BBFC

The BBFC is a company that licences all movies that will be released in Britain. Every film that is to be released in Britain must be checked by the BBFC to make sure that it is appropriate, they also give the movie an age rating depending on what content is in the movie, the age ratings are (U,PG,12A,12,15,18,R18). Once a movie has been given an age rating and the movie developers are not happy with it they can cut scenes from the movie to alter the age rating.

U - Films that are designed to be suitable for children of 4+. There should be no Discrimination, Violence, Drugs, Nudity and Sex scenes. Horror is allowed but it must be short sequence and the outcome must be reassuring.

PG – PG stands for Parental Guidance and any unaccompanied children of any age can watch it. Discrimination, Drugs, Horror, Violence and Nudity must be at a minimal and the scenes that they are included in must be short.

12A/12 – These movies are suitable for children if 12 and over, 12A movies only exist for cinema movies and children of under that age of 12 can only watch the movie if they are accompanied by adult.
Discrimination and Violence must be minimal and any aggression is usually not accepted. Moderate language and nudity is allowed but sexual scenes must be brief and discreetly portrayed

15 – No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema and they may not be sold an 18 films/ game in a store. 15 Films are allowed to have moderate violence, horror and language. Certain drug use is allowed and sexual scenes must be short and must be portrayed with strong details. Violence is allowed but it must be directed away from the pain and injury it is inflicting.

18 – No one younger than 18 may not view an 18 rated movie in the cinema nor should they be sold an 18 rated movie. There are not that many boundaries involving an 18 rated film because BBFC states that anyone at the age of 18 should be free to choose their own entertainment. The only really boundary that involves 18 rated movies is sexual content, explicit scenes/ images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context are usually banned.

R18 – R18 movies can be seen by anyone of the age of 18 and over, it is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit sexual material. The material must be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas and can only be sold in properly licensed sex shops. 

Film Producer

I have chosen Paramount Vantage for my film producer because they are well known for creating thriller movies such as No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood which were both released in 2007 and both won multiple awards. Paramount Vantage is a branch of Paramount Pictures and it was formed in 1998 as Paramount Classics which was later in 2006 converted into Paramount Vantage. Paramount Vantage has produced a number of movies similar to the thriller opening that I  am hoping to portray, I am hoping to capture the location and settings of No Country For Old Men, probably there most popular movie which won the Movie Of The Year award in 2007.

Psycho bathroom murder scene analysis

Psycho Analysis

Screenshot of Victim in shower with outline of suspect in background - This is a medium close up shot which shows the victim in the shower as well as the suspect to the left of the screen behind the shower curtain. The camera is initially focused on the victim but it then pans to the left of the screen to show the suspect entering the room. The reason that the suspect is blurred out on screen is probably used to create tension because you cannot tell who is behind the curtain but you know that it is going to end badly. This shot also uses the golden rule because the victim is located in the bottom right of the screen and the suspect top left. The only sound in this shot is the sound of the water hitting the floor of the shower, the sound is mostly diegetic but it has been altered to appear louder. The victim is lit up because it symbolises innocence, on the other hand the suspect is left in the dark, and this gives us the effect that they are evil and unnoticed by the victim. Because we know that the victim is not aware of the suspect it leaves us in suspense because we do not know what is going to happen next but we do know that it is not going to end well for the woman in the foreground. Overall the shot is used to create tension and give a small insight into what is going to happen next.

Screenshot of suspect holding up knife - This shot is a medium shot which shows the suspect holding a knife up towards the victim. The camera is focused on the suspect but the water and the suspect’s hair still shields their face from the viewers. This shot is a very dramatic shot because it shows the suspect about to attack the victim, but it also shows how determined the suspect is. The shot is also used to build up tension within the audience because we know that the victim is defenceless and she has no chance of defending herself. The only sound we hear in this shot is the water landing on the floor and the sound of the suspect pulling away the shower curtain; both of the sounds have been edited to appear louder because it gives the effect of realism. This shot also uses the golden mean rule because the head of the suspect and the knife that they are wielding cut across diagonally. Overall the shot is very dramatic because it shows us the suspect about to attack the victim in a very horrific way, we also know that the next few shots from the scene are going to be extremely gory and disturbing which keeps the viewers interested.

Screenshot of suspect stabbing victim from birds eye view camera - This is a medium shot which shows the victim being stabbed by the suspect, from this shot we learn that the suspect is a woman because you can see her long nails on her hand that she is holding the knife with. The camera is placed above the shower so that the viewer can get a good view of the action, you can clearly see that the victim has been stabbed by the mysterious figure that’s face is still hidden from the camera. This shot is used to build tension because you feel sorry for the victim because she has been attacked by this ruthless figure in such unconventional way. This shot uses the golden mean rule because the suspects head is located to the bottom left of the screen while the victims is located to the top right of the screen. There a more sounds used in this shot than in the other two; firstly you can hear the water landing in the bath, it has been slightly edited to appear louder so that the audience feels more involved in the scene. You will also be able to hear the screams of the victim as they are being stabbed by the suspect; screams build tension because the audience feels the victim’s pain and anguish. The last sound you will be able to hear is the sound of the knife travelling through the air and stabbing the victim, this makes the scene feel so much more realistic and horrific. This shot has been used to express the violence within the scene as well as building up the tension within the audience; the shot shows the disturbing nature of the suspect and the unconventional methods used by the suspect on the victim.

Screenshot of water and blood running down plug hole - This last screenshot that I have chosen is an extreme close up of the shower plug hole with the water and blood circling and going down the hole. The shot is used shortly after the victim falls and lays on the floor bleeding to death, the shot symbolises death because it reefers to the life of the victim draining away. It creates an eerie feeling within the audience because everything seems so calm just after someone has been killed, this hints that the killer does not care or feel for the victim. The only sound that you will hear is the sound of the water and blood washing down the plug hole, the sound is eerie but also quite calm which hints that this chapter of this story is over as well as the life of the innocent vulnerable victim. This shot is used to symbolise the death of the victim as well as psychotically building up tension within the audience.

Overall I believe that the bathroom murder scene created tension by being based in a familiar setting that most people will view as a safe place, they also portrayed the suspect as a cold blooded killer that uses horrific unconventional methods of dealing with there victims. Both of these factors make the Psycho bathroom murder scene a prime example of a thriller genre movie.

Media Transition Glossary

Transition - The way two shots are joined together.

Straight Cut - Straight Cut is when the shot changes to another shot without using any editing between the switch over, its the most commonly used type of transition.

Dissolve - Dissolve is when a shot gradually fades from one shot to another shot, its used to show movement from one location to another and can also be used to indicate time passing.

Fade to Black/White - This is when a shot fades to either black or white, its used to create a sense of time passing or if its done quicky it gives the effect of flash backs.

Fade in / Out - This is when a shot either fades in or it fades out, for example a shot could fade out to black or a shot could fade in from a black screen. It can give the effect of time progressing or it can be used for a montage effect.

Cross-Cutting - Cross-Cutting is a technique that is used to establish action occuring at the same time but in to two different locations, its used to create links between the two shots, the two shots can follow the same storyline or entirely different ones.

Wipe - Wipe is when a line moves accross screen showing a transition from one shot to another. It can be used to show the change between location or time.

Jump Cut - Jump Cut is when a shot abruptly jumps to another shot, its used to create a dramatic switch between settings or a jump in time.

Media Composition Glossary

Composition - Where objects are placed / arranged on shot.

Rule of Thirds - Rule of Thirds is when you draw a grid over the shot to seperate it into 9 different sections. The idea being is that you set up the shot so that point of interest occur where the lines cross.

The Golden Mean - "The Golden Mean" method is similar to the "Rule of Thirds" method because they are both used to point out points of interest within a scene. In the Golden Mean method a line is placed over the shot so tht point of interest can be moved or altered so that can occur along the diagonal line.

Framing - Framing is a method used to cut out any unwanted parts of a shot, it basically allows you to choose what you want to include in the shot and what you want to leave out.

Media Camera Shot Glossary

Point of View Shot - A point of view shot shows a view from the subjects perspective. The shot is used to show the audience what the subject is viewing.

Low Angle Shot - A low angle shot is a shot that is taken below the subject looking up at it. This camera shot gives the subject a sense of size, power and authority. It also puts the viewer in a helpless, inferior position.

High Angle Shot - A high angle shot is a shot that is taken above the subject looking down at it. Gives the subject a sense of helplessness and inferiority and puts the viewer in a position of power and authority.

Pan Shot - A pan shot is a shot where the camera moves and follows the subject, left to right or right to left. It gives a sense of moving aswell as action and speed.

Tracking Shot - In a tracking shot the camera is attached onto a dolly which is on rails, this alows the camera to follow the subject without having to swap cameras and its a smooth movement. It also gives the effect of speed and it also allows the camera to follow the action.

Close Up - A close up shot is when the camera zooms close up to the subject, for example the camera may zoom close up to an actors face to show his emotion and facial expressions, this camera shot is useful for showing detail.

Extreme Close Up - An extreme close up shot is a shot that zooms right in to show extreme detail. This shot can also be used to show reactions and emotions by zooming on a specific part of a subject, for example the eyes.

Cut Away - A cutaway shot is a shot that is usually of something other than the current action. It could be a different subject (for example the subject could be talking about a cat and then the scene changes to the image of a cat).

Two Shot - A two shot is a shot that is used to show the relationship between two subjects. A two shot can can contain movement or an action but is primaly used to show the relations between two subjects.

Over the Sholder Shot - An over the sholder shot is framed over the shoulder of a person who is talking to the subject. This shot is used to establish the position of each subject and it gives the effect that the subjects are communicationg with each other.

Noddy Shot - A noddy shot is most commonly used in interviews, it is the shot of someone listening and reacting to the subject. Noddy shots can be recorder and then matched with different recordings to give the effect that someone is always reacting to a subject.

Extremely Long Shot - An extremely long shot is used to show something from a very long distance, it can be used to show scenery involved in the scene or it can be used to just build effect, Its a usefull shot for scenes where the action is very widespread (for example war movie).

Long Shot - A long shot is a shot that is used to show the subject fully on screen, for example if the subject was a character his head would be at the top of the frame and his feet would be at the bottom of the scene. Shot can be used to show character in their enviroment.

Mid Shot  - A mid shot shows some of the subject but in more detail than a long shot. Although it does not nshow the whole subject the audience will give the effect that they are looking at the whole subject. Mid shot also allows for small movement and hand gestures.

Medium Close Up - A medium close up shot is half way between a mid shot and close up shot. It shows the face more clearly without getting uncomfortably close.

Thriller Movie DVD Cover