BBFC Research:

As part of my preparation for my film opening, I have

researched into BBFC (the British Board of Film
Classification) in order to help me rate my own production
and understand film ratings more.
The BBFC are made up of the council of management, the
board of classification, the chief executive, the executive
leadership, senior examiners, head of communications,
head of education and head of business services.

The council of management are responsible for

their finances and the people within this group
come from different aspects of the media such as
TV broadcasting or banking and charity sectors.
They do not help decide the certificates and ratings
for films but select the members of the board of classification and do senior
appointments.
The board of classification, which is made up of the President and his two Vice
Presidents, is responsible for the classification of films under the Video Recording
Act 1984.
The chief executive makes decisions on behalf of the board of classification while
also managing the BBFC, making sure the execution of the policy is to standard as
well as sorting out external relationships, relevant bodies and the public.
The executive leadership are allowed to act in the absence of the chief executive.
This team consists of the chief operating officer (manages the classification process),
the policy director (the main advisor for the chief executive and managing research)
and the finance director (makes sure finance is running smoothly).
The senior examiners make classification decisions based on Examiner reports,
guidelines, the policy and previous examples. They also lead a team of examiners
and compliance officers and answering enquiries and viewing advice viewings.
The Head of Communications is responsible for outside communication such as
press releases, media enquires and online articles.
The Head of Education coordinates the BBFC education programme which
incorporates school visits and online resources.
The Head of Business Services ensures continuity of digital services for vido-On
Demand platforms.

Their mission is to:

During the classification process, usually two examiners watch the film, award an age rating
and BBFCInsight (a short description of the issues found in the film or video) based on the
classification guidelines. Many of the ratings are based on whether aspects such as
discrimination, drugs (promotion of taking drugs is unpermitted), imitable behaviour (usually
the age rating goes up if criminal behaviour is shown with no negative repercussions),
language, nudity, sex, threat and violence.
U Rating

U rated films are suitable for those aged 4 years and over,
however, it can be difficult to determine whether it can upset a specific
child.
This should be an uplifting film that overshadows any violence
or threat.
Aspects such as drugs, imitable behaviour, sex, threat and
violence must be extremely mild while discrimination, language and
nudity must be non-existent.
PG Rating

PG rated films are for general viewing, however,

not all scenes are suitable for children.
Children can watch this content unsupervised but
it is up to the parents as to whether it is appropriate and
it should be comfortable for 8 year olds and over.
In contrast to the U rating aspects such as drugs,
discrimination, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex,
threat and violence can be accepted as long as it is mild
and shows bad repercussions as a result of this. In
terms of sexual content only aspects such as kissing can be shown with innuendos
and mild referencing acceptable.
12 and 12a Rating
12s and 12As are not suitable for under 12 year olds,
however, anyone younger than 12 must have an adult when
watching 12As.
Drugs, imitable behaviour, language,
nudity, sex, threat, violence and discrimination are
all allowed, however, it cannot be too explicit and
it cant be sustained throughout the film.

15 Rating

Films with this rating must be seen by those 15

years and over only.
In terms of discrimination, it is allowed with
harsher themes such as racism as long as it is not
approved; more extreme examples of drugs, imitable
behaviour, nudity, sex, threat and violence can also be
shown but should not dwell on detail. Strong language
can be incorporated.

18 Rating
No person under 18 years old must see this
type of film.
18 films have a lack of boundary in terms of
drugs, discrimination, imitable behaviour, nudity,
sex, threat and violence but do not allow films to be
associated with criminal activity.

In light of this research, I would rate my film opening as being a 12A since the behaviour
within my opening features violence and criminal activity which is considered to be negative
imitable behaviour according to this classification. Moreover, drug taking is involved as well
as threat which are repetitive enough that it cant fit under the PG category. However, the
images I will film will not be explicit enough to fit into the 15 category. Despite this, my main
target audience are around the age of 15-18 year olds since the actual premise of the film
has a dark sinister aspect to it that involves negative imitable behaviour and harsher themes
such as harsh violence and drug abuse. Therefore, the opening itself will be a 12A but the
film itself would have been a 15, especially since that is my selected target age range. I
selected this age range since they are the most inclined to go the cinema and they are within
my age group so I have a better understanding of the types of films they enjoy. Having a 12
rating for my film will affect aspects such as the amount of violence I incorporate or the detail
within aspects such as wounds and drug taking. Mostly, I will imply these aspects occur but I
wont directly show them to build suspense as well as to ensure that I fit the criteria for a 12A
rating to attract a wider audience.