Age Certificates
What are the role of the BBFC and Why?
The BBFC stands for the 'British Board of Film Classification'. It is important to the film industry as it is in charge of classifying all films. Its job is to protect the public from content that is unsuitable for their age group, and to stop children from seeing explicit images that may harm them. It allows parents to make informed viewing choices by acting as a guide.
What age certificates do Thrillers tend to get and why?
Usually nowadays most Thrillers tend to get a '15' age certificate as at the age of 15 most teenagers are able to notice what is done in the Thriller in order to get their view. At the age of '15' young adults are able to be responsible for their use of language and actions when viewing a thriller.
Age rating:
The U symbol stands for Universal. Films classified with a 'U' should be suitable for all audiences aged 4 and over, but this is up to the parents choice. With a 'U' classification, only very mild bad language such as 'damn' or 'hell' are used.
An example of a Universal film would be 'Despicable Me'. There is no reference at all to sexual behaviour and although some of the ideas can be seen as violent, they are not portrayed in this way, meaning any child can watch this film without it damaging them mentally.
The 'PG' symbol stands for Parental Guidance and is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may not be suitable for younger children. A PG film should not effect a child at 8 years or older, but it is the parents responsibility to decide what is and is not appropriate.
An example of a PG film is 'Scooby-Doo' the movie. It is about a gang of meddling detectives who try to solve the mystery of why a theme park is haunted before it loses all its customers. Due to there being a TV series before this, most children would know that the storyline is repetitive as it involves the gang finding the villain and putting him away for good.
An example of a 12A film is 'Spider-Man' which was in fact the first ever film to be given the certificate of 12A, in 2002. At first, the film was given an age rating of 12, meaning that most of the films target audience couldn't go to see the film at cinemas. So after many complaints and arguments the film was given a 12A so that children under the age of 12 could go see the film with an adult.
What are the role of the BBFC and Why?
The BBFC stands for the 'British Board of Film Classification'. It is important to the film industry as it is in charge of classifying all films. Its job is to protect the public from content that is unsuitable for their age group, and to stop children from seeing explicit images that may harm them. It allows parents to make informed viewing choices by acting as a guide.
What age certificates do Thrillers tend to get and why?
Usually nowadays most Thrillers tend to get a '15' age certificate as at the age of 15 most teenagers are able to notice what is done in the Thriller in order to get their view. At the age of '15' young adults are able to be responsible for their use of language and actions when viewing a thriller.
Age rating:The U symbol stands for Universal. Films classified with a 'U' should be suitable for all audiences aged 4 and over, but this is up to the parents choice. With a 'U' classification, only very mild bad language such as 'damn' or 'hell' are used.
An example of a Universal film would be 'Despicable Me'. There is no reference at all to sexual behaviour and although some of the ideas can be seen as violent, they are not portrayed in this way, meaning any child can watch this film without it damaging them mentally.
The 'PG' symbol stands for Parental Guidance and is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may not be suitable for younger children. A PG film should not effect a child at 8 years or older, but it is the parents responsibility to decide what is and is not appropriate.
An example of a PG film is 'Scooby-Doo' the movie. It is about a gang of meddling detectives who try to solve the mystery of why a theme park is haunted before it loses all its customers. Due to there being a TV series before this, most children would know that the storyline is repetitive as it involves the gang finding the villain and putting him away for good.
The '12' certificate is just for DVDs and Blue-rays, where as the '12A' certificate is for cinemas only. The A in '12A' stands for 'accompanied', which means that children under 12 years of age can see the film at the cinema if accompanied by an adult (of 18 years).
The '15' symbol means that no one under the age of 15 can see a film at the cinema or buy a 15 rated DVD. Sexual activity and nudity can be portrayed as long as there is no strong or graphic detail. Strong violence is acceptable as long as the film doesn't focus on the infliction of the pain/injury. Drug taking may be shown but it must not promote or encourage drug misuse.
An example of a 15 rated film is 'The Hangover' which is about a planned
bachelor party and the events that happen during it. There is strong
language used and there are references to sex, although this is not
focused in a lot of detail as the film is about a group of men suffering
from a hangover.
The 18 category is purely for adults over the age of 18. It has absolutely no limits on bad language, violence, sexual activity or drugs portrayed. An example of an 18 rated film is 'Se7en' which was filmed in 1995. It is about 2 detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who hunt a serial killer who uses the 7 deadly sins as his way of doing things. It is classed as an 18 because it has references to sexual activity, drugs and bad language, which would not be suitable for a 15 rating.
Conclusion
From researching about the different age certificates, I have learned how important it is for a film to have a age certificate that it suitable for their viewing, it is also very important for a Thriller to have age certificate agreed by the BBFC as it has to be view able according to the age limit. When creating my own Thriller, my age certificate will be '15' as I am aiming at teenagers and as I may use bad language and some sort of other iconography that is all view able to people over 15. Also when accessing my Thriller, I would give my own Thriller clip a '15' age certificate as I have different types of weapons (iconography used,) a younger age certificate is not suitable to see my Thriller as they may get influenced.
All the different certificates in the film industry are drawn upon and examples of films provided. The BBFC and their role is discussed.
ReplyDeleteTo improve;
-what age certificate do thriller films tend to get and why?
-what certificate would you give your thriller and justify why?
Hi Miss Begum,
ReplyDeleteI have added the points you gave me above in my blogger. I have included what age certificate I should give my Thriller in my conclusion.