and Robin battling each other by a sward fight. Although our film doesn't involve anyone dying or being injured, violence is still dangerously able to influence younger children and so we believe that children should be 12 and above.

However we are use that our film doesn't classify as an 18 as it doen't contain any sexual activity or nudety. This type of film would be more suatible for adults. We also know that our film isn't a 15 because we don't show and use of drugs or have horrifying scenes. We also don't have anyone dying or the use of blood and gore within our film.

Therefore our film is aimed for children 12 and above as it does contain the use of violence and criminal activity of steeling. This is so the children are old enough to know that steeling is wrong and so it hurting others.
By Luka Sindle and Jasmine Smith

All the different classifications from the BBFC

This symbol stands for Universal, this means that the film is suitable for all ages mainly above the aged of 4, as there isn't any scenes that would upset the majority of children although it can be hard to tell as come children are more emotional than others. Films that contain a U classification mean that is contains a positive moral and reassures the audience that it will not contain any type of violence, threat or horror.

A U film usually has any type of theme as long as it doesn't contain descrimination of language or even behaviour or any below. No scenes of mis use of drugs or illigal drugs are used as it can influence young children. Howevere there is an exception to drugs if the film contains a clear message of anti drugs, that can be educational for young children to teach them at an early age of what is bad from them. Bad language and behavous is not allowed within a U as children can be influenced to copy the stunts or behaviour they see. The use of weapons can be seen dangerous as young children may think that they are fun to use and kill. This also comes under the use of horror as children don't like to be scared, and from being scared it could damage them and stay with them for life. Therefore horror isn't allowed unless its very minor and doesn't appear to frightening to children. Sex and nudity can be allowed, for example the use of light kissing or natural nudity without sexual context. However the use of sexual context is not allowed or sexual nudity.

This symbol of PG is known as Parental Guidance, this is a general viewing although a few scenes may unsuitable for children. Although children of any age are able to watch a PG film as long as they are accompanied by an adult. However children around the age of 8 are more suitable but it is up to the parents of that child whether they should watch it as it can be upsetting for younger children. 

Like universal the use of discriminational language or behaviour is not allowed as children may become ware of people who are different from them. As well as the use of illigal drugs and mis use of drugs are not allowed to be used, although it can be used when addressing an anti drungs message. ONly a mild bad language is allowed to be used although imitable behaviour still isn't allowed as children are presuaded to copy it, especially the use of weapons and violence. However violence is allowed when in the use of comedy, history or even fantacy, this can only be used when moderate violence without detail is used. The use of horror can be used but only when using fantacy might be a mitigating factor, but horrifying scenes are not to be used. The use of sex and nudity is allowed but must be discret, natural nudity is allowed, and also the use of mild sex references only, no sexual content. This classification contains more serious issues for instance the use of domestic violence.

    
This means that its suitable for 12 years and is exactly the same criteria for a 12A . This is suitable for the ages of 12 and over as it may upset children under the age of 12, parents may also believe it is un suitable for their children. 12 A is used only within cinemas as no one under the age of 12 is able to watch the film unless they are accompanied by an adult. This allows parents to allow their child to watch the film as it is the parents decision and they are responsible for them. 12 is mainly for videos as no on younger than 12 is able to purchase that video.




This classification is suitable for 15 years or over  only, no one under the age of 15 is allowed to watch this within a cinema. No one younger than 15 is allowed to purchase a 15 video either.

This classification is mainly for adults, of the age of 18 or over. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to see this in a cinema or purchase a video as it contains violence, bad language and scenes of a sexual nature.

R18 classification is only allowed to be shown in licensed cinemas or within certain adult shops. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to see or purchase an R18 film.  This is specially restricted as it contains sex or the use of strong fetish material involving adults only. Many R18 videos are not supplied by mail order because of the contect used.


 

By Luka Sindle and Jasmine Smith

Madagascar film genre-animation

Madagascar is an animated film but also comes under the sub genre of family orientated comedy and adventure. Its about a group of animals escaping from the central park zoo, to find their friend. However they then end up within the wild and have to find their way back home.

During the opening sequence of Madegascar there is clasical music playing within the background, this allows us to know that the film isn't scary, but that it's calm and friendly because it uses a slow beat with soft chour singing. During the music we see a zebra swing from one tree to the next screaming. This is a wide shot showing the sunset, and the trees creating a jungle setting. The zebra is then shot coming towards the audience and the title appears in bright bold yellow letters. We then see that the music was from the penguins singing. As the zebra is running we are introducet to the credits and another main character. We are then shown an astablishing shot of where the zebra and his lion friend actually are based which is in the new york zoo, therefore showing that the zebra was day dreaming. The establishing shot is very important as it informs the audience of where the film is mainly set, in this case the zoo. It also allows us to understand the two main characters marti the zebra and alex the lion.

We can tell this is a childrens film because of the use of annimations, but also the fact that the animals can talk and walk like humans. The use of animation makes the characters seem more friendly and interesting to watch. The use of bright and soft colours brings across a warmth to the audience, the design of the characters for example the lion is friendly as he doesnt appear to have sharp scary teeth or nails. His outline is smooth and rounded to show he's kind and gentle.

This film is also an adventure film as the zebra chases after his dream of living in the wild and his friends go to find him. They then have an exciting adventure within the wild and then try to make their way back home to the zoo.

It isnt just aimed at children as their is a lot of use of comedy, which adults would find humourous too. It also includes the zebra wanting to explore the word instead of being stuck in his job doing the same thing. This also relates to adults however it still includes a fantacy. As animals dont really talk, and they wouldnt be able to make their way to the wild without a human taking them there. In conclusion this film is an animation that consists of many sub genres of fantacy, adverture, comedy and family.

By Jasmine Smith

Spy Kids action genre

I have watched the opening sequence to Spy Kids which is a action genre.  The audience can tell that it is an action genre as the music is very fast paced and the shot durations are very short. This shows the pace of the film and that there is going to be lots of action and that it will be very intense and exciting. In the opening sequence there is an establishing shot of where the children live to help introduce the main characters and also where lots of the filming might take place. The main characters were introduced from the start which is a contrast to fantasy genres. This is to make the film more realistic so children can try and relate to it. The narrative of the film starts immediately with a man talking about spy agents. This lets the audience know straight away what the film involves. The fatc that the film did not start with a long slow paced title sequence helps speed up the pace of the film and gets the audience hooked from the start. In the opening sequence there is no magical aspects, there is just unrealistic gadgets. This is done to make the film more realistic so more people can relate to it. It exagerates all the aspects of being a special agent to make it more interesting.   Colin Chadwick

Lord of The Rings - The Two Towers - Extended Edition Part 1 - opening scene + genre

As we're introduced into the opening of "Lord of The Rings", the title of the film appears straight away, along with a vast number of credits to illustrate all the staff and creators of the film. The film itself could be considered a number of genres, such as "fantasy" or "sci-fi" - which is called a "hybrid". We can tell this is a fantasy because of the number of conventions presented. The soundtrack is slow-paced, with a sense of ambiguity to illustrate the strange, fantasy nature of the film. Had it of been an action film, the music would've perhaps been featured with a sense of urgency and assurance. after the credits, an establishing shot is used to show the audience where the action is going to take place. It was centered in a deserted, mountain location, which strangely doesn't look like any sort of location on Earth which further reinforces the fact that the film is of a "fantasy" genre. The opening scene is very visually engaging, it doesn't feature a narrative of the story but instead jumps straight into the introduction of the main characters which contrasts the traditional opening to a children's film. The film however does feature a number of conventions that convey the traditional fantasy.

By Luka Sindle.

The Muppets Christmas Carol Opening sequence

The opening sequence of The Muppets Christmas Carol starts off by introducing the credits and title sequences of the entire cast and main characters. During the credits, we're able to see an establishing shot of the location within the background which was a snowy location set in a friendly community which had a market located in the center. In conjunction, the soundtrack was continuing throughout the opening scene. it was a jolly, christmas composition which highlighted the christmas theme and spirt of the film. We were soon introduced to one of the main characters who narratives throughout the film. He directly informs the audience of whats happening and gets them involved within the film so they can relate and interact with the characters which gets the audience visually engaged. The genre of the film is mostly "Family" and "comedy" - this is illustrated by the use of The Muppets and the sense of humor they bring to the film. Micro elements help construct these specific conventions in a number of ways. The surroundings where most of the action will unfold is within Ebenezer Scrooge's household where he gets greeted by a vast number of ghosts. As we was introduced with The Muppets, they consisted of bright and welcoming colours to get the audience engaged - their body language was warming and inviting, they wasn't too distant which would've suggested they aren't close or friendly.

Low key lightning was used to show the contrast between light and dark so the audience was focused on the main characters. The use of low key lighting was used to make Scrooge appear dark and evil, The Muppets on the other hand were in lighter lighting to illistrate they are kind and friendly. For editing there was a use of a long shot, this was during the credits as we were focused on the same background of the house tops for a while until we got to the martket centre. There is also a shot reverse shot when the 2 main characters are having a conversation, allowing us to see who's speaking and to see the reaction of the other character. Just before this the is a use of a pan shot, allowing the audience to see everything around them, this is used to engage the audience and help them understand what is happening. This is helpful for young children as they are very curious and observant to whats around them. When we are first introduced to Scrooge he is presented in a low angle shot, this is to make the audience feel as though they are looking up to him. This shot also shows the Scrooge is the one in power and the use of dark light shows his is an evil character.

By Jasmine smith and Luka Sindle

Harry Potter Opening sequence

The sequence starts with an establishing shot of Dumbledore to introduce the scene as it shows where he is, by having the road sign post in the shot and the time of day as it is in the night. Within the opening sequence there is lots of non diegetic sound, including mystical music and the iconic Harry Potter score. This is done to create mystery and show what the genre of the film is going to be. The lighting in this shot is very dark with only lighting from the street lights. This is also done to create mystery about the film and introduce the genre. Dumbledore is walking down the street flicking all the lights off with his wand shows that it is a magical film. The scene involves lots of magical things, for example Hagrid comes flying into the shot on a motorbike and Professor McGonnagol turns from a cat into a human. The bit where she turns into a human is done by filming the cat, then panning onto a wall where her shadow is shown truning into a cat. This is done to create mystery and it is also easier to film. At the end of the opening sequence there is a extreme close up of Harry Potters face which zooms in on the scar on his face. The scar then glows and shines light onto the screen cross dissolving into the Title of the Film. The scar is in the middle of the shot to draw the audiences attention to it as it is significant to his life and to the film. By Colin Chadwick

Evaluation Of Preliminary Task

As a group we feel we've been successful in the making of our preliminary task with very little camera experience. During the making of the video, we had to change our original storyboard from "Cops and Robbers" to a "Chase" scene which included a woman being chased by a man. We had to change this and create something on the spot  because our main character wasn't present on the day of filming. Therefore, we had to find another actor in order to have two characters within our film and one of us to film it. After filming we then had to edit our scene to create an opening sequence, it was difficult at first as we were unsure how to use the editing programme. However we believe that we managed to get the hang of it and edit. We deleted the scenes we didnt need and swapped some around so that it would make more sense to the reader. We then decided to use garage band to create a fast pase composition of music to go along side our sequence. after this we uploaded it onto youtube and placed in on our blog. As a reflection, we feel we could've been more prepared in the sense that we could've created an alternative storyboard for emergences. This would have meant we would have been more organised and confident because we'd know what do produce.  By Luka Sindle, Colin Chadwick and Jasmine Smith.

Children's film genre... Action

EXTRA RESEARCH,

Children films consist of fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events and make-believe creatures. . The genre is considered to be distinct from science and horror films, although the genres do overlap within some films. For instance a childrens films such as Spy Kids, this would be under the sub genre of action over lapping with science and fantacy. This film contains science fiction and fantacy because of the use of  technical gadgets a good example of this is the safe house within the film. This house has food as a pill or as a small packed and once microwaved turns into a burger with chips. within reality this type of invention hasn't actually been invented, however the mystery that the Spy Kids can do something like that makes them more interesting but also makes children want to be as cool as them. The action is from the missions they go on, trying to save the world in a small amount of time.

By Colin Chadwick, Luka Sindle and Jasmine Smith.

Cops and Robbers

For our film opening we have used an establishing shot,  our opening sequence is based on a robber who's stolen a bag from a princess and a police offiicer is trying to recover it. In shot 2, we're using a close-up shot showing the policeman looking through the door before shot 3 sees him kicking down the door intensively. In shot 4, the robber is caught trying to escape via a window, a reaction shot is used to capture his shock whilst hes trying to escape. A long-shot is used in shot 5 when the policeman is chasing the robber down the path before shooting him and shot 6 sees the bag returned to the thankful princess. The continuity of the gun, bag and costumes are continued throughout the different shots, we're also going to stick to the 180 degree rule throughout all the shots as well to keep confusion to a minimum.

By Luka Sindle, Colin Chadwick and Jasmine Smith.

How are the conventions constructed differently in your two chosen films opening sequences?

The conventions were structed differently within the two opening film-sequences. Harry Potter was a trailer whereas Monsters Inc was an actual opening sequence of the film. in the Harry Poter trailer, it introduced all of the main chracters and the different aspects of the film. Monsters Inc, however, focused more on the credits of who prodcued the film and was based on the main concept of the film by the way the doors opened with the credits - it gives an insight for what to expect as the monsers come out of the closet in the film. It was an animation which targeted the younger audience by the way colours and images were used. Harry Potter, on the other hand, is targeted at an older audience as there was a lot more violence and general acting that suits the older generation. Harry Potter also gave away the narrative a lot more, Monsters Inc was unclear on what was going to happen as they focused entirely on credits and not on the storyline. Monsters Inc and harry Potter both had non-dieegetic music throughout the entire clip - the shot duration of Harry Potter were shorter to convey high paced action, it got louder and more intense to fit the theme of the film. Monsters Inc's music can be greatly contrasted as it was a simple, realistic happy soundtrack to gain their audiences interest.

By Luka Sindle, Colin Chadwick and Jasmine Smith