Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

Research into the BBFC

What is the BBFC?

BBFC stands for British Board of Film Classification. The BBFC is an organisation which purpose is to make decisions to apply a suitable target audience for various films. The intention of doing this is to inform the audience on whether the film would be deemed appropriate depending on age of the viewer. Therefore, this ensures the audience, especially younger audiences protection from explicit material such as graphic violence, nudity, adult themes, strong language, drug use and so on. Films have been separated in to six different categories; U, PG, 12A, 15 and 18. Each category has specific requirements that the content in the film must meet in order to receive that particular rating.  The BBFC also control ratings on DVD's, Bluray, Video Games and Film trailers in addition to showings at the cinema.

U

'U' in context to film classification refers to the word 'Universal' meaning that the film is suitable for all. Requirements of this rating would include that here be next to nothing deemed unsuitable for children e.g. no violence or strong language.  In order for a film to be classified as a 'U' by the BBFC, any violence that children could copy or use of  weapons such as knives, swords or guns  is not tolerated. 

An example of a film rated 'U' is Finding Nemo (2003). This is a certified 'U' because there is no content within the film that is unsuitable for a child under 8. The film is about a clownfish named Marlin who lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his son, Nemo, who is taken from him by a diver, Marlin the clown fish sets off on a journey to rescue him. Together with Dory, a blue fish with short term memory loss, they set off through the oceans, whilst joining a club with sharks, dodging jellyfish, and hooking a ride with turtles. Whilst this is happening, Nemo and his new tank friends hatch a plan to escape from their new home. Throughout the film there is no sign of any violence, neither any strong language or scenes that would be distressing for a child under 8. 

PG

PG stands for Parental Guidance meaning that The BBFC recommends that parents should watch the film with their children as all ages are permitted, however, parents may prefer to watch with their child to see for themselves whether they judge it acceptable for their child's viewing and to be there to answer questions children may ask about the film. A PG film is required to not cause distress to viewers over 8 years old and advise that under 8's should be accompanied by an adult. 

An example of a film that has a Certificate ‘PG’ is  Hocus Pocus  (1933). This has an age certificate of ‘PG’ because anyone can watch this film including children but parents are recommended that those under the age of 8 should watch the film with an adult.. In this film there is minimal use of bad language and a few scary scenes. The film is about three witch sisters who after three centuries are resurrected in Salem Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches' reign of terror. Parents should know that this movie involves a plot to suck the life force out of children (and one little girl dies that way). A couple of high school bullies harass a male classmate in a graveyard, asking him for "smokes" and "hash" and finally stealing his shoes. There are also mild sexual references, such as a high school boy hugging his pillow and murmuring, "Oh, Allison, you're so soft," as well as some frisky flirting from one of the witches. The main character is teased about being a virgin. The body of an "unfaithful lover" rises from the grave. Main features of the story are a book bound in human skin and a candle made from the fat of a hanged man. A tale is told about the Devil, and there are various gross-out moments. But it's important to note that all of the above is done in the fun and playful, spooky spirit of Halloween.

12 & 12A

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not considered by the BBFC as suitable for children aged under the age of 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child prior to allowing the child to view it.The 12A certification 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. Accompanied viewing cannot be enforced in the home, so the 12 certificate remains for the DVD’s, rather than the 12A. The 12 is also a simpler system for retailers. It means they cannot sell or rent the item unless the customer is over the age of 12. The BBFC's Guidelines state that strong language may be passed at 12 or 12A, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency and any special contextual justification. Aggressive uses of strong language may result in a film or DVD being placed at the 15 category. There is some allowance for puns on strong language at this category. There may be moderate language (e.g. uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A). Any discriminatory language or behaviour will not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language (for example homophobic or racist terms) is unlikely to be passed at 12A or 12 unless it is clearly condemned. Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12A or 12. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Comedy may lessen the impact of some moderate sex references or innuendo but frequent crude sex references are unlikely to be accepted at this category. There may be nudity in 12A films but nudity in a sexual context should only be brief and discreet.Sex and sex references are treated the same irrespective of sexuality 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 (for example brief sight of bloody injury in a medical drama). Action sequences and weapons may be present at 12A or 12, and there may be long fight scenes or similar. Weapons which might be easily accessible to 12 year olds (such as knives) should not be glamorised in 12A and 12 works. An example of a film that is a 12A is Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Within the film there is very mild use of sex and nudity. Examples of this are when a  man is shown briefly in his underwear, Peter and Gamora nearly kiss, but Gamora pulls away and holds a knife to Peter's throat and announces that she will not be tricked by his "pelvic sorcery" and that a main male character is shirtless for the entire film. There is also quite a large amount of violence and some gore, examples include Several men hold a man while another man gut punches him a few times and slaps him in the face, A man tries to knock another man out, but is thrown into a pool and left there, A tree creature stabs several men and uses them to slam other men to the ground and A prison guard is stabbed through the chest in the background although no blood is shown. There is also a moderate use of strong language throughout the film. Overall the tim has been give the 12/12A rating due to intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for strong language.

15

A film rated 15  means no-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. When watching a 15 rated film it is likely you’ll see strong violence, frequent strong language (e.g. ‘f***’),  portrayals of sexual activity,  strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour, drug taking and mental illness. An example of a certificate 15 rated film is 2 Guns. 2 Guns is about A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer who both find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel. While they are fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent. 2 Guns is rated a 15 as it contains brief sex and nudity atht he beginning of the film, violence and gore, a lot of strong language, a fair amount of alcohol, references to drugs, smoking and some intense fight scenes. 

18

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. 18 rated films are for adults and can contain strong issues such as; very strong violence, frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’), strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances),  discriminatory language and behaviour. An example of a film rated 18 is Gone Girl. The film gone girl contains scenes of nudity and sex on more than one occasion within the film, frequent use of strong language, scenes of violence one which would be considered specifically gruesome. There is suspense and tension which can be intense. Also,the music and cinematography add to the theme to create an overall feeling of strong intensity throughout much of the movie.




Conclusion

In conclusion the importance of the BBFC with regards to films is that they are there to make people aware if or not a child or teenager should watch a film, and if it is deemed appropriate depending on their age. They recognise and respect adult freedom of choice within the law. They help to respond and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content. 

This research into the BFFC age certificates will help me when it comes to deciding who I want my target audience to be for the film and bare that in mind when creating it so that the content within my film will meet these classifications so that those of a specific age are aware if they can watch it or not. When I come to creating my own thriller sequence the age classification I want to aim for is '15' because it is a more broad and varied age category. This means that the content that I will have to be mindful about is sexual content and too much violence. In order to get the classification I need to consider that the BBFC will not be mindful about anything that is inappropriate for a younger audience and so they will not give the classification that you want so my sequence must not have too much violence that can easily be copied or used in the same way and must have only brief sexual content in order to comply with the BBFC rules of age ratings and film classifications.