Extra Research: Adventure Genre

I have looked into the Adventure genre to get a better idea of different genres opening sequences.

Madagascar is an animated adventure following the lives of four zoo animals who want to leave and spend their lives in "the wild". They are then shipped to Madagascar by accident where the adventure unfolds.
The opening sequence begins with the film company's name and opening credits- like every other children's film genre we have researched into. The film then begins with choir music as the character is dreaming about being out in the wild. This alone gives us a brief idea of what the genre is as the character is already having some sort of adventure. It also instantly shows us the main characters in the film and this means it doesn't take to long to get going. When the character is in the zoo after dreaming we find out the main narrative as we realise the character is not where he wants to be and that he will somehow find his way out of the zoo. The fact we know they are in a zoo gives us a good indication of the location to. With all this information foudn out in the first couple of minutes the narrative looks exciting and the audience will begin to wonder what happens next. This is a usual convention of an Adventure genre as the film begins to unfold from the very beginning.

BBFC for Childrens Films (U & PG)

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body funded through the fees it charges to those who submit films and video works for classification. The body classifies films, DVDs and video games before they go on sale to the public. There are many legal considerations they have to consider when watching the film - this includes: Human rights act, Licensing act 2003 and Animal Welfare Act.

The children's film we are creating will have to fit into a rating of a U or a PG as these are the classifications that a child should watch. When watching the film the BBFC has to consider nine categories:
- Discrimination
-Drugs
-Horror
-Imitable Behaviour
-Language
-Nudity
-Sex
-Theme/Genre
-Violence

U Classification
The U classification is suitable for all audiences over the age of 4 year of age. The film should offer good morale's and counter balance out any horror or violence.

Discrimination should not be used in the film and illegal drug use and references should not be shown unless there is a positive drug message or it is used for education purposes. The can be mild horror however it should be brief and the outcome of it should be reassuring for a child. Dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy is not permitted and there should be no emphasis on realistic/easily accessible weapons. There is some lenience with bad language but it should be mild and fairly infrequent. Nudity can be used if natural without sexual content and mild sexual behaviour can be shown for example kissing and references to "making love". Problematic themes can be present but the treatment should be sensible and appropriate for young kids. Mild violence can be used with occasional threat or menace.

Examples of U classifications are Shrek, Monsters Inc and The Incredibles. You can see that most of these films are usually animated and involve unrealistic genres and characters.

PG Classification
PG classifications are for films that are suitable for general viewing, but some scenes can be unsuitable for children. Any child may watch a PG without an adult and children of 8 years and above should not be disturbed when viewing it. Parents are advised to consider if the content could upset younger and more sensitive children.
Discriminatory language/behaviour is usually unacceptable unless used for education or historic purposes. Drug use can be used if innocuous or if it carries a anti-drug message with it. Frightening sequences should not be intense or prolonged however a fantasy setting can be a mitigating factor. Mild bad language is allowed and nudity without sexual content is approved of. Sexual activity can be implied but should be discreet and infrequent - mild sexual references and innuendo. More serious themes can be used however nothing in the treatment of the issues can be unacceptable. Moderate violence can be used without graphic detail in most genre types (fantasy, comedy).

Examples of the PG classification include The Chronicles of Narnia, National Treasure and Harry Potter 1,2 & 3. You can see these films are not usually animated and include more realistic characters and themes however films such as Toy Story 3 which is animated is classified as a PG.

Genre Conventions of Fantasy and Action Films

We have watched the opening sequences of Night at the Museum which is a Fantasy genre and Spy Kids which is a Action Genre.
Night of the Museum started off with the film companies name and then begun with magical music in the background to give the feel of magic and fantasy - this helps put across the genre well. The location was then established which is the Museum and a number of characters in the museum are seen but the audience is left to imagine what the role of the characters are. The music did change slightly when some important characters were pictured to give the audiences a slight hint. The main character was not established until after the credits and music had stopped and the narrative had begun. Not giving too much information away creates a sense of uncertainty which suits the fantasy genre as in most fantasy films anything can happen/come alive.

Spy Kids similarly showed the films companies name, however the music was much more fast paced and intense which definitely showed that the films genre was action. There is an establishing shot of where the film is set but differently to the Fantasy genre the main characters we introduced immediately to make the film more realistic. The narrative also begun straight away as the dialogue used introduced the "spy" theme. This fast start helps establish the genre of the film as it introduces characters, setting and narrative all in one and then quickly begins - this is the fast paced convention that all action films have.

The Conventions of A muppet Christmas Carol

The first main convention that we get shown is the opening sequence sound track which is a christmasy tune, jolly, wintery and it's the kind of music that would be played at christmas time. The opening credits are red writing with a white outline to introduce a christmas feel it helps to represent snow and christmas all in one. The credits don't cover the whole screen but they run slowly across the screen to create a slow and relaxed feel without over crowding the screen with too much writing. This helps to attract the younger the audience so because it is easier to watch. The introduction also establishes the location of a busy snowy city set in the past just before Christmas. Just by introducing snow and showing a festive period shows us that it's a family based genre. As the christmas period is the time for families to come together and enjoy christmas as a family. Straight away your introduced to two of the main characters witch are in fact muppets and this also helps to sow that its for children as well as for the old audience.

The costumes that the villages are wearing show that this film was set in past times when things were a lot harder in day to day life. Lighting in this beginning sequence is very dark to show and create the feeling of it's setting and time. There is an establishing shot to show the type of village that its going to be focused on and what type of characters will be the main focus of the film. The props in the background show the time it was set with the carriages and the fires on the street as this wouldn't be the case in our time. The music in the background was non-diagetic so the characters would not be able to hear it so its for the audiences benefit to get into the movie. There is also continuity of the snow which has fell across the city to show that its wintery times and for some hard times with the cold weather. 

Research: Conventions of Harry Potter Opening Sequence

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone opening sequence shows the usual conventions of a children's film opening sequence. The theme tune is introduced before the images are shown on the screen and the location is established immediately as the name of the road is pictured. The first character seen is Dumbledore who is a main character and other characters who become important throughout are seen. When Dumbledore uses his magic this gives us an idea of the genre of the film immediately (Fantasy) and also helps us to establish some of the storyline possibly. More of the narrative is introduced when Harry Potter arrives and is left on the doorstep of the house. Dumbledore discusses what has happened which helps us put together the storyline. After this the Title sequence begins which is in a fantasy/magical theme of font and then the actual narrative begins when Harry is much older.

The micro elements contribute well to the opening sequence and they compliment the usual conventions of the Children's Film. Sound plays an important part as the non-diegtic sound used is the theme tune and  the magical sense created gives a idea of the genre and possibly the narrative. Mise-en-scene is greatly needed as the props, location and costume need to be realistic and appropriate to the genre and narrative. All characters are dressed well and props such as the magic lighter and flying motorbike again show the genre of the film. The lighting is dark and sets the scenes mood and atmosphere. Because it is dark it gives a serious feel and possibly something disastrous has happened and the audience will want to find this out. Special Effects are needed in this to show the magic realistically and to also show the title sequence. The magic once again helps portray the genre and also helps the audience know that the characters that have just been introduced are magical. If this was done unrealistically the audience may feel the film is not that serious or the characters are not that believable.

The camera shots are also important as they help with the establishment of the scene and location. The establishing shots help with this. Close ups help us learn and recognise the main characters and medium shots help us establish their props and costume. The camera shots have to be right to help get across each convention well. With poor camera shots the audience will struggle to understand what is going in the scene.

This research has helped us realise that the micro elements of the film help contribute greatly to the getting across of the narrative, characters, location and genre of the film. Without these micro elements the conventions would be pointless.

Preliminary Evaluation

We feel that we managed to create a fluent video that displayed good continuity and timing throughout. It looked realistic and professional with the editing we used together. As a group we were able to edit our sequence quickly and efficiently and even managed to add music into the background to add effect. We feel that the music added to the background of our sequence portrays the genre of the short clip, and is a good introduction to what follows. We added in a transition to help the flow of the clip and to make the clip look more professional. 

However we do feel that we should have filmed more footage for our clip as we struggled to make a 40 second sequence. If we did film more we would have been able to use a variety of different shots and clips to make the clip better and less rushed. 

Overall we enjoyed the task and feel we did a good job considering the time limit we had and that we didn't have too many skills that were needed before we started. We have learnt a lot of valuable skills needed for the Childrens Film task ahead of us.

Badman Preliminary

This is our Preliminary Task finished video