The subject of the short film Lovefield is judgment. This is because the first half of the film looks like a woman is being murdered and we judge the man on the scene as we think he is killing her. When it turns out that he is actually helping her you realize that you judged him before you knew what had happened. The intention of the producer is to show that appearances are deceiving. The camera work in the film doesn’t show the main attraction but pinpoints things around it e.g. the napkin with blood on it, straight away you assume there is a murder going on especially when the woman screams and the bloody knife is rammed into the ground. The man appears to run away with a guilty conscience but it turns out he is actually helping a woman who has given birth. The implied target is the industry as it is a showcase film. The clever camera work and soundtrack show an impressive story. The potential certification of this film would be a 12a as the beginning of the film appears to be a murder so a child may need reassurance and explaining to when the story turns around and shows the birth. The key characters in the film are the woman who is giving birth and the man who helps her. The setting of the film is a wheat field by a road. This is a deserted place which makes it appear more of a murder scene as no one will know what’s happened. The soundtrack is very good in this film; it starts off with low edgy music with sound effects of an eerie creaking of a sign and the cawing of a crow. Then a phone is playing a no answer tone which makes you suspicious, there is a woman screaming which makes you assume she’s in pain maybe even attacked. Then the music softens and a lullaby is played, the man and woman are laughing and there is the sound of a baby crying, this takes away the suspicion and replaces it with joy that it was a happy ending. The form of this is a film. I really like this film, the twist in the story completely changes your outlook on the scene. The sound is very good in this with the repetitive cawing of the crow which shows it is watching the man, its almost judging him. The swinging sign creates anxiety and adds to the suspicious atmosphere. The camera shots also change your perception as in the beginning it only shows parts of the scene, by the end it shows you the whole picture and you realize what is actually going on.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
In My Mothers House
In this film ‘My Mother’s House’, the subject is based on abortion. The film does not show an abortion but uses a metaphor for it. The intention of the producer is to show abortion is horrific and distressing. This is shown by the metaphor of the girl trying to escape from the doctor who is trying to get her in her mother’s house. She calls for help but her mother is nowhere, she rings her father he doesn’t reply either. I think it’s a cause film and the implied target audience is for women who are pregnant. The potential certification is a 12a as the underlying message would need explaining, the actual film does not contain high levels of violence or nudity etc. There is no distribution as the film is made as a showcase to the industry. The key characters are the young girl, the doctor and the mother. The setting is in the girl’s mother’s house which is meant to be safe; this is a metaphor to the safety in the womb. The soundtrack contains some lullaby music which makes you think the mother loves the girl, but when the doctor appears, killer music is played (eight note cello line played on a Kurzweil 250). The form of this is a drama film. I think this film is peculiar and it is hard to figure out the underlying message. The music was good as it flowed with the film and was tense.
Monday 18 October 2010
My Idea
I have been studying short films and have come up with smoking as an idea for a short film. The intention of the film would be to show that smoking is bad for you. The film would start off with a teenage girl going to the shops with her friends. The camera would shoot between sweets and cigarettes showing the choice she is trying to decide. Then the images would speed up if she bought cigarettes. You would see her lose her friends, her health deteriorates and she eventually gets cancer. Then it could rewind and show what happens if she picked sweets. She would have a normal life, do well in her education and get a great job earning lots. The reason I would do this idea is because I feel strongly against smoking and believe there is always a choice. The story revolves around the idea of a dual narrative where there is a decision to make and whatever you do affects your whole life. The potential certification for this would be a 12a as it is to warn young children of the health risks. The distribution would be on the internet and television to show everyone there is a choice and not to make the bad one. It should be shown in the evening time on television as this is the most popular time teenagers are watching telly. On the internet it should be distributed on sites such as YouTube as this is a very common site for teenagers watching videos.
Certification
In all forms of media, certification is needed to put certain films into advisory and age related categories. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) classification categories are: U- Universal which means any age can watch it, PG- Parental Guidance which means anyone can watch it although children need a parent with them, 12A- Under 12 can watch but they must have a parent with them, 12- only 12 and over, 15- only 15 and over, 18- only 18 and over, 18R- only special cinemas show these films and only licensed sex shops can sell these films.
The BBFC’s areas of concern are violence, nudity, sex, language, drugs, imitation and discrimination. The biggest concern is violence, if the audience enjoys it, finds it funny, or see it as a positive solution, the certification will rise higher. The quicker violence is resolved happily, the lower the certification becomes. If nudity is natural it has no certification, however, the more sexually orientated it is the higher the certification. Sex is another issue of concern. If the sex is simulated, the certification will be an 18; if the sex is real then it goes up to an 18R. If sex and violence are linked the certification is very high. Language is an important issue, the word F*** may only be used once in an age 15 film, if swear words are used more than that then the certification goes up. The word C*** is rated the worst word that can be used. Drugs can be shown in a film but they never be glamorized. If you wanted to show someone taking drugs then the certification would be very high. 
The BBFC are very concerned about imitation. The use of weapons has to be carefully shown as children can get hold of things such as knives and there’s a risk they could copy actions they see. When showing suicides the method can’t be shown as children may be able to imitate actions. Discrimination is another issue that contributes to certification. It shouldn’t be shown that it is good to discriminate, but it can be shown that it happens. Certification influences the audience as it limits who can see the film. If you want to target a certain age, don’t make a higher/lower certification film. The narrative is influenced as the story is affected by what you can and can’t show because of the certification. The theme is affected as it is an opinion but it has to be socially acceptable otherwise you won’t get a certification. The intention is influenced as it has to be one that society would agree with.
The audience pleasures are also influenced as the emotions will be different according to the certification e.g. an 18 would create fear where as lower certifications would not be able to show the same content. Depending on what certification you decide to have, this affects the theme of the film as you are limited by what you can show e.g. if you want to show drugs are bad and your certification is a 12, you can only talk about drugs and never the actual taking of drugs. If it was an 18 certification, you would be able to show drug taking and the effects. 
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)