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The BBFC -
The BBFC stands for the 'British Board of Film Classification'. It is important to the film industry as it is in charge of classifying all films. Its job is to protect the public from content that is unsuitable for their age group, and to stop children from seeing explicit images that may harm them. It allows parents to make informed viewing choices by acting as a guide. The BBFC classifies films, videos/DVDs, trailers, adverts and some video games, with ratings from 'U' (Universal) to 'R18'.
Age Ratings -
The U symbol stands for Universal. Films classified with a 'U' should be suitable for all audiences aged 4 and over, but this is up to the parents choice. With a 'U' classification, only very mild bad language such as 'damn' or 'hell' are used. Occasionally, bad language may be included ('bloody' or 'bugger)', but only when justified by the context. Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling but there is no focus on sexual behaviour. Villainous characters may carry weapons, and there may be brief fight scenes, but these are resolved quickly. There should be no reference to illegal drugs in a Universal film. 
An example of a Universal film would be 'Despicable Me'. There is no reference at all to sexual behaviour and although some of the ideas can be seen as violent, they are not portrayed in this way, meaning any child can watch this film without it damaging them mentally. The film is about a villain called 'Gru' who battles with another villain called 'Vector' by stealing things to see who can become the super villain. This potentially violent idea is turned into a comedy, by each villain manipulating the other villains attempt, such as when Vector uses the 'shrink ray' to shrink Grus's plane (see image on the right).There is also a side story involving Grus's army of little yellow creatures called minions. (see image to the left). They are little creatures that have an odd innocence about them that makes children relate to them and see them as funny. This along with the overall animation makes the film suitable to children of all ages.
The 'PG' symbol stands for Parental Guidance and is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may not be suitable for younger children. A PG film should not effect a child at 8 years or older, but it is the parents responsibility to decide what is and is not appropriate. Mild bad language is used in PG films, such as 'shit' or 'son of a bitch', but if the language is too aggressive, the film may be passed up a category. References to sex are acceptable in less detail, and often used for comedic purposes or if the child is unlikely to understand. Violence should not be used in PG's, although some blood may be used but we would not see how the injury was inflicted.There can be references to drugs, but there shouldn't be any focus on this.
An example of a PG film is 'Scooby-Doo' the movie. It is about a gang of meddling detectives who try to solve the mystery of why a theme park is haunted before it loses all its customers. Due to there being a TV series before this, most children would know that the storyline is repetitive as it involves the gang finding the villain and putting him away for good. It always ends with the villain saying 'I would have got away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids'. It is because of this repetitive narrative that children will not find this scary, and parents will see this film as appropriate. Although some of the crimes the villains commit can be seen as dangerous, and the injuries they get are seen, they are not seen in detail as it is not shown how these injuries are inflicted. There is minimal mild bad language and only some mild violent action, making it suitable for the PG rating. There is also the funny relationship between dog Scooby and friend Shaggy, who the audience can relate to and find funny. The idea of a talking dog is easily accepted by children, and the adventures they get up to such as eating chillies (see above) add to the comedy of the film.
The '12' certificate is just for DVDs and Blue-rays, where as the '12A' certificate is for cinemas only. The A in '12A' stands for 'accompanied', which means that children under 12 years of age can see the film at the cinema if accompanied by an adult (of 18 years).
The BBFC's guidelines state that there may be strong language used (such as f***) at 12 or 12A but it must be rare. Sex can be portrayed briefly in both certificates but should not go beyond the suitability for young teenagers. At 12A, moderate violence can be used but focus on detail is not allowed. Action sequences and weapons may be present at 12 or 12A along with long fight scenes etc. However, weapons that may be accessible to 12 year old should not be glamorised This is the same for dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide or self-harming.
An example of a 12 certificate is Sherlock Holmes the modern movie filmed in 2009. It is about the well known Sherlock and Watson who go on a quest to solve a string of mysterious and brutal murders. This film contains moderate violence, and due to some of the fight scenes, it cannot be a PG film.
An example of a 12A film is 'Spider-Man' which was in fact the first ever film to be given the certificate of 12A, in 2002. At first, the film was given an age rating of 12, meaning that most of the films target audience couldn't go to see the film at cinemas. So after many complaints and arguments the film was given a 12A so that children under the age of 12 could go see the film with an adult.
The '15' symbol means that no one under the age of 15 can see a film at the cinema or buy a 15 rated DVD. Sexual activity and nudity can be portrayed as long as there is no strong or graphic detail. Strong violence is acceptable as long as the film doesn't focus on the infliction of the pain/injury. Drug taking may be shown but it must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
An example of a 15 rated film is 'The Hangover' which is about a planned bachelor party and the events that happen during it. There is strong language used and there are references to sex, although this is not focused in a lot of detail as the film is about a group of men suffering from a hangover, trying to remember what happened the night before. The film is a comedy, and some of the events that happen (shown opposite) keep the audience in stitches which keeps them from focusing on the bad language and possible drug use, making it suitable for the 15 rating.
The 18 category is purely for adults over the age of 18. It has absolutely no limits on bad language, violence, sexual activity or drugs portrayed. An example of an 18 rated film is 'Se7en' which was filmed in 1995. It is about 2 detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who hunt a serial killer who uses the 7 deadly sins as his way of doing things. It is classed as an 18 because it has references to sexual activity, drugs and bad language, which would not be suitable for a 15 rating.
The BBFC's guidelines state that there may be strong language used (such as f***) at 12 or 12A but it must be rare. Sex can be portrayed briefly in both certificates but should not go beyond the suitability for young teenagers. At 12A, moderate violence can be used but focus on detail is not allowed. Action sequences and weapons may be present at 12 or 12A along with long fight scenes etc. However, weapons that may be accessible to 12 year old should not be glamorised This is the same for dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide or self-harming.
An example of a 12 certificate is Sherlock Holmes the modern movie filmed in 2009. It is about the well known Sherlock and Watson who go on a quest to solve a string of mysterious and brutal murders. This film contains moderate violence, and due to some of the fight scenes, it cannot be a PG film.
An example of a 12A film is 'Spider-Man' which was in fact the first ever film to be given the certificate of 12A, in 2002. At first, the film was given an age rating of 12, meaning that most of the films target audience couldn't go to see the film at cinemas. So after many complaints and arguments the film was given a 12A so that children under the age of 12 could go see the film with an adult.The '15' symbol means that no one under the age of 15 can see a film at the cinema or buy a 15 rated DVD. Sexual activity and nudity can be portrayed as long as there is no strong or graphic detail. Strong violence is acceptable as long as the film doesn't focus on the infliction of the pain/injury. Drug taking may be shown but it must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
An example of a 15 rated film is 'The Hangover' which is about a planned bachelor party and the events that happen during it. There is strong language used and there are references to sex, although this is not focused in a lot of detail as the film is about a group of men suffering from a hangover, trying to remember what happened the night before. The film is a comedy, and some of the events that happen (shown opposite) keep the audience in stitches which keeps them from focusing on the bad language and possible drug use, making it suitable for the 15 rating.
The 18 category is purely for adults over the age of 18. It has absolutely no limits on bad language, violence, sexual activity or drugs portrayed. An example of an 18 rated film is 'Se7en' which was filmed in 1995. It is about 2 detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who hunt a serial killer who uses the 7 deadly sins as his way of doing things. It is classed as an 18 because it has references to sexual activity, drugs and bad language, which would not be suitable for a 15 rating.
The 'R18' certificate is for adults over the age of 18. The films can only be viewed at a licensed adult cinema or bought from a licensed sex shop. Films with this rating can involve vivid pornographic scenes in lots of detail.
Having researched into all of the above age certificates I have decided that for my first idea for my thriller clip, my target audience would be a 15 rating as strong violence is allowed as long as the film doesn't focus on the infliction of pain/injury. This would suit my narrative as the idea of the girl being taken seems quite violent, but you would not actually see this action take place, and so it is simply like an idea. If I was to give my narrative an age certificate of 12 or 18 it would not be as suitable, as a 12 rating states that weapons that are easily accessible to 12 year old should not be glamorised and since I am using a knife as a key piece of iconography, the 12 rating would be too low. Also, an 18 rating has no limits on anything and so since my narrative doesn't go into explicit detail, this would also be inappropriate. I have therefore given my narrative an age certificate of 15 and will focus on the psychological impact, rather than the gruesome and blood.
You have identified the correct age certificates and you have included a definition, but you also need to relate the definitions to a number of films, to show further understanding of the BBFC and the film industry.
ReplyDeleteFinally, you need to discuss in more detail, why your thriller will be classed as a 15. This can be achieved, by considering the narrative of your film in more detail.
The screenshots and images that you have included on the age certificates above, helps to support the points that you have made. It also helps to demonstrate further understanding of the film industry too.
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