The BBFC & Film Certificates

The BBFC stand for " British Board of Film Classification". It is a regulatory board, which is a company that is in charge of setting rules for certain set of productions. 

What they do...

• Set rules about what can /can't be shown in the film
• giving age certificates to all films in UK

Films cannot be released if they haven't been check with BBFC. 

what they consider when rating the film:

- Dangerous behaviour

- Discrimination 

- Drugs

- Language

- Nudity

- Sex

- Threat and Horror

- Violence

Age Certificates

There are 5 ratings use for cinema, 12 is use for DVD:

- U 

• Every one can be able to watch U rating film, it is rate for pre-school children.
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- PG

• Unaccompanied children of any age may watch.
• General viewing but some scenes may unsuitable for young children.
• Parents are advised to consider if it might upset children.
• CAN be include:
• drug must be innocuous/ anti drug message
• Mild bad language (not frequent)
• Nudity
• Mild sex references / innuendo
• Light frightening sequence (fantasy/ comedic may mitigating factors)
• Mild violence (moderate violence, no details can be justified by context, e.g. history, fantasy)
• CANNOT be include:
• no detail of potential dangerous behaviour
• no easily accessible weapons
• no focus on anti social behaviour
• discrimination (unless clearly disapproved)
• Aggressive bad language
• no sexual context
• Intense threat/ horror
• Intense Violence

- 12A

• Suitable for age 12 and above
• Under age 12 must be accompanied with adult.
• CAN be include;
• infrequent misuse of drugs ( no detail instruction)
• Brief sexual context
• nudity
• moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. 
• infrequent horror scenes. (overall tone should not be)
• not detailed violence
• CANNOT be include:
• no injuries or blood
• frequent sexual context
• no promotiion dangerous behaviour
• no easily accessible weapons
• no endorsement of anti social behaviour.

- 15

• no younger than 15 can see the film in the cinema or buy or rent video works.
• CAN be include:
• no detail dangerous behaviour
• Drug (not promote drug misuse)
• strong language (very strong language depends on setting)
• nudity
• sexual context without strong detail
• strong threat and horror
• strong violence
• CANNOT be include:
• no strong sadistic violence
• not dwell on pain or injury
• no sadistic threat
• no strong and sustained focus on sexual threat
• no highly dangerous substance of drug
• the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language
• no detail on dangerous behaviour

- 18

• no younger than 18 can watch the film in the cinema or buy/ rent any 18 video works
• Can be include:
• where the material is in breach of the criminal law
• where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals, or through their behaviour or the society.
• CANNOT be include:
• detail image of real sex

12 is age certificates for video works.

The production company of the film can re-edit their film if they are not happy with the rating.

Hunger Game was first rate as 15, they wanted more people to watch the film so they re-edit the violence scene, wipe away bloods and not clear and detailed injury. In the end they rate as 12A in the cinema but 15 as DVD. This is because that children can play DVD without any adults' accompany. 

The audiences can also complained about the rating.

Joker was rated 15 but the audiences debate that it should be 18 because there are sensitive sequences.

My coursework age certificate:

I consider our coursework's rate can be 15. There are injury picture but not detailed and no violence or sexual violence scenes. Language is not strong. In the opening we have nudity but that is acceptable for 15 rate films.