Research into the BBFC- Miss Miller

Research into the BBFC 

The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental company that has classified cinema films since it's set up in 1912 as well as videos and DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.

Cinema

The British Board of Film Censors was set up in 1912 via the film industry as an independent company designed to allow a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. Statutory powers on film stay within the decisions of the local councils, hence they are able to overrule any of the BBFC’s decisions, for instance passing films of which they have rejected, even banning films which have passed, as well as waiving cuts, instituting new ones, or altering categories for films exhibited under their own licensing jurisdiction.

Video

 1984 Parliament passed the Video Recordings Act. Said act stated that, subject to certain exemptions, video recordings offered for sale or hire commercially within the UK has to be classified via an authority designated by the Secretary of State. Both the President and Vice Presidents of the BBFC were so designated, and charged with applying the new test of ‘suitability for viewing in the home’. At this point the BBFC Board’s title was changed to the British Board of Film Classification so to reflect the fact that classification plays a far larger part in the BBFC’s work than the censorship side of their duty's.

Finances

The BBFC is a non profit organisation, its fees are adjusted simply to cover its costs. So to preserve its independence, the BBFC doesn't allow subsidies from either the film industry nor the government. Its income is solely from the fees it charges for their services, which are calculated via measuring the running time of films or DVDs submitted for classification. The BBFC consults the Department of Culture, Media and Sport before making any changes to its fees.

different types of classifications 

U is the lowest ranking on the list for different types of film classification hence it is even suitable for young children. The symbol itself stands for 'Universal'. A U rated film has to meet the requirements needed to be suitable for audiences aged four years and upwards. Although, it is impossible to predict what might upset one particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range. A U rated film shouldn't have an effect on a child mentally, at the rating of a U there shouldn't be the usage of any strong language only mild bad language such as the words 'hell' or 'damn', within a u film there should be no signs of discrimination, drugs, sex, nudity, or any other signs of intimate behaviour, nor should there be any ideas of threat or violence. However characters on screen may be seen kissing or cuddling, there may also be references towards sexual behaviour, although there won't be any focus towards these situations. Any violence set within a U rated film will be very mild, a film could contain a brief fighting scene or simply moments where by characters are placed within danger but any of these moments will be resolved quickly alongside a reassuring out coming. 

Example of a U rated film:

The little mermaid is a 1989 Disney animated film. There no strong content and is totally family friendly. It is unlikely to scare young children and lacks in use of strong language which parents wouldn't want their young children to be submitted to. There is no usage of drugs, strong violence, or intimate scenes there is kissing however these are very brief scenes the film is classed as a 'fairy tale' hence it is all very innocent.

One up on the list of the ratings is PG which stands for Parental Guidance. Hence a film of said rating is suitable for general viewing, however some scenes might be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children. Just because a film is given a PG rating does not mean that it was written with a young audience in mind, just because a film has this rating doesn't mean that the film is particularly for kids i.e it may not have been aimed/ written with them in mind, the rating simply shows that there shouldn't be anything within the film that needs to be rated higher than a PG and should be completely suitable for a child aged around eight years up and upwards. A PG film won't display any scenes which are judged as being unsuitable for a child, films with this rating are able to explore difficult issues for instance, racism or bullying even bereavement. Sexual references are unlikely to appear within a PG unless they aren't detailed or infrequent. At a PG there may be violence however it shall be pretty mild, there shouldn't be any detail of violence within a PG, although there may be some blood, we as the audience shall not personally view how said injury was inflicted nor shall we in a strongly detailed manner. Violence on average much more accepted within a historical film rather than a more modern one as you will imagine, as well as a comedic or fantasy setting due to the distance from general everyday life hence even young children shall be able to tell the difference from the actions within the film to the accepted actions within the society of which they live.

Example of a PG rated film

Spy kids is a 2001 film, the first in its series based around children spies. Is rated at a PG ranking as there is some violence including fighting scenes etc however there is no display of injuries being caused, due to the story of the film being much more fantasy like than similar to the lives of many young views the violence level becomes more acceptable. Some young children may find some of the mutant characters frightening; however it is likely that most children will find them more silly than scary. The film displays many scenes of action which is very common for a film of a PG rating.

After rating PG the film ranking scale goes to rating 12 or 12A. The rating 12A was first introduced in alongside the release of action film 'Spider-man' the first in its series this was done as the film didn't quite meet the requirements of an ordinary 12, there was many scenes of violence etc which where redeemed unacceptable for the rating of a 12, however the character Spider-man is hero loved by many young children, the rating of this film would fall into the category as a 15 it contains content to extreme for 12, but this would mean that many young children wouldn't be able to see the film which aside from certain aspects wasn't exactly extreme enough to be rated 15, hence this coursed a lot of upset therefore  the BBFC introduced a new certificate higher than a 12 yet still lower than a 15 12A. To be able to watch a 12A any child under the age of twelve has to be accompanied by an adult to view it at the cinema. Said rule is enforced via the cinema staff, if the staff were to allow a child under the age of twelve to see a 12A film unaccompanied then the cinema could lose its license, however the rule of accompanied viewing cannot be enforced at home, therefore the 12 certificate remains for DVD/blue ray rather than having the 12A. Adults planing on taking a child to one of these films should assess themselves whether or not it is suitable for the individual child. The 12 system is much easier for retailers it means that they may not either sell or rent an item of this rating to anyway under the age of 12. Horror films can be passed as both a 12 or a 12A  moderate fear within the audience is something which is acceptable for this rating however the overall tone must not be to disturbing. Dangerous behavior such as suicide is allowed to be shown in either a 12 or 12A however the film can not dwell on the detail of such incidents as these may be copied or present in those activities in a manner of which children are likely to copy. Anti social behavior should also not be endorsed throughout these films.In frequent sight of drugs even misuse is allowed however the portrayal of said actions must not be shown in a good light in a way of which could lead young viewers to copy nor should instructions be provided.

Example of a 12 rated film

Clueless is a 1995 American film loosely inspired by 1815 novel 'Emma' by author Jane Austen. Clueless is rated as a 12 as there are the occasional mild sexual references, the main character is robbed at gun point, contains use of mild coarse language. There is also a scene where characters abuse drugs. One of the characters is held over a railing screaming after which she claims she feared for her life and there is a scene of a possible car crash. Said elements of the film wouldn't be suitable for all children under the age of twelve after all the abuse of drugs is not something which the media wants to in print on the minds of young children who are vulnerable to  impression. Upon seeing such an act within film they may think that this would be a cool thing to do with their friends which is not something the media should be advertising. Nor do they want the responsibility of having such a largely negative impact on young childrens minds coursing them to make decisions which may still be impacting them later on in life. 

No-one under the age of 15 is allowed to view a 15 rated  film at the cinema nor are they allowed to buy or rent a 15 rated video/DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for any children under the age 15 years on any format. No theme is prohibited from a 15 rated theme so long as the content/ treatment is appropriate for anyone of the age of fifteen and above. Within a 15 works you may find the frequent usage of strong language, displays of sexual activity, as well as strong verbal references towards such acts, brief scenes of sexual violence may be included as well as verbal references towards, the miss use of drugs and discriminatory behavior/language.  

Example of a 15 rated film

Easy A is an American teen comedy from 2010.

Throughout the film there are sexual references, there is also strong uses of language used throughout, there is a lot of tension between characters including a boy being punched in the groin, a girl being slapped in the face and a boy getting a bloody nose after being punched. Revealing clothes are worn in some scenes, also there is a shot of a breast however the nipple is covered by hair the audience is early able to see the rest. A gay couple are shown lying on top of each other in bed.

Films rated 18 are aimed at adults and therefore only suitable for them. No-one under the age of 18 is permitted to view an 18 film at the cinema nor buy/rent an 18 rated video/DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children hence they are aimed for adults and the content can display a wide range of which may be too strong for their viewing. There are no themes prohibited at an 18 adults are free to make their own choices when it comes to their own entertainment so long as what is being shown isn't illegal or potentially harming. It is possible that themes within an 18 rated works may be seen as offensive even towards some adult viewers. A lot can be shown within a 18 for instance very strong violence, strong portrayals of sexual activity even real sex in some circumstances, strong horror as well as strong blood and gore, very strong language possibly frequently and like within a 15 discriminatory behavior or language may be used. 

Example of an 18 rated film

Scary movie two (2001) is the second instalment in the series of popular comedy horror spoofs. The film contains both sexual content and uses of strong language. Although the film is made up of only spoofs of other horror movies some audience members may still find scenes frightening. 

The bbfc is a highly important organisation, without it parents would have no guideline as to what films would be appropriate for their children of all different ages. The BBFC was originally put together by a group from the film industry, this group preferred the idea of managing their own censorship rather than having either a national or local government do it for them. If the BBFC was to finish their work then the censorship of our films would fall into one of the two category's , for many people the making and watching of films is a lot more than just easy watching entertainment but a work of art, this would mean the ownership of film ratings standards would most likely fall into the hands of people whom didn't have such a passion for the world of film hence not as much effort would be going into, meaning that the ratings could be harshly high and therefore young people could be missing out on films that they could actually be watching. Through investigating the work of the BBFC further I have gained better knowledge of how I should decide on the age certificate for my own thriller film, it has also helped me decide what best not to include withint the film so to make sure I can provide the film to a wide enough range of the thriller genre audience as well as guiding me as to what is best suitable for such a film. I plan to go for an age certficate of a 15 for now but I will have to wait until I have spoken to the other members in my group and see whether they agree with me. I think a fiffteen would be best as I would be able to use more stronger material than I would having a age cerfitcate of a 12 however I don't wish to have too much freedom and aim for a rating of an 18 as I know that their are many thriller viewers aged between 15-17 and I wouldn't want to discrimnate against them and stop potential audience memebers from watching my film. I also believe that their is enough that you can do with a rating of a 15 to keep my thriller film entertaing and displaying conventions to the genre without having to go into material for an 18. Within a fiffteen aged film I will be able to use strong forms of language than I would a 12 which may be useful to my film as often within the situations displayed within thriller films characters resort to strong lanuage this is understandable and realsitc and in the real world this is how many people are likely to react, trying to tame your film so to keep to the age restrictions of a 12 could compramise the realisticness of it, for many viewers it would appear odd if certain characters such as the character of the victim didn't react in this way as it is very natural to many people and shows many signs of distress without this the situation could appear less serious and audience members could question why characters are behaving within a manner so much calmer than they would accept of them.