Research into age certificates and the BBFC- Miss Georgiou

In this post I will be researching into age certificates for films and the different classifications that there are. I will also be researching the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and what their job is when it comes to classifying films into certain age certificates.

The BBFC:

The BBFC's job is to watch and examine films before they are released and based on what they have seen, put them into age certificates in order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films. The BBFC look at  issues such as the discrimination of drugs, horror, dangerous and easlily imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex and violence when they make the decision of what age certificate to put the film under. They also consider context, the tone and likely impact of a work on the potential audience. The possible age certificates that a film can be put under are, U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 and 18.

U- This means universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and older. Films and videos that are seen as U's are, for example, In The Night Garden and The Teletubbies. A U film may include a brief scene where a character is seen in danger but will be balanced by reassuring elements such as music. An example of a U film would be The Muppets. There is no violence or any scenes of a sexual nature. The children in whom are watching the film can watch without any disturbances. The film is based on puppet animals which will feature maybe an insight to adventures with nothing that would disturb any child. U films, such as The Muppets, are child friendly. The plot of a U film would be easily understood because of its intended audience. U films are seen to be about friendships and loyalty which will always likely lead to a happy ending, it is great for children to enjoy and have a positive experience out of watching it. 

PG- PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that a film is suitable for general viewing but may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. There may be mild bad language in a PG film but nothing too explicit. There should be no detail of violence, there may be some blood but we should not see how the injury was inflicted in great detail. An example of a PG film is 'Scooby-Doo' the movie. It is about a group of 'meddling' detectives who try and solve the mystery of why a theme park is haunted. Before this film was produced, there was a TV series in which most children would know the story line, in which is repetitive as it involves the gang finding the villain and putting him away. Because of the repetitive narrativem the children will not find this film scary, and parents would agree that the film is apprpriate to watch. Although the crimes in which are commited can be seen as dangerous, the injuries they recieve are not seen and are not shown how the injury may of been inflicted. There is minimal use of bad language and only use of mild violent action, making it suitable for the PG rating. The relationship between Shaggy and Scooby is seen as funny and the audience can relate to it. The idea of a talking dog is accepted by children and the adventours they get up to add to the comical effect of the film.





12A and 12- 12A means that anyone aged 12 and over can go and see a film unccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' or 'advisory' . Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult. There may be strong language used in a 12 or 12A work but it must be infrequent. Violence is allowed but not in detail and there should be no emphasis on blood or injuries. An example of a 12 certificate film is The Hunger Games. The plot is about a game that takes place in order for only one survivor. Although it may seem brutal, the violent actions taking place cannot be seen. The characters within The Hunger Games are aged between ages 13-18 so the language barrier is lifted due to their age and maturity. The language and sexual content is very limited within this film as it isn't acceptable to be showing any nudity within the film. If any disruptive language is used then it is very minimal and nothing that could possibly harm or affect the child in any way. The accompany of adults within 12 films is advised as the violence could possibly influence the child in a certain way or the child may be frightened of the weapons used. 

The example of a 12A film is Spider Man, which was the first ever film to be given the certificate of 12A in 2002. At first, the film was given an age rating of 12, meaning that most of the films targetted audience could not view the film in cinemas. Therefore, after many complaintes the film was given a 12A so that children under the age of 12 could go and see the film with adult supervision 

15- 15 films are suitable for people over the ages of 15 and not suitable for under.  15 film is much stronger than a 12A or 12 film because they include strong violence, portrayals of sexual activity, strong language and drug taking. The violence can be strong in a 15 film but not dwell on the infliction or injury too much. An example of a 15 film is The Hangover. which is about a planned bachelor party and the events that happen within the lead up to the main characters wedding. There is strong language used within this film and many references to sex, although this is not focused on too much as the film is about a group of men all suffering from a hangover, trying to remember the previous nights events. The film is a comedy and some events taken place keep the audience amused and turnt away from the bad language and drug us. Thus, making it suitable for the 15 rating.







18- 18 films are for adults and no one under 18 is allowed to see them. 18 films contain very strong issues such as strong horror, blood and gore, real sex, strong portrayals on sexual activity and sexual violence. Violence is portrayed with strong detail. Strong, gory, images are usually shown in this category.  An example of an 18 film is Saw V. Huge amounts of horror, violence, gore, blood and strong language are used throughout this film. Groups of people are put through a series of gruesome traps in which may lead to freedom, however, these traps lead to many deaths which are shown to the audience very explictly and gruesome. The plot is very scary and horrifying which can lead to any younger viewers, under 18, to become extremely disturbed. The large amount of blood and death leaves adults to become disturbed so any child younger can be seriously disturbed because of the outcomes. The ending in itself is bad, the horryfying tasks the people have to endure leave the audiences on the edge of their seats.




Researching into age certificates enables us to know what age certificate to put our thriller into. We are now aware of what age certificates include specific details in which can only be shown to the age group. This allows us to know what appropriate age group to put our thriller in to. I have decided to put our thriller into the 15 certificate. This is because, the 15 age certificate allows for violence to be used and injury can be used, aso.