Ash, Jack, Sofy and Will's Media Studies Blog

Hey Guys! I was just checking out the BBFC for film certificate definitions and i found this aswell, thought it would be quite useful!

Horror
The use of frightening elements which might scare or unsettle an audience is part of a long tradition of story telling and film making. Many children enjoy the excitement of scary sequences, but, where films are targeted at a younger audience, classification decisions will take into account such factors as the frequency, length and detail of scary scenes as well as horror effects, including music and sound, and whether there is a swift and reassuring outcome. Older audiences often pay to see horror films because they like being frightened or shocked and such works are classified at an appropriate category to ensure that the young and vulnerable are protected from too intense an experience.

Violence
Violence has always been a feature of entertainment for children and adults. Classification decisions will take account of the degree and nature of any violence in a work. Works which feature the following are likely to receive more restrictive classifications: portrayal of violence
as a normal solution to problems, heroes who inflict pain and injury, callousness towards victims, the encouragement of aggressive attitudes, and content which depicts characters taking pleasure in pain or humiliation. Sexualised violence or works which glorify or glamorise violence will
receive a more restrictive classification and may even be cut. A strict policy on sexual violence and rape is applied. Content which might eroticise or endorse sexual violence may require cuts at any classification level. This is more likely with video works than film because of the
potential for replaying scenes out of context. Any association of sex with non-consensual restraint, pain or humiliation may be cut.

Photo or pattern sensitivity, motion sickness and reactions to low frequency sound
A small number of viewers are sensitive to flashing and flickering light, or some shapes and patterns, and may experience seizures or other serious physical effects. In addition, some viewers experience feelings of motion sickness or other symptoms when viewing works which feature hand held or otherwise moving camerawork, or which feature very low frequency sounds. It is the responsibility of film makers and distributors to identify works in
which such issues may arise and to ensure that, when required, appropriate warnings are given to viewers. Such effects are therefore not normally taken into account when reaching a classification decision. However, if it is obvious during viewing that the work is highly likely to affect a significant number of viewers, the BBFC may advise the distributor of the need to ensure that appropriate warnings are in place. In extreme cases, assurances regarding the display of appropriate warnings may be required as a condition of classification.

CERTIFICATE CATEGORIES
After looking through all teh certificates, we thought a certificate of 15 should be awarded to our film.

15 –Suitable only for 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema.No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised. Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised. Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be cceptable.

Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

The webpage that we looked at to get this information was http://www.bbfc.co.uk/downloads/pub/Guidelines/BBFC%20Classification%20Guidelines%202009.pdf

It was REALLY FANTASTIC and i deffinatly reccomend checking it out if you have the time! I only uploaded the most revelvant pieces, but there is still so really great information on there!

xxxx