Researching Classification

Film certificates are used to show an audience what films are suitable for their age range. This is particularly helpful for parents, as it means they are immediately aware of what films are suitable for their children to watch based purely on the certificate given by the BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification). Certificates are given based on the BBFC guideline which is constantly updated to suit the new, ever changing media.

The first certificate is 'U' which means it is suitable for all. This means it is suitable for children under the age of four to watch without parental guidance. It essentially means that is a positive film with no content which is deemed inappropriate for children to see. This means that the film will contain no violence, and will maintain appropriate language.

A 'PG' film is said to be for general viewing, this means that there may be some content which would be deemed inappropriate for children under the age of around 7/8 meaning it is not able to be given the certificate of 'U' but is still suitable. This means that children can be taken to a 'PG' film when accompanied by an adult.

The same criteria is used to classify a '12' and a '12A' based on the BBFC guideline. Films given the certificate '12' mean they are strictly not suitable for children under the age of 12. However films given the certificate '12A' mean it is the parents choice, hence, the child must be accompanied by an adult in order to see the film. Films that are 12 generally contain some form of violence, or language deemed inappropriate for children under the age of 12

This certificate means you cannot be under the age of 15 can watch this film, as it contains either extreme violence or, sexual content not suitable for children under the age of 15, but not too extreme that it has been given an 18 rating.

When films are rated 18 it means that the content of the film is only appropriate for adults. This means there is extreme violence, language or sexual content, which obviously wouldn't be suitable for a child.

If a film has this rating it means that this is extreme sexual content, which involves either strong sexual action or fetish material. This essentially legalises adult films ensuring they are reasonable for adults and not exploiting any illegal behaviour.