BBFC Rating (Certification)

 

After listening to the feedback that the class had to give, one of the main issues was the 12a rating my group had previously agreed on and whether the contents of our opening sequence was suitable for such a young audience. We decided to take this information into consideration and after some research, we have now decided to certify our film a 15. Written below are some official guidelines stating what is expected from a film of this certification.

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Every mainstream film by law has to have a film certificate on it or the film cannot be released for showing.


 Universal - Suitable for audiences aged 4 and older.


 Parental Guidance - General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.


 12A - Film is unsuitable for children aged under 12 however, they may view this film if someone aged 18 and over is with them at all times during the showing.


 12 - Suitable for 12 and over.


 15 - Suitable for 15 and over.


 18 - Suitable for 18 and over.


 Restricted 18 - Can only be shown in specially licensed cinemas or in licensed sex shops and cannot be bought by anyone aged under 18.


 To Be Confirmed - This is shown on films that have been submitted to the BBFB and are still waiting for their final rating.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamourised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

I think it is important we have researched this because one of the things we have to think about in our film is the audience and by having a high age rated film you are restricting the amount of people that can watch the film and if this was a real life scenario it would mean that the film makers would make less money.  The things I could do to make the age rating of the film a bit lower is to reduce the amount of blood and gore in the film. This is a big reason why most films are given the '18' rating but a lot of directors have found loop holes where they could bypass this like Alfred Hitchcock. He made most of his films in black and white so he could show more gore.

Some research also done by Tasnim Khanum.