BBFC

BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification, and have classified films since it was set up in 1912. As many people know each film has a different certificate, there are 8 in total.

UC/U - its hard to predict what could upset children within the pre-school age, it has all of the necessary restraints, mild sex e.g kissing, no violence, illegal drug use, unless they give a positive message.

PG - It is up to the parent of the children weather they should watch the film or not. A PG film should not upset a child aged 8 or above, but it is the parents decision weather they should watch it as the content may upset younger sensitive children. Only to feature mild bad language, natural nudity, discreet sex, and moderate violence.

12A - Nobody under the age of 12 can see a 12A film unless accompanied by an adult.

12 - Mature themes are acceptable, but must be suitable for young teenagers. The language can be fairly bad, e.g the use of the word ' fuck ' or ' shit ' may be used infrequently. Nudity is allowed, but very discreetly in terms of sexual context.

15 - No theme is prohibited, however the material must be suitable for 15 year olds. fairly big difference from the 12 certified films, strong language is frequently allowed to be used, e.g 'fuck' but the strongest of terms such as 'cunt' may be used when justified by the context. Excessive use of strong language us most likely unacceptable. Nudity and sex are to be portrayed without strong detail. Violence is acceptable but cannot dwell on pain or injury, threat and menace are allowed but images of bloody/gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. The use of drugs is permitted but must not encourage drug use, or drug misuse.

18 - Suitable for only adults. Sex is allowed to be shown fully for short periods of time, however the explicit detail needs to be kept at a minimum to illustrate the educational and instructional points being made. Material viewed by the board that may encourage or influence the public to copy or do something similar to the film, will be intervened with and will be either cut out, or minimized the content.

18R - To be shown in only specially licensed cinemas or in licensed sex shops and to be sold to only those of 18 years and over. These 18R rated movies are not allowed to be delivered by mail. Most people think that 18R rated movies have no limit to the content used. These are a just a couple of examples of things that are not allowed to be show.
Any material that is in the breach of the criminal law, Obscene Publications Act 1959.
material likely to inspire the audience to develop an interest in sexually abusive acts, such as pedophilia, rape or incest.

The Exorcist - The Exorcist has been certified 18 without cuts by the BBFC. It was originally given an X certificate in 1974 and has been shown often since then. However incidents of hysteria involving young women led to the concern that the film could cause serious emotional problems for those who believe in, or have experienced demonic possession. It was the BBFC's concern in the 1980's and 1990's, that even a 18 certified film, the possibility of children accessing the film can't be excluded. The bbfc concluded that despite the spine chilling moments in the film, it no longer has the same impact as it did back then. Also the technology and special effects have moved along since then, therefore modern day films are much more likely to be scarier in comparison to the exorcist.

Censorship and Classification

The things that film makers and producers needs to think about the things included in the film that could have an effect on the certificate. They would have a general idea of the certification, but it isn't them who choose it. It is the bbfc who decides and negotiates what the certification is.

Nostes - shining

kubricks styles.

long tracking shots uses modern day tech

allowing actors to create characters - intensity

disregards and respect fir traditional conventions

The Exorcist

In 1971 William Peter Blattey wrote the book ' The Exorcist '. In 1973, the film was released, but its brutal content caused it to be banned on VHS in 1986.
The story is about a 12 year old girl who is possessed by the devil. Her mother contacts a priest after obvious changes in her behavior and physical appearance, and feels that an exorcism is needed. This was based on a true story, and was inspired by this event in which occurred in 1949, and an exorcism was performed on a 14-year-old boy.
The content within the film is very intense. Regan ( 12 year old girl ) has brutally changed the way she acts, and the way she looks. With violent outbursts on any human that dares to contact her in any way. Her worried mother gets in contact with a priest, who comes to the conclusion that an exorcism is needed. The man for the job, priest Father Merrin was called in to release the demon within her body.
The audience applies to anyone who can ' cope ' with horror films, especially ones based on a true story. It could also apply to priests themselves, or anyone interested in the paranormal.
The film became one of the most profitable horror films of all time, receiving $402,500,000 worldwide. The film earned ten Academy Award nominations-winning two, one for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay, and losing Best Picture to The Sting.

One of the main regulatory bodies that control what the audience view is the BBFC. In 1974 the BBFC considered that The Exorcist was suitable for an X rating, which is the equivalent to a 18 in the uk. In 1979 the BBFC asked to analyze the film again to see some of the scenes involving young actress Linda Blair might be vulnerable under the new protection of children act 1978. Which made the distribution of indecent images of children illegal. After further analyzing, they decided that the scenes avoided any such images and the film was allowed to continue its ongoing late night screenings.

In modern day films there is little need for regulation. Because modern day films are not as explicit as they were back in the day. But because the audience has seen alot of the shock horror factor in films, films need to be alot more explicit and graphic to make the modern day audiences stomach turn.

The Shining (Roman Polanski – 1980)

The Shining (Roman Polanski – 1980)
style and visual language
content
audience
technology

Style and visual language
The film is about a man called jack who takes his family to a hotel for a couple of months to give him time to write his book and to look after the hotel. Over time he develops a condition called cabin fever, in which he becomes isolated from the outside world and becomes insane. The exhibition of the film is where the hotel owner was telling jack about the incident that happened from previous years. This is where it all started. The complication is where the story begins to unfold, when jack starts getting frustrated with his wife whilst hes trying to work, but what she doesn't know is that he sits there day after day writing nothing but ' all work and no play, makes jack a dull boy ' whilst his wife looks after Danny and the complex. The climax of the film is where jack is being possessed by the caretaker Mr Gradey, telling him to sort out his family in the harshest possible way. Finally, the resolution is where everything is resolved, jack dies, and the family get away in the snow mobile.

Content
Within the narrative there are many twists and turns. Like when the Bear was giving a B*** J**. This has absolutely nothing to do with the story line and is called a McGuffin. Mcguffins are used to just throw you off course. The ellipsis of the film is very obvious, the important parts are always included, and all of the parts that are not important are cut out, and makes us want to see are small amounts of information that allow us to make interested judgements about what is going on, e.g there are many shots where danny is playing alone with his toys, this is very effective because it hints to the solitude and loneliness. Also, there are many shots featuring the snowy landscape, this just reminds the audience that there is no way to escape from jack unless rescue arrives. There are many ' Point Of View ' shots within the film. I think this is good because it makes you feel like your there watching whats happening. And draws you into the film. As well as the POV shots, there are also many long shots, i think they use long shots to show how spacious the hotel is and gives clues to people hiding. There is one point in the film where the plot device ' Deus ex machina ' is used, this is a device used to tie loose ends within the narrative, and example of this is where Danny meets his mum at the end of the maze, and escape from Jack. The camera is always moving, this makes you feel present within the film, or that there is a presence nearby. It also draws your attention to the narrative and improves the films aesthetics generally.
Stanley Kubrick has a very definite style of film making. He creates suspense very slowly yet powerfully. Throughout the movie, Stanley Kubrick used a steady-cam, at the time this had just been invented and allowed to do tracking shots without the use of a dolly track, this enabled to do tracking shots in smaller areas, this then made the audience, and me personally feel as if i was actually there witnessing what was happening. There is a specific example of how he creates power with his camera work. When jack is swinging his axe at the door, the camera is moving side to side as he is swinging the axe. The axe itself symbolizes horror, especially if he's using it to break down barriers to get to his victims. Kubrick also uses other things to help the horror genre express itself. There are many scenes where danny see's the two twin girls, then sees a flowing river of blood in the hallway coming his way. He also blends terror with calmness, the hotel room is very cosy and warm looking, which would suggest that its a safe place, however, because jack is smashing down the door with the hammer, which makes the audience feel unsafe.

The scene i have chosen is one of the most famous scenes in horror history. It is the scene where he is braking through the door with the axe. The scene starts with a medium shot of johnny himself chanting a well recognised nursery rhyme, ' little pigs, little pigs, let me come in..etc. The expression on his face looks scary, and shows that he is crazy. The scene then cuts to his wife locked in the bathroom, she reaches over to the knife in the sink that she bought with her, and grabbed it in a helpless manor as she goes over to the wall by the door. The scene then cuts to johnny, as he finishes off the nursery rhyme ' not by the hair on your chinny chin chin, and I'll huff, and I'll puff, and blow your house in'. As johnny finishes the nursery rhyme, he is already in the position to axe the door, which shows hes eager to kill his wife. He takes two swings at the door, then cuts back to his wife in the bathroom. The camera angle is good here because half of the screen is focused on the door, and you can just see his wife in the corner helplessly watching the door be smashed open, the loud screams and shouts she makes helps add tension to the scene.
The camera then changes to a medium shot of the door, you can just see johnny through the gap in the middle of the door as he takes his last couple of swings to clear the bits of wood blocking his way. the camera then cuts to a behind shot as he nears the door, then cuts back to a close up of his face peering through the large hole in the door as he says " heres johnny " with a very angry/eager expression on his face. He then reaches through the hole, towards the lock on the opposite side of the door, as his hand nears the lock his wife slashes his hand with the knife, this then gets rid of johnny for the time being. Music is played throughout the scene, it is very eary and is quite good because it adds suspense to the scene and makes you want to know whats going to happen next. The mise en scene is very common, like the hotel room looks like any other hotel room back in those days. Brown wallpaper, dim lighting etc.

The Witch Hunter General

This film was released in 1968, and set in Paris. The director was Michael Reeves who died at only age 25, only a few months after the film being released. The Production Company is Tigon British Productions Ltd. The American release of the film was called The Conquer Worm because it is the name of the poem. The film shows references to the culture of the UK because at the time what was called ' the swinging 60's ' was coming to an end and the hippie era begun to darken and the society was accepting the violent reality, e.g news of four people being killed at a Rolling Stones concert.
This film was censored by the BBFC (British Board of Film Censorship, but now called British Board of Film Certification) because of the increasing sadistic brutality. because the company changed the name, it went to show that they were trying to get away from censoring film and more into classifying films. The original lead role was Donald Pleasance (ineffectual and ludicrous authority figure), but AIP wanted Vincent Price, director had to rethink role, and the script was changed.

The Fall of the House of Usher (Roger Corman – 1960)

The Fall of the House of Usher (Roger Corman – 1960)

This film fits into the horror genre because it generates responses of fear, horror and terror from viewers. We can instantly tell that this is a horror film by the dark, cold, barren looking landscape, at the start when Philip Winthrop is on his horse, the camera moves round in a sneaky style, this gives the audience the impression that someone is watching him. The mist that blows across the landscape creates an intense atmosphere and adds tension and suspense. Throughout the film there is a great detail of obvious iconology, like bibles, long shadows, cross, myths, and other gothic surroundings. This film was made by AIP (American International Pictures). The Director and Actor Steve Berkoff wrote the play based on the story. The footage of the house burning (which was on-site footage from a real burning tragedy) would be used in many later Corman productions. In the early 1960’s, low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman convinced American International Pictures to give him enough money to make a movie based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher." The film would be entirely in colour, a first for AIP, and would also feature something unheard of for such a low budget studio. Vincent Price is the most effective piece of atmosphere in the movie. It is his talent to portray haunted and tortured twisted together into a single emotion. His voice expresses horror, both given and received. He rarely speaks in anything stronger than a whisper, and yet his presences dominates the film as if Roderick Usher was the very core of the Usher curse. The audience would have enjoyed many aspects of this film.