BBFC Research

The British Board of Film Classification

BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification and known as the British Board of  Film Censors. They are a non-governmental organisation, which are founded by the film industry in 1912. The BBFC is accountable for the national classification and censorship of films in the United Kingdom. According to their criteria they classify videos, DVDs and some video games.

Before any film is released it needs to be classified by at least two examiners using the published guidelines. The examiners will look at various matters such as drugs, discrimination, imitable behaviour, sex, theme, sexual violence, nudity, language, horror and violence when making decisions. In addition, they consider the text as the tone and impact of a work, an example of this is how it makes the viewer feel. Moreover, they include the release format, for instance, DVDs are bought and watched at home, this means there is a higher risk of underage viewing.

As for music, "Vevo" and "YouTube" are in a partnership with BBFC. They are creating permanent scheme to age rate all music videos by artists who signed to Sony Music UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK, that are unsuitable for younger children (under 12). Also, some independent UK music labels have decided to join the phase of the pilot scheme. This is because it proves the consumers awareness about the content of a specific music video and enable to increase children's online protection.  All the rating for each music video will be displayed online on "Vevo" and "Youtube", including smart phone Apps.

The BBFC classify each video by watching the entire video and will then assign an age rating to it according to the content advice. For example, strong language, sex references or nudity, based on the BBFC published "Classification Guidelines". Parts of the issues considered by the BBFC when they classify a music video include: drug misuse, bad behaviour displayed as safe, bad language, sexual behavior, nudity and threatening behavior, gesture and violence.

As for our music video we think that the age restriction will be 12 or 15. This is because through our research we have watched and analysed music videos that  included content which wouldn't have been suitable for a young audience. Therefore, our video may contain some dangerous behaviour, drug misuse or other unsuitable content for young viewers. For that reason, we will first complete all our research and planning, which includes scenes, message which may be portrayed and the content of the music video. When this is complete we will then consider the BBFC classification guidelines in order to find out what would the age restriction for our video.

Audience Profile

Summery by Jack Baxter, Doaa Elmnayneh, Zacaraia Elarichi

Lyric Analysis 2

EDM Lyric Analysis by doaa el on Scribd

Lyric Analysis 1

The beginning of the song is very straightforward however can be interpreted in different ways, one way in which I initially took the lyrics was the artists expressing that when Avicii was younger life was so much easier and the "shadows" had disappeared. This could be suggesting that the lifestyle in which the artists lives now has factors in which are seen as gloomy or dark, this is yet unclear from the opening two lines however may be explained through the lyrics later in the music video.

I believe that the correlation between the lyrics and visual images are effective at the start of the music video, this is due to when the lyrics start the opening credits have finished and the pace of the music matches the high speed of the lyrics. The camera work used in this specific opening uses a variety of different locations including the inside of a car and also on top of a building which is expressed in the terms of a time lapse. The lyrics fast paced motion matches the fast paced time lapse.

The animals inside came out to play
Hey, went face to face with all our fears
Learned our lessons through the tears

The lyrics in which are above are taken from the opening verse once again. The terms "Animals" further empathises the child like manor in which the artists was stating in the opening line, This could be a feature in the EDM/Dance genre and may be something we see more when conducting further research into making our won music video in the same genre. 

One day my father—he told me,
"Son, don't let it slip away."
He took me in his arms, I heard him say,

When looking at the the next verse of the song we can now see that again the image of a younger child is presented, the use of the terms "my father" and "son, don't let it slip away" This informs the viewers that the artists has a good relationship with the father. When reading the lyrics i can interpret them as the artists reminiscing on past events with the father. Overall i can see that the lyrics are joyful and make the venires happy. This is a common conception in EDM music allowing for the consumer to feel joy and happiness when watching the music video. When comparing the lyrics to the visuals we can see that throughout the entire music video there are scenes where a father figure is apparent participating in what looks to be very joyous and adventurous occasions. The image to the right of the screen shows a father  

and son in both very formal attire, this could suggest that the two were at a formal event such as a celebration of achievements. However the shot also portrays a strong bond which is also portrayed in the lyrics, "One day you'll leave this world behind

So live a life you will remember." Suggests that the son is afraid of loosing this special connection, this is something my group will need to think about when creating the music video as it will make the music video have a clear narrative if the use of a storyline is introduced. We will take this into consideration when planning our music video as we will need our project to apply with current codes and conventions in the EDM genre. 

He said, "Go venture far beyond these shores.
Don't forsake this life of yours.
I'll guide you home no matter where you are."

When analysing this verse i am able to see that the video and lyrics directly match again. The word venturing implies adventure or to discover while the visuals of the video are also suggesting discovery and adventuring. The image to the right of the screen shows three silhouettes of what seems to be young adults/teenagers in a sunset. The sunset will also also shows adventure due to the day coming to an end and the light on the sea reflection creating a really effective moving images. 

One day my father—he told me,
"Son, don't let it slip away."
When I was just a kid I heard him say,

The lyrics shown above have a clear and simple definition, the connection between the father and son is amplified with a couple of images showing the older gentleman with a younger male. The narrative has been made clear throughout the entire music video, this will be imperative in our own music video, we will need to add a narrative to our own music video. 

Codes and Conventions Video Analysis 2

Marshmello EDM Codes & Convention analysis from doaa elmnayneh

Codes and Conventions Video Analysis 1

Genre from doaa elmnayneh

Semiotics

Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
Key theorists: Barthes, Chandler, Saussure and Strauss

Roland Barthes researched how audiences interpret what they see and argued that "The audience look for signs to help them interpret the narrative... These deeply rooted signs are based on expectations the audience has due to their prior knowledge of old tales or myths". His theory of how we interpret is as follows:

Today we learnt about semiotics and discussed how we can use symbols/signs to represent a particular message or meaning within our music videos.

Examples of semiotics:

Summary By:Momeena and Doaa Elmnayneh