Research into the BBFC- Miss Miller

                                               BBFC

The BBFC is the british board of film classification, responsible for categorising films into age appropriate categories prior their date of release, ranging from U, PG, 12, 12A, 15 and 18. For categorising these films, they consider things such as violence, nudity, foul language and so on as factors towards ranking films. It is important to have the BBFC for a number of reasons. Film classifications are put in place to mainly protect the public, as it is not suitable for a child to see films ranked 15 or above and it is also useful to older or adult viewers to give an age rating because then that gives them an idea of what to expect in the film that they are going to see.

                          U- Universal, Open To All 

The U symbol stands for universal and should be suitable for children ages 4 and over and if the film is given a U, its usually because no content was found that could be considered harmful to any type of audience. A U film can explore a wide range of themes, as long as the treatment is appropriate for a young audience so that they understand it and are not offended by it. This doesn’t mean that all films rated U are necessarily children’s films. A children’s work at U will generally contain positive messages about loyalty, honesty and friendship, particularly amongst children. The film or video may well have a happy ending for the child watching and the overall tone should be reassuring. U films are unlikely to contain foul language or behaviour unless it is clearly disapproved of. Examples of U: Brave and Up
Up is considered a U because it is a child themed film, no themes in it could be considered harmful and it also contains a happy ending.

                                            PG- Parental Guidance 

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for overall general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not upset a child aged around eight or older. Parents may want to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive children. A PG film will not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child, as it is still open for general viewing. PG works can explore challenging issues such as bullying, anxiety or racism. Examples of PG: Toy Story, The Incredibles and Mrs Doubtfire. The incredibles is a PG because although it is considered a childs film, there are themes such as violence, anger and family stress which may concern a younger child which is why it is ranked a PG.

                                                      12A and 12

Films classified 12A and videos that are classified 12 contain material that isn't considered suitable for children under the age of 12. No one younger than 12 is aloud to see a 12A film unless accompanied by a parent/adult. Adults that plan to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should think about whether the film is suitable for that child and whether or not it may disturb them. Examples of 12 films, spiderman, taken and stolen. Spiderman was ranked a 12 and was the first ever film to have this, because the film contained stronger violence and themes not considered suitable for a child, however spiderman has a large child's fanbase and as a 12 rating did not exist before it's release, it meant they'd have to make it a 15 which meant they would lose many potential customers, so a new age ranking system was introduced and spiderman was still a big success.

                                                      15 And Over

No one under the age 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age.It is usually ranked this age because it contains themes that are not suitable for younger ages, such as strong violence, language, sex/nudity and possible drug use. The Parent rule does not apply here and you must be 15 or over no matter what to see these type of movies. Examples of 15- Run fat boy run, Prom night and inbetweeners 2. Inbetweeners 2 is considered a 15 because its humour is not suitable for a child to hear, and it also contains themes such as strong language and sex references that are not suitable for a younger audience, but not strong enough to warrant the film an 18.

                                                         18- Adult 

Films rated 18 are only for adults. No one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children, let alone anyone under that age and it is very likely you will be asked to provide ID upon seeing these films.No theme is prohibited at  an 18. Adults are free to choose their own entertainment provided the material is not illegal or potentially harmful, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers. Examples of 18 films- Project X, Saw and Piranha 3DD. Saw was awarded an 18 due to its strong gory violence that is very graphic that even some adult viewers may have found disturbing. On top of that, this film also contains very strong language which confirms it as a clear-cut 18 film.

In conclusion this research has now helped me understand the importance of the BBFC and taking this into consideration, I shall likely make my thriller sequence a 15, because I believe if it is ranked lower, it will not be as exciting but if I was to award it an 18, then I would be reaching a lower audience and less people would bea ble to see the film.