Research into BBFC certificate

The British Board of Film Classifcation (BBFC) gives films age ratings before the media product is released on the cinema, DVD, Blu Ray or video. The company was founded in 1912, however, its policies have changed over time. They are also independent from the government, however local councils do have some authority to override decisions on age ratings made by the BBFC. Media products are usually viewed from start to finish by two examiners, who will look for issues featured within the clip, such as discrimination, drugs, horror content, language, sex references, and violence. They will also consider the context, tone and the impact of the work on the potentional audience. Sometimes examiners will also work with specialists to consider the possible harm on audience of the media product. The BBFC tend to check and review their guidelines every 4 to 5 years to make any changes to age ratings if necessary. The BBFC currently rates films as follows:

Universal (U) ratings means that the media product is suitable for all audiences and is unlikely to have any discriminatory language, little reference to drug use, no imitable behaviour, mild language, nudity with no sexual content, only very mild sexual behaviour, very mild violence, and little threatening behaviour.

Parental Guidance (PG) rating means that the media product is suitable for general viewing, however guidance should be considered for younger viewers, as children may be more likely to get upset at some of the content featured. PG rated films are unlikely to have discriminatory language, no drug use, unless for a suitable anti drug message, no imitable behaviour, only mild bad language, nudity with no sexual content, any scenes of threat must not be prolonged, and violence will be mild.

12 and 12A rating means that the media product is not generally suitable for persons under the age of 12, and no one under the age of 12 must see a 12A film in the cinema, unless they are accompained by an adult, in which it is up to the adult to decide whether or not the film is suitable for the child. 12A films are unlikely to have discriminatory language, drug use must be infrequent, and imitable behaviour must not be glamorized. Some moderate language may be acceptable, while there may be nudity with mild sexual references, and moderate threat and violence may feature.

15 rating means that the media product is only suitable for persons over the age of 15. While there can be discriminatory language, use of such language should not be portrayed in a positive way. Some dangerous behaviour can be shown, however there may still be regulations in terms of how the behaviour is portrayed, as dangerous behaviour may lead to copy-cat violence. Drug use may be shown, and there may be strong language at this rating depending on the context to which it is used and how frequently it is used. Nudity with sexual context is allowed, however it cannot be very strong, as this would move the film up to an 18. There may be strong violence, however it must not dwell on the pain or injury,     and sexual violence is not acceptable for a 15 rating.




18 rating means that the media product is only suitable for adults, and no one under the age of 18 is allowed to view or buy media products with this rating. Films with this age rating are likely to feature strong drug use, strong language, nudity with sexual context, and strong violence.

R18 rating is a special rating that is given to films that are only allowed to be shown in specially licensed cinemas or shops. This rating is different from the general 18 rating, as films given this rating are able to show more explicit sex scenes than what would be featured in an 18 rated film. There are less restrictions in terms of censorship for films that are given an R18 rating.




Our storyline and possible age rating


The genre of our film is a supernatural thriller, as it follows the story of a woman, who, when going about her day to day life, believes she keeps seeing the figure of a deceased family member popping up at random moments. She believes she is going crazy, and the audience are shown through flashbacks that the family member was murdered and she witnessed it. The murder was possibly through a fatal stabbing. During the film, it is shown that the family member is attempting to talk to them, which makes her seem like she is going crazy. However, at the end, there is a shocking twist and it is revealed that she is actually the one who was murdered. By looking at the BBFC guidelines for film ratings, our film is most likely to either be rated 12 or 15. This is because there will likely be moderate threat throughout the film, as it provides a psychological thriller-esque storyline, and there will be mild violence, as one of the main characters is stabbed to death, which is going to be shown in a flashback to inform the audience of what happened.Two similar films that we have looked at, as they provide a similar storyline to ours, is The Others and The Orphanage. The Others has a 12 rating, as it contains moderate horror, while The Orphanage has a 15 rating,as it contains strong psychological horror and injury detail.

 Screenshots from The Others. The old lady, is one of the Others, who tries to contact the spirits.

Themes of psychological thriller

Screenshots from The Orphanage that highlight psychological thriller. Here Laura is playing a game of hide and seek in order to try contact the spirits of the deceased orphan children.

Tomas, the disabled child, who died when the other orphans took his mask to hide deformities.