The age certificates that the BBFC set are based on the general public, including small children, teenagers and adults. The BBFC have guidelines that help them outline the criteria helped to rate the films and DVDS in Britain. They update the certificates every four years and take into account the changing views on things such as violence, sex, language and drugs.
Picture of the muppets
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should usually be suitable for audiences aged four years and over with obvious guidance by an adult. A U film only allows very mild bad language for example 'damn’ and ‘hell'. It will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film will have a happy ending for the child and the overall tone should be one of reassurance.
An example of a U film would be the Muppets. There is no violence or sexual scenes of any nature, so the children can enjoy a fun filled film without any disturbances. The film is based on puppet animals which will feature only playing insights to adventures they go through, nothing that would disturb any child. It would be seen as an enjoyable experience for the children, with your typical animals which try to make a bond with the child, to make he film more child friendly. The film is in this category as many children like animals and consider them as friends, and the plots of the film are easy for the children to follow with no complications. In this film it is all about friendship and their loyalty to one another which leads to a happy ending, great for the children to enjoy and have a positive experience out of watching it.
Picture of Harry potter and the philosopher stone
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older, and it is down to the parents whether their child may be disturbed under the influence of this film. There may be mild bad language such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’ in a PG film, but the context and delivery are always important. Sexual activity is allowed in this films, but mildly, as it can be talked about but never in detail.
An example of a PG film is Harry Potter at the philosopher Stone. This film contains moderate violence and some strong profanities, but is based on a magical experience for witches and wizards whom come across a dark lord. The film will give a comical yet fantasy feeling as the characters are around the age of the viewers so the humour and violence is to their standards. Parental guidance is advised in these films, due to the moderate violence which could offend or maybe disturb some of the younger viewers. Although violence is involved, it is very moderate so the outcome is always positive and never ends in a bad way. The plot of this film is based in a school so the audience can relate to it as many of the viewers will be at the schooling age. The characters are a the start of their teenaged years so it is put it this category as younger children may find it un relatable.
Picture of hunger games as 12 and Grown Ups 12A
12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.
The 12 certificate is just for the actual videos, DVDs and Blu-rays, the 12A is for films at the cinema only. The BBFC's Guidelines state that there may be strong language ('f***') at 12 or 12A, but it must be infrequent, therefore must not be a regular outcome, but there may be moderate language, for example uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A.
An example of a 12 certificate film Is The Hunger Games. In this film brutal games take place in order for only one survivor. Although it may seem brutal, the violence in condemned so you cannot see a lot of it happening. The character are aged between 13-18, so the language barrier is uplifted due their age and their maturity. The language and sexual content is very limited in this film as it isn't acceptable to be showing any nudity or serious profanities within this film. If language is used then it is very minimal and nothing which could possibly harm or affect the child/teenager in any way. The accompany of adults on this film is advised as the violence could possibly influence or disturb a younger child than it's certificate, as they maybe frightened of the weapons and frightening things that occur in this film.
The example for a 12A is Grown Ups. It's just a family film with references to sex and nudity, and exploits at a small level girls to be sexual objects. Parental guidance is advised as some children may take it the wrong way and find it disturbing.
Picture of 21 and over
Under no circumstances, No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds, which includes large amounts of sex, drugs, bad language and violence. 15's are stronger than 12 or 12A rated as they include large amounts of: strong violence, frequent strong language (eg '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 and drug taking.
An example of a film rated 15 is 21 and over. This film is about young boys who have finally exceeded all the restrictions and can do whatever they like as they've hit the legal drinking age. This film is in this category as it involves large references to sex, drugs and drinking all at which is illegal but humorous to watch at the age of 15. at this age the children watching should be mature enough to watch this and not be offended by the outcome of the plot.
It Contains strong language, sex references, nudity and soft drug use which is why children under the age of 15 should not be able to watch it as they maybe offended by it or it may influence them to do it, they are not at the right maturity level to be able to watch a film like this and not try and copy the actions of the actors.
Picture of saw v and project x
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 DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. There is No theme, prohibited at 18. Adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers. 18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as: very strong violence, frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’), strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex (in some circumstances) and discriminatory language and behaviour. This is all acceptable due to their age, even if it may offend some adults.
One example of a 18 rated film is Project X. This film is about 3 high school seniors throwing a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads. It contains large amounts of nudity and drunken behaviour. Violence is used within fighting and the use of drugs and drunken behaviour is clearly seen and evident on screen. This film is in this category as it could influence the younger generation to do the things played on screen, and it could also offend younger children. It could also disturb people younger as it is a very mature film and is defiantly sure to be classed as a 18 rated movie. As the plot is to get drunks take drugs and party, this film is for over 18's as they are more likely to understand the consequences of the situations and are more likely to learn from the seniors mistakes.
Another film classed under the certificate of 18 is Saw V. Huge amount of horror, violence, strong blood and gore and strong language are used throughout this film. Groups of strangers are put through a series of gruesome traps to hopefully be set for their freedom, this leads to many deaths which are portrayed in a very gruesome manor. The plot is very terrifying which could leave anyone younger in a very disturbed way which could lead to serious consequences. The large amount of blood and death leaves the adults feeling scared and terrified, so any child younger than that could be seriously disturbed by the outcomes of this film. It has bad endings, and the horrifying tasks leaves people not he edge of their seat, possibly giving them nightmares. This is why it is in a 18 certificate due to the large amount if horror and blood and gore.
This post demonstrates a good understanding of what age certificates are and how they are used within the film industry. You have identified the correct age certificates and you have included a definition, but you also need to reference your research.
ReplyDeleteYou have also started to include a number of examples to support the points that you have made, but you need to ensure that images are included, to support your points.
Finally you need to explain what age certificate your film will be and why. This can be achieved by considering the narrative of your film