Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

Who is the BBFC? What do they do?

The BBFC

The British Board Of Film Classification also known as the BBFC is a company of highly trained and experienced experts who supervise a moving image and rate the image so that they can protect the public from explicit content which may have a risk of harm. They mostly protect children and raise the parents awareness of the fact that the moving image may contain overaged explicit content. Normally, this is done by 2 examiners viewing a film for theatrical release which would be confirmed by a senior examiner. However, if there are any doubts to the examiner about the policy issues no other members on the board are allowed to see it. Occasionally specialist advice is to be taken about the legal acceptability of a film content and if it can potentially harm anyone. The explicit content that the BBFC look for are; drugs, language, nudity, horror, discrimination, sex, violence, dangerous behaviour, tone, theme and most importantly the impact it would have on the audience.

U Rating

The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should have no swear words that may be repeated by the viewers who are normally aged 4 and above. In a U Rated film there should be no focused sexual scenes only kissing and cuddling which should still not be focused on . There should also be no violence unless a character has a small moment of danger which would straight away be resolved . An example of a U Rated film is The Lion King. The Disney animated movie features a young lion named Simba returning back to his homeland as an adult with his friends Timon and Pumbaa to try and take back his land from his evil uncle named Scar after he set out a death trap for Mufasa and Simba to die and him take the throne as king. However only Mufasa dies. This film contains a death but is still a U Rated because even though it contains battles in the early scenes throughout the film there is no blood or gory scenes to scar the viewers or lead them into violence and bad behaviour. This film also has no drugs, sexual scenes, or extremely frightening and intense scenes.  

PG Rating

PG is an abbreviation for the term parental guidance. A PG rating means that the film is suitable for children aged 8+ however their parents should still decide whether the content is to explicit to upset a child. In a PG rated film there would not be any focused scenes for drugs, sex, violence or foul language. There may be a scene on bullying but out would not be focused on the violence it would be focused on solving the problem. The language would not be explicit or extremely foul however may consist on mild language such as " shit " or " son of a bitch ". An example of a PG rated film is Shrek. This film is based on a ogre named Shrek who lives in a far away swamp who is invaded by annoying fairy tale characters that have been banished from their kingdom. He makes a deal with the Lord Farquaad to make them leave if he rescues the Lord's bride Fiona. On this mission he encounters some violence however the violence is very mild and not explicit to the children as it consists of a dragon blowing fire and not real bloody and gory scenes to affect the younger viewers. This film has no drugs, alcohol, sexual scenes or extremely explicit language. 

12A Rating & 12 Rating

A child aged 12 may see a 12a film however only if they can be accompanied by an adult. Adults taking their child under the age of 12 should decide themselves whether the film is suitable. A 12A and and 12 film mostly contain the same amount of foul language however not explicit and extremely rude ones some such as " Fuck". A 12A and a 12 rating both do not contain sexual scenes however a 12a may have a scene of some nudity but not more than a young teenager can see. For a 12A movie a moderate amount of violence is allowed however they should not focus on gruesome scenes to scare the children. There may be scenes in both a 12 and 12A about drugs however they shall not dwell on the detail of them. An example of a 12A film is The Transformers. This film is packed with war themed violence such as gunfire and flying missiles and objects. This movie contains mature themes such as explicit language like; "bitch", "fuck" and"shit and also some sexual imagery of short skirts and cleavage. Lastly, they make sexual jokes about losing their virginity and masturbation. Overall, these are the reasons that make this film a 12A and adults should decide for themselves whether or not a child may view it.

 An example of a 12 film is Fantastic 4. In this movie there is elements of violence such as explosions however its got less violence than other marvel-based movies. Towards the end there is a lot of deaths however the villain causes all this violence with his mind so the young viewers will not get affected by it. There is an element of foul language however it is mild such as "shit","damn" and "ass". There is no reference to sexual scenes other than a few flirtatious comments to make the viewers laugh . Lastly, all the characters work together to save people which shows and teaches the young viewers about teamwork which is why this movie is rated a 12. 

15 Rating

No one under the age of 15 is allowed to buy rent or view a 15 rated film. A film 15 rated film contains; strong violence, strong language e.g "fuck", sexual activity, nudity, sexual violence, drug taking and discriminatory behaviour. In movies rated 15 there may be scenes such as suicide, self harming and hanging however these scenes should not be focused on incase young adults try to copy. An example of a 15 Rated film is The Human Centipede. This film contains extremely horrific violence, some nudity and foul language. However it does not focus or dwell on the detail of the nudity which makes it appropriate to a young adult and the rating the film is given. This movie contains violence and blood however does not have gruesome or gory scenes that would mentally affect a 15 year old or above. 

18 Rating

No 18 Rated film is suitable for a teenager or below the age of 18 they are only suitable for adults and no one below that age can buy, watch or rent a movie. 18 Rated films contain extremely strong violence, frequent foul language like "cunt" and "fuck", strong horror, strong gore and blood, scenes of sexual violence, real sex and strong visuals of sexual activity. An example of a 18 Rated film is The Wolf Of Wall Street. This film contains very detailed scenes of drug use and has extremely foul language throughout the whole film. There are not many violent scenes throughout the film however there is constant shouting and a scene containing lots of blood and a beating. There is also a scene were a woman gets punched in the face so this film is not a good influence on the younger generation so is not recommended for any kids of any age. 

R18 Rating

R18 films are restricted in cinemas that are not licensed to show them and cannot be sent out to someone by mail. R18 films are films that are legally restricted and contain extremely explicit sexual or fetish material for adults involving other adults in them. R18 films are hard to search for as it is filtered from the internet as the titles are normally also offensive and explicit for the public eye to take notice of. Therefore, there are not a lot of known R18 movies that are out and public in the U.K.

In conclusion, this research has helped me learn about the different age classifications in films and made me realise what the BBFC take under consideration to be able to rate the films in the first place. Parents would want to know the age certificates for the films they are allowing their children to see and the BBFC is the company that decides accurately what age certification a certain film would go under. Age certifications are needed as they show what content could be in a film which could negatively affect the incorrect age group for example, making the child violent if there are any weapons or violent scenes in the film. For my thriller i am going to try base it on an age 15 rated storyline and include; some violence, some mild foul language and discriminatory language. However, I am not going to include any signs of; sexual activity, nudity and sexual violence in my very own thriller.