Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

The BBFC is a non governmental board of certification for all films in the UK. They control all certificates and ratings for the films in the cinema such as U, PG, 12A/12, 15 and 18. This is done so that people know what they are able to watch and not watch. Some films are given ratings so that parents are given the choice to accompany their child for their own safety.

Age Classification

Age classification is given to films so that there are no wrong or inappropriate audiences viewing them. Employees of the board make sure to look out for the main issues that separate ratings, such as, horror, sex, nudity, drug or alcohol use, bad or inappropriate language and violence. This is viewed many times by more than one member of the board in order to insure that children do not see the types of things that could potentially influence or disturb them. The board make sure to see what the public think of their rating of each film, some will explain why and why this is not a good rating which will sometimes mean that the ratings change. This is good because  it shows that they are very communicational.

What Does U Mean?

The 'U' rating stands for universal. This means it is appropriate for people and children to watch this film. It mainly applies to children of the ages 4 and above. However, BBFC cannot anticipate what will scare certain children so it is up for the parents to decide whether they want their child to watch the film. They regularly state whether preschool children will be able to watch this. As many people know, in u films, violence isn't generally permitted unless it is mild. If any violence is shown in a u rated movie, this will be because a funny scene is introduced during as well as music that will make children happier rather than scared. Weapons are tolerated in u films however child characters are not usually permitted to have them so that young children do not believe it is right to hold or to be seen with weapons. These films almost always contain good morals to films and show positive messages normally at the end of the film. In no way will BBFC tolerate any references to drugs in u rated films. If there is any message about drugs in these movies, it will be to promote that they are bad or 'anti' drugs. This makes it more positive than negative for the young audience. If there are any fight scenes, they are quickly resolved, and the weapons used are not harmful or dangerous.  The reason BBFC do not allow bad language or behaviour in these films is purely because at young ages children tend to copy what others do or say, and because it is a film they are likely to remember something they haven't heard of before. Therefore, they could end up being very anti - social as well as dangerous to be around. There may be references to mild sexual behaviour but nothing extreme. Nudity is tolerated in these particular types of films, however there must be no sexual context referring to it. Kissing and cuddling is allowed. Death can be shown in films if they are 'baddies' or if their death has a good impact in the long run for the 'hero' or main character.

 The princess diaries is a film with main characters Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) and Queen Clarice Renaldi (Julie Andrews). Mia recently finds out that she is actually a princess and is the next air to the throne of a small country called Genovia. With the help of her friends Lilly and Michael Moskowitz, she tries to get through the rest of her 16^th year, in the end, she decides that she will take the princess lessons for her grandmother, she decides that she doesn't want to be a princess. However, she changes her mind at the very end of the film and allows herself to be named Princess of Genovia.

This is a u rated film because it is safe for young children to see and it involves comedy as well as love. This film was so popular that there was a sequel. I think this a u because it doesn't involve any bad language, and its an appealing film to watch. Also, teenagers love this film because it is based on everyday life and something comes in the way to confuse everything, teenagers can relate. No sex, nudity, alcohol or drugs are shown during this film, this is why it doesn't have a high rating.

What does PG mean?

The PG rating stands for Parental Guidance. Some scenes may upset younger viewers but is suitable for general viewing. A PG film should not be uncomfortable for a child aged eight or older to watch. Parents should be able to make a decision about whether they would allow their child to watch this type of film. Not all Pg films are made for younger audiences, some films are purely for the enjoyment of adults such as comedy films, this means children can see them but so can grown ups. PG is similar to U, it won't contain any inappropriate them for children. Mild bad language is tolerated in a PG film such as 's**t' or 'son of a b***ch' however the way it is portrayed in the film is very important. Sex references are very rare unless they are sparse and not detailed so children do not understand them or catch what they actually mean. Violence is almost always mild. For example: if blood is shown, the film will not show how the injury and occurred in heavy detail. BBFC allows some scary or jumpy scenes as long as they are not intense. Children are more prone to copy what they see, so if there are accessible weapons seen, a child may think its okay to carry them. A PG film will not focus on this type of behaviour. Smoking and drinking will not be advertised in any way, however if it is shown, it will have the obvious message that this is bad. There should be no strong focus on illegal drugs at all, because it could influence children to try them if they are at the age where they know what they are and are trying new things.

Frozen is a Disney film based on two princesses, Elsa and Anna who sadly lose their parents in shipwreck. Elsa being the eldest, must take over the throne. However Elsa accidentally uses her ice powers to turn her whole kingdom into snow and ice. This creates an irreversible winter. Her sister teams up with a ma of the mountain Kristoff, to find Elsa to stop this weather once and for all. This is a great children's film because it is full of adventure and fun. It also has the element of comedy which will make the dark scenes slightly funny instead of scary.

I think this is rated at a PG because it can actually be a dark and scary movie for young children to watch. There are also weapons and chains used, which can be used dangerously and influence children to want to use them too.

What Does 12A/12 Mean?

12A means that if your child is under than twelve, they must be accompanied to be able to watch the film. If an adult is planning to take children under the age of 12 they must make sure that the film is reasonable for them to see. The difference between 12 and 12A is that 12A requires the child to be accompanied by the adult in the cinema. The 12 certificate is only shown on DVD's and blu-ray. This was created to warn parents about what their child should watch if they are under 12. However, the film must be purchased by a customer older than 12 or the film cannot be sold to them. The BBFC doesn't recommend taking a very young child to see a film in the cinema because of some of the content in the film which will make parents want to reconsider having taken them. There are rarely  any scary or disturbing tones in a 12A due to the way it could affect the audience. Strong language such as 'f**k' or 's**t' may appear in some 12 and 12A films, it all depends on who is the one speaking this way and the way the scene is set. If in any way the language is categorized as being threatening, the BBFC may decide to change the classification from a 12/12A to a 15. Discriminating language will not be tolerated in any 12A film. In a 12/12A there may be brief references to sex but they must be suitable for young teenagers to hear. No detailed violence is allowed in these types of films due to the fact that there is a younger audience. Sexual violence such as rape or assault scenes can be briefly shown, but no details must come into the film. Dangerous behaviour can be shown in a 12A or 12 film but it must not go into detail, This is done to prevent children from copying any actions they may have seen in the film.

 A young woman, Adaline Bowman puts herself in serious danger after her car falls off the side of the road. Presumed dead she is struck by lightning whilst in the car but soon afterwards she mysteriously awakes. Since her accident she has noticed that she wasn’t aging anymore. In fear of anyone discovering her secret, she stays as far away as possible to anyone she may even have the slightest connection to. However, one day she meets Ellis Jones who changes her life and everything sh e has fought off as he has helped her find love and passion once again as she did long ago. Adaline and Ellis visit the Jones family for the weekend. But with her secret of the verge of coming out, Adaline makes a decision that will change the rest of her life forever. This is a 12 because there is a scene where sex is implied. Also from the car crashing scene there is blood and gore so children may be frightened from this. Also, there is a party scene where lots of adults are drinking wine and champagne so this is a 12 so that it doesn’t influence young children to want to drink what the adults are drinking. 

What Does 15 Mean?

 15 films means that anyone under this age will not be allowed to watch the film or buy/rent a video of the rating '15'. No themes are banned granted that the film is appropriate for any 15 year old to watch. You may find any of the following themes in 15 films such as strong sex references, strong violence, nudity, drug taking, bad language as well as undetailed scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to it. In 15 rated films, there is no limit as to the amount of times strong language is used. There can sometimes be very strong language such as the word 'c***' but this all depends on what character is using the language and why. Sex scenes are allowed to be long in this type of film rating, however there must not be any strong detail of nudity or sexual activity. Violence may be strong in 15 films as the viewers begin to mature and start to stop copying things that they hear in films.It is rare that very gory or bloody scenes will be shown in a 15. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence is okay, but illustrations of sexual violence must be very hidden and explained. Potential harm in teenagers at this age is high, so any hanging or suicide scenes must be brief.  BBFC do not allow any films to be 15 if they show highly dangerous substances being used.

 Not another teen movie is a mash up of all the teenage movies that have existed over 20 years. The general plot is based on he famous movies 'Mean Girls', '10 things i hate about you', and 'pretty in pink'. The plot consists of a young boy named Jake Wyler who is dating a cheerleader named Priscilla, however Priscilla breaks up with him in order for her to be able to date someone else. Later on, Jake has a bet with his friend, Austin. The bet is that Jake can't get the ugliest girl to be homecoming queen. Jake makes a deal with Austin that he can choose the girl that Jake must transform. Austin chooses a girl named 'Jannie' who is an artist. At first she hesitates to go on a date with Jake but in the end, she falls in love with him. Just before the homecoming dance, Jannie finds out about the bet and runs off in tears. She goes to homecoming with Austin who is trying to get back at Jake. Unfortunately, Jannie doesn't win homecoming queen. Once the announcement has been made, Austin takes her to a hotel room. However, Jake gets there in time and convinces Jannie that he loves her. 

There is mild nudity involved which is why it is  a 15 as well as bad language, so in order for young children not to copy or be influenced by anything that is said or done, they have made the rating a 15. This is because people that age do not tend to be easily led to copy what they see as they are mature enough.

 What Does 18 Mean?

No one under the age of 18 is allowed to buy 18 rated films or watch them in the cinema. These are purely for adults above this age. This is because it contains very strong language and violence, sexual violence scenes, strong horror with strong blood and gore scenes allowed aswell as discriminating language and behaviour. No themes are illegal in an 18 rated film. Again, there is no limit as to how many times strong language is used and even these strongest terms such as 'c***' are allowed to be used. Language that is homophobic, racist or disrespectful is not banned from an 18. Full nudity is allowed. The dwelling of pain or injury is permitted aswell as extreme drug abuse. Harm is always considered by the BBFC, very dangerous or criminal behaviour can be cut completely from the film to ensure that no harm comes to anyone who decides to watch the film.

A woman's teenage girl mysteriously becomes possessed by an entity. In order to release the demon from the girl, she calls two priests to help her. The was rated an 18 because of the gore and general scariness of the film. BBFC believe that this would be too scary for a child to watch. It can give nightmares, and can allow children to believe that harming yourself or anyone else is okay. Scary scenes and faces are shown as well as the voice of the demon inside the girl. So, i think this is an 18 because no children should see this as it could cause psychological issues.










In conclusion, i am now able to understand the importance of age certificates. This will be helpful in the future because now i can pick out key points and scenes in films and see why children are not able to watch it. Or, if children ever want to watch a film that is rating higher than their age, i can explain why and how it will effect them after they have seen it. This will create more awareness for children as well as for parents who didn't understand the side effects of letting their children watch films that are rated above their age. This will result in less behavioral, psychological and physical issues later on in their lives. No child should become dangerous or tormented due to a film they watched. My research has also helped me in my decision as to what age certificate i will apply to my thriller sequence. My thriller sequence will be rated 15 to allow me to create something that is truely scary but not too scary to create nightmares. This helps me have more choice in what i can make. In order to stay in line with the various regulations,  i am able to use scary/creepy music in order to thrill the viewers. However, i will not be able to include strong nudity or any gory/bloody scenes that can potentially scar the audience, especially if they are below a certain age.