Codes & Conventions

Titles:

The opening titles of the films I studied have many similiarities in their titling, creating a conventional style that I feel would benefit our work, provided we keep to the style. In each of the 6 openings I have examined the titles are often presented in either the simplistic stlye of a plain black backround and bold white font or in a way that connects to the urban theme and setting of the film, e.g. graffiti art, depending on the target audience. It was apparent that in the films aimed at younger audiences the titles were more detailed and animated, whereas those aimed at older audiences were less of a spectacle and more boldly simplistic.

For example, the opening titles to The Krays are simple, bold and to the point, targetting older audiences.

The order of the titles is often similiar, first the distribution and production companies, the director's name is sometimes seen after this, depending on their success and popularity. For example Guy Ritchie's name is always one of the first titles to be shown as he is a well known and popular director.

After the director, production and distribution companies come either those in charge of costume, makeup, sound and production or the names of the actors. The actors names tend only to come first if there are big stars or recognised actors in the film.

Sound:
Similarities can also be seen between the genre of film, the music that can be expected to accompany the footage and the target audience. Fast paced, adrenaline and enegetic music tends to be included in the titles of newer films, aimed at a younger audience. This is done in order for the audience to recognise the music and maintain interested as a result of this.

This music is also representative of the wreckless, fast paced lives of the characters, who are always involved in some form of organised, semi-organised or un-organised group/gang crime. In older films, once again, such as The Krays, the musical accompaniment is softer, less energetic with an eerie feel to it. This music will appeal to the targeted older audiences as it has classier connotations, contrasting to the music used in newer films, such as Drum and Bass or Alternative music, that is linked to the youth culture of today.

Camera Angles/Editing:

Each film involved a large variation of camera angles in their opening titles that was accompanied by rapid editing from one shot to another. Once again this links to the hectic, fast paced lives the characters lead and the action on screen, which is often either a fight or some act of violence. By cutting rapidy from one shot to another, filmed in a different angle, a sense of chaos is provoked. Close ups are used to this effect, for example in Green Street there is a graphic fight scene which is distorted and the chaotic atmosphere heightened as it is filmed predominantly in either close ups or extreme close ups of aggressive expressions or acts of violence.

Mise-en-scene:

Mise-en-scene was used effectively in all of the films studied to successfully portray the working class or criminal lifestyle that is being presented and is key to the British film genre. Setting in all films is in an urban, working class area. Items such as litter, barbed wire, boarded up buildings, graffiti and warehouses complete the look, all of which audiences will associate with the working class. Coloring is often dull, muted tones coincide with the urban areas associated with the film.

The costumes of the characters tend to be clothing that our audiences will recognize: Brand names such as ADIDAS, Nike, Stone Island, Burberry etc. are worn by the characters, the clothes themselves often tracksuits, jeans, trainers and jackets. This style of clothing is stereotypical to the working class and football fans, in particular Stone Island clothes.

Audiences will be aware of these connections and will therefore understand the type of character they are watching, their lifestyles and the setting of the film.

Target Audience

Our original target audience ranged from 15+, but after researching certification and classification a better understanding of what is expected of each film certificate was gained. We were therefore forced to reconsider our decision if we wanted to keep the themes and language chosen involved in our film.

Due to strong language, scenes of extreme violence, possible use of illegal drugs and sexual activities or references our film better met the conventions of an 18, as opposed to a 15. We therefore decided it would be more beneficial and less offensive to audiences if it were aimed at an older audience and had a higher certification.


Taking into consideration that our film is now to be rated an 18 as a result of the content and themes involved, our target audience is adults aged between 18-35, mainly male as men will be most interested in the violent themes and football references. Although, in order to potentially attract some female audiences, we have taken a more personal approach, focusing in places on the personal lives, emotions, background stories and the relationships of main characters DAN and TOMMY.

Classification & Certification

The British Board of Certification (BBFC)

The BBFC is a non-governmental organization, funded by the film industry that classifys films within the United Kingdom, allocating them a certificate age that allows audiences to determine whether videos, DVDs and some video games are suitable for viewing for themselvs and those in their care.

The certificate ages allocated to UK films range from suitable for all ages, to strictly for adults and those aged 18 or over based on their content.


U (Universal):
A film that is classified as a 'U' is suitable for audiences aged 4+. Films under this certificate are set within a positive moral framework, meaning that there is no distressing images of violence, threat or horror that may upset the child audience.

PG (Parental Guidance):

PG rated films are understood to be general viewing, suitable for most, but the film may contain some scenes that are unsuitable for young children and parents are advised to take this into careful consideration. PG films are suitable for most children aged 8+, include only mild bad language, discreet nudity and sexual references, no prolonged horror references and no reference to drug use.

12A/12:

12 or 12A films are suitable for those aged 12 and over, although if a film in a cinema is rated 12A no child under 12 can watch unless accompanied by an adult and provided the adult in question has deemed the film suitable for the child to watch. Strong language is rare, sexual implications may be made and nudity with refernce to sexual activity is brief or discreet, violence is not sustained or detailed, use of soft drugs must be justified and the dangers indicated.

15:

Films that are rated 15 are suitable for those aged 15 and over, no younger. No-one younger than 15 can view or rent a 15 film. Films given this rating may deal with ideas and topics that are not suitable for younger audiences, such as frequent use of strong language, mild sexual activity and nudity, no clear use of drugs and violence or horror is mild, focusing on the infliction of pain is unaccepted.

18:

Films rated 18 are suitable for adults and those over the age of 18 only, no-one under the age of 18 can watch or rent a film with this rating. There are no constraints on language, horror or nudity, although the board can cut or reject any detailed dangerous or violent acts, explicit images of sexual activity and illegal use of drugs without justification.

Conclusion:
After conducting this research on film classification it became apparent that we had to consider the certificate of our film carefully in order to keep to the acceptable contents of the allocated certificate ages. We decided to rate our film an 18 as a result of the strong language used in the opening 2minutes. Although some strong language is permitted in 15s, we have included stronger words such as "cunt" in order to fit our genre and therefore this exludes a younger audience immediately. Although strong violence is not included in the opening two minutes of the film, it is a re-ocurring theme throughout and is intended to be relatively detailed as one character is murdered during a mass scale fight. It was decided that this footage may distress younger viewers or encourage negative behavior and is therefore better suited to a responsible adult audience. Some instances of drug use and sexual activity may also appear throughout the film, justifying our choice to rate the film as suitable for those aged 18+.

Narrative Questions

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels:

Who is the villain and who is the hero? How can you tell?

In the opening to this film it is relatively easy to determine who the villian is and who the hero is, if you are examining the first two minutes on a basic scale : we are introduced to two men that are selling 'moody' (stolen) goods in a market, the police then arrive and a chase scene begins, where by the police make attempts to capture the men.

Fast paced music and slow motion shots emphasise the intensity and chaos of the chase. From this technique of musical accompaniment alone we can understand the two men to be the villians for obvious reasons, they are being chased by police men -generalised as 'good' for selling stolen objects, making the men 'bad'.

However, I find that we cannot generalise the characters in this way as we are made to sympathise with and support the two criminal men. We are introduced to them first, they are the first on screen characters, immediately informing us of their importance and allowing audiences to form a familiarity with them.

Coinciding with this, when the chase begins, the camera follows the two men with a panning shot, leaving the police men out of view until they walk into the shot. This again represents the two criminal men's importance to us and the police men's insignificance.

Another way in which we are made to sympathize with the criminal men is through dialogue and costume. We hear the men speak, one man in particular speaks to the crowds waiting to buy his products, joking and encouraging them. This combined with his casual costume that audiences will be familiar with, presents him as an approachable character. In contrast to this the police men don't speak and are dressed formally in a police uniform, including a low hat that covers their eyebrows and face making them seem less approachable and arguably more villain-like.

Where is the story set? What does this tell you about the film genre?

The story is set in an urban, relatively working class area in England. The audience are informed of this as a result of the set: garage doors, graffiti on the walls, boarded up pubs, low key lighting, isolated and littered streets, ware-houses and the accent of the characters that speak: all characters have an common British accent. All of the above are associated with lower/working class urban areas, once again linking us to the setting and how it links to the film genre. As a result of the use of Mise-en-scene we are able to make connections with this isolated, working class setting of the story and other films of the same genre with similar settings and make generalizations in order to understand what can be expected from the film.

How many principle characters are there?

From the first two minutes of this film we can establish that there are two principle characters that are the focus of the footage. The first principle character is made apparent as he is one of the first charcters on screen and although he is behind a crown of people the camera zoomz through the crowd focusing on him, signifying his importance to the audience. The next shot of him is a close-up, he is also the first and only on-screen character to speak at this point, he addresses the other characters with authority and they compliantly listen to him, once again drawing audience attention to his relevance.

The second principle character is introduced to us roughly 1.20 into the footage, he addresses the first principle character directly, warning him of the police approaching and they begin to run together, this informs the audience that he is on the same level as the first principle character and therefore of equal importance.

The principle characters are finalised when the camera captures the two men running down a set of stairs in slow motion, as a voice over (recognisable as the voice of the first principle character) introduces them on a more personal level, with names and characteristics. The slow motion effect gives the characters more on-screen time communicating their significance to audiences and the fact they are introduced personally, by name, allows us to become familiar with the characters meaning that they will be present throughout the following footage of the film.

How is the story told? Chronologically or does it switch between present and past?

The story is told in chronological order, we see things as they happen without the footage cutting to a flashback or a fast forward. This style of storytelling is simplistic and does not create complications, making it easier for the audience to understand the occurances on screen. This chronological order allows audiences to witness the two principle characters being chased by police for selling stolen goods, co-inciding with the voice over that informs us that their days of "selling moody goods were numbered".

Once again aiding audiences in understanding what is happening in the footage and allowing them to predict what is going to happen -the two men were selling stolen goods, were nearly arrested and we were the informed that this career was soon to end.

What questions are you left with?

We are left with many questions that encourage the audience to watch on out of curiosity. The film places audiences directly into the action of the footage, there is no establishing shot to confirm where the story is set and who the characters are. We are left deprived of this baic information and will watch on in order to find out who the two men are, where the story is set, what they are going to do if their days selling stolen goods are coming to an end as we were told and why they were doing it in the first place. Also the film does not bring closeure to the police chase we do not know what happens to the men and we feel inclined to watch on in order to find out what happens to them? Did they get caught? etc.