BBFC Classification

What is the BBFC?

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. The BBFC examines and age rates films before they are released. An example of the things the do is child protection, the BBFC examines whether there is unsuitable and harmful content in the film/video in order to determine the rating.

So what is the mission of the BBFC?
- Protect the public, especially children, from content which may harm.
- Empower the public (especially parents) , to make informed viewing choices.
- Respect adult freedom of choice
- Respond to and reflect changing social attitudes towards media content
- Work in partnership with industry to develop innovative service models to provide content advice which support emerging media delivery systems.
- Provide an effective service to enforcement agencies. 

Films are rated in many different ways: 

The 'U' symbol represents Universal. If a film is rated a U it is supposed to be suitable for audiences aged four and over. In a ' U' rated film there should not be any insights of discrimination, drugs, nudity or violence. Furthermore if there is any bad language it will only be very mild and infrequent. An example of a U rated film is 'Toy Story'.

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that whenever a film is rated a PG it is suitable for general viewing, however in the film there may be some scenes in the film that are inappropriate for children. These films will not contain themes irrelevant or inappropriate to children. In a film in this category you could also expect little violence and mild bad language. An example of a PG film is 'The Goonies'

12 and 12A rated films are generally for audiences who are only 12 and over. However the 12A means that children under the age of 12 can watch the film but must be accompanied by an adult. In 12A films there is allowed to be moderate violence therefore there is not much gore able to be in the film. Furthermore a 12 film can include a brief account of sexual action and references. Finally in a 12A there may be an infrequent sight of drugs and dangerous behaviour. An example of a 12/12A film is 'Quantum of Solace'.





When we see a rating of 15 on a movie it means that no-one under the age of 15 is allowed to go the cinema to watch the movie or to be able to buy or rent it when it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray. This is because the film contains material that isn't suitable for audiences who are under the age of 15. In these types of films you can expect to more strong language, strong violence, sexual nudity, drug taking and many more. An example of a 15 rated film is 'Taken 3'.

18 rated films are rated for adults only. No person under the age of 18 is able to watch the film in the cinema or buy/rent the movie.This is because the film contains material that isn't suitable for anyone under the age of 18. In these films you could expect very strong violence and language, strong horror, strong views of blood and gore, drug taking and sexual violence. An example an 18 film is 'The Exorcist'.

I believe that my groups film will be rated a 15. This is because throughout the film strong horror and violence will be displayed.