2013 Post 13- Film Rating

My group and I have assessed the content of our film against the BBFC’s age ratings to determine what classification may be awarded for our work. We were at first conflicted on whether it would be a 12A or a PG rating, as our film fits within both.

According to the BBFC, films classified as being suitable for 12 year olds and over are rated 12A, and only the video release is certified as a 12, there is no lower age limit for this rating. The ‘A’ is advisory for parents, they can decide to bring younger children with them to view a film of this rating if they desire, but content may be deemed unsuitable for the younger years.

The overall tone of a film can be the deciding factor that alters a 12A certification, our film’s tone could be seen as somewhat dark and may distress children under 12, which is why my group and I are considering the rating to be a 12A.

Although, our film will not contain excessive uses of strong language, and there will be nothing discriminative or sexual which fits within the 12A classification rather than a ‘15’ or higher, despite our initial target audience being of similar age to the characters in the film, 16 and older. Moderate violence is allowed within this film rating, as long as there is no heavy focus on detail and is justified by context; however there will be no aggressive physical violence in our film that may upset younger viewers, thus, overall our film would be more accepted within a PG film rating.

A PG rating stands for Parental Guidance, inferring that a film is acceptable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children so they should be accompanied by an adult. Parents have the choice to decide whether to allow their child to view a film or not, but the work itself should not be unsuitable for a child around 8 years.

My group and I initially decided to make our film for teenagers around 16 and older, not for a PG rated audience. However, not all films awarded with this classification have been designed for this ‘PG’ audience, ‘The Artist’ for example is a film enjoyed mostly by adults and would have been rated a ‘U’ if not for a scene of mild threat that increased the rating to a ‘PG’.  In our film the main character slowly spirals into madness, showing signs of anxiety and behaviour that may disturb very young viewers, thus our classification would not fit under the ‘U’ rating but the ‘PG’.

Further information on why 'The Artist' was classified as 'PG' can be found here, on the BBFC website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/artist-2011