Certificate of films.

The UK's film certificates are decided by the BBFC (British board of film classification) and has been since 1912. The BBFC rates released films, and rated videos and video games that fit the criteria of the video recordings act 1984, which was discovered in August 2009 to be something that can't be forced until the act was re-enacted by the video recordings act 2010.
~ Here are the age certificates that you'll find on films, they will let you know what age the movie is suited for ranging from U (suitable for anyone) and R18 (the most restrictive of the cinemas)
~ Toy story is an example of a U film, suitable for ages four and over it's set within a positive framework and reassures.
~ Harry potter is an example of a PG film, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.







~ Avatar is an example of a 12A, mature themes are acceptable. But their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.

~ The inbetweeners movie is an example of a 15, no theme is prohibited provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds. However after seeing this film in the cinema I was surprised this wasn't a 18 considering the language and sex scenes.





~ Ju-On: The Grudge is an example of an 18 horror film, there are no levels on theme, language, nudity or horror.

Film noir survey overview.

From the experience of using survey monkey i've learnt how to write a good question to produce the best answer. I printed out my final survey and asked someone in my class to answer it and write comments on how I could improve it.
I'm creating my film noir opening for mostly younger adults so 17 to 25 year olds. It made sense for my survey to be online since my survey questions are aimed at younger people, the majority of people online are young. If the film noir I was making was for elderly people for example, I'd use another way of getting my survey around like handing out my surveys directly, having them in the newspaper or on posters where they might see them.
I created this survey to help me find out what my audience would like to see in my opening film noir that i'll be making later. My aim for this survey was to ask peoples opinions on film noir, an example of a question is 'Do you like the storylines of film noir?' I gave them three options for the answer and they were yes, no and sometimes. But this is all assuming they know what a film noir is. However I feel like I could have improved that question by expanding it, I would do this by creating another question that says 'what is it that you like or dislike about the storylines of film noir?' and added a text box for the answer so they can write as much or little as they want. It would be better to have an open text box because the question is pure opinion, every answer is going to be different. Overall I think surveys are a really good way at getting the answers you need, my survey did this because I asked questions about different aspects of film noir. However I think I could have expanded more questions in asking them to write down their opinion.

Sound and understanding how to use it.

My initial thoughts on using sound in film is it's just as important as all other factors in film, without it the audience has nothing to help create the mood. Sound is there to make the film more realistic, silent films don't have sound but you are able to follow it because they have what the characters say written on the screen.

In lesson we had to watch the opening of different films, we analysed psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, I am more aware of how important sound is......

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzkIaD6QGQw&feature=related

(Here is part one of the psycho from youtube, I had to make it a link.)

 The opening from 0:28 to 2:20 the film is only the title sequence introducing charaters and production etc, in my opinion it went on for so long that it became menotonous, to keep the interest of younger viewers openings need to be shorter. though this particular movie is aimed at the older generation due to it being an old film. However, the music used does create tension. The text moves so fast on screen that faster music seems appropriate for it to fit together. From 2:20 to 3:00 (the opening) the strings slow down as the camera pans the city where the characters live and then shows you the window of their apartment. Because all the scene shows is the city, a slow string section seems appropriate. It calms to audience down to get them ready for calm dialouge from the characters.
Psycho was remade by director  Gus Van Sant in 1998, I couldn't find the opening title for this film on youtube but I did find the trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJsnaT5IfVY
I can't really compare together the trailer with the opening of the hitchcock film through sound, I'll try and find the 1998 movie somewhere else.

Our own short film noir.

Buster Rayburn is in a prison cell. His voice over can be heard, 'here I am again, they said I wouldn't make it on the outside. If only I didn't meet that dame'

The gangsters girlfriend Lacey Lane appears. Buster cant't take his eyes off her.

Buster is back at the same bar drinking bourbon. Lacey Lane walks in and whispers seductively in his ear.

Buster and Lacey meet in his dingy hotel room. She thanks him and says that she'll run away with him that
night.

Lacey gives Buster a gun and a kiss.

Buster waits for Lacey at the railway station. The cops turn up and arrest him. Lacey can be seen in the background. She has obviously reported him to the police.

Buster quickly grabs a policeman's gun and after a struggle, manages to fire a shot which hits Lacey and she dies.

Back to Buster in jail. His voice over can be heard, 'you see, dames always bring a man down. She won't hurt anymore suckers now.'

Buster is drunk in a bar on his own and is greeted by a gangster who says that he has a job for him. Buster turns turns down the job.

Back to Buster in jail. Voice over, 'if only I walked away when I had the chance.'

Buster shoots the gangster as he leaves his house one morning.

In lesson we got in to a group of 4 and were given a sheet of sentences, each sentence was part of a film noir. Because the sentences were not in order, we had to place them in what we thought was right. Once we had put them in order of what we thought, we then how to take our own photos for each showing what was going on in the scene. The aim for this lesson was to understand typical narrative structure and if they fit with Todrov's narrative theory.

When putting the sentences together, it seemed to make sense and we thought it was right. But soon after while taking the photos we soon realised it didn't make that much sense. we realised this about six photos down, Buster the hero (Luke) had gone to jail and out again in different sections. We made it all to difficult to keep up with, the story we put together makes it seem like Buster is sitting in his cell and flash backing to his story, but at the end he's free.