The BBFC and film certificates

 

The British Board Of Film Classification is a board which decides what the regulations are for films and what is sutable for specific ages. 

Their main role is to set rules to what can and can not be shown in films also to decide the age restrictions for each film before being released to the public as they cant be released in the uk if they do not have this. 

 These are all of the BBFC symbols starting at U which is unirversal meaning anyone can watch it to R18 which is restricted to 18+ due to the content included in it. 

These films should not cause distress to a child 8 or under, but parentals should decide weather its sutiable for their child. 

Dangerous behavuour: No

Dicsrimination: No unless has historical context 

Drugs: No unless has anti drug message 

Laungage: mild bad laungage only 

Nudity: yes but no sexual content

Threat and horror: yes but cant be long or intense 

violence: Mild 

Not sutable for children under 12 yrs, cant see in cinema unless with adult and parents should decide if sutable for their child. No one under 12 may buy or rent this.

Dangerous behavuour: no 

Dicsrimination: no 

Drugs: no unless shown infrequently

Laungage: moderate bad laungage and some strong depending on context

Nudity: yes and if sexual must be descreet and not prolonged

Threat and horror: moderate not frequent 

sexual violence and threat: only verbal refrences 

violence: Moderate but should not be intense

No one under age of 15 may see in cinema rent or buy this. 

Dangerous behavuour: yes but can not be dwelled on depending on intencity of behaviour such as self harm 

Dicsrimination: cant endorse it but may be used 

Drugs: yes but cant be promoted or encouraged and easily acsessable substances cant be used. 

Laungage: strong laungage and sometimes very strong will be allowed with justification

Nudity: yes but strong detail is beief 

Threat and horror: yes 

sexual threat and violence: yes but if intense cant be prolonged 

violence: yes but cant dwell on injury and pain 

No one under 18 can watch, rent or buy this. 

As adults they should be free to chose what they watch with exeptions including:

• Material not legal within the laws eyes 
• material which could cause harm to viewers or public
• Material which is not allowed in sex work at R18 is also not in 18 

Things that are taken into consideration when the BBFC decides the age restrictions are things such as:

- violence

- sex and nudity

- obscene laungage 

- criminal activity 

- strobe lighting and many more. 

Context is another factor which they must think about before hand such as if it's fictional or fantacy. This is because animated films are allowed to include more things such as violence as the audience know its unrealistic so can get a lower age rating. 

 The increadibles is a good example as it includes things such as hand guns and fights but is still rated a PG.

They also take into considerartion how sensitively a topic is handled within the film. For example drugs, if they are being portrayed in a negative way showing the dangers of it the film would get a lower rating compared to a film glorifying it and pretending they had no consiquences it would get a much higher age rating. 

Violence is also one which is deeper thought about and questioned in terms of:

- why are they being violent ?

- what injurys are caused by this violence ?

- is it glamorised ?

- is it realistic ? etc 

For example the purge is rated an R as it has a lot of disturbing ways of violence which sometimes are not necsary where as a film such as reminicance is a 15.

 

The last thing they take into consideration is the format of the release. For example they are usually more strict if its being released in a DVD format compared to cinema released films. 

EG; For the hunger games in cinemas it got a 12A certificate but for DVD got a 15. 

How does the process work?

The films production company sends the film to the BBFC for them to analise and use all of their criteria to decide the age rating so then can be released in DVD and cinema. If a production company do not agree or are unhappy with the age rating their film got they are able to re-edit it and send it back for further anaylasis. 

For our opening title sequence I think that the BBFC  would award it a 15 age certificate for cinema and dvd release as it includes a moderate and frequent amount of violence in terms of death, blood and dangerous behaviour which may cause stress to a younger audience.

For example there are clips of blood on her hands whilst she is being handcuffed and blood dripping off a child's bike implying a child has been killed. 

I think if the BBFC saw the 'whole' film they may give it a lower 12A certificate as the opening is the most intense part as we want to draw in the audience as the rest is about the women trying to prove her innocence which would not include a lot of violence or threat apart from some moderate laungage.