Films are rated by the BBFC (British Board Of Film Classification), the majority of thrillers are have the age certificate of 15 and 18, this is usually because some of the footage is either not appropriate for people below these ages. In films with an 18 certificate the scenes within the film are more likely to contain extreme violence, or scenes of a sexual nature. Rating the films these means that only people aged 15 and above can watch and rent a 15 movie and only people aged 18 and above can watch and rent a 18 movie and no one younger. Although this may be films may receive a different rating when they are released on DVD.
- Universal- There is nothing unsuitable for children, the film should be suitabe for audiences aged 4 and up. - General viewing though some scenes may be unsuitable for young viewers, therfor parents are advised to accompany younger children to view.
- Suitable for those aged 12 and over though some scenes may be unsuitable for viewers under 12. This certificate only exsists in cinemas and no one younger than 12 may see a 12A rated film unless accompanied by an adult.
- The 12 criteria is the same for 12A.
- Suitable for 15 years and over, no one under the age of 15 may see a 15 film in the cinema.
- Only suitable for adults, no one under the age of 18 may see an 18 film in the cinema.
- Are to be shown in specially licensed cinemas or licensed sex shops and only to those aged 18 and above. It is a legally restricted classification due to it's explicit sexual or fetish material using adults.
I had seen a few clips of Memento in media lessons and so asked to borrow the film to watch and write about it on my blog. Memento was directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan and stars Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. The film stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby as a man with anterograde amnesia which makes him unable to create new memories, use his notes and tattoos to try and find the man who raped and killed his wife.
The film begins with a photo of blood, tiles and what appears to be a head in the bottom left-hand corner of it, we then see the person holding the photo shake it giving the impression that they are trying to develop the photo as the person continues to shake the photo we see that it begins to lose quality like it is undeveloped prompting the audience to question what's happening it's after this that we see the film is being played backwards as Leonard puts the picture back into the camera and we begin to understand what's happening as the film continues to play backwards we see that Leonard has in fact shot Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) in the back of the head.
This film compared to the others was very confusing as it consisted of two different types of films one in black and white and the other in colour; as the black and white scenes are played in chronological order and the colour in reverse chronological area, the scenes are played alternately until they both meet at the end of the film.
The suspense in this film comes from the main character where they must resolve conflicts with their owns minds, this is usally to understand what happened to them.
For our media coursework we must work in groups my group is made up myself, Hayley Sknisley and Louise Vann. For part of our media coursework we have to create a preliminary exercise to show that we have a clear understanding of how to use the camera and editing software on the iMacs. This enables us to show that we know how use a variety of shots such as long shots, wide shots and over-the-shoulder shots as well as allowing us to experiment with the different transitions within iMovie. For our actual thriller opening Louise will be our cinematographer, Hayley will be our actress and I will be the editor.
180 Degree Rule
This is the basic guideline in basic film making which says that two people within the same scene should have the same left/right relationship to each other, if the camera passes this imaginary line it creates a reverse angle. Looking at our preliminary exercise I can see that we will need to avoid crossing the imaginary line as we haven't been able to in our exercise.
In our Media lessons we have learning about the different conventions of thrillers, and in every lesson we have identified that:
There are extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations
A protagonist who is systematically, disempowered and drawn into a complex web of intrigue by an antagonist
There is a complex narrative structure, with false paths, clues and resolutions
A narrative pattern of establishing enigmas which the viewer expects to be resolved
The protagonist has a flaw that is exploited by the antagonist
There is a crime at the core of the narrative which is often murder but not always
There are themes of Identity, Mirroring and Voyeurism
There is often a scene near the end of the film in which the protagonist is in peril
Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements
Time is an enemy- race against time
Moral choices are often faced by the protagonist
Other characters may doubt the main characters beliefs and motives
Enigmas
A problem created by disruption. In thriller it is commonly something the protagonist has to try to find out or solve before the film finishes and the narrative resolved.
Red Herring
Used to divert the audiences attention from the truth and often creates suspense.
Cliffhanger This is when the main character is in a precarius situation or has been confronted with a shocking revelation, this is used to entice the audience to keep them watching so they can
After watching Panic Room thought I'd watch Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, directed by Robert Schwentke and written by Peter A. Dowling and Billy Ray. Kyle Pratt (Foster) is a bereaved woman who with her 8-year old daughter are flying home from Berlin to America with the body of her late husband, when at 30,000 her daugher disappears and no one remembers ever seeing her board the plane, Kyle must discover the truth as she fights to serach the plane and look for her daughter.
The film begins with Klye Pratt at the train station where it then cuts to her entering a mortuary and she is asked if she would like a moment alone before the casket is closed. We are taken back to Kyle at the train station where her husband arrives and the leave on the train, again we are taken to the mortuary where we see Kyle move closer to the casket. We then see Kyle and her husabnd walking through the streets of Germany before we are again taken to the mortuary, where the Mortuary Director asks Kyle to enter a code to secure the casket. Fiannly we get to the appartment of Kyle and her husband when she asks to sit in the yard when we cut to the mortuary where before the casket is closed we see that her husband is lying in the casket.
From this small extract we can see that the protagonist has a flaw and there will have to be moral choices that the charagter has to make. The opening sequence can be seen below.
Just finished watching the thriller "Panic Room", directed by David Fincher, written by David Koepp and starring Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker and Kristen Stewart. The film tells the story of Meg Altman (Foster) recently divorced from her husband and her daughter Sarah (Stewart) hiding out in the panic room of their four-storey brownstone townhouse after an invasion by three armed robbers, but what they desire is in that very room.
The opening sequence begins with a shot of Meg and Sarah walking through the streets Manhattan to view the Townstone property, we then see them as they are taken on a tour of the house where we learn a few important details about the previous disabled owner, his children and his estate. As they continue on the tour they are taken to the Master Suite where the majority of the film is based; Meg notices that the room is smaller than it should be prompting the estate agent to show her the panic room, he then proceeds to tell her that should there be a break-in during the night they would be fully protected as the panic room contains a buried phone line, a security system, health and first aid kits and most importantly it is surrounded by concrete and a four-inch-thick steel door.
From this extract again we can see some conventions of thrillers, such as mystery from the previous owner and his family.
To help me with this coursework I recently watched a British thiller called "The Long Good Friday" (1980), it was directed by John Mackenzie and written by Brian Keeffe. The film stars Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren and is about Harold Shand (Hoskins) who is an old fashioned London gangster who aspires to be a legitimate business man, but his world slowly starts to crumble in front of him after a series of murders and bombs as he tries to figure out who's after him on this long good friday.
The film begins with Colin (Paul Freeman) carrying a suitcase of money and taking some for himself before delivering it to another man, we then see that the same suitcase is brought to a house where three men check the proceed to check the contents of the bag and count the money. Meanwhile we also see Colin in the pub with two other men, but back at the house when the men begin to pack away the money they are surrond by a group of armed men, we then see that the two men with Colin are later attacked by another group of armed men.
The beginning of this film goes on for a little longer, but just from watching this small extract I have already been able to identify some conventions such as suspense and mystery. The film is also an antagonistic driven plot as we see Bob Hoskin's character trying to overcome a variety of obstacles. The opening sequence can be seen below.
- Universal- There is nothing unsuitable for children, the film should be suitabe for audiences aged 4 and up.
- General viewing though some scenes may be unsuitable for young viewers, therfor parents are advised to accompany younger children to view.
- Suitable for those aged 12 and over though some scenes may be unsuitable for viewers under 12. This certificate only exsists in cinemas and no one younger than 12 may see a 12A rated film unless accompanied by an adult.
- The 12 criteria is the same for 12A.
- Suitable for 15 years and over, no one under the age of 15 may see a 15 film in the cinema.
- Only suitable for adults, no one under the age of 18 may see an 18 film in the cinema.
- Are to be shown in specially licensed cinemas or licensed sex shops and only to those aged 18 and above. It is a legally restricted classification due to it's explicit sexual or fetish material using adults.
