Josh Trank’s directorial debut Chronicle…
As another feature of this years Young Film Festival, Josh Trank’s directorial debut Chronicle was shown at Hyde Park Picture House in a realistic, gritty spin on the conventional ‘superhero genre.’ Perceived to be filmed on various video recording devices, primarily from a handheld camcorder used by protagonist ‘Andrew Detmer’ this film was a box office success when released in 2012, and continues to attract audiences of many ages today. I was delighted to see children and adults alike enjoying this film, a feature so wonderfully highlighted afterwards in the BBFC’s representative whom gave a presentation on film classification.
The film was even more sensational seen on the big screen, showing a harsh reality and an alternative representation to the ideology of ‘superheroism’ as well as dealing with social issues in a way that wasn’t too heavily focused on suitable for the young teenagers in the audience. If this wasn’t enough to captivate an audience, the follow up presentation was both informative and entertaining, showing for film lovers, and people of a general interest, how films are classified and what makes them a certain age rating. I was particularly interested to see how Chronicle itself had three different cuts, each suitable for a different age range, and the subtle differences between them. The representative from the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) was engaged with the audience and answered questions from adults and children alike making the experience educational and gave an open and friendly atmosphere to the talk. I believe this talk was educational and informative for all involved, and hope to gain more of an insight into the inner workings of the film industry in next year’s film festival.
