Research: Age Certificates - Mrs. Quinlan

Age Certificates

What is the role of the BBFC and why are they important to the film industry?

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) are highly experienced experts on regulating the moving image in Britain. The BBFC serves a social function in society which is to advise and protect viewers from moving images. They provide public information that empowers them and parents to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care. As well as this, the BBFC help protect vulnerable viewers and society from the effects of viewing potentially harmful or unstable content while respecting adult freedom of choice.

What are the different age certificates?

The U symbol stands for universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although at this low age, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child. In terms of bad language, U films generally only have infrequent uses of very mild bad language such as 'damn' or 'hell. Some characters seen kissing or cuddling would be the closest references to sexual behaviour, there would be no apparent focus on sexual behaviour, language or innuendo. The violence is very mild, there would be brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger, although scenes of emotional distress will be quickly resolved and the outcome will be reassuring. This is to prevent upsetting any children and their emotional stability. Characters that are portrayed negatively may use or carry weapons although there will be no emphasis on these. Due to the universal rating, there would normally be no references to illegal drugs or misuse of drugs unless there is a clear educational message which would be understood by a younger audience. U films would be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

Aladdin (1992) is an example of a U rated trailer, it only contains mild threat.

The symbol PG stands for Parental Guidance, these films are suitable for general viewing although some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film generally should not unsettle a child that is eight years old or over and parents should consider whether the content may upset their children. A PG film would not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child, PG films may explore challenging issues such as bullying or racism. Also, there may be mild bad language such as "shit" or "son of a bitch", but the context and delivery always will be important, the language would not be used aggressively or excessively. Sex references are unlikely unless they are undetailed and infrequent, if a child is unlikely to understand a reference, it may be allowed a PG rating. In terms of violence, it would be mild and there may be some blood, but the audience would not see how the injury is inflicted.

Matilda (1996) is an example of a PG rated film.

A film that is rated 12A contains material that is not suitable for children aged 12 and under, although children younger than 12 may view 12A films in cinema if accompanied by an adult. The BBFC considers the content of 12A rated films to be suitable for children aged 12 and over although would not recommend taking very young children to see them. Work that has dark or unsettling tones which could disturb audiences may be passed as 12A , adults planning to take children to 12A rated films should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. Strong language may be passed at 12A, although it depends on the manner of which it is used, who is using it, the frequency and any special contextual justification. Although aggressive uses of strong language may result in a film being pushed up to a 15 rating. There may be nudity in 12A films but in sexual context it should only be brief and discreet. Moderate violence is allowed but there should not be detail, weapons should not be glamorised in 12A films.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is an example of a 12A rated movie in cinema.

12 rated films are very similar to 12A films, they are also not generally suitable for children under the age of 12. Due to the fact accompanied viewing cannot be forced at home, the 12 rating remains for DVD and Blu-ray, also it is a simpler system for retailers. Strong language may be used in a 12 rated film but not aggressively, aggressive discriminatory language such as racism or homophobia will only pass as 12 if it is clearly condemned. Much like 12A films, sex can only be brief and discreet, verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Some horror films are passed as 12 such as moderate physical or psychological threat as long as the sequences are not too frequent. Dangerous behaviour may be present but detail should not be dwelled on as it could be copied by children.

Godzilla (2014) is an example of a 12 rated film, both in cinema and on DVD/Blu-ray.

The 15 certificate means that no one below the age of 15 is allowed to see a 15 rated film at the cinema or buy a 15 rated video. In a 15 rated film there will usually be strong violence, frequent strong language, seuxal activity and drug taking. Typically, there is no upper limit for the number of uses of strong language, there may also be racist, homophobic or discriminatory language. Sexual activity can be displayed but not in strong detail, there would also be strong references to sex as there is no constraints on  nudity either. Violence would also be strong in a 15 rated movie, but pain or injury should not be dwelled on. Gory images or sadistic violence would not be acceptable. Drug taking can be shown but not be promoted or encouraged.

Southpaw is an example of a 15 rated film as there is strong language, violence and drug use.

18 rated films are only for adults, no one under 18 is allowed to see 18 rated films in the cinema or buy an 18 rated film. Themes are not prohibited in 18 rated films, therefore some themes shown in 18 rated films may be offensive to some adult viewers. 18 rated movies would show, very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, strong blood and gore, discriminatory language and behaviour. There is no limit on the uses of strong language, the uses can be aggressive and directed, sometimes even accompanied by violence.  There may be racist and homophobic language at 18, as well as strong and detailed portrayals of sex such as full nudity. All violence can be strong and portrayed with strong detailed, this includes dwelling on pain or injury, as well as scenes of sadistic or sexual violence. As a whole, drug misuse should not be promoted or encouraged but drug taking can be shown.

An example of an 18 rated film is Watchmen (2009) as it contains strong bloody violence.

Discuss 12A rating

The 12A rating was introduced in 2002, the first film to receive the 12A rating was The Bourne Identity (2002). The film Spider-Man (2002) is believed to be the film that triggered the introduction of this rating as the distributors requested a PG rating. However the film contained personal violence and a revenge theme that was not acceptable under the PG guidelines. The decision was unpopular as under 12s collected merchandise that was marketed specifically at young children, the BBFC received dissapointed letters from parents and children. After the introduction of the 12A rating, the distributor of Spider-Man re-released the film so young children had a chance to see the film in  the cinema as some local authorities did not change the rating.

What age certificates do thrillers tend to get and why?

Thriller films tend to get 15 or 18 ratings. This may be because of the approaches filmmakers take to generate scared, tense, nerve wrecking and frightened responses from audiences. Filmmakers may use violence and gore to get a reaction from the audience as well as iconography that can be used in these scenes. Examples of this iconography are, blood, guns and knives, as well as this, audiences under the age of 15 could imitate this behaviour, which is why most thriller films are rated 15 and over. It is also highly likely that there will be sexual content in a thriller film, although it would not be excessive as those films would be rated 18. There is also a high chance that there will be horror sequences designed to scare audiences, therefore there will be distressing scenes that young people will not be able to handle, this further justifies the 15 or 18 rating that thriller films usually receive.

The Grey (2012) is an example of a thriller film that is rated 15.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012) is another example of a 15 rated film due to strong gore, bloody violence, language and soft drug use.














What age certificate would you give your thriller?

The age certificate I will give my thriller will be 15. This will be due to the content that will be inappropriate for children under the age of 15. I will include violence with weapons, distressing scenes that will most likely make the audience upset. In terms of iconography I will use a sledgehammer and knives as they are conventional to the thriller genre. My aim will be to create suspense within the audience and therefore I will need to use upsetting themes such as murder and mystery to confuse as well as engage the audience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my research has taught me that some ratings such as 12 and 12A have very similar conditions when watching films with those ratings. Also there are very strict conditions when rating a film as content may be difficult to categorise. Therefore I have learnt that I need to make sure my content is not too excessive for my opening to have 18 rated content, my opening will have to have content suitable for 15 year olds and over.