Bbfc research

BBFC RESEARCHBY MARC CARTER

WHO ARE THE BBFC?

• THE BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION IS AN INDEPENDENT, NON-GOVERNMENTAL BODY WHICH HAS CLASSIFIED CINEMA FILMS SINCE IT WAS SET UP IN 1912 AND VIDEOS/ DVDS SINCE THE VIDEO RECORDINGS ACT WAS PASSED IN 1984.

THE CLASSIFICATIONS • ‘U’ stands for universal, this

means that there are no restrictions on who can watch it. U grade films are family friendly and are typically films for young children. However the themes of U films are very wide as long as the use is clearly justified.

THE CLASSIFICATIONS• PG stands for parental guidance,

these are films suitable for general viewing but may contain scenes which may be unsuitable for young children. Films that are PG rated tend to be used for educational purposes to aid the awareness of subjects such as bullying.

THE CLASSIFICATIONS• FILMS THAT CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT IS

SEEN AS UNSUITABLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 12, FILMS THAT ARE LABELLED AS 12A ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE 12 IF THEY ARE ACCMPANIED BY AN ADULT.

• SOME MODERATE LANGAUGE MAY BE USED BUT ONLY WITHIN CERTAIN CONTEXTS ADDITIOANLLY ONLY VERBAL SEXUAL REFERENCES MAY BE SAID BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE INFREQUENT.

THE CLASSIFICATIONS• Films that are only to be viewed by

those who are 15 and above. These films contain some sexual scenes, strong language and strong violence .

• There are lots of similarities between a 15 and the higher 18 except the scale on which the subjects are used. An 18 will contain subjects on a more graphic scale.

THE CLASSIFICATIONS• These are films permitted only for

the viewing of adults. Films rated 18 can contain strong language, strong violence, sexual scenes and visible gore. There are no limits on strong language use, so expect the use of taboo language to be freely expressed.

HOW DOES CLASSIFICATION WORK ?• “IN ORDER TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM UNSUITABLE AND EVEN HARMFUL

CONTENT IN FILMS AND VIDEOS AND TO GIVE CONSUMERS INFORMATION THEY MIGHT NEED ABOUT A PARTICULAR FILM OR VIDEO BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO VIEW IT, THE BBFC EXAMINES AND AGE RATES FILMS AND VIDEOS BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED. THIS INDEPENDENT SCRUTINY PRIOR TO RELEASE ENSURES THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL OF PROTECTION AND EMPOWERMENT.”-WWW.BBFC.CO.UK

RATINGS FOR OUR THRILLER

• AS THE GENRE WE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN IS GOING TO BE EITHER GANGSTER OR HORROR-THRILLER, THE GRADING OF THE FILM WILL BE A 15. THIS ALLOWS US TO HAVE SOME FREEDOM WHEN IT COMES TO CERTAIN SCENARIOS AS TYPICALLY WITHIN GANGSTER THRILLERS THERE IS VIOLENCE AND THE GENRE OF HORROR IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN.