LO4 : General Feedback and Age Rating

I expected my film to fall under the rating of a 12A under the BBFC classification act when I first created it, due to moderate language and minor violence. The BBFC text for a 12A/12 states the following:

"Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the BBFCinsight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work."

After reviewing my work I came to the conclusion that this statement was true, however the TV doesn't have a 12A, so therefore I would rate it a 12 instead. This was an easy classification to make due to the lack of major content in all fields, therefore making it between a PG and 12. This makes me choose the latter as children of 8 (what PG's minimum age represents) might not understand the content or might find it potentially offensive (due to use of moderate bad language and violence).

People who were shown the film in the screening also followed the trend of rating the film a 12 after reading the BBFC classification for it. Here are some of the comments from viewers of my short film about age rating and general feedback;

"The film looks like a 12 to me", "I think the effects are really good and the music makes it tense in places" - Penny

"The film has very limited violence and swearing, so It looks like a 12 or 12A", "I like the scene where the two students are running as the transition between both places fits perfectly" - Roger

"The film looks like a 12A to me", "I like the tense approach to the short film" - James

LO4 : Focus Screening Group

Group 1 (Family)

Group 2 (Friends)

LO4 : BBFC Ratings

For LO4, I will hold a screening of my short film in front of different family members and friends. During this screening I will obtain information to which BBFC rating they think my short film falls under. Age and Gender is very important here to get a diverse statistic and a general result. The meaning and ratings of the BBFC are as follows:

U: This means universal, the footage can be watch by anyone of any age and does not contain anything that anyone under the age of 8 should see. There is also Uc, which is intended at a target audience of < 3 year olds.

PG: PG means parental guidance. It is similar U in the sense that anyone can go and see a film of this rating unaccompanied however parents should consider the different factors that a PG allows over a U.  

12A: 12A is a cinema rating and therefore does not appear on TV. The 12A rating means that the film does not contain all the factors of a 12, which gives to option for persons under the age of 12 to watch the film if they are accompanied by an adult.

12: This rating means that only persons over the age of 12 can watch the film.

15: This rating means that only persons over the age of 15 can watch the film.

18: This rating means that only persons over the age of 18 can watch the film.

From U - 18, an increase of discrimination, offensive language, nudity, sexual interaction, violence, terror and dangerous behaviour are all possible.

For my film, I would rate it 12A for cinema, or 12 for TV screening due to the use of offensive language and some aspects of horror that may scare people under that age. 

LO3 : Final Film

LO3 : Edit Decision List

LO3 : Footage Log for Rushes

LO3 : Rushes

LO3 : Offline Edit

The above footage is my offline edit for my short film called 'Treasure'. The version above contains cut footage with no effects, the only post production editing that was conducted on the footage was cutting the clips down to the correct length, adding placeholders for certain titles, and adding the voice over for the characters at different points of the short film. 

After reviewing my offline edit, it was apparent that the film was coming together as expected, with scenes matching correctly and audio working well. With the added effects, music and sounds in the final production, it should make the film look exactly as intended. I did however notice some small issues with the Offline edit, namely the cutting of certain sections that needed to be rectified, and voice sync issues towards the end. These will be hopefully rectified in the later final production and should coalesce to create a good short film.  

LO3 : Evidence of Editing

Above you can see my timeline using Sony Vegas on my Windows PC. I used this program to put the final film together as well as cutting down shots and manipulating Audio as I am more familiar with Sony Vegas than Premier. Different Audio layers allowed for track by track volume editing, meaning when filming shots from further away, the audio could be made to sound constant. I also used Sony Vegas to add all sound effects and voice overs to create the final film.

I used Adobe after effects on my Mac to edit and create special effects which would be used later on. This includes: turning day to night, creating special effects (portal which appears on the last scene and gunshots), Computer generated video stabilisation, the Earth to Sheffield zoom in effect and rain and blur effects. I will be outlining/showing how I did some of the effects below, however not all special effects were recorded. 

The above image shows the standard editing pane for Adobe after effects. The original composition was a daylight shot with no effects. Different objects in the timeline do different things. The Null object for example has motion tracking data assigned to it which allowed me to track the portal exactly with the location of the Trophy. Another Null allowed me to track the gun in order to apply the shot effects that can be seen in the final film.

Above you can see the portal shape in a composition in after effects. The timeline shows the composition, which were the numbers and symbols which go along the outside of the shield, the other layer is the shapes and the repeater which allow the complex polygons to be made.

In the Effect controls pane on the left of the above screenshot, the Polar co-ordinates effect can be seen. This effect allowed me to take a straight line of text (in this case the symbols which were created using the Webdings font) and curve it into a circle as seen in the image above. The polar co-ordination effect also effected the shapes as well which were also at default in a straight line.

The above screenshot shows me manipulating RGB curves in order to create a more night time style of effect. By adding more blue to the shot and less red and green, it allows the overall image to appear as if effected by moonlight and therefore appear darker. 

On the shot above I wanted a complete night time effect (in order to make it look like the students were walking home in the dark). To do this I used the same method above but this time manipulated the complete RGB curve to make it darker overall. 

I then manipulated the RGB curves individually to give a more prominent blue in order to make the shot appear as if it was being lit by moonlight. I allowed more green than red to allow a more washed out colour overall.

I then proceeded to add a Hue Saturation layer on an adjustment layer above the main shot. This allowed me to set a blue Hue that was quite intense and use opacity to make it more realistic. This effect in partnership with the curves effect allowed a much better looking night time effect.

LO2 : Evidence of Following a Storyboard / Shooting Script

Shooting Script

LO2 : Following the Style and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

The footage in my short film treasure follows the conventions of the genre, short shots help to intensify the scenes and make the viewer feel on edge. The use of different camera angles also helps to portray the characters positions at that time, with a variety of shots being used during tense scenes. The amount of clips in the scene also convey the genre by creating different time periods to which the characters might be at ease, or in a tense scene. Close ups and medium close ups were my main go to shot types due to the detail that can be created in certain shots, a vital component of making any thriller film. 

I used a different variety of shots to put the viewer in an all seeing position, for example when the students pick up the trophy, they do not notice the shadow figure behind them, however the audience does. This use of a long shot here allows further scenes to become more tense, as the audience does not know when the Shadow figure will next appear.

Static shots played an important part in following the convention of the genre, as the students walk off the shot and it cuts to the next, it puts the audience on edge as at any point something could happen. It also keeps the audience excited to continue viewing the short film. During these shots it was important to use a tripod to maintain stability and create a nice looking shot.

Finally in some scenes, the use of no tripod was beneficial. For example in the scene in which the students are chasing the shadow figure makes good use of a handheld camera. The bob of the camera emulated a real person running with it, and as this was following the students it can make the audience feel like they are in the film. This is vital as part of a thriller genre, as involving the audience leads to a more intensive scene.

Audio

Audio in my short film was in the style of a thriller. Short pulses of character speech were vital in order to fit with the footage correctly. The voice over in certain areas also helped to capture the actors voices which makes the scene more intense. 

The use of different sound effects, including heavy breathing from the actors helped to portray mood and the genre perfectly. These effects mixed with the choice of music will bring the whole film together to fit the genre almost perfectly.

LO2 : Evidence of Filming