Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

British board of film classification

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was founded in 1912 and was created for the purpose of evaluating film titles and giving them ratings in terms of age cencersorship. Its primary purpose is to classify videos however, on some some instances video games also are evaluated and given age restrictions (since 2010).

U certification

The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. An issue with trying to make a film suitable for children under the age of 4 is that different things upset different children, so what is suitable for one child may not be suitable for an other. U certificate films have no bad language (although on some instances mild language can be used), nudity or any adult themes as it is a certificate catered towards everyone, including very young children so the atmospheres of the films are often tame and mild. An example of a U certificate rated movie is "Monsters Inc". Monster Inc is an animation based around a city full of monsters with no humans called Monstropolis centers. Allthough the majority of the characters are monsters which many would think that children would found frightening and unsettling, they are portrayed as being tough yet loveable. The main character is a furry blue behemoth-like giant monster named James P. Sullivan (better known as Sulley), and his wisecracking best friend, Mike Wazowski who adds a comedy element to the movie, making the tough seeming main character seen in a comical light.  It also features a 2-year-old baby girl dubbed "Boo," who befriends the two said monsters by accidentally sneaking into the monster world with Sulley one night. The relationship between both child and monsters could in-fact be beneficial towards younger viewers as it will lessen there childhood fear of monsters. There are occasional scenes of violence, although the conflicts are resolved quickly. As mentioned prior, the plot and theme is very comical and silly, therefore it is suitable for all ages. In a few scenes the characters hug to show affection for each other however there are no sexual scenes or elements, or any drug references or anything of an adult nature, therefore the movie fits the U certificate. 

PG certification

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing and essentially suitable for people of all ages, although some scenes may be unsuitable for young children, therefore the parents of the children that wish to watch a PG rated film must consider if the content is suitable for there child. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. An example of a PG certificate film is "Toy Story" (the original). "Toy Story" is about A little boy named Andy who loves toys, especially his doll named "Woody" however, as he is not aware, his toys come to life when he is not present. Toy story is another example of an animation in which the plot/story focuses around a child and animated characters. The story contains some conflicts (such as the one between woody and buzz), although they are not of a very violent nature as they only contains a segment or two of bodily violence. Some scenes have mild language in, although the majority do not. There are no references to sex or drugs, or anything of an adult nature as the film is catered towards a young audience, as the film is based around a boy and his toys. For this reason I do believe that "Toy Story" fits the PG age certificate as it is suitable for young children, although not every child due to the theme. 

12/12a certification

Films classified 12A and 12 contain material that is not suitable for children aged under 12. The only way for a child which is 12 or younger to watch a 12A movie is to be accompanied by an adult. If an adult of a child which does wish to watch a 12A film  should consider whether the film is suitable for there child as some scenes may me unsettling. They often contain a scene or two that have strong language in, and can have mature/adult themed elements. An example of a 12/12a certificate film is "super 8". The film is about a group of friends in the summer of 1979 in the USA (small Ohio town) who witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. The train accident scene is a 5 minute segment of all CGI violence, in which all of the 12/12A elements are all in one segment (apart from the horror aspect that is mainly focused near the later end of the film). Children aged under 12 could find that scene unsettling as it contains a high level of violence and the occasional piece of bad language. Shortly after the  unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, the introduction of the intergalactic monster/being is introduced. There is only a handful of scenes in which the full body of the monster is shown, in such scenes some children under the age of 12 could find unsettling. The opening segment of the film however very is innocent and is mainly diologue between children of a town, therefore the scene falls under the 12A category as some scenes are explicit and unsettling, whereas they are in short supply.

15 certification

No-one under the age of 15 is allowed to see a 15  rated film at the cinema, and is unable to purchase/ rent one in store. 15 certificate films are in no way suitable for children under 15 years of age as they can contain scenes of nudity or of a sexual nature, have strong language throughout many scenes and have high levels of gore and violence. An example of a 15 certificate film is "The shawshank redemption". "The shawshank redemption" is about Andy Dufresne, who is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner. The setting and theme of the film fits in with the 15 age certification as it is based in a prison in which someone is false accused of murder and treated in a horrific way, as does the other prisons in the film which connects to violence aspect in the film, which is constant throughout (typical to 15 certificate films). The film contains strong language as the overwhelming majority of characters in the film are convicts, therefore they are portrayed as being violent in nature and use bad language. The film doesn't however have any nudity or any reference to sex. It also doesn't contain any references to drugs either. It is a 15 certificate more so because of the constant adult theme, accompanied by strong language and violence, therefore it fits into the 15 certificate as those aged 14 and under will find the film unsettling in some way.

18 certification

Films rated 18 are caterered towards an adult audience. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema, and is unable to purchase a 18 certificate film. The themes in 18 rated movies vary as there are few limits as to what they are aloud to broadcast. They often contain very strong language, strong blood and horror and (occasionally) real sex and nudity, drug use and other elements.  An example of an 18 certificate movie is "Robocop". The film is  based in Detroit during a crime ridden future, run by a massive company that have developed a huge crime-fighting robot, which unfortunately develops a rather dangerous glitch. The company sees a way to get back in favor with the public when a cop called Alex Murphy is killed by a street gang. Murphy's body is reconstructed within a steel shell and named RoboCop. The RoboCop is very successful against criminals, and becomes a target of super villain Boddicker. "Robocop" contains very heavy drug abuse throughout the film, alongside very strong language throughout, of which that is only acceptable in films with an 18 certificate. The scenes in which robocop is fighting criminals are of a very violent nature also. It contains adult themes that are in no way suitable for anyone under the age of 18, paired alongside the drug abuse, language and violence makes it fit into the 18 certificate category. 

Conclusion

I believe the research I have gathered will be very beneficial once I go to create my own thriller sequence as the BBFC age certifications a very important aspect of any movie, as they establish wether or not a film is suitable and can be viewed by for someone of a certain age, by doing so protecting them from possible psychological distress. Thanks to this, I will be aware as to what I can include in my thriller sequence without going over my intended age certificate rating, in which I will now be able to decide upon as I'm aware as to the content they contain. I can now distinguish  between what elements are in certain certificate films, and am now aware as too what crosses the line between different certificate films, so when I decide what certificate I want my own film segment will be, I will know what I can and cannot include too suit whatever audience it is catered towards.