Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Research into Sound

Sound is vital in films, especially in the thriller genre. This is because sound in films are used for a variety of different things, for example, non diegetic sound such as background music can create suspense which engages the audience. I have chosen to analyse "American Psyco" because it has a wide range of sound terminology which I can analyse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruw9fsh3PNY

Diegetic sound - 0:34

Sound can be seen in the American Psyco, through diegetic sound. This is evident when the audience hear Patrick taking his pills, the sound  shows the audience how mental he is because he has to take pills to keep his mental state. It also shows the audience that the antagonist is mad/crazy which is conventional to thriller antagonists. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows how unstable and twisted the antagonist is. This engages the audience as they know how twisted and abnormal the antagonist is which scares the audience and keeps them excited. This helps the audience build a relationship with Patrick because they sympathise for him as he has to take medicine to keep himself sane.

Contrapuntal - 1:06

Contrapuntal sound can be heard by the audience when they see Patrick put on the radio to, happy up beat music, "Hip to be square" when he attempts to kill Paul. The contrapuntal sound tells the audience how twisted and weird Patrick is because the happy music doesn't match what Patrick is intending to do. This is like his personality, he is a kind uplifting person, however he is also a deadly crazy murderer. This is conventional to a thriller film because it shows the two different sides of the antagonist which excites and engages the audience because they are able to see what the characters in the film can't. This helps the audience build a relationship with Patrick because they are able to see the two different sides of him which helps the audience to understand him better. 

Parallel sound - 1:29

Parallel sound can be heard in the American Psyco when Patrick axes Paul in the back go his head, killing him. This shows the audience that he is a mental, smart, physical killer as he is smart to not leave any blood stains but also likes to do it the dirty way. The parallel sound was used to exaggerate how violent he is towards Paul. This also tells the audience the type of personality he has. He is portrayed as a quirky psyco murderer which the audience have most likely not seen usually. This is conventional to a thriller film because the antagonist is abnormal and strange which gives them a sense of mystery. All which engages the audience as they are unsure of what he will do next seeing as his personality is so unusual. This keeps the audience questioning his mental health.

Another editing terminology can be heard through, on screen sound. This is evident when the audience watch Patrick screaming whilst running towards Paul with an axe. The on screen sound shows the audience how much built up anger and frustration he has for Paul as he lets it all out  in a scream and physical violence. This also shows the audience his other side which is dark and sinister. This engages the audience as they are waiting to see what Patrick will do next seeing as he just snapped in an instant. This is conventional to a thriller film because it shows the audience the real side of the antagonist and what they are capable of. All in all engaging the audience as they wait to see what else he is capable of and who his next victim could be. The audience can then build a relationship with Patrick as they fear what he might do next could put him in a bad position, thus making the audience petrified about what consequences Patrick might have to face.


To conclude, I think that this research has helped me to further understand the uses and the importance of sound in a thriller sequence. It has strengthened my knowledge of how various different types of sound can be used to portray hidden meanings. I think that this sequence has had the audience feeling a sense of shock and surprise because they did not expect him to kill the man due to his completely different attitude towards him in the first place. Overall, the extract used a variety of different sounds to engaged the audience and build tension and suspense to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Research into Mise-en-Scene - Miss Georgiou

Research into Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-scene means, the assortment of scenery and stage properties in a play. Mise-en-scene consists of 5 elements, which are; Positioning of characters, Setting and iconography, Lighting and colour, Costume, Hair and Make up and Facial expression and Body language. The scene i have chosen to analyse is from the film "Orphan". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDWTQajOiuw

Costume, hair and make-up/Colour - 0:25

Mise-en-scene can be seen in the film Orphan, through Colour/Costume, hair and make-up. The audience can see this when the Esther is trying to kill the mother on top of an isolated frozen lake. The audience can see that Esther was wearing an all black attire, which shows the audience that she is sinister because she is wearing the colour black which symbolises death, which the audience can connote forbade that death is upon one of the characters. Another thing is that, on Esther's face is blood, this could also symbolise pain and death through the colour red, because the colour red is usually associated with blood and demise. This is conventional to a thriller film because the colours help the audience to know who the antagonist is, and also the audience can foreshadow an evil sense by the use of the colours black and red.

Setting and Iconography - 0:49

Iconography and setting can be seen in the Orphan when the audience see Esther holding a knife whilst attempting to stab the mother, who are both on top of a completely frozen lake, in the middle of a forrest. The knife tells the audience that Esther is sinister because she is holding a sharp object which she plans to kill with. Also the isolated lake could build up a lot of suspense which will keep the audience questioning what will happen next. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience expect there to be a weapon which is used upon the protagonist to cause their death. Also the audience expect to see an isolated forrest where no one can hear the mothers screams, in favour of the antagonist which has the protagonist at a disadvantage. The audience then start to feel sympathy towards the mother as it could be her last breath whilst fighting for survival.

Positioning of characters - 0:55 

Positioning of characters and Facial expression can be seen in the Orphan. This is evident when the audience watch Esther sitting on top of the mother with a knife in her hand trying to stab her. This shows the audience that Esther is more dominant and powerful than the mother because she is overpowering the mother by having her helplessly defenceless on the floor whist Esther is threatening to end her life. Also the facial expression on Esther's face shows her anger towards the mother and how much she wants to kill her as she is shown screaming. While on the other hand, the mother's facial expression is of her crying and pleading for help as she is hopelessly inferior on the floor. This is conventional to a thriller film because the audience can clearly see the difference in power between the antagonist and the protagonist, which leaves the audience engaged in the film and wanting to know how and if the protagonist will win.

Facial expression and body language - 2:54

Facial expression and body language can be seen in the Orphan. This is evident when the audience watch the mother finally defeat and kill Esther then runs and hugs her daughter in relief. This shows the audience that the mother is overwhelmingly happy that she has finally killed Esther and her daughter is safe as she is hugging her daughter and crying in relief that she will never have to deal with Esther and her sinister side again. This is conventional to a thriller film because the fear of death and pain has vanished from the film as it nears towards the end which gives the audience a happy ending. The audience can now build a relationship with the mother and her family because they have experienced her tragic story and can sympathise for her.


Overall, I think that the use of mine-en-scene in the film Orphan was very effective towards the audience in making them engaged and excited while watching the film. The research that I have just made will guide and help me when creating my own thriller as it has shown me various different techniques of mine-en-scene which i can use to portray many different meanings. In my thriller I will hopefully include all 5 elements of mise-en-scene into my thriller, but if that is not done then I will most definitely include; Facial expression and body language, Costume hair and make-up and positioning of characters. This is because i believe that these 3 elements are the most important out of the 5 in order to creating a suspenseful tense thriller which will excite and uplift the audience, whilst also scaring them.

Research into Cinematography

Research into Cinematography 
Cinematography is the use of photography and camerawork whilst film making. The theme I  will be exploring is, thriller and the film which I will analysing is "Insidious 3". I have chosen to analyse Insidious 3 because the clip that I have chosen has many different varieties of cinematography which I could write about. The clip starts from "1:14:22" to "1:22:30". https://xmovies8.org/watch?v=Insidious_Chapter_3_2015#video=dVzaJL4ud3qT5kw1TKyLyIutM3rdgZ-yGCfL0boNMl8

Close up - 1:21:09

Cinematography is used in the film, Insidious 3. This can be seen through a close up shot, the audience can see this when Elise is trying to get in the other dimension whilst she is closing her eyes trying to contact the demons. This shot was used to show how much concentration Elise has, as the camera is positioned so that the audience are only focused on Elise. This tells the audience how important this ritual is to her and the family she is trying to save. This is conventional to a thriller film as there is a sense of fear and death. This helps the audience build a relationship with Elise as they sympathise towards her because they are unsure if she will come back into this dimension safely.

Shallow focus - 1:14:32

Cinematography can also be seen through the shallow focus, which was used when the audience see Elise sitting on her chair attempting to reach the other dimension. The shot was used so that Elise is the only thing the audience will be focusing on, this was done to show the importance of correctly performing the ritual as it could result in losing her life and the life of the child she is trying to save. This is conventional to a thriller film because there is a threat of death apon a family. The audience can relate to this situation as they have a family which they would do anything to save, thus putting themselves into Elise's shoes and building a strong relationship with her. Ultimately engaging the audience.   

Extreme close up - 1:16:27

Extreme close up can be seen when Elise touches the door knob and gets her hand covered in blood. This shot was used to foreshadow danger and death as their is blood which symbolises pain. Also the blood isn't the normal colour of red, it is black. This connotes that the blood could be from something inhumane, the colour black could also symbolise something sinister and impure. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience can foreshadow some sort of death or pain which will be inflicted among Elise which builds up the suspense for the audience to be engaged and on the edge of their seats. The audience will also sympathise for Elise as they know she is getting into something dangerous.

Steadicam - 1:24:18

Cinematography can be seen through steadicam, the audience can see this when the camera is completely still and eye level with the characters whilst moving from right to left of Elise trying to contact Quinn from the other dimension. This shot is used to show how focused everyone is whilst staring at Quinn, because the situation that they are in puts them into a state of mind where they are unsure if Quinn will reply back or not, which could either mean Quinn can't hear Elise or she is dead. This engages the audience because there is a build up of suspense, as the audience patiently waits to see whether Quinn is still alive. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience is left pondering whether the antagonist is in grave danger.

Two shot - 1:22:30

Cinematography can be seen through the shot, two shot. This is evident when the audience see the demonic, crippled old man stroking Quinn's head. This shot was used to show the vulnerability of Quinn and to show how helpless and defenceless she is. The shot also shows how badly the old demonic man wanted Quinn as he strokes her in relief that he finally has her. This is conventional to a thriller film because the protagonist has been captured by the antagonist which leaves the audience engaged as they want to see the protagonist win and defeat the antagonist. The audience can also sympathise for Quinn because she is captured and doesn't know if she will ever escape, or if she is trapped there forever.





To conclude, I believe that the shots that I analysed were used to engage, excite and grab the audience. This was done by using a variety of different types of cinematography to which up suspense and tension to keep the audience hooked and fully concentrated. The cinematography which was used is conventional to the thriller genre because it kept the audience on the edge of their seats eagerly waiting to see what will happen next which was very effective as it also builds tension. Analysing the clips has helped inspire me for my own thriller opening scene. This is because I am now more confident in portraying the meanings of shots that i can integrate them into my opening scene and make it as conventional as possible, whist also building tension and suspense to grab and hook the audience. It has also helped me as I am now more educated in the different variety of shots, thus meaning I can include more advanced camera shots such as the "steadicam". Hopefully by integrating all these into my opening scene it can make it as conventional and as real as a professional thriller film as possible.   

History of a thriller - Miss Georgiou

Why Are Thrillers still Popular Today?

Thrillers are still popular to this date because i believe that people go to the movies to watch films that will keep them excited and tense, all which thriller films do. Thriller films these days need to satisfy their audiences, and what better way to keep them hooked on than a scare? People nowadays enjoy to be scared and vulnerable as it gives them a sense of pleasure, thus making thriller films to this date as popular as they were back in the 90's.


The Most Dangerous Game - 1932


The most dangerous game is a thriller movie which was made in the 1930's. The Most Dangerous Game; when a boat gets shipwrecked onto an island, the passengers find their way to a mansion of a twisted man, who's game is to hunt the passengers and kill them. The theme of this thriller is, psychological  This is because the antagonist wants to try and get into the minds of the passengers, all as an attempt to kill them for his own fun. The characters are stereo typical to thriller films. this includes, a twisted evil antagonist who's goal is to inflict fear towards the audience, the heroic protagonist who saves the day and extras who help build up the storyline. The directors of the film are Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel.


Rebecca - 1940

Rebecca is a thriller film which was made in 1940. Rebecca is about a woman who married a widower only to find out that her husbands late wife died several years earlier. She must find out the secrets her husband is hiding and unveil the truth while also dealing with a jealous housekeeper who will not accept her as the lady of the house. Rebecca is a psychological/mystery thriller as the main protagonist is forced to solve mysteries and find clues to how her husbands wife died. The characters in Rebecca are conventional to thrillers in this era because the audience find it familiar to see a protagonist, antagonist and an extra who torments the protagonist all in the main cast. The director of Rebecca is Alfred Hitchcock. 


The Killing - 1956

The Killing was made in 1956 and is about a criminal, Johnny Clay hiring several men to do one last job before he settles down and marries his fiancee, Fay. However, when one of the hired men tell their wife about the job to steal millions from the racetrack where he works, she invents a plan of her own. The theme of this thriller is criminal, this is because the main antagonists are all criminals joining forces one last time to hatch an evil illegal job. The costumes are conventional to the crime theme , thus letting the audience know that they are watching the criminal genre. The characters in The Killing are conventional to a thriller film in this era because the antagonists are people of which can be seen as evil in reality and not just a made up fictional character. The director of The killing is Stanley Kubrick.



No Way To Treat A Lady - 1968

No way to treat a lady was made in the 1960's and is about a psychopathic serial killer, who can't let go of his late mother, building an obsession over her. This then results in him murdering any and everyone who reminds him of his mother. He does this by wearing various different disguises to make his target comfortable with him and gain their trust. The serial killer purposely tips off the detective into a game of cat and mouse. The theme of this thriller is a comedy type thriller. This is because the film contains traces of humour and is not a very serious thriller film. The audience know this because they can see humorous scenes in parts of the film. The characters are conventional to a thriller film as it contains a protagonist who works in a service and a lunatic murderer as the antagonist. There is also the common stereo typical, weak, vulnerable damsel is distress. The director of the film is Jack Smight.


The French Connection - 1971

The French Connection was made in 1971 and is about a detective from New York called Doyle or known as "Popeye" and his partner set on a chase to find the french heroin smuggler. The theme of this thriller is an action. This is because it is set in the time where gangsters and drug lords were very popular, this meant that there would be a lot of conflict between the good and the bad. The illegal and the legal, thus making this an action packed film. The audience will know that this films genre is a detective film because from the picture above the audience can see from the costumes the characters are wearing they wear conventional detective clothing. The characters are not very conventional to a thriller film at the time as it was a new type of antagonist. However this didn't mean that it wasn't successful, in fact people at that time enjoyed the film as it had more of a realistic feel to it because gangsters and drug lords were more realistic and common in that time. The director of the film is William Friedkin. 



Angel Heart - 1987

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   Angel Heart was made in 1987 and is about a private detective (Harry Angel), who has a contract with Louis Cyphre to track down the popular singer Johnny Favourite. However everyone that he interrogates about Johnny Favourite leads them to a tragic death. Until finally Angel finds himself in New Orleans where he discovers that Favourite has intertwined with the black arts. As Favourite's location seems to be clearing up, Angel realises being contracted by Cyphre was not just a coincident. The theme of this thriller is  supernatural. This is because the film contains demonic possessions and exorcism which is classed as super natural. The audience can see this from the image above, they can see that there are demonic actions taking place. The characters are conventional to a thriller as there are demonic possessed people, who are put there to scare, excite and engage the audience. The director of Angel Heart is Alan Parker.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Stir Of Echoes - 1999

   
   

   

   Stir of Echoes was made in 1999 and its plot is about a family man (Tom Witzky) who was hypnotised by his sister in law, and as a result Tom starts seeing visions of a mysterious little girl as he is being set on an adventure to unfold the secrets behind her. The theme of this thriller is supernatural, this is because the film contains ghosts, demons and supernatural beings. This is evident when the audience see Kevin in his living room and mysteriously a girl is sitting beside him. This shocks and scares the audience and shows them the supernatural beings. The supernatural theme has become more popular in the 1990's than earlier on, this is because the audience are more engaged and become more scared when seeing something abnormal, which gets them to believe that what they saw could be real. The characters are conventional to thrillers in the 90's, this is because they contain the common heroic protagonist and mysterious antagonist who looks rough and abnormal to have the audience petrified. The director of Stir Of Echoes is, David Koepp.  
   
   
   
   Munich - 2005
   
   
   
   

   

   Munich was made in 2005. Munich; Based off the true story of The Black September Aftermath, 5 men were selected to avenge the people by eliminating the ones responsible for that memorable day. However while the demises were adding up, Avner Kaufman soon questions his actions. The theme of this thriller is political. This is because the film is based on a real political event. The audience can see this because the film was based on the Munich Olympic massacre which happened in 1972. The film shows and recreates some of the events, which helps engage the audience as it is a real story. The characters in this thriller are conventional to a political thriller as there are characters which resemble political figures and the events which takes place is based on a true story. Ultimately making the audience able to relate to the movie as they may have heard or experienced the real life event. The director of Munich is Stephen Spielberg.  
   
   
   
   Honeymoon - 2014
   
   
   
   

   

   Honeymoon was made in 2014 and is about a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, when one night, the bride sleep walked her way into the forrest near an abandoned cabin but when she returns she looks well and normal but acts and seems uncomfortably different. The theme of this type of thriller is psychological, this is evident because the film challenges the minds of the audience into making accusations of what might of happened to the bride, or if its all still a dream. This is evident in the film when the audience see the bride being tied to the bed by the husband. This makes the audience wonder what next will happen to the bride. The characters in this film are conventional to a thriller film as the main characters are a wedded couple who are being challenged mentally and physically, driving them slowly apart. This is done so that the audience can relate to the main characters as they too might be a couple.
   
   
   
   Top Ten Thrillers
   
   
   1. Oldboy; After a man was imprisoned in a room for 15 years, he was released only to find out he must find the man who put him in there in 5 days.
   Domestic Total Gross: $707,481
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   2. The Silence Of The Lambs; An FBI agent must share his secrets with a manipulative killer in order to gain his trust and help him track down another murderer who skins his victims.
   Domestic Total Gross: $130,742,922
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   3. Leon; A young 12 year old girl was taken in by  Leon, a highly trained assassin after her family was brutally murdered. Although the relationship is unusual, she follows in the footsteps of Leon to become a professional assassin.  
   Domestic Total Gross: $19,501,238
   
   

   

   4. Seven; Two detectives, an amateur and a veteran join forces to try and track down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a motive. 
   Domestic Total Gross: $100,125,643
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   5. The Usual Suspects;  Five suspects attempt to convince the police that the devil is real and that he was the cause for them to start the several million dollar heist which lead to an explosion leaving very few survivors. 
   Domestic Total Gross: $23,341,568
   

   

    6. Memento; A man uses an abnormal technique to help him remember things in order for him to catch the murderer of his wife without his short term memory getting in his way.
   Domestic Total Gross: $25,544,867
   

   

   7. Heat; A group of heist members feel the "heat" and stress after leaving a big clue which could lead to them from their last heist.
    Domestic Total Gross: $159,582,188
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   8. The Departed; An undercover cop and a member from the police department, attempt to find each others identity whist breaking into an Irish gang in South Boston.
   Domestic Total Gross: $132,384,315
   

   

   
   9. Fargo; When a family man becomes in debt he hires 2 thugs to kidnap his wife so that he will get the ransom from his wife wealthy, rich father. However everything becomes harder when one of the thugs shoot a state trooper.

   Domestic Total Gross: $24,611,975

   
   
   
   
   
   
   10. The Third Man; A Novel writer finds himself in postwar Vienna investigating a mysterious death of an old friend.
   Domestic Total Gross: $429,326

All of the thrillers listed appeal to either and audience of 15 or 18, this is because films which  are successful as these tend to have scenes which may cause harm to any age younger than 15. Another reason is because children younger than the age of 15 do not often watch thrillers as they are at an age where they are easily scared. What made theses films listed so popular are the relatable characters the audience watch. This helps the film to become successful as the audience get hooked onto the relatable characters and the suspense built plot. The reason "Heat" was the most popular film out of the selected few was because it had an interesting narrative which is conventional and also a film which easily engages the audience. This is evident because it made a domestic total gross of just under $160,000,000. "Se7en" was mildly popular within the few selection because it has an average narrative which is conventional however, it is also very common and not unique thus having it make a domestic total gross of around $100,000,000. Lastly, the reason "The Third Man" had only made a domestic total gross of around $430,000 was because it had a very boring and cliche narrative which the audience expect to see.

To conclude, I believe that this task has helped me get a base line of what type of thriller I would like to make. Psychological is the theme that i would like to have my thriller based on because I wish to challenge the minds of my audience and have them leave, pondering on whatever just happened if it was real or not, also letting them build their own conclusions. However I would also like to include a glimpse of abnormal, supernatural beings to scare the audience and keep them engaged such as "Stir of Echoes" has done.

Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

The BBFC, Who are they? What do they do?

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a company which has a variety of highly trained, moving image, expertise who handle the age ratings of films by U, PG, 12a, 12, 15 and 18. They decide which age rating is suitable by examining the content such as, if there were to be a substantial amount of sexual content then the film would be rated an 18 as it is too sexual and vulgar to younger audiences. They do this especially for children, this is because they want to make sure the content that they watch isn't going to harm them in any way.  

U Rating

The U rating means "Universal" this means that anyone 4 and up can watch a U rated film without the supervision of an adult. Although vulgar language is not permitted in U rated films, words such as "damn" and "Hell" are acceptable as it is considered as mild. sexual content is also not permitted in U rated films but characters may be seen hugging or kissing and slight sexual references may be seen. However there will never be a scene in a U rated film which contain extreme sexual content which is vulgar and may harm the children such as sexual behaviour, language and innuendo.Violence in U rated films are always mild, this means that characters will become in threat or danger but will be resolved in a hurry and will have a happy ending. this is the sole purpose of giving children a good message in an emotional way.


An example of a U rated film is, Toy Story 2. This is rated a U because it does not contain a lot of vulgar content, with the exception of mild words such as "damn". Another reason it is rated as a U is because of the characters and the plot. Woody and Buzz are both Protagonists who do not use any weapons and extreme violence to defeat the Antagonist, thus making this film a U as also the film follows the simple plot which is to have a problem and solve it, always having a happy ending. Toy Story 2 is about Woody the Cowboy being stolen by a toy collector, and his friends such as Buzz, Jessie, Slinky dog and many more make  it their life goal to save him. However the temptation of immortality in a museum is too much for Woody. 

PG Rated
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that the film is good for general viewing, but a selected few scenes may not be suitable for children's viewings. A PG film should not scare or make and eight year old and older uncomfortable, thus a PG is mainly for children under the age of 8 as some content could unsettle them without the company of an adult. In a PG rated film the language that may be heard is PG mild, such as "Shit" and "Son of a bitch". Also sexual content is similar to U rated films as there will not be very extreme amounts of sexual content but if a reference may not be known by the children then it may be included for adult purposes.


An example of a PG rated film is The Incredibles. This is because the film is suitable for all ages, however there are scenes which contain violence which could possibly unsettle children ages eight and younger, thus having them be accompanied by an adult. This can be seen during the last fight scene between The incredibles and the Antagonist. The film also does not contain a lot of vulgar content such as swearing and sexual scene with the exception of hugging and kissing which can be seen by Mr and Mrs Incredible. The Incredibles is about a family of five trying to live a normal lifestyle despite the fact of them having superpowers. Until one day when someone from Mr.Incredible's pass comes back to strike terror into his life, he is forced to take action and save the world. 


12a Rated


12a means that anyone under the age of 12 can not go to watch the movie, unless accompanied with an adult above 18 years of age. The accompanied adult must also consider whether the film is suitable for their child's viewing. This is because 12a films contain vulgar language but to some extent such as "f**k" but there are also less vulgar swearing which would possibly bee seen in a 12a which are "Bitch" and "Twat". Racist behaviour or comments will not be permitted in a 12a film as children at a young age could possibly be offended by it. 12a films will not pass, dark and unsettling plots which will frighten the audience, this will most likely be in a 12 or 15.


An example of a 12a film would be, Interstellar. The reason for this is because this film doesn't contain too many vulgar content, with the exception of a few mild swear words used when the Protagonist inflicts vulgar words towards the Antagonist. This is also rated a 12a because throughout the film although some scenes may seem a bit dark or gloomy, the rest is very inspirational and will edge the audience towards their seats. Interstellar; when something mysterious was happening to the Earth, a team of highly skilled astronauts travel through a wormhole leaving their families behind, vowing to ensure that humanity will be saved. Doing so has lead the whole crew to solve problems unimaginable.

12 Rated

The rating 12, means that only people over the age of 12 are permitted to watching the film. They are not allowed to watch the movie if they are younger than the age of 12, even if they are accompanied by an adult, this is easily mistaken for a 12a. They do not permit this as 12 rated films contain more violent and vulgar scenes, and by the decision of the BBFC there may be content which will unsettle the audiences under the age of 12. The 12 rating also makes it a lot easier for stores and retailers as they will not sell or rent the item to someone unless they have a form of ID which states otherwise. However, similarities remain such as, horror films are allowed to be rated 12 or 12a with the exception that the horror scene are kept at a short amount of screen time and is less frequent. Discrimination and racism is also similar to the 12a, as it is not permitted.

An example of a 12 rated film is, The Hunger Games. This is because although there are no sexual content other than hugging and kissing, there has a lot of violence and death which may scare children under the age of 12. The Hunger games also has no discrimination and/or racism in it whatsoever, there are also only mild swearing in this such as "bitch" and "shut up" however, nothing too major thus giving it and age rating of 12. This film didn't get a 12a because the BBFC thought that there was too much violence which was not suitable for viewing. The Hunger Games is about a teen aged woman who has been entered into a competition to fight for her life, in the return that she gets daily ingredients to help he family survive. On her journey, she will have to do things no one wants to do.


15 Rated

The 15 rated certificate means that only people the age of 15 and over are allowed to watch this content. This also means that there are no specific themes, provided that it is suitable for a 15+ audience. This is because when watching a 15 rated film, you are mist likely to see; strong violence, vulgar language such as "F**k", sexual innuendos, references to sexual content, strong nudity, the use of drugs and discrimination and racism in many forms. However all the sex, nudity, violence and discriminative language are to some extent, it is often shown but in a way which will not discomfort the audience. There will be horror content which could have little boundaries, on the note that it will not contain any sexualised threat such as rape.



An example of a 15 rated film is, The Hangover. This has the 15 rated certificate because of its constant use of strong vulgar language such as the word "F**k", there is also many scenes in this film which include strong sexual content and nudity which will be discomforting for anyone under the age of 15. There are also a selected few scenes where some of the main characters take a dosage of drugs and alcohol which leaves the audience to see the aftermath of it all. The Hangover; When a group of friends wake up to the aftermath of a bachelor party only to realise their friend was missing. They then go on an adventure to find their friend, however on their way they will have to solve problems created by the bachelors party, in order to rescue their friend and get him back before his wedding day.






18 Rated

The 18 rated certificate means that only adults aged 18 and above are allowed to go see the film or rent a film of this rating. There are no specific themes in an 18 rated film, provided that it is not illegal or could potentially harm the audience. However some scenes in 18 rated films still make some of the audiences uncomfortable, so watch 18 rated films at your own pleasure. Content which you may see is similar to the 15 age certificate however there are no boundaries, words such as "F**k" and "C**t" will most definitely be used frequently this also applies to very strong sexual content, strong nudity and a great amount of discriminative behaviour and racism. In an 18 rated film Horror has no boundaries, this means that there will be very strong horror, gory scenes and even sustained threat.




An example of an 18 rated film is, Fifty Shades Of Grey. This has the 18 rated certificate because of its strong, heavy use of sexual content and nudity which can only be viewed at the ages 18 and over. This film also contains mild vulgar language but although there isn't much violence, discrimination and racism, this film gets its rating from the sexual content provided which has no boundaries as the audience explore the sex life of the two couples. Fifty Shades Of Grey is about a literature student, (Anastasia Steele) who's life will never be the same once having met the handsome, infamous, billionaire, Christian Grey. But what you don't know about him, is his lust for her, and when he can't contain it anymore...he lets it go.


Overall, i believe that the rating certificates are hugely helpful as they divide content which allows audiences to watch films at their age. This is also helpful as it saves the adults some time researching the film to see if it is suitable for their child or not. The great thing about the ratings is that they are aimed to protect the comfort and state of people especially children. However this is also sometimes quiet frustrating because you may have permission to watch a film rated higher than your age, and to watch at your own pleasure but you are not permitted by the BBFC to watch it. Which in my opinion is frustrating as it could portray a meaningful message which will not be seen by the younger audience because it is rated higher than you current age.