Research Into Certificates

BBFC (British Board Of Film Classification) - I did my research about film certificates and what would make a film a certain rating on the BBFC website which is the official website where all films around the world must get a certificate/rating from.

Why is film classification important?

The industries want to protect children from film footage that can be harmful. For instance if the film is too scary then they will have trouble sleeping. If the film is too gory it can make them ill and if there's a lot of bad language then they could possibly repeat this language. Films are regulated by usually two examiners, but if there is a disagreement in the results then a senior examiner is called in to regulate the product. Films are regulated for the cinema, but are regulated again for DVD and Blu-ray. The decisions on the age rating of DVDs and Blu-rays can sometimes be stricter than at the cinema. This is because there is a higher risk of underage viewing at home and a greater potential for watching scenes out of context.

What makes a film a certain certificate?

The U symbolizes Universal so it means that anyone that is 4 years and over can legally watch a U rated film. These films will be rated for very young viewers for example films such as 'Chuggington the movie.' Films or videos with this BBFC insight should have no issues like discrimination, drugs, bad behaviour, language, nudity, sex, threat or violence in them. Because our film is a horror, if we wanted to make it a U rating, then it would have to be something along the lines of, 'Scooby Doo.' In these types of horror films, they are funny. They contain no sex references or language but there are still basic conventions of horror films such as dark castles and ghosts.

PG stands for Parental guidance. This means that if a child is under the age of 12, they must watch the movie with an adult. Some films are given a PG certificate but have not been made for a young audience. A recent example of a film mostly enjoyed by grown ups but passed PG, would be, 'Saving Mr. Banks.' However, the certificate means that any issues in the work are appropriate for the majority of this age group, and nothing should upset a child of eight or over. This is because it is Disney related which is enjoyed by many children. PG films will not contain any inappropriate content for children. But the films are able to tackle issues such as bullying and racism. There can be swearing in PG's but only certain words. If our film was a PG it would have to be something like, 'Hotel Transylvania.' This film has the iconography of horror films like monsters for instance, but it relies on comedy instead of horror. If the film is scary it will only be mildly scary.

12's and 12a's are differen't. A film that has been rated a 12 means that the film is a video release that is suitable for a 12 year old. A 12a is only for cinema purpose, and it means that if under 12, a child can go to watch the film accompanied by a parent or guardian. They are also able to go if they are over 12 years of age on their own. Once a film is out of the cinema, it is regulated again. In the cinema the film could be a 12a but on DVD, the film could be a 12 or sometimes even a 15. If a film has a dark and disturbing feel to it then it will be rated 12 upwards. The content within the film determines the correct certificate. Some strong language may be used in 12's, but it depends on the manner that it is used, who is using it and the frequency. There can be some sex references in 12's however, the verbal sex references must not go beyond what is not suitable for young teenagers. To add to this, moderate violence may be used, but not excessively. There can be some blood and the occasional gory moment, but nothing more. There are some horror films in this category. Some physical and psychological threats are permitted in 12's or 12a's, as long as the horror sequences are not too frequent, and the overall tone is not too disturbing. If our film was to be a 12, then it would be something like 'The others.' There is no swearing, and very little gore. It is quite scary and the tone is disturbing but it is suitable for young teen's.

15's are known to contain the following: strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong sex references, nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence, discrimination and drug taking. 15's are allowed to contain a lot of things that 12's are not. There's often a lot of strong language and some use of extremely strong language. There may also be racist and discriminatory language in the film, but it cannot be too much. Sexual activity can be portrayed in a 15, as long as it is not too frequent and too explicit. There can be strong sex references but a lot of films will not go into that much detail. As well as this, there's a lot of graphic violence and gore in 15's. They should not focus on the infliction of pain or injury, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. There can be horror films that are rated 15, they can include strong threat and horror but cannot contain sadistic and/or sexualised threat. If we were to make our film a 15, it would probably be like the film, 'The Grudge.' This is a ghost film that contains strong language and very scary horror moments.

These types of films will involve extreme violence and sex. Issues that are usually found in 18 rated films include: very strong violence, very strong frequent language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, sexual violence, strong horror, (sometimes real sex) and discriminatory language. In 18 rated films there is no limit on the number of swear words used. Martin Scorsese's, 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' has set a Guinness World Record for the most swear words used in a film. The F-word was used explicitly 506 times. That averages out at 2.81 times per minute. This goes to show that swearing can be used as many times as the actors and producers of the film would like. There can be strong discrimination and racism in 18 rated films. Also there very explicit sex can be used, including full nudity. Very strong and crude sex scenes are permitted in an 18. There are films that are purely about sexual arousal and stimulation; these are labelled as R18. There is a lot of violence in 18's. It can be strong and portrayed in a lot of detail, and there may be focus on sadistic and sexual violence. If we were to make our film an 18, it would be something like, 'Evil dead.' It contains ghosts and monsters as well as a lot of bad language, extreme horror and gore as well as graphic sex scenes.