Questionnaire

How old are you?
Under 12 -o
12 - 20 - 2
21 - 30 -2
31 - 40 -2
41 - 50 - 6
51 + -1

Gender?
Male - 9
Female -4

What do you think a thriller should contain?
Suspense - 12
Mystery - 6
Other -1

Do you think a thriller opening should contain allot of suspense?
Yes - 8
No -2
Sometimes -3

Do you think the opening scene to a film is important?
Yes -12
No -1

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

The BBFC has 6 different audience classifcations for films, these are:

: suitable for all

It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.
If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

: Parental Guideance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

: Suitable for 12 years and older

Works classified at this categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.

: Suitable for 12 years and older, children under 12 may watch the film in cinema if accopanied by an adult.

Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.
The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.

: Suitable for 15 year and older

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

: Suitable for 18 years and older

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video work.

: Only to be shown and sold in specially licenced shops and cinemas and not to anyone under the age of 18.

The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order.

Analysis Of 'The Happening' Opening Scene

The Happening is a hybrid genre film that combines sci-fi,horror and thriller into one film. The film begins with a conventional view of people in Central Park New York City going about their daily routines (jogging, walking dogs, business men, etc.) and there are alot of low angle long shots to give us an establishing view of this "normal" scene. The music playing in the background is quite sombre and gives a slightly eerie feel to the scene. Then the wind picks up (which is exaggerated for dramtic effect) and the camera pans in on two women talking about a book that involves killers, this gives connotations of horror to what seems a normal scene. The scene carries on with the lighter blond haired woman repeating what she is saying and the people around them stop moving we can infer that something bad is going on, then their are screams and the darker blond haired woman notices that people futher away from them are clawing at themselves, the film then cuts to a long shot of people sitting on the grass clawing at their skin. The dilouge in this scene is sparce and repetitive. The camera then moves to an extreme close up of the lighter haired woman pulling the large pin out of her hair and we can deduce that she is going to stab herself in the neck with it which she does. The camera then moves to a rection shot of the darker haired woman who begins to be affected by the toxin in the air.

Analysis of Psycho (1998) Shower Scene

The scene begins with a low angle point of view close up of the shower; this gives the viewer a sense of being in the shower and also lets the viewer know that the shower is going to be a major part in the scene. The scene then moves to an establishing shot where the camera remains still and we see a block behind the shower curtain where we can deduce a person is standing. The shot the then changes to a close up of the person with the knife, this shot takes up the whole shot to emphasise that this is a major part of the scene also there is a lot of mystery in the shot as the attackers face is hidden behind the water from the shower but the knife and hand are clear. Just from this shot it is obvious that this is a thriller movie. The next shot is a low angle close up on the knife, this is used to show the vulnerability of the woman in the shower and the attacking knife.

The scene then moves to an extreme close up reaction shot of the victim screaming, it then cuts quickly back to a point of view shot through the water of the knife coming at the victim. The next shot it goes to is a high angle shot which shows the vulnerability of the victim while she is getting stabbed as we are over the top of everyone in the shot. The next shot in the scene is a high angle shot of the results of the stabbing as the water around the victim is spotted with blood. The scene the cuts to outdoors where there is a storm this emphasises the genre and the chaos inside the room. It then cuts back to a close up of the victim’s hand slowly sliding down the tiled wall leaving a line of blood. This clearly shows the effects of what has happened and the fact that the woman is unable to fight back.

The shot that follows is another extreme close up, this time of the victim’s eye, this shot clearly shows the victims dilated pupil which shows that she is afraid as pupils dilate in stressful situations. The scene then moves on to a mid-shot through the water of the attacker we are still confused as to who the attacker is but we do get a conclusion to the murder. The scene then goes to an extreme close up of the victims blood covered hand grasping at the shower curtain in desperation. It then moves to an extreme close up of the victim’s blood circling down the drain, this could represent the victim’s life draining away.

Next in the scene is an extreme close up of the victim’s eye slowly rotating around, the eye does not move or blink this shows that the woman is now dead and lead to the next shot which is a close up of the woman’s face on the floor showing clearly that she is dead. The shot then move out to show her body has keeled over and the knife marks in her back. The scene then moves to a close-up of a newspaper which has a map highlighted on the front which may be a reason why she was murdered. The last shot of the scene is a mid-shot of the house which is in shadow and the storm in the background.

First Blog

I'm Kirsty Griffith and I am going to write this blog as part of my AS Media Studies work, in this blog I will talk about what films I have watched recently and different media thing used :L