Impact Of Certification On Film Openings

Certifications have a large impact on film openings and the whole film itself. It can have an impact on the genre, the mood and the tone of the film. The certification of a film can determine what certain aspects there will be in the film such as mise, camera, sound, editing. We also use certification as a way to have an expectation of what the film is going to be like, for example, if the film is an 18 we expect it to be more dark and more relate able for adults.

An example of a film being impacted by certification was Casino Royale. This is because when it was first released, some critics and audience members questioned if it should have been given the 12A rating and questioned whether it was acceptable or not. This was due to the graphic opening scene in which Bond is seen suffocating and violently beating another man in a toilet and also a torture scene during the course of the film. The vivid death scene sparked angry audience members because James Bond films never really went into so much detail with regards to fight scenes and never showed off such realistic scenes in previous movies. The BBFC are always changing the guidelines of movies every few years because a lot of children under the age ratings are getting a hold of these films a lot easier than they used to.

This will help in the creation of our film opening because it will help us establish an idea of aspects in a film are included in different certifications of films.

Notes On Certification

U (Universal) - This means that the film is suitable for all viewers and has nothing unsuitable for people aged under 4 years.

PG (Parental Guidance) - This means it is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for children under the age of 8 years old

12A (12 Accompanied) - This means that it is suitable for people aged 12 and over but may be suitable for people under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult over the age of 18

12 - Suitable for people aged 12 and over (video only)




15 - Suitable for people aged 15 and over




18 - suitable for people ages 18 and over


The reason we have certification is so that people don't view certain things at a certain age because it can affect them in a negative way which links to the hypodermic needle theory relating to actions being taken after watching a film. An example is that a child could watch an 18 rated film and could act from the things they saw in this film and potentially harm someone else or commit a crime that they do not know they are committing. The people that regulate film certification is the BBFC which stands for the British Board Of Film Classification. The BBFC'S mission is to

• protect the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks
• Empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices 
• Recognise and respect adults freedom of choice within the law 
• Respond to changing social attitudes towards media content through public consultation and research
• Provide a cost effective and efficient classification service

It will help us in our opening because it will help us get a better of what certification we might want our film to be and with that, we can decide what things we are going to add to our opening with regards to mise, sound, camera angles and editing. 

Preliminary Task: Embedded Video

Movie Opening Timelines

Film Opening Timelines

Film Opening: Monsters Inc (2002):

Film Opening: Toy Story (1995):

Film Opening: Halloween (1978):

I think this work is going to help me with my opening because it helps me get a better idea of what titles go in which place which will make my opening look more professional and will make it look like an actual movie.

Student Opening Film Analysis

Innocent Until Proven Guilty Analysis

Genre:

For the genre, we can see that this film could be an action film, this is because of certain aspects such as the clothing of the characters. They're wearing army type uniform and bulletproof jackets which has connotations of action and perhaps gun fights or some sort of fight. The fact that they're wearing bulletproof vests suggests that they're in need of protection from someone/something which has connotations of the fact that they might need to fight to protect themselves which means that this film could be an action film. During the phone call, we can hear gun shots being fired and a person talking in a worried manner, this can tell us the genre because gun shots means guns are being fired which means that someone is trying to kill someone which has connotations of violence which is always included in action films along with the person screaming in fright down the phone which shows the genre could be action because its adding to the tension that is already being built through the gear the person is wearing and the situation that they're in. Another genre that this film could be is a thriller, this is because of the atmosphere that the characters are in, they're surrounded by abandoned buildings which has connotations of a thriller because a lot of the time in thrillers, there is a lot of run down/derelict buildings. They'res not a lot of very vibrant colours or objects throughout the film which has connotations of darkness and sadness which is always included in thrillers because it has a lot to do with the mind and psychological problems which are shown through dark colours and frightening images.

Editing:
Throughout the film, there are a lot of cuts and the editing is very fast paced. This could suggest that its trying to show energy or chaos which is always included in action films. The fast paced editing can help the audience get excited and makes them interested because a lot of things are happening in such a short amount of time so it makes the audience try and keep up with whats going on which keeps them focused on the film so that they don't lost track of the story. Fast paced editing is also used to keep the film exciting and stops the audience getting bored by using a variety of different shots and showing them all in a quick time frame. We can also see who the most important character is, this is shown through how much screen prevalence they have and who is in the beginning and end. The main character is shown at the beginning walking through the open field and we know this because the main characters generally show up in the beginning of films and have the most time on screen. We see he has the most prevalence throughout the opening and there is only a small amount of shots that he is not in. We also know he is the main character because he is shown in the beginning and at the very end in the establishing shot. The fact that there are no transitions other than cuts can be used to suggest the harshness of the opening because there is straight cuts. This adds to the tension of the film because its cutting straight to the point and letting the audience know what is happening straight away and the shot's duration are very short which adds to the tension and conveys action and urgency.

Camera Angle:
In this opening, there is a beginning long shot of the character walking through an opening, this is good to use in the beginning of a film because it shows the environment that the film could be taking place in and could be used show the audience the surrounding area which can be linked to the characters feelings or the meaning of the film itself. There is also a lot of close up shots of the characters face's which can be used to show their emotions of feelings about the situation they're in. This is good to show in a film because it helps the audience understand the characters so that they can perhaps envision what is going to happen to the character in the future and it can help get an understanding of what the characters are going to do before they do it. There is also a tracking shot of the character walking through the area. this could be used to show what the character is looking for and what they're having to do in order to find what they're looking for. It also helps keep the character in the shot whilst also showing off more of the scene and because the camera is following the character from behind it could be used to show the characters point of view whilst keeping them in the shot. Another reason why the camera could be tracking the character from behind could be used to convey ideas of paranoia because the character doesn't know they're being followed and it could suggest they are paranoid or in danger because someone might be following them for a reason that might not be known until later on in the film.

Mise En Scene:
During the entirety of the opening, we see that both characters are carrying guns, this is conveying danger and violence because guns are weapons and weapons are used for killing and doing damage which is tied in heavily with violence. The weapons could suggest that someone is going to be killed in this scene or seriously hurt. The fact that these guns are black can add to the tension and has connotations of darkness and mystery which is clearly shown in the opening because not much is shown in the opening. The clothing of the characters has connotations of fighting and violence because they are wearing bulletproof vests, this could be used to signify that they are needing to protect themselves from gunshots which has connotations of death. It could make the audience question what the characters are trying to protect themselves from which keeps them interested because it gets them excited for a fight or a battle. One of the characters is also wearing a ski mask which can show that he is trying to cover up his identity, this helps add to the audiences interest because they want to know who it is and what he has to do with the story, it keeps them excited and makes them want to carry on watching the film because they want to eventually find out who this person is. The location can also add to this, the area is really run down and abandoned, this could be used to signify the story or the characters lives. The story could be about a run down area with people like these characters killing each other. It could also have connotations of the characters minds and what they're going through or thinking about someone or the position they are in. The area is very dark as well with low key lighting. This can have connotations of mystery and anticipation because they're could be something in one of these buildings that have links to the story which could have major significations. The buildings make the audience question how they got into the state that they are and what they're doing in this film and do they have any significance to the characters or the story ?

Titles:

The titles are of a very simple font. This may have been used so that the audience don't get too detached from the scenes that are taking place during the clip. Its very small as well and this helps because it doesn't take up too much space and does not get in the way of the characters faces or any of the important objects in the scenes. The font was probably made simple because it fits with the story and atmosphere of the film. There is no major complicated items or objects in the opening so the font goes well because it is not very complicated. If the genre was different, such as a comedy, the font would be more bubbly and colourful, but in this case the genre is action/mystery so the simple, boring font fits in well with what the genre of the opening is. The title 'innocent until proven guilty' can show that the film may be about someone who has committed a crime or been framed for something that they didn't do and this is because 'innocent until proven guilty' is used a lot when someone has been accused of doing something and it means that until they have been found to have not done the particular thing, they will carry on being held responsible. This suggests one of the characters has either done something or been accused of doing something that they perhaps haven't done and they are trying to prove they're innocence throughout the film.

Character:
The protagonist is shown at the very beginning walking through the field by himself, it could suggest that he is alone through the entirety of the film and the fact that he is walking through an open field could suggest he is on a journey to find something that he has been looking for for a while because the field is so large and he has to look in a large space which will take time. The fact that all of his clothes are black could have connotations about his personality, the black could represent how he might be a mysterious person due to black being associated with mysteriousness. It could also show that he has a scary or fearful personality because black is also associated with something that is scary and made to make people feel fear. The antagonist who is wearing a ski mask could have a very mysterious and anxious character, this is shown through his ski mask. It suggests that he may have committed a crime of some sort or he may be trying to hide himself from society or someone specific, most likely the protagonist. The two characters are both carrying guns which shows that they would not be afraid to kill someone which shows they are daring and fearless because guns and murder are punishable and the fact that they are rebelling by this shows that they do not care and are willing to get themselves into trouble.

Sound:
The music in the opening helps build a lot of tension in the opening due to its low pitch strings and sets the scene for the opening which is to make the audience feel tense and it gives a dark feel to the opening. Another important moment is when the music is playing and it stops as the protagonist holds the gun to the antagonist's head. This is a good moment because the music stopping at such a crucial point helps get the audience excited for what is about to happen and it makes them get on the edge of their seat because they're so eager to see what happens. After this the characters start fighting and a high pitch string sound begins to build up in sound, this is being used to excite the audience in the fight scene and it helps them question who is going to win in the fight.

The positives of this opening are:

• The well thought out fight sequence
• The eerie location
• The costumes the characters are wearing
• The music in the opening 

The negatives of this opening are: 

• The narrative is fairly generic 
• The title being too long, it could have been shortened, the phrase is too common as well

This will help in the making of our opening because it shows that just because its a student film and it hasn't got a huge budget, doesn't mean that we cannot make a film just as good. 

What Makes A Good Student Film

• Dont re- invent the wheel, make sure your film follows some generic conventions and do not try and create you're own genre.
• Make sure the camera work is steady and not shaky unless its being used purposely for an effect
• It has to flow -  For the film to be good it has to have a good story and it has to flow and cant be confusing for the audience
• Dont show the whole story in the first two minutes 
• Focus a lot on mise en scene - it should look like an actual film, not something thats been thrown together in 10 minutes 
• Make sure there is a variety of different camera angles, it cannot look the same and be seen from the same angle for the whole opening
• Make sure your titles are in the correct order and make sure they are in font that fits your genre - you wouldn't want bright bubble writing for the titles of a horror film 
• Make sure the genre is clearly shown in the beginning so that the audience know what they're watching and know how to follow the story 
• Make sure the audio is of good quality, unless your doing it for affect, don't go outside when its windy because you wont be able to hear the characters and its not pleasant for the audience to listen to 
• Dont try and re create certain things yourself, for example, if you're scene is in a restaurant, do not recreate the restaurant in your bedroom and kitchen, go to a local restaurant and ask for permission to film in there 

This will help our film because it lets us know what we should and shouldn't be doing so that we can make our film as good as possible.

The camera work is very steady, the tracking shot from the bottom following the feet of the character is very interesting and intriguing as it makes the audience wonder where he's going or who he is. Mise has been taking heavily into consideration and hasn't just been thrown together in 10 minutes. There are a variety of different angles, including a tracking shot and a match on action which helps the viewer get a perception form both characters towards the other.

Independent Research On Movie Openings

I have done some research into movie openings and i have decided to look at the order in which the titles go in for film openings

Here is the most important structure for film opening titles:

1. The credit roll typically begins with all the major companies that were involved in making the film

2. Next is the people are the most important contributors to the film, typically the main stars within the film will be shown at the very beginning

3. After the stars, the most important people who helped make the film that aren't actors/actresses are shown, typically with the least important starting first and then going to the most important.

An example of this would be the opening credits for Back To The Future (1985) :

If you have someone on the list of contributors who had more than one role, you do not list their name twice. You have to merge the credits into one credit and place by the credit roll for the most important position. An example would be if some directed but also produced the film, then you would credit them as the director because its a more important position in film making compared to a producer. So if you have two roles, you credit the most important role to the person.

The most common film opening credits are:

1. Production Company (distributor)
2. Production Company (producer)
3. Film maker (e.g. 'A Sam Raimi film')
4. Film Title
5. Leading Cast
6. Supporting Cast
7. Casting
8. Musical Composer
9. Costume Design
10. Associate Producers
11. Editors
12. Production Design
13. Photography Director
14. Executive Producer
15. Producer
16. Writers
17. Director

This will help when making our opening because it means that we know what order the film titles will go in which means we can make it look as much like a professional movie as possible.