Certificate Ratings Using the BBFC

Certificate Ratings

PG stands for Parental Guidance suggesting the film is appropriate for general viewing but there are moments which are unsuitable for younger viewers. It should not be upsetting or unsettling for a child aged eight or over. Parents need to be able to establish whether it will affect younger children or those children who are more sensitive. 

12A and 12 are films which are generally not suitable for those under 12. A 12A requires an adult to accompany a child who is younger than 12. Cinemas are likely to lose their license if a child under 12 goes to a 12A film unaccompanied. An adult who is considering to take a 12 year old to a 12A needs to decide whether it is suitable and possible should look at the BBFC insight for the film in advance. A 12 film is part of a lot simpler system for retailers and it means they cannot sell it or rent it out to someone unless they are over the age of 12. Our opening is part of a psychological film and the BBFC states “Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12 or 12A as long as horror sequences are not too frequent or sustained and the overall tone is not disturbing.”

A 15 cannot be watched by anyone under 15 at a cinema or buy/rent a 15. These rated films may include strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual references or maybe drug taking. In a 15 there can be strong threat and horror but there can be no sustained focus on sadistic or sexualised threat.

Why did we choose a certificate rating of 12?

We chose this certificate rating because our film contains only a small amount of horror which is not gruesome nor exposed to the viewer for a long period of time. Also we believe some viewers may find it unsettling as it is a psychological thriller so is potentially more realistic than other genres because it is based on a girl who has schizophrenia, so many members of the audience may be able to relate to it.

Test Shots and Initial Filming

Test Shots and Initial Filming

George took test shots of her house as this was the location we picked for our filming. This gave us an idea of the shots and angles we wanted to use in order to enhance our psychological horror genre. 

We wanted to use the lake as we felt this added a sense of eeriness. This shot also allowed us a good view of the tree which would be able to hang a noose from.

We planned to use the gate as the point where the protagonist would turn round and see the masked woman, as well as watch the main character run away from the house. This high angle also gives the idea of a sense of superiority from the point of view of the masked woman.

We felt this would be a good shot to use as it incorporated the interior of the house with the exterior of the lake and possibly the glitching of the masked woman and the noose.

This was another possible angle we could use to show the masked woman appearing behind the door, which would create the common convention of home invasion.

This shot would be good to use in order to create a close up of the masked woman as a point of view shot, as well as creating an unnerving feeling from the use of shadows.

This shot gave us an idea of the points around the house that we could use to film from which would give us both a view of the lake and the noose. 

We experimented with various different shots and angles around and outside the house. We tried filming a shot which framed both the protagonist and the masked woman outside, however this made the lighting difficult to control. We then changed this to filming point of view and reaction shots.

We found that filming outside was easier as the lighting was incredibly bright, making it easier to see the masked woman and shadows. Various outside noises sometimes made it more difficult to film, but also added to the natural mise-en-scene.

Health and Safety Concerns

Health and Safety

• George was the owner of the house at the location we were shooting, so we were granted permission to take photographs and film there

• All of our equipment will be safe as we have all used tripods and cameras before and have practised using them. The equipment we will use is not heavy so will not cause any damage. We also will mainly use natural lighting so there will be little need for electricals, except perhaps a single mains light over the table

• Using a lot of DSE (display screen equipment), we have to be careful not to use them for long periods of time as this can lead to the possibility of wrist and eye strain.

• We also need to be aware of the Lake which we are shooting at, which could be dangerous as we filming in close proximity to it, so will need to be wary of falling in.

• When hanging the noose in the right position we will need to use a platform to reach the height of the branch that we need, so it is important to avoid any back strain, and be aware of our balance. We will have several people surrounding the person who is positioning the noose.

Scripting and Shooting Scripts

Scripting and Shooting Scripts

Scene/Content	Shots	Time
Waking up in bedroom	POV: Eyes open from black screen POV: Eyes close and production logo comes on POV: Eyes open again and film title appears on screen	3.0 secs 2.0 secs 1.5 secs
Getting dressed	CU: Feet coming down from bed MS: Shirt put on from behind CU: Skirt zipped up CU: Buttons done up CU: Feet walking to bathroom	1.7 secs 2.8 secs 1.8 secs 3.1 secs 2.9 secs
Bathroom	CU: Tap on CU: Face down to sink CU: Face back up, woman in mirror, turn around and leave	1.5 secs 0.7 secs 8.8 secs
Kitchen	CU: Comes down stairs Tracking: Enters kitchen and puts kettle on Mid-CU/SRS: Eating breakfast LS/SRS: Masked woman MC/SRS: Reaction, phone rings and answer	2.5 secs 15 secs 3.1secs 0.7 secs 14.2 secs
Phone call	ECU: Mouth shot (psycho) Mid-CU: Conversation with mum SRS/LS: Masked woman SRS/MS/DA: Gets up and picks up bag SRS/LS: No woman, noose DA: Opens door	1.8 secs 12 secs 1.2 secs 2.8 secs 1.9 secs 4.7 secs
Outside	ECU: Door close and lock LS: Walks to gate, opens as door opens with Masked Woman in house, turns and runs Establishing: Running to camera	7.6 secs 11.3 secs 4.0 secs

Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule for the Sunday 7th February 2016

Filming schedules are important for production companies and everyone involved in the filming of movies and any other media.

They tell anyone exactly what they are doing and when so that production runs smoothly.

It is a realistic plan for the filming day that should be stuck to by the team like a bible.

Production company name, logo and profile

Production company name, logo and profile 

We played around with many different company names, as we wanted it to be simple, but relate to our genre and opening. Some ideas for names included:

Drip productions
Fatal Films
Drip Drop Productions
Crimson Productions

We decided on Fatal Films for our name as we felt it sounded the best due to the alliteration, and fitted our opening best.

For the logo we all liked the idea of incorporating the name into a spiralling tree, as we thought it added a sense of eeriness. 

These are some of the initial drawings for our idea:

We then stared to re-create these ideas on the computer using pixlr.com so that they would be clearer and easier to import onto iMovie

After creating the first computer version of the logo, we thought that it would look better if the background to the logo was black rather than the actual tree as it would look better when incorporated into our final opening.

This is our final logo:

Costumes, Props and Make-up

Costumes, Props and Make-up

Below is a table which includes the props we used and where we bought them from. We found it easy collecting our props as our opening is set in modern day.

Evie:		Masked Lady:
Prop:	From:	Prop:	From:
Shirt	Next	Mask	Ebay
Skirt	Urban Outfitters	Dress	Boohoo
Tights	Tescos	Scarf	Ouiset
Shoes	Topshop	Cape	Urban Outfitters
Coat	River Island	Shoes	New Look
Bag	New Look

Kitchen:
Bowl	Ikea
Spoon	Ikea
Cereal	Tesco
Milk	Tesco
Kettle	Currys
Phone	Apple
Cup	Ikea

Bathroom:
Blood	Water&paint Hobbycraft
Make-up Bag	Boots

Garden:
Rope for noose	Homebase