Research into BBFC - Miss Miller

BBFC – British Board of Film Classification

The BBFC is the British Board of Film Classification. The board was introduced for safety reasons and they award different films an appropriate age certificate for their content and make sure it is suitable for the target audience. One of the main purposes of the board is for the safety of children and so that parents have the choice of whether they feel comfortable  letting their child watch the content of that film. They are a designated body that have legal powers to rate and sometimes cut or even reject works. 

There are six different age certificates such as U, PG, 12, 12A , 15 , 18.

Age Certificates

 The "U" symbol stands for Universal. A "U" film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However at this lower end of the category range it is difficult to predict what may affect a child depending on their individual personality. In a film awarded a "U" certificate it is highly unlikely that the film will contain violence, sexual scenes, drugs and imitable behaviour. Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling or using mild bad language (such as "damn" or "hell" ) however there would be no direct focus or references towards sex or the use of swear words. Violence will generally be very mild, for example a film may include a brief fight scene however they are quickly resolved and the outcome would be encouraging. Any behaviour shown in the film which could be perceived as dangerous or anti social must be clearly disapproved of. A film can explore a wide range of themes and still be awarded an "U "Certificate. For example not only children's films are awarded a "U". If the film contains content that show a positive outlook on the theme and has very mild aspects of negativity it is most likely to be awarded this certificate.  


Finding Nemo
An example of a "U" rated film would be "Finding Nemo". The plot of this animated adventure is when a timid father fish sets on a journey to find his son after he was captured by humans in the Great Barrier Reef and to bring him home. This would be awarded a "U" certificate because this is of a family friendly theme and contains an exciting storyline for young children. It fits the guidelines of this certificate because the film has no scenes of drug or imitable behaviour content or any use of bad language. There is no strong focus on sex or violence. If there is references towards sexual or violent behaviour it is very mild and brief.

The "PG" symbol stands for parental guidance. This implies that a film is usually suitable for a general audience however some scenes may be unsuitable for a young child.  A film that has been awarded a "PG" age certificate should not harshly effect children ages eight years or older. A parent should decide whether the content that may be shown in a "PG" film is suitable for their child. A "PG" film will not contain any theme that would be inappropriate for a child however they may challenge issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. Films with this age certificate may consist of mild bad language (such as "shit" and "son of a bitch") but the context and delivery of them is very important. For if there is emphasis on these words they may be passed at a higher category and age certificate. It is unlikely that a film with this certificate would contain strong scenes of sexual content unless they were undetailed and infrequent. However if there was scenes including this then they may be softened with the use of comedy and they are mostly only used if they are unclear and difficult to understand to a young child. Violence and threat is usually very mild if there is a quick show of blood there will be no strong focus on how the injury was inflicted.  The use of drugs will not be of a strong content in this category unless it had a clear and educational message. 

Home Alone

An example of a "PG" rated film would be "Home Alone".
This film is about a young boy who accidently gets left home alone while his family go on vacation over Christmas. He is set on a mission to defend his home against burglars. This was perhaps awarded this category as this film contains an amusing yet slightly unrealistic storyline which makes it that bit more comical for the target audience. Although this storyline could perhaps unsettle certain young children as the subject of burglary and being alone may be something they have experienced before; the film has a very comforting feel when the burglars are the characters that experience the most misfortune and ridiculous injuries. The film contains no vigorous sexual scenes or use of drugs. It may contain a small use of bad language however it is acceptable for this age category.

The "12" symbol represents a film which is only suitable of people aged 12 years and over. The content in films of this category will generally be unsuitable for young children under the age of 12 years. The 12 certificate also remains for DVD/Blu-ray, it is a simpler system for retailers. This means they cannot sell a "12" rated film to anyone under the age of 12.  Works classify the content in these films to be unsettling for a younger audience. For example a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience would be less likely to be passed at a 12 or a 12A even if the individual issues in the film were considered acceptable under the BBFC Guidelines. The BBFC state the use of strong language (such as "f***) may be passed at this age category. However aggressive uses of the language will be passed at a higher age certificate. The content of sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed in the "12" rated certificate. Similarly violence can be briefly shown however it should not dwell on detail. Dangerous behaviour may be passed at this certificate however behaviour that is easily imitable shouldn't be used ; anti social behaviour should not be endorsed.

The "12A" symbol represents a film with content only suitable for 12 year olds and over. The "12A" requires no one younger than 12 to witness the film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under the age of 12 to view a "12A" film must consider whether the film content may be suitable for their child. At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if they can be justified by their context. Similarly to the "12" certificate, sexual content and some bad language is permitted in this certificate. However some scenes must have strong contextual justification. Some horror films may be passed at the "12A" age certificate as long as the scenes including strong horrific features are not too frequent or sustained.

The main difference between the "12" and the "12A" age certificates  is that the 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. This is enforced by cinema staff and a cinema may lose its license if adult accompaniment is not enforced for children under 12 admitted to a 12A film.

The Notebook

An example of a "12A" rated movie would be "The Notebook". This love story is about a poor passionate young man who falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. When they get separated by social differences he hopes one day they will be reunited again. This film is awarded a "12A" age certificate as it has a more mature theme of love and general livelihood. The film does contain a few strong sexual scenes and moments of tense and threatening behaviour which may use a vast amount of strong language. This however follows the rules and regulations of this age certificate. Overall the film brings an emotional and romantic impression on the audience and could effect them in many different ways. It also has some adult complications which may be troublesome for a younger audience to understand.

The "15" symbol indicates that a film consists of content only suitable for audiences ages 15 or over. No themes inappropriate for ages under 15 can be shown in a 15 rated film. There are many different things you could expect to see in a rated "15" movie. For example strong violence, frequent strong language, strong references to sex and portrayals of sexual activity, drug taking and discriminatory language or behaviour. There is no limit on "15" films on the use of strong language. Sometimes they may consist of some of the strongest terms ( such as c***) depending on the manor used. There may also be the use of offensive terms, this could include racism, homophobia and other discriminatory language. Nudity and sexual scenes can be quite long at this category however shouldn't be in very strong detail. The use of drugs and drug taking may be permitted in a rated "15" film however the works of the film must not encourage or promote drug misuse. Dangerous behaviour has to be considered to show impressionable teenagers.

 Step Brothers
An example of a "15" rated film is "Step Brothers". This film is about two aimless losers still living at home, until their parents decide to get married and they have to become roommates. They have to overcome each others bad habits but find themselves hating each other in the process. The film contains a robust use of bad language which is softened by the use of comical language. It also falls into this category as it has some scenes of nudity and sex. However these are very frequent and do not have a strong focus on them. The film contains a limited amount of racism and dangerous behaviour such as vandalism of property. However all the behaviour is shown in a ridiculous unrealistic manor to make sure the audience's focus isn't fixated on this.

 The "18" symbol indicates films only for adults. No person under the age of 18 is allowed to watch or buy an "18" rated film in the cinema or a shop. No content shown in a film with this age certificate is suitable for a child. This category can contain very strong issues and subjects. Such as very strong violence, frequent and very strong language (such as f*** or c***), strong portrayals of sex and strong sexual violence, strong blood, gore and horror and finally discriminatory language and behaviour. There is no limit of bad language that can be used in this category along with the limit of sex or nudity. An "18" film might also contain depictions of real sex, as long as the film is not of a sex work. At "18" violence can be strong and be portrayed with strong detail. There may even be dwelling on the infliction of pain or injury, or scenes of strong sadistic or sexual violence. Most horror films are rated at the "18" age certificate as they can contain strong gore, horror and sustained threat. In "18" films strong dangerous behaviour is permitted however it is still considered. For example if very dangerous criminal behaviour could be imitable and if copied could posses an incredible harm then it may be cut.
However cuts made in the "18" category are only ever considered when the material is in breach of the criminal law or if the material is mentally or physically harmful to the audience as individuals.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

An example of an "18" rated movie would be "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". This film is of the horror genre. The film is about a group of friend picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding killer and his family of equally psychopathic killers.
The film contains very fierce scenes of horror and gore, and also sustained threat throughout. There is also bad language used such as strong swear words (for example s***, f*** and c***). The film also contains short scenes of sexual content and behaviour and also some references to sex. This falls into the guidelines of a rated "18" film as it contains most of the severe cases of the themes and subjects permitted in this category.



In conclusion this research has helped me to understand and define the different levels of maturity that is acceptable for different age certificates. I can now understand how severe certain aspects have to be in order to be placed in the correct category. This research has also helped me to understand the importance of placing the correct film in the correct category as if incorrect it may be very harmful towards the audience or badly influential towards the audience. This post has helped me to understand that my own thriller film should be placed in the "15" age certificate due to the mature themes and inappropriate language and images for younger children. I will also be mindful not to use strong bad language and try to completely avoid the use of swear words as they are not entirely necessary and we can still create an effective sequence without the use of these as these are quite difficult to understand which words are included in which age certificate.