Research into the BBFC - Miss Miller

The BBFC, Who are they? What do they do?

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a company which has a variety of highly trained, moving image, expertise who handle the age ratings of films by U, PG, 12a, 12, 15 and 18. They decide which age rating is suitable by examining the content such as, if there were to be a substantial amount of sexual content then the film would be rated an 18 as it is too sexual and vulgar to younger audiences. They do this especially for children, this is because they want to make sure the content that they watch isn't going to harm them in any way.  

U Rating

The U rating means "Universal" this means that anyone 4 and up can watch a U rated film without the supervision of an adult. Although vulgar language is not permitted in U rated films, words such as "damn" and "Hell" are acceptable as it is considered as mild. sexual content is also not permitted in U rated films but characters may be seen hugging or kissing and slight sexual references may be seen. However there will never be a scene in a U rated film which contain extreme sexual content which is vulgar and may harm the children such as sexual behaviour, language and innuendo.Violence in U rated films are always mild, this means that characters will become in threat or danger but will be resolved in a hurry and will have a happy ending. this is the sole purpose of giving children a good message in an emotional way.


An example of a U rated film is, Toy Story 2. This is rated a U because it does not contain a lot of vulgar content, with the exception of mild words such as "damn". Another reason it is rated as a U is because of the characters and the plot. Woody and Buzz are both Protagonists who do not use any weapons and extreme violence to defeat the Antagonist, thus making this film a U as also the film follows the simple plot which is to have a problem and solve it, always having a happy ending. Toy Story 2 is about Woody the Cowboy being stolen by a toy collector, and his friends such as Buzz, Jessie, Slinky dog and many more make  it their life goal to save him. However the temptation of immortality in a museum is too much for Woody. 

PG Rated
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means that the film is good for general viewing, but a selected few scenes may not be suitable for children's viewings. A PG film should not scare or make and eight year old and older uncomfortable, thus a PG is mainly for children under the age of 8 as some content could unsettle them without the company of an adult. In a PG rated film the language that may be heard is PG mild, such as "Shit" and "Son of a bitch". Also sexual content is similar to U rated films as there will not be very extreme amounts of sexual content but if a reference may not be known by the children then it may be included for adult purposes.


An example of a PG rated film is The Incredibles. This is because the film is suitable for all ages, however there are scenes which contain violence which could possibly unsettle children ages eight and younger, thus having them be accompanied by an adult. This can be seen during the last fight scene between The incredibles and the Antagonist. The film also does not contain a lot of vulgar content such as swearing and sexual scene with the exception of hugging and kissing which can be seen by Mr and Mrs Incredible. The Incredibles is about a family of five trying to live a normal lifestyle despite the fact of them having superpowers. Until one day when someone from Mr.Incredible's pass comes back to strike terror into his life, he is forced to take action and save the world. 


12a Rated


12a means that anyone under the age of 12 can not go to watch the movie, unless accompanied with an adult above 18 years of age. The accompanied adult must also consider whether the film is suitable for their child's viewing. This is because 12a films contain vulgar language but to some extent such as "f**k" but there are also less vulgar swearing which would possibly bee seen in a 12a which are "Bitch" and "Twat". Racist behaviour or comments will not be permitted in a 12a film as children at a young age could possibly be offended by it. 12a films will not pass, dark and unsettling plots which will frighten the audience, this will most likely be in a 12 or 15.


An example of a 12a film would be, Interstellar. The reason for this is because this film doesn't contain too many vulgar content, with the exception of a few mild swear words used when the Protagonist inflicts vulgar words towards the Antagonist. This is also rated a 12a because throughout the film although some scenes may seem a bit dark or gloomy, the rest is very inspirational and will edge the audience towards their seats. Interstellar; when something mysterious was happening to the Earth, a team of highly skilled astronauts travel through a wormhole leaving their families behind, vowing to ensure that humanity will be saved. Doing so has lead the whole crew to solve problems unimaginable.

12 Rated

The rating 12, means that only people over the age of 12 are permitted to watching the film. They are not allowed to watch the movie if they are younger than the age of 12, even if they are accompanied by an adult, this is easily mistaken for a 12a. They do not permit this as 12 rated films contain more violent and vulgar scenes, and by the decision of the BBFC there may be content which will unsettle the audiences under the age of 12. The 12 rating also makes it a lot easier for stores and retailers as they will not sell or rent the item to someone unless they have a form of ID which states otherwise. However, similarities remain such as, horror films are allowed to be rated 12 or 12a with the exception that the horror scene are kept at a short amount of screen time and is less frequent. Discrimination and racism is also similar to the 12a, as it is not permitted.

An example of a 12 rated film is, The Hunger Games. This is because although there are no sexual content other than hugging and kissing, there has a lot of violence and death which may scare children under the age of 12. The Hunger games also has no discrimination and/or racism in it whatsoever, there are also only mild swearing in this such as "bitch" and "shut up" however, nothing too major thus giving it and age rating of 12. This film didn't get a 12a because the BBFC thought that there was too much violence which was not suitable for viewing. The Hunger Games is about a teen aged woman who has been entered into a competition to fight for her life, in the return that she gets daily ingredients to help he family survive. On her journey, she will have to do things no one wants to do.


15 Rated

The 15 rated certificate means that only people the age of 15 and over are allowed to watch this content. This also means that there are no specific themes, provided that it is suitable for a 15+ audience. This is because when watching a 15 rated film, you are mist likely to see; strong violence, vulgar language such as "F**k", sexual innuendos, references to sexual content, strong nudity, the use of drugs and discrimination and racism in many forms. However all the sex, nudity, violence and discriminative language are to some extent, it is often shown but in a way which will not discomfort the audience. There will be horror content which could have little boundaries, on the note that it will not contain any sexualised threat such as rape.



An example of a 15 rated film is, The Hangover. This has the 15 rated certificate because of its constant use of strong vulgar language such as the word "F**k", there is also many scenes in this film which include strong sexual content and nudity which will be discomforting for anyone under the age of 15. There are also a selected few scenes where some of the main characters take a dosage of drugs and alcohol which leaves the audience to see the aftermath of it all. The Hangover; When a group of friends wake up to the aftermath of a bachelor party only to realise their friend was missing. They then go on an adventure to find their friend, however on their way they will have to solve problems created by the bachelors party, in order to rescue their friend and get him back before his wedding day.






18 Rated

The 18 rated certificate means that only adults aged 18 and above are allowed to go see the film or rent a film of this rating. There are no specific themes in an 18 rated film, provided that it is not illegal or could potentially harm the audience. However some scenes in 18 rated films still make some of the audiences uncomfortable, so watch 18 rated films at your own pleasure. Content which you may see is similar to the 15 age certificate however there are no boundaries, words such as "F**k" and "C**t" will most definitely be used frequently this also applies to very strong sexual content, strong nudity and a great amount of discriminative behaviour and racism. In an 18 rated film Horror has no boundaries, this means that there will be very strong horror, gory scenes and even sustained threat.




An example of an 18 rated film is, Fifty Shades Of Grey. This has the 18 rated certificate because of its strong, heavy use of sexual content and nudity which can only be viewed at the ages 18 and over. This film also contains mild vulgar language but although there isn't much violence, discrimination and racism, this film gets its rating from the sexual content provided which has no boundaries as the audience explore the sex life of the two couples. Fifty Shades Of Grey is about a literature student, (Anastasia Steele) who's life will never be the same once having met the handsome, infamous, billionaire, Christian Grey. But what you don't know about him, is his lust for her, and when he can't contain it anymore...he lets it go.


Overall, i believe that the rating certificates are hugely helpful as they divide content which allows audiences to watch films at their age. This is also helpful as it saves the adults some time researching the film to see if it is suitable for their child or not. The great thing about the ratings is that they are aimed to protect the comfort and state of people especially children. However this is also sometimes quiet frustrating because you may have permission to watch a film rated higher than your age, and to watch at your own pleasure but you are not permitted by the BBFC to watch it. Which in my opinion is frustrating as it could portray a meaningful message which will not be seen by the younger audience because it is rated higher than you current age.