This is it! Final work of year two.

The summer holidays are upon us already, and I'm not really sure how to feel really. I do feel like I've spent A LOT of time doing written work this year, which I felt distracted me from my practical work. This means I've also spent a fair bit of time working from home which has its advantages and disadvantages. 


Instead of so much writing, I feel like we might have benefited from more practical lessons. Lighting, and sound for both film and photography for example. However, I do feel that this year has seen a huge change in both my skill and professional development through work experience and tasters, and even though they haven't all gone exactly to plan, it has shown me that I am perfectly capable, and can adapt to almost every situation.


So what were we asked to do? Well we were given the option of choosing a direction. Personally I started out with the intention of concentrating on my photography. Then I decided I'd concentrate on both aspects of our course, and finally I decided I didn't want to pigeon-hole myself, or limit my experiences and went down the route of both. We had the option of doing a narrative film and two photography assignments, or a non-narrative and three photography assignments. When I read the list of the photography, there were three projects that stood out to me straight away. I knew I was going to do a narrative film straight away, purely because I do much better at coming up with stories than the idea of the non-narrative.


I close 'modern master' as my first project, choosing a painting wasn't as hard as I thought. Honestly, there was no real method to my choice, I simply typed 'well known paintings' into Google and came up with this.

 American Gothic by Grant Wood

    Whistler's Mother - James McNeill

 The Son of Man - Rene Magrittees

The first two paintings I've seen before even if I don't know the names of the artists or the titles. When I saw the man with the apple I knew straight away that'd be the picture I'd choose. With living right by the sea, there is a number of places that would be suitable to take the picture, and luckily between us, Chris and I had the suit and the bowler hat and the rest was down to photoshop.

 Beginning with the obvious I recreated the painting using a red apple photograph.

Then, taking into consideration the part of the brief that asked us use the painting to advertise something I began with a suggestion from my friend Dave, by using the Apple logo, it worked very well. I took it a step further again.

Starting with the Financial Times, one of my initial ideas was a pound coin, to demonstrate the importance of money in the current financial climate. With the recession making itself felt in almost every household, there's little more current than that. For the advert, I used the slogan for the Financial Times, as well as using an image of an FT cover with a low opacity behind the figure. 

Part of the brief was to bring the painting up to date, I've always been a fan of the Guinness adverts, although not so much the drink really. Initially I had the idea of using a pint of generic beer, but it was too non-descript, and so I chose a pint of Guinness instead as it fitted in quite nicely with the feel of the adverts. Apparently the slogan is 'good things come to those who wait' so I would change that, but really I'm happy with the whole idea.


Next up was the 'elegance in decay/broken grandeur' project. This appeals to me on a personal basis because Urban Exploration is something I've been doing for years, where you find out about, or discover places left to rot/abandoned and photograph the eeriness, which can often turn out some really beautiful pictures. So I was lucky enough to already have a plethora of places I could visit, but what better excuse than this to take to the road and look for new places, here are some of my favourite shots.

This tree is near an abandoned factory in Beaumaris.

The same factory, which consists of several separate buildings, this one looked like some kind of developing room as there was a big Kodak deveoping chest, possibly for X-Rays judging by the signs knocking around. This was a pendulum of sorts that we set swinging and used the flash to get a ghostly shot of the pendulum mid-swing.

This is an abandoned theatre in Dolgarrog, I've visited this place multiple times, and it's always very quiet and eerie inside even though its just set back from the main road through Dolgarrog by some trees. There's rubbish everywhere but you can still see the left over feelings of grandeur inside the main hall, along with dressing rooms, toilets, box office and upstairs where there's a hatch that presumably held some kind of projectors or lights.

 This boat is moored on Conwy Quay, right next to a very well known boat called the Gray Lady, both of which are in need of some serious TLC. Sadly the very next day after this shot was taken some stupid people came along and set the Gray Lady on fire, and it has since been taken away.

 This door belongs to a greenhouse on a huge estate that has been left to nature. It consists of a large house with a caravan outside (there was a way in, but it looked as if someone had recently been squatting there, and so I lost my nerve), several acres of land with ponds, and verandas, and across the estate is another large property that looked as if it may have been a residential home once. It has several out buildings, and sprawling gardens that would have looked stunning once, now like the greenhouses, they've been taken over by weeds and nature.

 Part of the large estate in Caernarfon, this property was borded up on the lower floor, however to the right of this shot was a broken window where one could walk right in. 

This is the Duke of Lancaster. A ship that has been landlocked in place near Mostyn ever since I can remember. You can see it from the coast road, and it holds a lot of mystery to most who spy it for the first time. We took an amble to the ship and got some great shots of it, we wanted to attempt to get onto the side of the dock that the ship is moored in. Sadly there was a very unpleasant guard who had few words for us. 


Lastly for the photography projects was portraits. It's the very first type of photography I was trained to do and worked photographing people for years. It still holds a lot of appeal, and whether I'm in the studio or at location I'm in my element. My very first idea was to photography my dad, but because he isn't very mobile along with my idea no longer being original, I chose to photograph Chris instead. I feel like I know him pretty well, so choosing the shots that best describe him as a person came easily, here are some of the shots I used and my favourite pictures.

Finally for the project was my narrative film. Sadly, I wasn't able to film my initial idea, which was a horror film due to my being unable to source a decent location and also I needed a number of actors, as well as a lot of props that are sadly necessary to aid with the overall feel of the film. So I had to come up with something else, and fast as time was beginning to run out and I knew I'd need lots of time to edit as this was the first film I've edited alone.


Eventually, with Chris' help an idea formed into something I came to be quite proud of. It became pretty clear early on that most of my ideas have an element of darkness to them, and this was no exception. Although, it isn't all doom and gloom! The main issues I came across with making this film was Premiere Pro, we recently installed a new, and very fast desktop PC and the Adobe package, this meant I could edit at home, as travelling between Conwy and Wrexham has been proving quite expensive. However, it turns out that the more clips you upload into your sequence in Premiere, the slower it runs. This became infuriating after a short time as it kept crashing and not loading all the media clips. The day before I was due to hand in all my work at assessment, it miraculously loaded ALL the clips and so very gingerly, I made the last few changes, added the music and end credits and crossed everything and clicked export. It took about seven minutes. All the days of anger, and tears and frustration and worrying that I'd never finish it, and all it took was seven minutes.


Anyway, I don't want to give away too much about the film, and it's taken an age to upload to youtube so I'm just going to put the link to it here.


That's it, year two over and done with. What have I learned? Well, firstly that Premiere pro isn't worth the CD its printed on, or the space it takes up on our shiny new computer, I've learned that I can adapt well to new and unknown situations. Also, I would have liked my assessment to last a little longer, although I got some positive feedback, I was hoping it would have been a little more detailed than last time. Personally, I can't understand how fair marks can be awarded unless the work is taken away and looked at at least twice. In July, we'll receive our marks on Moodle and we'll find out how we've done in terms of a grade, but there will be no feedback and no way of telling what we need to improve and where we're doing well. This can get a little frustrating. 


I'm looking towards my final year with a mixture of emotions, a combination of trepidation, and fear that it's my last and most important year and that I've still no clear idea about what direction I want to be heading in, and excitement at the unknown. Where will I be this time next year? I can't believe how fast my time at university is going, and I do worry that when I leave that although I can say I've met some wonderful people, and had some wonderful opportunities and experiences, but I really haven't learned an awful lot. But I remain open-minded and I'm still extremely grateful to be living this life-long dream. :) 

Irate Pirates! Mutiny on Conwy Quay!

The weekend of the 19th and 20th of May sounds like just another day in the calendar for the unsuspecting folks of the small market town of Conwy. But if you were nearby, chances are you'd hear the boom of the cannons, see people dressed as up, see odd looking ships in the harbour and hear nothing but 'ARRRRRRRRR!!!!' because for the first time ever, Pirates took over the town for two action-packed days.


Slave auctions, barrel rolling races, best dressed competition (win your own weight in beer!), magic shows, smugglers market, storytelling, and firing cannons are just a few of the delights that were taking part across the whole of Conwy for two days. But don't just take word for it, I took a few shots on Sunday, and had a whale of a time! Next year I'll definitely be dressing up!

More from Rhyl FC and the end of year two.

Wow, it has come around so fast that I really can't believe I'm at the end of my second year. I remember during the first week that someone said it'd go by quite quickly, and boy were they right. From that first week where we were given so much information, to now, I feel like I've learned so much, and not just about my chosen subject but also about me.


After some initial teething problems, my ideas for this module took off, and I'll be posting a blog with all the things I've done for the module after my assessment tomorrow. It has been a hard slog to this point with many twists and turns, some were clear and others not so much.


I've been doing a lot of work outside of uni, with the likes of Call Miss Jones, Gelicity, Rhyl FC, River and Sea sense and with a few more in the pipeline over the summer months. It has been great to be able to further my skills and knowledge through practice, and this has seen my pictures in the newspaper, catalogues, on websites, and in brochures. Being able to get my name out there as a photographer will undoubtedly be an asset to my professional development. I have to give out a couple of thank-yous here, firstly to Lucy Jones at the careers centre at Glyndwr for all her help in finding, and supporting me with work tasters. Secondly to Catherine and Julie at the WCVA for their help with finding more work experience, and lastly to my sister Tracey Jones for giving me the chance to work with Rhyl FC, and football in the community and the Rhyl FC academy. 


So, with football in mind, I was invited again yesterday to photograph the academy squad, along with the coaches, followed by the meeting regarding the changes and new appointments for the new upcoming season. For obvious reasons, I can't post the picture of the children, but it will be the the May 17th edition of the Daily Post in the Denbighshire area. 

 These are the coaches for the upcoming season, along with new appointments in training staff Greg Strong, Mike Digwood, Laurie McGuiness, Niall McGuiness, James Stead, and new General Manager, Mike Jones.

Mike Jones 

The night went down well with a packed out room full of parents of the children in the academy and long time supporters of the club. I really felt that Rhyl FC are more like a family than a club, and I wish them every success with the new season.

Just before I end this blog, I also had the opportunity to photograph my family during a rare gathering of the troops (all of us in one place usually only happens at Christmas) and my mum's birthday. We had a good time taking the shots and went on to have a lovely meal at the Nant near Prestatyn. Here are some choice shots from the day :)

 This one took the longest, I had the camera on self timer and had to run between it and the shot about 8 times!

 Dad attacks his desert at the Nant, he had a 'tasting' desert, which was all of the deserts on the menu, in mini!

 Loved this shot, little Olivia (who just turned 3) is such a little poser!

 Birthday kisses for mum from my sister Joanne

 Sibling rivalry, Emma and Lee pose for a shot

 My brother Terry, nephew Lee and brother-in-law Sush pose on the bench my Dad made

 Jo, Kiran and Sush :)

 The boys, (back l-r) Johnny, Lee, Chris, Sush. Front Dad (Stan), Kiran and Terry

 The girls, Emma and I at the back, Tracey, Mum (Margaret) with Olivia and Jo

 Lee and Jamie (Olivia's Dad), Emma, Terry with Olivia and Tracey

 Lee and Jo in the Nant

Mum Em and her daughter Olivia :) she loved this picture.

All in all it was a lovely day, we had a great meal and everyone had a wonderful time. It's always fun when we all get together, and it was great to be able to get some photographs that will last forever as well as some wonderful memories.

Dissertation Proposal (Research Methods)

The 18 Certificate

Classification and Censorship in the Modern Cinema

Gemma Jones

Dissertation Proposal

May 1^st 2012

This research project aims to cover the classification and censorship of films, both old, and more recent. It will address two specific questions:

Firstly,how has the ratings system changed since its creation? Looking in depth at how content has changed over the years and what content is deemed ‘necessary’ to get the core message of the film across, as well as how content affects the rating a film is given.

Secondly, are fewer films being rated as an 18 certificate in order to draw younger and more numerous audiences into theatres to see them? Are the more popular and anticipated blockbusters specifically edited so they may be rated 12A or 15 to ensure a greater profit margin for the producers?

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There are numerous reasons for choosing this topic, they include:

• Writing about a topic that is interesting on a personal level will make research easier and more appealing. Because the industry is so vast, this also means there will be a plethora of information available, across many platforms.
• Films have changed dramatically since their early days; comparing those changes will be fascinating and will reveal some interesting insights into how society has changed and the consequential effects a constantly changing society has on films.
• The ratings system plays a large part in the film industry, much more so than it did in its early days. Analysing the history of the American and British ratings systems will help to ascertain its standing and relevance within the current cinematic experience.
• Watching films as part of the research will indicate how content has altered over time.

The answers and information this project aims to fulfil are:

• To gain a better understanding of the ratings system and its history, and current standing in the UK and America.
• Using an online survey, filled in by cross-section of people, both in the UK and abroad will indicate how film content affects a person’s viewing experience. As well as finding out how much attention people pay to the ratings systems and contents guide.
• How has content changed since the beginning of film? Is the content closely related to what is deemed ‘acceptable’ in the current social climate?
• Are fewer 18 rated films being made? By looking at ratings awarded to the more recent films it is easy to see how many of those are rated at 18. This project aims to discover if more films are being specifically made and edited to a 12A or 15 standard, and if so, why?
• At what stage do the BBFC and MPAA refuse to give a film a rating? As what is deemed socially acceptable changes, do fewer or more films get rejected?

A short history.Since 1912, the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has been responsible for monitoring and awarding classifications to all films released in cinemas and on DVD in the United Kingdom (BBFC, 2005). Likewise, the American equivalent the MPAA, (Motion Picture Association of America) formed in 1922, is responsible for all releases within the United States (MPAA).

Fig 1 BBFC Logo

Fig 2 MPAA Logo




It is evident that films can be much more controversial now, compared to the early days of cinema. When the BBFC began, in 1912, there were just two ratings, U for universal, and A for adult. Local councils would often put their own conditions or restrictions on films, and film-makers would have to pander to these conditions or face being banned.

Later, in 1916, T.P. O’Connor who was the new appointed president of the BBFC compiled a list of content that would be grounds for deletion. This policy contained 43 stipulations that included the ‘unnecessary exhibition of underclothing’, ‘indecorous dancing’ and ‘the irreverent treatment of sacred subjects’. It wasn’t until 16 years later, in 1932 that a new rating was introduced, H, which indicated horror, and some local councils ruled that no one under 16 years of age could be admitted. These new and much stricter guidelines were put in place to earn the trust of a god-fearing public.

Prior to the formation of the MPAA in 1922, local, city and state censorship boards were responsible for film content. Just like in the UK, film-makers had to tailor their films to the specific requirements of these boards or face being banned. With the introduction of the Hays Code (named after Will Hays, the first MPAA president), film-makers were required to present a ‘correct standard of life’ which meant no lustful kissing, scenes of childbirth, and no criticism of religion. Forty six years later and the modern US ratings system was born, which gives parents and cinema goers comprehensive information about the contents of a film, as well as more artistic freedom to the film makers.

The rating system as it stands is the first port of call for anyone who wants to learn about the content of a film, but often a rating alone can be misleading. You will not see any graphic scenes of sex in a 12A film, however if one of the more harsh expletives is uttered, even just once, the film will be rated at very least a 12A. But it is also clear that despite the guidelines, acceptable content also depends on what’s deemed acceptable in the current climate. Findings stemming from the research will help to understand the relevance of the ratings system in the social climate as it stands. Fewer films are rated 18 in recent years, with 12A and 15 being the more common ratings awarded, this project aims to find out if this is merely a tactic to draw in more numerous audiences to ensure a greater profit margin in the current financial climate. Also, if the majority of films are being awarded lower ratings, does this impede in any way, the creative freedom of the producers and film-makers?

Fig 3 Top Grossing films of 2009 showing that 9 are rated at PG-13 and below.

By using a combination of case studies, along with documented literature from a number of books, papers and websites and evidence from questionnaires and person to person interviews it will be ascertained if there have been substantial changes within the cinematic experience and discover if what viewers are being subjected to has increased over time.

For each of the case studies, remakes of classic films will be taken into consideration, along with a number of ‘banned’ films in order to find out if the content or rating has changed significantly and why the films were banned to begin with. Referencing books, such as: ‘Forbidden Films’ and ‘Banned in America’ will help to compare what is deemed acceptable in the different countries and what content sees them banned at various points in history.

Fig 4 Image of 'Forbidden Films' book.

As for the documented literature, this project will focus on the BBFC and MPAA websites respectively in order to look into the history of each company. As well as referencing a number of relevant and reliable websites, the history of classification and censorship and why it is deemed so important to carefully monitor the contents of the films, whether released recently or long ago. A number of books regarding the subject of censorship and classification have been sourced as evidence as well as a list of ‘banned’ films obtained from the BBFC’s website.

There are fewer banned films in recent times, included is one of the BBFC’s more recent decisions to refuse classification to ‘The Human Centipede 2 – The Full Sequence’ and this is known as rejection. Rejection is when a film is essentially banned, and is refused a classification due to its content. By understanding why these films are rejected will lead to learning more about the BBFC’s work and how it benefits us as viewers, and ensures no one is subjected to anything that might be deemed offensive, or harmful to viewers whether old or young.

Finally, by gathering the opinions and views of peers, friends, family and the public through creating a detailed questionnaire, will demonstrate the viewing habits of the public and how they make use of the rating system and content guide (found on the read of DVD cases) when choosing what films to watch. The questionnaire will also supply an insight into what people find disturbing, or frightening and if they believe some content is ‘necessary’ or mere scare tactics. A link to the survey can be found here: http://kwiksurveys.com?s=LLHDGG_2ae886c3.

Fig 5. Example of content guide displayed on rear of UK DVDs

This questionnaire is based mainly around viewing habits, number of visits to the cinema over a certain period, for example. Those filling in the survey are also asked if they know of the BBFC and MPAA organisations, and the different ratings that have been used throughout history. To gain a better idea of the likes and dislikes of film-goers and viewers, the survey asks for their favourite genres, and aspects of film that they would find most offensive (gore, nudity, racism etc.) and if any of those aspects would stop them from watching a film. Through compiling a list of the films that are considered the most offensive of all time (Dirks, T. n.d. ) the answers collected will shed light on the aspects people find most disturbing, along with the types of films that are most likely to be banned. Those who complete the survey will remain anonymous, however, in order to collate the statistics, the general location, age, sex, and race are optional questions at the close of the survey.

By basing this dissertation on a subject that is current, and relevant, it will speak volumes about the industry that continues to draw in viewers year after year despite the current financial recession. Discovering the viewing habits of others, along with what people find disturbing, together with all the research complied, will provide some fascinating insights into this vast industry.

References.

British Board of Film Classification website. (2010) The SBBFC Student Guide 2005/2006 http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/Assets/documents/sbbfc_online_new.pdf [Electronically accessed 7th April 2012].

Dirks, T. (Date Unknown) The Most Controversial Films of All-Time. http://www.filmsite.org/controversialfilms.html ]Electronically accessed 7^th April 2012].

Motion Picture Association of America website. (2011) History of the MPAA http://www.mpaa.org/about/history [Electronically accessed 7th April 2012].

Sherwin, A. (29th November 2010) DVD Industry in crisis as sales slump. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/29/dvd-industry-sales-slump-blu-ray [Electronically accessed 7th April 2012].

Images.

Fig 1. BBFC Logo, (2012.) [Image online] Available at: http://i1.cdnds.net/11/41/media_bbfc_logo.jpg [Accessed 7^th April 2012]

Fig 2. MPAA Logo, (2012). [Image online] Available at:

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/MPAA_Logo_20110404212318.jpg [Accessed 7^th April 2012].

Fig 3. Of the top 10 grossing films of 2009.2010 [Image online] Available at: http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/film-industry-statistics/ [Accessed 7^th April 2012].

Fig 4. Forbidden Films Book Cover (2010).[Image online] Available at: http://ia700804.us.archive.org/zipview.php?zip=/5/items/olcovers61/olcovers61-L.zip&file=614334-L.jpg [Accessed 7^th April 2012].

Fig 5. Content Guide (as displayed on rear of The Lords of Disciple DVD) (n.d.) [Image online] Available at: http://www.michaelbiehn.co.uk/graphics/articles/lords/lords0402.jpg [Accessed 7^th April 2012].