Age Certificates

BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification) provides age classifications for film and TV. Their main aims are to protect children and other vulnerable people from sensitive or unsuitable material and also to help consumers (particularly those responsible for children) make suitable decisions for the material they view.

U - (universal)

This certificate indicates that it should be suitable for audiences ages 4 years and over, although it's impossible to predict what may upset a particular child.
It shouldn't include: any significant issues in terms of discrimination, drugs, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, threat or violence. Any potential dangerous or anti-social behaviour which young children may copy must be removed.

PG - Parental Guidance

This certificate indicates that it's suitable for general viewing however some scenes may be unsuitable for some young children. A PG film shouldn't unsettle a child ages 8+. Also, it is up to parents to decide whether the film may upset their children and whether to provide the child with the content or not. PG mustn't contain any theme which is inappropriate, but can address challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. There could be mild or undetailed references of sex and bad language at PG.

12A/12

This certificate suggests that it contains material that is not generally suitable for children ages 12 or under. If the child is under 12, they must be accompanied by an adult at the cinema (12A), and they must consider whether the content is suitable for their child. Strong language (e.g. 'f***') may be used depending on it's context and frequency however any discriminatory language or behaviour isn't allowed. Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed in a 12/12A, and should be kept to what is suitable for young teenagers. Moderate violence is allowed and weapons, however weapons such as kitchen knives that are easily assessable to young teenagers shouldn't be glamorised. Anti-social behaviour should not be endorsed.

15

This certificate states that no one under 15 should be allowed to see a 15 rated film at the cinema or buy/rent a R15 because it's unsuitable for children under 15.
In R15 content there may be:

• strong language
• strong violence
• frequent strong language
• portrayals of sexual activity
• strong verbal references to sex
• sexual nudity
• brief scenes of sexual violence and verbal references to sexual violence
• discriminatory language or behaviour
• drugs

This age certificate will be used for our thriller as later on during the film there will be scenes of strong violence and strong language, as the victim tries to escape from the protagonist. This gives us more opportunities to create a more realistic and violent kidnapping. However, it does give us some restrictions at the distribution stage and lowers the number of consumers available as there's a large audience of people who are younger than 15, although some scenes in the film may be inappropriate.

18

This certificate states that no one under 18 should be allowed to buy/rent or watch the content at the cinemas as it's unsuitable. No theme is prohibited at 18 and adults are free to choose their own entertainment.
In R18 content there may be:

• very strong violence
• frequent strong language and/or very strong language
• strong portrays of sexual activity
• scenes of sexual violence
• strong horror
• strong blood and gore
• real sex
• discriminatory language and behaviour.