Horror Certification Analysis

Below, I have researched various horror films based on their BBFC ratings, as well as comparing Working Title and Warp examples. 

BBFC Horror Certifications by Laura Fagan on Scribd

Audiences and Classifications

In this post I will cover; different types of audiences and audience classifications. 

Types of Audience:

Mainstream- A mainstream audience focuses on appealing to the largest market possible. Often, a four-quadrant audience is targeted; male, female, young and old. The vertically-integrated conglomerate, Universal Pictures, has a subsidiary, the British film company Working Title. They focus on having as much commercial appeal as possible, with films such as Notting Hill (1999) or Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), both set in London and featuring an all caucasian cast playing middle class characters, in order to have a wide release and larger commercial appeal, especially in the US. This is explained by the Gant rule, where in order to make a profit, a film company should make 10x the amount of the UK box office in the US. The films are often hybrid's; or combinations of genres in order to broaden the appeal. They also have larger budgets to accommodate IP or franchising, stars, and special effects. 

Niche- Also known as an arthouse audience, a niche audience focuses on targeting a small group with a specific interest. These are often independent (indie) films that don't have a mass-market appeal. The indie company Warp, focuses on representing minorities, and feature characters of under-privileged areas positively rather than reducing them to a stereotype. This makes the films less commercially viable, and the films have limited theatrical releases. For example, the film Submarine (2010) is set in Wales, and She, A Chinese (2009), is about a Chinese immigrant, with the film's dialogue being mostly in Mandarin. Because of the niche representations, the UK government often give grants to the company, to help support them financially and fund representations for certain areas. These films are typically low budget (under $10m) and social-realist drama's, with little known actors. 

Classifications: 

When analysing films throughout my blog, I have mainly focused on BBFC (UK) and MPAA (US) age ratings. 

From my research, I have noticed that higher budget films receive lower age ratings, compared to indie films that receive higher ones. For example, the Warp indie film This Is England (2006), featuring mostly under-18 actors, received an 18 rating. Meanwhile, the Working Title franchise instalment The World's End (2013) received a 15. This example shows the damage on the commercial appeal needed by an indie company, and hurts them financially, but allows big 5 studio productions to reach a larger audience. 

Here are the classification requirements I found on the websites. 

IMDB also has a parent's guide, which shows the different restrictions worldwide, as well as a detailed breakdown of the different aspects and user reviews. 

Specific examples of horror film certifications are linked here. 

Possible Influences for my Film: 

As an indie filmmaker making a slasher film with a primary target audience of 15-24+ I would aim to fit into the 15 BBFC classification. I would need to avoid the 18 rating as this would damage my commercial prospects and theatrical distribution. However, due to Web 2.0 (O'Reilly) and the effects of digitisation and disruption, such as streaming platforms, my film could still be viewed by those under the age rating or classification I receive. 

This blogpost covers a detailed box office analysis of horror films. 

According to the BBFC, my restrictions to remain under this rating are:

- Dangerous behaviour should not show imitable detail

- No discriminatory endorsements

- No misuse of dangerous substances, or endorsements of drug use

- Strong sexual detail and nudity can only be presented in a comedic context, and repeated strong references or scenes without narrative purpose are unacceptable

- Sexual silences or threat can be referred to or depicted, but not detailed or prolonged

- Horror must serve a narrative purpose and not focus on sadistic threat

- Violence should not focus on the injury, and strong gory images are unacceptable

The Film Cycle

In this case, the film cycle refers to the steps in which a film needs to take in order to be seen by a viewer.
 

There are 3 main steps in the film cycle; production, distribution, and exhibition. 

A company that produces and distributes a film is known as being vertically integrated, and if the conglomerate has subsidiaries for production or distribution, this is known as horizontal integration. 

Production: 

This refers to the creation process of the film; pitching, shooting, casting, filming, and editing. The production process is funded by individual producers, or a production company, that analyse and decide whether a film is worth making, or if it will be a loss of their investment. 

There are three types of production companies; indie/independent (outside of the studio system, self-owned), subsidiary (owned and controlled by a parent company/conglomerate), and conglomerate (company that owns subsidiaries).

Internationally known and market controlling conglomerates are known as the big 5: Universal, Paramount, Disney, Warner Bros, and Columbia. 

An indie company like Warp would receive government grants in order to produce a film, as they are not commercially viable, but are important representations for regions in Britain. 

A subsidiary of vertically integrated conglomerate Universal, such as Working Title, would think of maximising the commercial appeal and the profit. The majority of films they produce contain A-List stars, and IP/franchise. They often also use CGI or 3D/4D/IMAX technologies, which are very expensive, to further boost their films appeal.

Distribution: 

The second phase of the cycle, it refers to the launching of the film and covers the marketing, advertisement, and means of exhibition. The distributor will buy the rights of a produced film in order to exhibit it. 

The Warp film Tyrannosaur (2011), was picked by an American distributor at the TIFF, but due to poor marketing tactics (no trailer was made), it flopped in America, and had a limited release. 

In comparison, a film such as Avatar (2009) was distributed by the vertically integrated conglomerate Universal, and received a wide and simultaneous release. This was due to an A-List cast and director (James Cameron), as well as innovative technology (3D). 

Exhibition: 

This is the final stage of the cycle, and is about the screening for a film. The exhibitor (cinema) must further market the films, and the experience to the customers. This also measures a films success, through box office data. 

O'Reilly: Web 2.0

 Tim O'Reilly  

(b. 1954 -)

Tim O'Reilly is an Irish-American author, publisher, and business owner. 

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 explains how the internet is driven by users through digitisation and technological accessibility, disrupting industries and converging (Jenkins) the lines between producer and consumer (prosumer).

Web 2.0 moves from a top-down model like the hypodermic needle and creates a two-way flow. User Generated Content (UGC) is an example of this, as consumers produce content that they feel is not gratifying (UGT) their needs. 

Digitisation:

"The process of changing from analog to digital form, also known as digital enablement." (Gartner Glossary). For example, the process of changing from VHS to DVD is a form of digitisation.

Disruption:

"The act or process of disrupting something. A break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc." (Marriam-Webster dictionary). This refers to the disruption caused by streaming platforms like Netflix or Spotify, and platforms such as Youtube where you can self-distribute, means that content is released directly to consumers. 

Convergence:

Convergence (Jenkins) refers to the line between producer and consumer blurring (prosumers) through digitisation. Instead of a top down model like the hypodermic needle theory, it becomes a two way flow.

How is Web 2.0 seen in the industry?:

- The 2009 Warp film Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee, was shot in 5 days with a $48k production budget. This is an example of digitisation and the accessibility of technology, as a tentpole Working Title film like 2019's Cats would take a longer time and require a much larger budget. 

 - The film Not Okay (2022) was released directly onto Hulu (a disruptor), and was extremely successful within it's target demographic. This means that indie or smaller budget films still have a greater chance at being successful without having to rely on a traditional distributor.

- Convergence is seen in the book series "After" by Anna Todd. She originally published the series as fanfiction of the singer Harry Styles, and after gaining traction on the Wattpad website, it was made into a  successful film franchise. 

How is Web 2.0 seen in my opening?:

- Digitisation has made production cheaper meaning a producer with a micro-budget like me is able to make a high resolution (1080 HD) film opening. 

- A consumer like me was able to produce a film opening that I self-distributed on Youtube, this is due to convergence (Jenkins).

- The disruption of streaming platforms means that an indie producer like me is able to self- distribute a film onto Youtube.