Research into age certificates and the BBFC

Age certificates are given out by the BBFC. They control what audience is age appropriate for a specific film.There are 6 age certificates, find them listed below:

U - This means that the film is appropriate for all children ages four years and over. An example of a U film is the animated version of Peter Pan. It contains mild swearing maybe such as 'damn' and 'hell'. There are kissing or cuddling scenes, but there is no shown imagery of anything other than that.

PG - A PG rated film is appropriate for practically every single audience known. However, it is Parents Guidance and therefore it is clearly instructed that no matter what, there must be an adult present throughout every single scene. The reason for this is because some scenes may be unsuitable for more sensitive children and parents must bare this in mind as not all PG rated films are suitable for all audiences. An example of a PG film is something like Alice in Wonderland or the Parent Trap. Minimal swearing may be heard like "shit" or "son of a bitch" and issues such as drinking or smoking must be emphasized to be harmful so it                                                    doesn't influence the child to want to do it.

12 & 12A - This age certificate is aimed at the audience of the ages 12+. They do not have to be accompanied by an adult. A 12A film is aimed at the audience for 12+ also, however the film is not suitable for those who are 12 without watching the film with a parent. If you are 13 you would be able to watch the film with no adult, but at 12A you must have an adult present with you whilst watching it. In a 12 or 12A, mild sexual scenes are expected and swear words that fall into the same category as "f*ck" are acceptable to see and hear. Mild sexual references are also acceptable. An example of a 12A is the well known Spiderman, and an example of a 12 is Jack the Giant Slayer.

15 - A 15 rated film is aimed at the audience of 15+. It is typically seen in 15 rated films features that include nudity, strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, drug taking or other disturbing scenes. It has been noticed that discriminatory or offensive terms can be used and so it is only suitable of 15+ and not younger. An example of a 15 rated film is American Pie : The reunion. Strong nudity and language is used that is not suitable to an audience of below 15, despite the humorous genre.

18 - 18 rated films are not suitable for any audience under 18. It is strictly adult and the reason for this is because it contains extremely strong violence, frequently strong language used,  often strong horror /blood scenes that people under 18 may find extremely disturbing, often real scenes of a sexual nature, and extreme discrimitary language and behavior. An example of an 18 rated film is Nightmare on Elm Street,Exorcist and many other films.





The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. Its' purpose is to look at films and judge who the audience are for a specific film and to ensure it is appropriate for the age group that it is aimed at.It is important to films because if a 12A film contains scenes of which should be put into an 18 age certificate, it will create great distress to the young viewer and make them scared... if it's violent it could disturb them and influence their behavior into becoming aggressive or thinking in things such as thrillers/horrors etc, that it is acceptable and normal to carry out actions and behavior that is similar. BBFC are the reason why children mainly, aren't subjected to scary things that their innocence shouldn't see at such a young age.

I will be using the age certificate of 15. The reason as to why I have chosen the film to be aimed at 15+ is because a lot of young teens do watch thrillers, it includes a wider variety and it allows us to use a wider range of features that I can include in my work without creating the viewers to be in distress because the film is inappropriate for their age. Not opening it to a 12A or a 12 means that despite being careful of what to include in my thriller, I can really expand on things. For example the way my thriller would psychologically play with the audiences mind, a 12 year old couldn't take that so therefore by making it to an older audience it also allows me to go into further depth of the film which leads to the film being spoken about and then remembered.


References to help me carry out my research:
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/pg
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/18
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/what-bbfc-insight