Certificate Research

In order to decide what rating our short film would have, we researched each BBFC classification. Classification means that children and vulnerable adults are protected from viewing content that could be seen as unsuitable/harmful for them to see. The BBFC bases it's classification on the content of the film, such as: sex/nudity, drugs, horror, discrimination, language, and dangerous/easily imitable behaviour. They also consider the context, the tone, and the likely impact on an audience.

U RATING

examples of U rated films, which are all child-orientated and have general similarities.

• U ratings mean 'Universal', and are generally suitable for audiences aged 4 and over. 
• Infrequent use of mild bad language, such as 'damn' or 'hell'.
• Characters may be seen kissing/cuddling, and there may be references to sexual behaviour, but no overt focus on it.
• Mild violence, brief scary scenes; but all with a positive/reassuring outcome.
• Generally contains positive messages.
• Unlikely to contain discriminatory behaviour or drug use unless it is clearly disapproved of. 

PG RATING

examples of PG rated films, which starts to include more 'adult' mild fantasy films as well as animated/childish films.

• PG ratings mean 'Parental Guidance', and are suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for very young children. Should not upset/unsettle a child aged 8 or over.
• Not contain any content unsuitable for a child. 
• Can explore challenging issues.
• Mild bad language, such as 'shit' or 'son of a bitch', but context and delivery are important.
• Mild violence and sex references/innuendo.

12 AND 12A RATING

examples of 12 rated movies; where we see the types of films with this classification differentiate more - this rating includes both fantasy superhero films (that also fall into the PG category) as well as mild horror films and slightly more grown-up comedy.

• Generally not suitable for children aged 12 or under, unless accompanied by an adult.
• Overall tone must be positive, a work which has a very dark or unsettling tone would be more likely to be pushed up to a 15 rating.
• Strong language, such as 'fuck', may be passed at a 12 depending on the context.
• Sex may be briefly displayed at a 12. There may be nudity in 12 films, but sexual content should be brief and discreet.
• Moderate physical or psychological threat may be passed at a 12 as long as the overall film is not disturbing.
• Dangerous behaviour may be displayed but not focused on.

15 RATING

examples of 15 rated films; where the types of films all generally include more adult content such as violence and sex, as well as tackling 'adult' topics (such as, in the case of The Hunt, paedophilia and discrimination), however some 15 films may also be more towards younger 15's and be superhero/fantasy films that have had a higher rating due to swearing or the extent of the violence (such as Die Hard).

• No one under 15 can see or buy a 15 rated film.
• No theme is prohibited, provided the content is appropriate for 15 year olds.
• Strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour, and drug taking.
• Sexual activity can be portrayed but without strong detail.
• Violence can be displayed but dwelling on the violence/the strongest gory images are likely to be unacceptable. 
• Can be strong threat or horror as long as there is no sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat.

18 RATING

examples of 18 rated films, which again show the large amount of genre that can be classified as an 18. 18 ratings tend to include explicit sexual content (e.g 50 Shades of Grey) as well as also violence and drugs (which is shown in the animated movie Cool World - which shows that not all animated films are for children); and also extreme gore and 'torture porn' as seen in Saw.

• No one under 18 can see or buy an 18 rated film.
• No theme is prohibited at 18. Adults are free to choose their own entertainment provided the material is not illegal or potentially harmful, so some themes at 18 may even be offensive to adult viewers.
• Very strong violence, frequent strong language/very strong language such as 'c***', strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, discriminatory language and behaviour.
• Anything containing real sex will only be passed at an R18 rating.
• The only things cut from 18 rated films are themes that condone criminal behaviour (such as make murder/rape/drugs look appealing), anything that may cause harm to public health or morals, and strong 'real sex' scenes.

OUR FILM'S RATING

Based on the BBFC's classifications, we decided our short film will be a 15. This is because: 

• Although it is a psychological thriller, there is little violence/gore (and the small shot there is is not in strong detail), certainly not enough to constitute an 18 rating. However there may be too much violence for it to pass as a 12.
• There is also strong language, such as 'fuck', but in the context of the short film overall this would still keep it at a 15 rating.
• The overall theme of the film is not positive, and could be seen as distressing for people under 15, so our film cannot be rated 12.

As a 15 rating, we are still able to include the violence/gore and scariness that is vital to the plot, but still keep in mind our target audience of teenagers by not cutting them out with an 18 rating.