LO4 - Certification classification

This the link for the survey we asked each member of the audience to take after watching our film:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R5FKR9Z

This quiz was designed to determine what the certification of our film should be. It is important that 'False Awakening' receives a rating in order to protect the public- more specifically protect younger viewers from seeing content deemed harmful for their age. By doing so, it allows people to judge in advance whether or not the film is suitable for them or their family.

These are the BBFC classifications available to us:
- U (Universal): Suitable for audiences aged four and over. Displays of any sexual activity (as much as kissing) or swearing must be incredibly mild, and it must not encourage anti-social behaviour.
- PG (Parental guidance): General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for a very young audience. Harmful themes must be mild and infrequent.
- 12A and 12: Suitable for ages 12 and over, or if accompanied by an adult. Moderate language is permitted, alongside discreet sexual activity, drug portrayal and moderate threat.
- 15: Nobody below this age can view a 15 film. 15's permit the use of strong language, drugs and nudity without either endorsing anti-social behaviour or without strong detail of it. There also may be strong threat and horror without a sustained focus on sadistic actions.
- 18: As the highest age rating, explicit shows of sexual activity, strong language, threat, and drug use are allowed.

Having watched our film, this was the feedback the survey offered us:

         Q1)

100% of the survey respondents said they believed our film fit the horror genre, and at the screening many of them agreed this was due to the dialogue and cinematography. The fact the audience believe it resides under the horror category means it will receive a higher BBFC rating.



          Q2)

The reason the cinematography aided in enforcing the genre so much was due to the fact that the actors were very brightly lit within the woodland, creating star personas as they stood out so much against the darkness of the background. The fact so little of the setting was visible created a greater sense of xenophobia which emphasised the horror tone.



           Q3)

One of the defining factors of BBFC classification is the film's dialogue. None of the respondents have stated that there is not a lot of offensive language within the short film (as their often is) and due to this the film would likely need a rating of at least a 15 so the unsuitable language is not heard and repeated by a younger audience.



          Q4)

Drug use is another significant factor in deciding the certification. As 71.43% of people have said the use of drugs makes it suitable for a 'slightly older audience' this suggests that it should not necessarily be classed as an 18 but instead a 15.



          Q5)

As all the respondents have stated that the film is suitable for a mature audience. This eliminates the possibility of it being classified as a 12 or below, instead directing it more towards our initial teenaged target audience.

          Q6)

71.43% of people said they believe 'False Awakening' should receive a 15 rating whilst 28.57% said it should be an 18. This is owing to the fact that there is quite a lot of offensive language within our film, but not an obscene amount, and similarly there is only a brief scene in which the characters take drugs and it is not encouraged by the film. It does not necessarily need to be an 18 as there is no nudity within the film, and whilst there are threats and themes of horror, they are not focused upon for a long period of time and there are no particularly gruesome moments.

Due to the majority, we will be classifying our film as a 15 so that younger audience members are aware it is inappropriate for them because of the mature themes.
Our film fits this age rating for several reasons. Primarily being that there is strong language within it, but it is not used at an alarmingly high rate; similarly to the threat aspects as- whilst it is a psychological horror- there is little gore and the displays of violence we do witness are not particularly harrowing. There is no sex or nudity within 'False Awakening', but there is a scene in which the characters take recreational drugs. In a 15 the use of drugs may be depicted, but cannot encourage substance abuse- due to the events which follow the LSD tablets, the use of hallucinogens is certainly not endorsed.

LO4 - Evidence of screening our film

Here are some pictures of us screening 'False Awakening' to a diverse audience in order to determine what classification our film should be given, as well as if it was suited to our teenaged target audience:

In total seven people came to watch the screening of our film- three female and four male. The group consisted of: one fifteen year old, an eighteen year old, three adults (between forty and fifty years old) and two people older than seventy.

LO3 - Final product

We added in sound effects and music as the final touches to create verisimilitude. As well as this, Ellis created the film's credits. Altogether I think False Awakening turned out successfully as it fit within the horror genre and the cinematography heavily served to enforce the dark mood.
The only thing I believe definitely could've been improved upon was the audio of the film as it was distorted and quiet in places, but this was due to the location we shot in and we managed to fix the majority of it by the final edit.

LO3 - Evidence of editing

This footage shows the group creating an offline edit together, in which we focused on developing the basis of the narrative and making a few cuts in order to create a star persona for each of the characters by showing them as a group as well as close ups of them by themselves. Seeing as this is the first time we rematched some of the footage, we also spent a lot of our time getting rid of unnecessary clips which would not make the final cut.

Here is evidence of us editing and lining up the audio and visuals to create continuity within the scenes, as well as of us nesting clips as we often worked without a tripod in order to denote instability and reflect both the current vulnerability and fear the characters are experiencing.





In this edit I ensured the narrative was in order and added in extra scenes that were not previously there. Once the majority of the clips had been imported, I started stabilising the shots and making more cuts so it appeared more professional and had a better pace- particularly towards the end as I tried to create quicker cuts to build tension. I also had to unlink the sound clips whilst editing in order to overlay different clips and create continuity.
The actual end scene itself ended up working out relatively well, but its a shame some of the shots are blurry; particularly that of Dwayne exiting the tent, although I feel this adds to the character's doubt and makes it more unclear who the mysterious figure is.

As aforementioned, the final scene is where the most cuts are in order to build tension and create more intrigue as to what is happening.





During this edit we took a look at what we'd already done and attempted to finalise a lot of it, as well as add in extra footage we hadn't yet used. Ellis worked on including the rest of the titles for the film, and using some of the atmospheric shots we got as a background.
In our final edit, we will need to include the necessary music and sound effects to create total verisimilitude in our work.

These are the finalised titles of the early part of our short film that Ellis created.





In this recording I added the final clips necessary to create full continuity and added in extra cuts to create more of a shot reverse shot structure.





In this video I worked on adding in sound effects and music in order to create verisimilitude in our short film. Sound is the final thing I need to sort out- as well as scene transitions- as it is one of the most pivotal parts of creating a believable diegesis. I also added Woodland SFX in alongside eerie music as it heavily enforces the horror genre.

LO3 - Offline edit and drafts

Although we each took part in editing various sections of our short film, each person was largely responsible for a different draft here. Lewis perfected the majority of the offline edit, as did Ellis with the first proper draft, and I with the second draft.





This is the offline edit of our film 'False Awakening'. Extra footage will need to be added in order to create an improved sense of continuity, but for an initial edit we have managed to create something which reflects the genre of our film. The basic shot reverse shot structure cuts during conversations  produce a believable back and forth between the characters, and the lighting throughout the scenes is well done. The actors are clearly visible and create a stark contrast between themselves and the menacing darkness of the woodland, especially when they are sat at camp as the glow from the fire makes a visually pleasing effect.
When next editing, we will need to improve the audible dialogue of the film by getting rid of the white noise so that it can be heard more clearly, then adding in the necessary atmospheric sounds to create ambience.





By the first draft we were able to finish the majority of the narrative, there is only one scene that will need to be added in before the final draft. So far, False Awakening has been edited in a manner that ensures the narrative flows well and a lot of the cuts help enforce the pacing of the story- for instance the fight scene at the end has snappy cuts to reflect tension. Ellis also worked on creating a title sequence for the film that turned out incredibly well as it creates an eerie effect which enforces the genre.
Atmospheric shots will need to be added in as the setting itself is a vital character in our short film which needs to be emphasised as much as possible. As well as this, some of the footage is quite unstable and will be altered so it flows more smoothly. Towards the end there is a lot of space as we were playing with where sound should be added into the rest of the film.





The audio still needs to be sorted for the final cut, as well as sound effects and music added in. Transitions between the scenes are sometimes too jumpy, more fades will need to be included to enforce an eerie effect; although, upon being exported, some clips have lost sound and brief gaps have been added between them which we will need to find a way to sort.
However, the continuity of this draft is much better as it now has a clear narrative which includes every scene. Towards the end, the editing is particularly well done as the faster cuts aid to build more tension.

LO3 - Edit decision list

LO3 - Logging rushes

LO2 - Evidence of filming

Below is evidence of us filming in Charnock woods. There are multiple clips which show us directing the actors or discussing the script with them, as well as ones which record us concentrating on the technical aspects of filming such as: ensuring the camera was in focus, positioning the lights correctly to make sure each scene was visible and checking the quality of the microphone.

The dimly lit surroundings and eerie seclusion of the forest hugely helped to enforce the horror genre of the film.

LO2 - Evidence of setting up filming

Pictured is the majority of the equipment we had to bring to Charnock woods in order to film:

These images were taken of the film crew trying to get the fire started in order to record the scenes at the campsite. We used tinder to ensure the fire would burn properly and made sure it was created in a contained space with one crew member constantly watching over it as to ensure nobody was brought to harm. When starting the fire, the rest of the cast and crew stood back and let Lewis light it (whilst wearing gloves so he wasn't burnt):

 The images below show the film crew filming, the foremost showing Lewis getting an atmospheric shot and the latter showing Lewis and Ellis filming whilst using an umbrella to protect the equipment:

Although we had to change the actors, here is evidence of the original actors practicing their lines and acting in our short film. Evidence of the later cast practicing their lines can be heard in 'Evidence of filming' at the end of this post: