Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Research into Sound

In this post I will be analysing the different types of sound techniques used in a short thriller clip on how they make the audience experience, shock , surprise and suspense. Sound is used to create understanding and meaning for the audience, without sound the audience would find it difficult to understand what may be going on in the scene but also it is conventional to thrillers because they use sound in ways that can change the mood and interpretation of the scene. The importance of sound in thrillers is imperative as this is usually the aspect with scared us the most as combined with certain camera shots a very jumpy and scary moment can be portrayed. Sound used in thriller films tend to make us feel uneasy, uncomfortable and make us jump at times which is what we expect when we watch a thriller film. In this post I will be analysing a clip from Scream (1996).
I chose to analyse this clip because when analysing it I found many different techniques used to try and create emotion for the audience. I thought the sounds techniques were conventional to the thriller genre and I understood why that had been used and to create what effect.

The first technique I found in the clip was the use of diegetic and on screen sound. This is sound that is included in the scene. This was evident when the man was looking in the mirror when he heard a knock on the door behind him. This is a use of diegetic sound because it is sound that is part of the scene and hasn't been added in. This creates a sense of normality because knocking on someone's door is a usual polite day to day activity. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates a sense of normality which makes it easy for the audience to imagine themselves in that scenario which also makes it more believable of the effects to come. Another example of diegetic sound used in the clip is when the man puts on the scary mask and jumps out at himself in the mirror. This also creates a sense of normality as we would expect someone to act in this way when wearing a scary mask. However this can also begin to make the audience feel that something bad might happen because of the sudden reference to the scream mask and negativity. This gives the audience a sense of foreboding that something bad might be coming up which is also the thoughts a thriller genre want to give to an audience early on in the scene.

Another technique I analysed in the clip was the use of non-diegetic sound. This is sound which is not part of the film so gets added in to create a certain effect. This was the soundtrack and sound effects that was used. During the clip when the man is searching for someone who he thinks is messing about with him there is a tense background piece of music. This is used when the man thinks someone is hiding in the wardrobe, during his slow movement of opening the door the music starts to get faster and a quicker pace because it wants to make the audience feel that there is going to be something in the wardrobe. By using this type of soundtrack in the background builds up tension and suspense because the audience are anticipating what is behind the door. This makes the audience start to get scared because they feel sympathetic towards the character as they don't want anything bad to happen to them. Another example of non-diegetic sound is sound effects. A sound effect is used when the killer pulls out his weapon which is a knife, a harsh sharp sound is played as he pulls the knife up to stab the man. This creates a sense of shock as the audience aren't expecting it and it is a quick movement with the sound to match. This puts the audience off as they are shocked at this action and a sharp sound to go with it. Although this is mainly a technique to shock the audience this also helps the audience to understand what is happening if the audience were confused for example the audience missed the quick movement of the knife, however they would understand what had just happened due to the conventional sound effect of the knife.



A third technique that I analysed from the clip was the use of parallel sound. This is sound that you hear in a film that is what we would expect. An example of this would be when the man gets stabs he is screaming. This creates a sense of realism for the audience as this is what we would expect to happen in real life situations. This perhaps helps the audience to build a relationship with the character as they can physically see and hear what the character is going through and this may make the audience feel a certain way. This would also shock the audience because a loud instant scream is usually something that would surprise and audience and make them jump. This also makes the audience feel worried, sorry and scared for the character because they realise something bad is happening to them by the use of parallel sound of screaming.

My final technique that I analysed from the clip is non diegetic sound. This is sound which has been added into the scene to create effect. Once the victim has shut the door to reveal the murderer behind it, a loud and sharp sound effect is played to reveal the first sighting of the murderer before he goes an kills his next victim. This is to create a suspense moment and reveal to the audience that the murderer is a bad presence and also gives a sense of foreboding. This makes the audience feel scared and worried for the character. The sharp loud sound is conventional to the thriller film as usually a non diegetic eerie piece of tension is played on the lead up to this moment which makes the harsh sharp sound effect of the murderers entrance the more scarier and also makes the audience jump which is what we would expect to happen in the thriller genre.

In conclusion my research has taught me how specific sound techniques help create a scary scene. I believe that without sound in the thriller genre the audience wouldn't experience the different emotions such as shock, suspense and surprise. I think that the use of the non diegetic sound created tension and made the audience feel uncomfortable and anticipate what was going to happen. I think that the diegetic and on screen sound created suspense and surprise as they made the audience experience things like being scared and making them jump during different parts of the scene. Learning about the different sound techniques has helped me with my research as I can now recognise the different techniques in all different types of thriller clips and understand why they are used and how they create a certain effect on an audience. This has helped me realise that in order to fit the conventions of a thriller I will have to include different techniques such as diegetic and on screen sound, non diegetic sound and parallel sound in my own thriller sequence in order for my audience to feel scared and to build tension up to the scarier parts of my sequence. I will be applying non diegetic sound to my own thriller piece because I believe that this technique made me feel the most emotion as an audience and made me feel the most uncomfortable and scared during the clip. I feel this is because this technique builds up tension and makes the audience anticipate the bad things that we expect in the thriller genre.

Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

Cinematography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGT87k_CVJ0

In this essay I will be discussing the cinematography in a short thriller clip chosen by myself. Cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. The clip above is my chosen clip and it is a scene from the 2010 American thriller Insidious. I am choosing this clip because it has clear conventional camera shots which can be easily analysed to why they make a film appear scary and jumpy. It also is a popular thriller film with lots of frightening moments throughout.

  The first choice of cinematography I have used in this clip is "Gradual zooming in" angle. This technique shows a slow gradual zooming in motion on the women's face while she is telling the parents about what she saw in their sons bedroom late last night. As she tells the story the tension builds as the camera slowly focuses on her and the camera zooms into her face. As she gets further into the story the camera gets closer. This is effective as it makes it easy for the audience to capture her different facial expressions. It helps to create a scary atmosphere as we can anticipate when the camera is getting closer to her that something unexpected will happen. This type of shot enables the audience to relate to her as a character. The audience can build a relationship with the character because they can understand the way she is feeling and how she is trying to communicate with the parents in such an upsetting situation for them.

My second choice of cinematography I have used in this clip is a "Tracking Shot". This is showing a tracking movement through the hallway in a flashback of the night a mysterious figure was found in the house. The movement goes through the hallway to the bedroom where the door slowly opens and reveals a tall dark figure beside the sons bed. This is effective as it is a slow movement process and this builds tension, which is conventional to the thriller genre as it makes the audience anticipate that something bad is going to happen and furthermore makes us jump when it finally happens. This type of shot gives the audience a sense of being as it makes them feel as though they are almost there in the scene walking through. This is because this type of shot can also be perceived as a "Point of view shot". This means the shot looks as though we are looking at it from an audience point of view as if we was somehow part of the scene. This helps the audience to relate to what is happening and help them to understand more complex part of the scenes as they can see things at the best point of view.

My next choice of cinematography in this clip is an "Eye level" angle. This is an eye level angle shot of when the scary face pops up behind the man the lady is speaking to and scares her. Having this type of shot at eye level makes it definite to scare the audience as it is guaranteed to be seen immediately by the audience to scare them. If this type of shot was perhaps at a low angle shot and the face was to appear higher up then there may be a chance that the audience may miss this or not immediately catch on to what's happening and therefore the film would lack an opportunity to scare the audience. This type of angle technique creates a shock as it is fast and very clear at eye level. This helps the audience to build a relationship with the character's as they can almost feel as scared as the women describing what she saw. They can relate as they are feeling the same emotions as her as she tells the story, it is convenient that the face pops up near the end of the story and at the most serious part. The audience can also relate because they feel like they have gone along with the story and then also witnessed the main cause of the story as it pops up at eye level.

Another technique used in the cinematography of this film is a "Long shot". This is a shot of a creepy dark figure in the corner of the little boys bedroom. This shows a strong focus on the figure but also shows the background of the room and the situation. This is effective because we as an audience can imply the bedroom is of a little boys with toys and young decorations, we can also see a young boy laying in the bed which makes the audience feel more sympathetic. The use of children in the thriller genre is common and conventional because an audience usually expects and hopes for the children in the movie to be safe, we usually think this because the children are put across as cute and innocent. Therefor this builds a relationship with the audience as they start to become aware that something bad may happen to the child and they will feel scared and sorry for him. The movement before this shot is "panning" the camera moves from one side of the room to the other showing all aspects of the room before lastly revealing the figure in the corner. This slow movement of the room creates a sense of tension as we expect there to be something behind the door.

The shots and angle movements used in this sequence are all conventional to the thriller genre due to the shock, suspense, tension and surprise that they create. These techniques are used to create the thriller genre as without them the audience wouldn't feel emotionally scared or sympathetic for the character's involved. For example the eye level shot of the face popping up behind the characters face really built suspense as it was unexpected and a shock which made it scary for the audience. This sequence has inspired me for my own opening to a thriller sequence because I like the theme and idea of another threatening being being in the house with full control, I also liked the panning shot through the dark house as I felt that this part of the sequence made me the most scared as I was anticipating what was about to happen and I felt that this really built up tension.

History Of Thriller Films - Miss Georgiou

History of Thriller Films

The production of thriller films have changed over the years since the 1940's due to the wide variety of developed technology available in the present day. In the 1940's producers didn't have the appropriate equipment required to create advanced and extremely frightening thriller films such as the ones we have now. Some elements that we have now make the production all the more effective to an audience such as media makeup and sound effects and lighting. In the 1940's they relied solely on the sound and editing to make the film seem as frightening as possible.

In the 1940's Rebecca was a thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

"Rebecca" was a 1940's American psychological thriller film that was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.  It was created and produced in 1940 and was released on April 12th 1940. The film is about a women who is tormented by the memories of her new husbands dead first wife. She has to figure out how her husbands first wife mysteriously died whilst also dealing with the highly jealous and obsessed housekeeper who will not except her as the mistress of the house. This narrative is conventional to the thriller genre because it has themes of the unknown and creates an enigma as she needs to understand the murder of an ex wife. This is conventional as it leaves the audience wondering about the characters and their intentions and also makes them anticipate something bad will happen creating a sense of foreboding. Also the fact that there is some type of character who is known to be the antagonist makes this conventional to the thriller genre. This is because we would expect there to be a character that has evil intentions towards one of the character which is usually the victim. Additionally this is expected of thriller films from this early era as they do not have the required equipment to heighten the thriller genre of a film. Therefore including an antagonist in the film this helps to ensure the audience will be scared of this character and also make it clear the film is of the thriller genre. Furthermore the film is in black and white perhaps due to the lack of colour whilst filming and editing at this time. However the lack of colour helps to create an enigma and also creates tension and suspicion. This thriller film was successful as it followed the codes and conventions of a thriller film for example the issue of death and an evil being (the antagonist), this made the audience excited but also scared making them eager to see more and by more copies.

In the 1960's The Housemaid was a thriller film directed by Kim Ki-young.

"The Housemaid" is a 1960's black and white Korean thriller film directed by Kim Ky-young. The story is about a man and his pregnant wife and family who need extra help and decide to hire a maid. The maid and the man begin to have a love affair and the maid begins to turn jealous of his wife. Whilst the wife's pregnancy ends in a miscarriage this results in the maid becoming obsessed with killing the whole family. This narrative is conventional to the thriller genre as the main theme is murder. This is conventional as it makes the audience feel scared of the antagonist and also feel sympathy for the characters who are victims of the antagonist murderer. Alongside murder there will also be blood which is also conventional to the thriller genre because this is a splash of red. Red indicates many different things in the thriller genre such as blood, death, danger and brutality. Another element that is conventional to the thriller genre within this film is the dishonesty of the characters and especially the antagonist housemaid. The two characters the man and the housemaid having an affair is one example of deceit but also the housemaid has also got many secrets. This is conventional because it gives a sense of the unknown to the audience which makes them anticipate something and also gives them a sense of foreboding.

"Dressed to Kill" was a 1980's thriller film directed by Brian de Palma.

"Dressed to Kill" is an 1980's erotic crime thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. To summarise the narrative when a prostitute Liz Blake witnesses a mysterious women brutally slay homemaker Kate Miller she finds herself in a difficult situation when the police think she is the murderer but the real killer wants to silence the crimes only witness. With only victim Kate's son Peter believing Liz was not the murderer of his mother they set out to find the real culprit who has an unexpected means of hiding her identity and an evening more surprising motivation to kill. This narrative is conventional to the thriller genre for many different reasons. Firstly the victims in the are all female which is conventional because women tend to be weaker and more vulnerable than men so therefore are usually the victims of male antagonists. However in "Dress to Kill" the antagonist is also female which is slightly unconventional to the thriller genre as females don't usually have the strength and power to overpower other characters to are seemed to have the most power e.g. males or other fictional characters e.g. monster, zombie. Also the antagonist has a hidden identity which is conventional to the thriller genre. This is conventional because it makes the audience feel uneasy about the character as they are unable to engage with the character and build a relationship with them. They are unknown to the characters facial expressions and their intentions which makes the audience anticipate what the character may be up to and this could make them fear the character and feel sympathy for the victims. Another key convention in the scene is the iconography. This is where we see a blade used as a murder weapon. This is conventional because we as an audience understand that this is a murder weapon and it is also linked to the idea of blood as this type of object would cause this. The blade is conventional because it is a sharp object which is not usually known as a murder weapon so therefore this will create questions in the audiences mind and this will create suspense and tension and also a mysterious enigma for the audience. This was a successful thriller film due to its unique narrative and mysterious enigmas created.

"The Cell" is a 2000 thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh.

"The Cell" is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh. The film is about a psyche who can enter peoples mind. When a serial killer strikes again and a young girl goes missing it is the psyche's chance to go into the mind of a serial killer and try and discover his scheme and where the missing girl and all his victims are. This narrative is conventional as it is quite unique and unrealistic although it used developed technology to make this seem realistic. The narrative also follows the conventions of a male antagonist and female victim which is conventional and is what we expected. However the narrative of the psyche being female and having the power to enter the male antagonists mind and try to stop him shows power and therefore makes her the protagonist which is unconventional as we usually expect this to be a male figure. The film also ends in a death which is also a convention of the thriller genre. This is because we would usually expect death, pain and brutality in this type of genre. Death makes an audience feel sympathy for the characters but also makes them scared as also imagine themselves in the film which makes them all the more frightened as they watch the film themselves. The lighting and editing used in this film has to be heightened to fit in with the narrative as the film also has an element of sci-fi which is more interesting and mysterious for the audience and keeps them on the edge of their seat as they don't know what to expect as anything can happen in the sci-fi genre. This film was successful due to the sub-genre and unique and unrealistic narrative as this makes the audience more excited and the atmosphere more intense as anything can happen with a fictional narrative which would intrigue the audience and make them more eager to watch the film.

The film in the top rated thriller list is "The Purge: Anarchy" . The film was created in 2014 and therefore seems more developed due to advanced technology used within the production of thriller films now. The film had a sub genre of crime and action which would be satisfying for a wider range audience, these type of sub genres would be more interesting for more people and eye catching for both male and females. The narrative of "The Purge: Anarchy" is one night a year where all crime is legal. The narrative follows a group of people who are trying to survive purge night including a highly trained sergeant who is on a mission to find his sons murderer and get revenge. The group have to avoid many obstacles of violent gangs and criminals around the city to try and survive. This type of narrative is conventional to the thriller genre as it is very intense and would keep an audience on the edge of their seat throughout the whole movie as they never know what to expect at any point within the film. Also the main focus of the night is that performing criminal events is legal which means doing bad things to people is acceptable. This will keep the audience aware that anything is possible and therefore will give them a sense of foreboding as they expect the worst case scenario in the film. The narrative itself is unique as we wouldn't usually expect this in a film as most films follow the governments true rules of crime leads to punishment and consequences. This may also attract audiences as they are intrigued to know the lengths of which the characters would go to in a night where all crime is legal. The characters used in the film are also unique as they aren't usually people we would expect to be involved in crime and action movies. These included a mother and her son and also a married couple. The main reasons that the film was such a success was due to the unique yet intense narrative and also the elements of sub-genre used to attract a much wider range of audience.

The film positioned at number 16 is "The Signal". The film was released in June 2014 and has a sub-genre of sci-fi. The narrative of the film is about a group of friends who find themselves in a abnormal alien world after visiting an old abandoned house and experiencing a black out by an unseen force. This type of narrative is quite unusual and would intrigue an audience due to the main focus being on aliens and unknown forces and creatures that some people would like to believe in fact does exist. This would also intrigue an audience as an audience would expect developed and advanced CGI in these types of films and especially including an element of sci-fi as the whole look is expected to be very professional and futuristic. However due to the advanced technology and computer programmes available now a days the production team were able to make realistic models of aliens and alien technology for the film which may have targeted a wider audience and also a niche audience of scientists and also people who are interested in and enjoy the experiment of aliens and the unknown forces and creatures.

The film positioned at number 34 is "Murder 11". The film was released in October 2014. The narrative of the film follows two detectives who are in a race against time to stop a serial killer who is looking to kill his 11th prostitute victim. They only have a limited amount of time until number 11 is killed and the serial killer will be onto the next one, they have to utilize all of their resources and get into the mind of a serial killer to be better than him and save the victims. This type if narrative is interesting for the audience as they begin to understand the cunningness of the serial killer and this makes them intrigued to see if he will succeed and overpower the two detectives or whether they will beat the time and defeat the serial killer. The audience will be on the edge of their seat as they don't know what to expect. The film keeps most secrets a mystery which will make the audience want to continue watching to find out what happens to the characters and whether victim 11 will be saved. Also the focus on time makes the whole narrative more intense as this is the only thing that is a possible obstruction that can stop them for good and destroy their chances of being the protagonists and saving the day. The film has a sub-genre of action and crime so is most likely to be targeted towards an audience who enjoy this and therefore probably have a majority of male viewers over female. Both sub-genres help to keep the audience intrigued and on edge which are conventions of the thriller genre. This will also force the audience to wait and anticipate what will happen in the end of the film. Furthermore the possibility of death in the film is highly possible which is also a convention of thrillers. This is because when we watch a thriller film we expect their to be some type of weapon iconography which is mostly used in the consequence of pain, brutality and eventually death.

Research into BBFC - Miss Miller

BBFC – British Board of Film Classification

The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification. The board was introduced for safety reasons and they award different films an appropriate age certificate for their content and make sure it is suitable for the target audience. One of the main purposes of the board is for the safety of children and so that parents have the choice of whether they feel comfortable  letting their child watch the content of that film. They are a designated body that have legal powers to rate and sometimes cut or even reject works. 

There are six different age certificates such as U, PG, 12, 12A , 15 , 18.

Age Certificates

 The "U" symbol stands for Universal. A "U" film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However at this lower end of the category range it is difficult to predict what may affect a child depending on their individual personality. In a film awarded a "U" certificate it is highly unlikely that the film will contain violence, sexual scenes, drugs and imitable behaviour. Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling or using mild bad language (such as "damn" or "hell" ) however there would be no direct focus or references towards sex or the use of swear words. Violence will generally be very mild, for example a film may include a brief fight scene however they are quickly resolved and the outcome would be encouraging. Any behaviour shown in the film which could be perceived as dangerous or anti social must be clearly disapproved of. A film can explore a wide range of themes and still be awarded an "U "Certificate. For example not only children's films are awarded a "U". If the film contains content that show a positive outlook on the theme and has very mild aspects of negativity it is most likely to be awarded this certificate.  


Finding Nemo
An example of a "U" rated film would be "Finding Nemo". The plot of this animated adventure is when a timid father fish sets on a journey to find his son after he was captured by humans in the Great Barrier Reef and to bring him home. This would be awarded a "U" certificate because this is of a family friendly theme and contains an exciting storyline for young children. It fits the guidelines of this certificate because the film has no scenes of drug or imitable behaviour content or any use of bad language. There is no strong focus on sex or violence. If there is references towards sexual or violent behaviour it is very mild and brief.

The "PG" symbol stands for parental guidance. This implies that a film is usually suitable for a general audience however some scenes may be unsuitable for a young child.  A film that has been awarded a "PG" age certificate should not harshly effect children ages eight years or older. A parent should decide whether the content that may be shown in a "PG" film is suitable for their child. A "PG" film will not contain any theme that would be inappropriate for a child however they may challenge issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. Films with this age certificate may consist of mild bad language (such as "shit" and "son of a bitch") but the context and delivery of them is very important. For if there is emphasis on these words they may be passed at a higher category and age certificate. It is unlikely that a film with this certificate would contain strong scenes of sexual content unless they were undetailed and infrequent. However if there was scenes including this then they may be softened with the use of comedy and they are mostly only used if they are unclear and difficult to understand to a young child. Violence and threat is usually very mild if there is a quick show of blood there will be no strong focus on how the injury was inflicted.  The use of drugs will not be of a strong content in this category unless it had a clear and educational message. 

Home Alone

An example of a "PG" rated film would be "Home Alone".
This film is about a young boy who accidently gets left home alone while his family go on vacation over Christmas. He is set on a mission to defend his home against burglars. This was perhaps awarded this category as this film contains an amusing yet slightly unrealistic storyline which makes it that bit more comical for the target audience. Although this storyline could perhaps unsettle certain young children as the subject of burglary and being alone may be something they have experienced before; the film has a very comforting feel when the burglars are the characters that experience the most misfortune and ridiculous injuries. The film contains no vigorous sexual scenes or use of drugs. It may contain a small use of bad language however it is acceptable for this age category.

The "12" symbol represents a film which is only suitable of people aged 12 years and over. The content in films of this category will generally be unsuitable for young children under the age of 12 years. The 12 certificate also remains for DVD/Blu-ray, it is a simpler system for retailers. This means they cannot sell a "12" rated film to anyone under the age of 12.  Works classify the content in these films to be unsettling for a younger audience. For example a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed at a 12 or a 12A even if the individual issues in the film were considered acceptable under the BBFC Guidelines. The BBFC state the use of strong language (such as "f***) may be passed at this age category. However aggressive uses of the language will be passed at a higher age certificate. The content of sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed in the "12" rated certificate. Similarly violence can be briefly shown however it should not dwell on detail. Dangerous behaviour may be passed at this certificate however behaviour that is easily imitable shouldn't be used ; anti social behaviour should not be endorsed.

The "12A" symbol represents a film with content only suitable for 12 year olds and over. The "12A" requires no one younger than 12 to witness the film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under the age of 12 to view a "12A" film must consider whether the film content may be suitable for their child. At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if they can be justified by their context. Similarly to the "12" certificate, sexual content and some bad language is permitted in this certificate. However some scenes must have strong contextual justification. Some horror films may be passed at the "12A" age certificate as long as the scenes including strong horrific features are not too frequent or sustained.

The main difference between the "12" and the "12A" age certificates  is that the 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. This is enforced by cinema staff and a cinema may lose its license if adult accompaniment is not enforced for children under 12 admitted to a 12A film.

The Notebook

An example of a "12A" rated movie would be "The Notebook". This love story is about a poor passionate young man who falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. When they get separated by social differences he hopes one day they will be reunited again. This film is awarded a "12A" age certificate as it has a more mature theme of love and general livelihood. The film does contain a few strong sexual scenes and moments of tense and threatening behaviour which may use a vast amount of strong language. This however follows the rules and regulations of this age certificate. Overall the film brings an emotional and romantic impression on the audience and could effect them in many different ways. It also has some adult complications which may be troublesome for a younger audience to understand.

The "15" symbol indicates that a film consists of content only suitable for audiences ages 15 or over. No themes inappropriate for ages under 15 can be shown in a 15 rated film. There are many different things you could expect to see in a rated "15" movie. For example strong violence, frequent strong language, strong references to sex and portrayals of sexual activity, drug taking and discriminatory language or behaviour. There is no limit on "15" films on the use of strong language. Sometimes they may consist of some of the strongest terms ( such as c***) depending on the manor used. There may also be the use of offensive terms, this could include racism, homophobia and other discriminatory language. Nudity and sexual scenes can be quite long at this category however shouldn't be in very strong detail. The use of drugs and drug taking may be permitted in a rated "15" film however the works of the film must not encourage or promote drug misuse. Dangerous behaviour has to be considered to show impressionable teenagers.

 Step Brothers
An example of a "15" rated film is "Step Brothers". This film is about two aimless losers still living at home, until their parents decide to get married and they have to become roommates. They have to overcome each others bad habits but find themselves hating each other in the process. The film contains a robust use of bad language which is softened by the use of comical language. It also falls into this category as it has some scenes of nudity and sex. However these are very frequent and do not have a strong focus on them. The film contains a limited amount of racism and dangerous behaviour such as vandalism of property. However all the behaviour is shown in a ridiculous unrealistic manor to make sure the audience's focus isn't fixated on this.

 The "18" symbol indicates films only for adults. No person under the age of 18 is allowed to watch or buy an "18" rated film in the cinema or a shop. No content shown in a film with this age certificate is suitable for a child. This category can contain very strong issues and subjects. Such as very strong violence, frequent and very strong language (such as f*** or c***), strong portrayals of sex and strong sexual violence, strong blood, gore and horror and finally discriminatory language and behaviour. There is no limit of bad language that can be used in this category along with the limit of sex or nudity. An "18" film might also contain depictions of real sex, as long as the film is not of a sex work. At "18" violence can be strong and be portrayed with strong detail. There may even be dwelling on the infliction of pain or injury, or scenes of strong sadistic or sexual violence. Most horror films are rated at the "18" age certificate as they can contain strong gore, horror and sustained threat. In "18" films strong dangerous behaviour is permitted however it is still considered. For example if very dangerous criminal behaviour could be imitable and if copied could posses an incredible harm then it may be cut.
However cuts made in the "18" category are only ever considered when the material is in breach of the criminal law or if the material is mentally or physically harmful to the audience as individuals.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

An example of an "18" rated movie would be "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". This film is of the horror genre. The film is about a group of friend picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding killer and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
The film contains very fierce scenes of horror and gore, and also sustained threat throughout. There is also bad language used such as strong swear words (for example s***, f*** and c***). The film also contains short scenes of sexual content and behaviour and also some references to sex. This falls into the guidelines of a rated "18" film as it contains most of the severe cases of the themes and subjects permitted in this category.



In conclusion this research has helped me to understand and define the different levels of maturity that is acceptable for different age certificates. I can now understand how severe certain aspects have to be in order to be placed in the correct category. This research has also helped me to understand the importance of placing the correct film in the correct category as if incorrect it may be very harmful towards the audience or badly influential towards the audience. This post has helped me to understand that my own thriller film should be placed in the "15" age certificate due to the mature themes and inappropriate language and images for younger children. I will also be mindful not to use strong bad language and try to completely avoid the use of swear words as they are not entirely necessary and we can still create an effective sequence without the use of these as these are quite difficult to understand which words are included in which age certificate.