Film Classification and Age rating

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an organisation that classifies the age ratings for film,television and games. How they do this is by examining each product and classifying them based on regularly updated guidelines to help them determine what age certificate should be allocated based on the content seen in the product.

"U" Rating

The "U" age rating stands for universal meaning that a film that has this classification is suitable for audiences of all ages.

Films that have this rating have various restriction regarding violence, sexual behaviour and bad language. U rated films are restricted to mild acts of violence within brief action sequences but nothing that the hero couldn't resolve without too much emotional destress. Sexual behaviour in U rated films can simply be referenced or limited to cuddling and kissing; bad language is limited to unfrequent use of mild terminology such as "damn".

"PG" Rating

This age rating stands for "Parental Guidance" meaning that the film baring this age rating is suitable for the general audience to view; however some scenes might be unsuitable for young children.

Within a PG rated film, there is still a few restrictions in terms of the content that is allowed to be shown. In regards to themes and  sex, PG rated films are allowing to delve into challenging issues such as bullying and racism without containing material that are inappropriate for children. As for sex, PG films are restricted to unfrequent references. Drugs and violence are used to mild extents, acts of violence can contain blood so long as the actions that was inflicted would not be seen. As for drugs, this is merely implied use and not seen by. Bad language can be permitted but the context and delivery are important factors as this may cause it to deserve a higher rating. 

"12/12A" Rating

12/12A are very similar in terms of what content is permitted to be shown. However the only slight difference is that a film classified as 12A asks that an adult must viewer under the age of 12.
Within a film rated 12/12A can contain violent content so long as they don't glamorise the action. This is similar to bad language, within 12/12A rated films, bad language is permitted depending on the way it is used. Dark thematic ideas can be incorporated into a 12/12A rated film; such as rape,drug abuse and assault can be implied but never seen in detail.

"15" Rating

15 rated films allow a great deal of content to be present such as sexual activity, drug taking and strong violence. This is all due to the mature mentality of the audience consisting of 15 years old and above meaning that they're mature enough to recognise that the content seen before them is appropriate. Within a 15 rated film, frequent uses of strong language can be heard and there is not limits as to what can be said. Likewise with acting of violence that  15 rated films can reveal blood.

"18" Rating

There are no restrictions as to what content can be shown on an 18 rated film so long as it is legal. What distinguishes an 18 from a 15 rated film, is the strong detail that is allowed to be shown regarding violence and sexual activity. For violence, there are absolutely no limits regard the amount of detail that can be shown during action sequences and the brutality of the pain inflicted. As for sex and nudity, films with an 18 rating can content full nudity as well as the extreme detail that can be revealed within scenes that involve sexual activity. Another prime factor of an 18 rating is the use of very strong language e.g(C***) as well as discriminatory language relating to racism or homosexuality.

Conclusion

As I have gathered information regarding age rating and the criteria associated with them. This has informed me on the development of my short-film "A Lost Soul" as I now must allocate the appropriate age rating for my project based on the criteria from the BBFC. This will all be based on what content I intend on including in my project and its relevance to the story.