Researching into the BBFC - Miss Miller

What is BBFC?

BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification which is an independent, non-gonvermental body which has classified cinema films since it was setup in 1912 and videos/DVDs since the video recordings Act was passed in 1984.

What do they do?

The BBFC was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to classify films nationally. They regulate film and videos, providing age ratings such as U,PG and 12A, they have the legal powers to rate,and sometimes cut or even reject works. Their decisions are based on public consultation and guidelines, which forms contact between the public and the film industry.
BBFC's aim is to ensure that the public, especially children are protected from content which may raise potential risks of harm and illegal material and they can make informed decisions about their viewing choice.

Age Ratings

U

This age rating is suitable for ages four and over but the U symbolises for Universal.

Bad language in a U film is infrequent and very mild e.g 'damn' and 'hell'. U works may have characters seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour but children would be accepted to see these at home so it isn't much of a problem, moreover there is no certain focus on sexual behaviour nor language. Violence & threat are generally permitted very mild in a U film. There may be scenes which include brief fighting or moments where the character is in danger however they shouldn't be too strong that children could pick up and copy the actions. The Villains may carry or use weapons, but theres no exaggeration onto how they use them and why. Themes in a U rating have to be suitable for the younger audiences, but a wide range of themes that are used in U films result into happy endings and connote a positive message to the audience.

The Lego Movie

An example of a U rated film is 'The Lego Movie'. As the toy Lego's are very common and known in the child population, this used in a film is very efficient as children will know what they're going to watch. This film is about "An ordinary Lego construction worker, thought to be the prophesied '

Antagonist - Lord Business 

special', is recruit to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from flying the Lego universe into eternal stasis".  It includes very mild fantasy violence for example fight scenes between Lego characters including punching and flipping, this is thought to have no effect on children as it is meant to have a cartoonish feel.
As this a universal film it uses very mild language that is suitable for young children for example in the film theres name-calling (Hippy dippy baloney, ding dong , dorky). This film covers all the conventions that should be in a U film, meaning that is suitable for ages to watch as a whole.

PG

Films rated PG stands for parental guidance which means that the film is suitable for general viewing. However, its is named PG rather than U rating because films PG advise parents to accompany their children if they're the age under eight years old as some themes may be unsettling for them to watch. Films rated PG may have sexual references but these are not focused in detail nor used frequently e.g brief kissing between a couple. Violent scenes are minimal but may have blood shown but its not graphic as children that are young may copy certain aspects of what they're viewing. Usually PG classified films have issues like bullying, racism and deaths in them but this wouldn't be unsuitable for a child as it doesn't elaborate too much on them and plus children may come across these things in a time of their lives.

Frozen

Olaf removing his head

Frozen is PG film that was released in 2013, the film is about"a Snow Queen who exiles herself because everything she touches turns into ice. Nevertheless, her sister, a mountain man, a living snowman and a reindeer set our to find the queen and bring her back to the kingdom. They must battle monsters and an evil prince before convincing the queen to return". The reason this film is a PG because there is discreet  kissing e.g A woman and man kiss briefly and several pairs of tolls kiss. Violence in this film may be disturbing for children under the age of 8 as the snowman, Olaf sometimes removes his head which may make the children feel uncomfortable. Also there are fighting scenes between the guards, monsters and main characters e.g Elsa makes an ice blade go up to some mans neck. In this film there isn't much strong language, as the language used is mild i.e butt. This film is about emotions, family, relationships, magic , acceptance , courage, taking risks which gives the audience a clear message that "emotions and talents are magic that can create incredible beauty". Therefore, the classification given applies to the film as it covers all the aims that a PG would have, and gives the parent the option to come with their child to watch it as small themes such as kissing and mild violence may be slightly inappropriate for their child if they were under the age of 8.

12
This age rating is a 12 were films are not suitable for children under the age of 12. The reason for this is because strong language (e.g f-ck) is permitted in a 12 depending on the manner its used in and who is using the language. There may be moderate strong language such as "bitch and twat" used in a 12 and 12A but when used aggressively this should be placed in a 15 rated film as children watching could imitate the use of language if theres no clear message discouraging the use of strong language. Furthermore, themes of discrimination are rarely allowed in films rated under a 15 but if there are theres usually a positive lesson learnt from it. Nudity is very discreet  and sexual references and nature are allowed if they're not explicit and into deep detail as it wouldn't be suitable for anyone under the age of 12. The use of violent iconography such as weapons for a villain or hero are approved in a fighting scene but it should not be glamorised so that the children learn that its wrong to use weapons.

The Amazing Spider Man 2

Spider man vs Green Goblin

The amazing spider man 2 is an American comic-book action movie that is rated a 12. The reasons why it is rated this age classification because it includes a huge amount of violence as it is about spider man and his battles with the villains. The most intense scene in this film has to be the final showdown where Harry (The green Goblin ) learns his friend Peter Parker who is Spider Man lied to him about helping him get better. This battle includes a load of explosions and minor quick injuries that may not be suitable for children under the age of 12 as it is a bit gory.

Gwen falling down

Also at the end of the battle scene, Gwen has a terrible fall which leaves her to snap her neck causing her death, this may be a bit too graphic for viewers if they were younger than 12. Furthermore, there is very mild use of strong language, such as " Damn , Piss and Crap ".





12A 
A 12A film simply means that a child under 12 can watch the film as long at they're accompanied with an adult. This allows parents the freedom of choice within the law to decide whether they think the film is suitable for their child to watch. The reason why there is a 12A because things in a 12 might upset a child who is under the age of 12 e.g dark themes, deaths. Even though children start to learn about sex this age, most things that are accepted in a 12 for example strong language and sexual references are very vague and has small focuses on it .

Pacific Rim



Gypsy chasing after sea monster

Pacific rim is 2013 American science fiction monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro. It is about a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures that has been going on for a long time. A former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse. The reason i think this film is rated a 12A is because of its use of fictional sea monsters, as children may admire them as they may be interesting to look at. This film has absolutely no sex and nudity, so children under 12 could watch it, however there are scenes where two of the main characters kiss briefly. There are multiple of scenes where giant robots face off against giant monster, mostly are bloodless although the pilot will be wounded and have minor blood stains. The robots will stab, shoot and decapitate the monsters as well as hit them with objects in their surroundings. This is not too graphic for children as they may see it as cool and not scary. There are minimal uses of very strong languages such as 'bitch, bastard and shit'.




15

15 rated films are only suitable and available to rent or buy at shops from children 15 and above, this is because some of the themes may be unsettling and too disturbing for a child to watch who's under 15. Films at this age classification are a huge step from a 12 as they are allow to show strong violence, frequent strong language and portrayals of sexual activities, nudity and verbal sexual references. As long as it is not encouraged, discriminatory language such as racism or homophobic language may occur in 15 rated films. There should be no focus on sexualised threat but other threats and horror is allowed.

Grown Ups

Four year old being breast fed 

An example of a 15 age rated film is Grown Ups which is about a high school basketball coach passes away which leads five good friends who come together and reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend. As this film is a drama, comedy it has alot of subjects that aren't suitable for anyone under the age of 15. There are sexual references made throughout the whole film, which is used to add humour to the film e.g a four year old boy is breastfed on occasions even though we do not see him , references are that he is too old to be breastfeeding.
Violence is permitted in this film because it is comical violence where the audience would probably laugh at it. For example a man on a zip line slams onto a building and then later seen in a full body cast. Theres very limited frightening scenes as it is a comedy and nothing should make the audience feel scared anyways. However in a short scene a man throws an arrow onto someones foot causing it to bleed which may make younger audience feel uncomfortable as its abit gory.

18
No one the age under 18 is permitted to watch an 18 classified film at cinema nor buy and rent on DVD. This is because 18 rated films are made for adults and are not suitable for children. All the themes are permitted in an 18 as long as the context is not illegal or harmful. 18's usually contain very strong frequent language, portrayals of sexual activity, sexual violence, horror & gore and discriminatory language and behaviour.



Scary Movie  (2000)



Brenda getting her throat slit by an old woman at the cinemas

Scary movie is about a group of teenagers that accidentally had disposed a body that they killed a year ago, that are now being stalked by a serial killer. This film is rated an 18 as it is a parody of common horror films, and horror films are normally this age classification. Even though it is a comedy, there are certain themes that aren't suitable for people under the age of 18 to watch. There is alot of sexual activity and nudity in this film, as expected because it is based around teenagers and at their age they start to experience alot of sexual activities. As it is a parody of horrors, there are scenes of violence and gore as the antagonist is a serial killer that comes after the teenager. A gory scene in this film would be where several people kick, stab and punch a girl and there is some visible blood shown.
There is a lot of strong language , name calling , discriminatory and religious profanities used in this film which wouldn't be suitable for ages under 18 to watch and learn.


This research has helped me learn about the different types of age classifications from the BBFC. I have learnt that certain themes may be accepted in a 12 but not in a 15 as it may not be suitable for the younger audience. This will help me decide whether my opening thriller sequence would be a 12A or 15 because i do not want to make the audience feel too frightened to watch it, but i would like  create suspense for them to carry on watching the film. Unlike horrors in a 18 they often have disturbing themes and their opening sequences usually start gory, this would not be my aim as i am making a thriller and thrillers are all about creating suspense and shock to the audience not making them very scared.