ccarman AS media productions schs 2015: British Board of Classification

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), also known as the British Board of Film Censorship, is a non-governmental organisation, founded by the film industry in 1912. They are responsible for the national classification of films, trailers and advertisements, and judging the censorship of films within the United Kingdom on behalf of local authorities who licence cinemas. They follow classification guidelines that link with the public to consult in their change in tastes, any concerns and changes in laws that apply with age ratings. The job of the BBFC is to protect children and some adults from unsuitable media content that can influence their decisions in real life situations and potentially put them in harms way.
The BBFC has to take certain issues into consideration before classifying: context, theme, tone and impact, discrimination, drugs, sex and Imitable Behaviour.Context - The content is what is included. This can include issues of sex, language or violence used, that can cause children or vulnerable adults to act or behave in a certain way.Theme - The theme is the message they are trying to get across or any content, and needs to be taken into consideration to make sure there isn't anything that could be unsuitable for young children. Some themes that are avoided from junior level classifications are: Dug misuse, sexual violence, racial battles and violence.Tone and Impact - Dark and unnerving tones are generally classified at a higher level as it can be unsettling for children to watch.Discrimination - content such as race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality may cause issues to arise, and the classification decision will take account of the strength or impact of their conclusion of which the context of the content and classify it suitably. Drugs - It is not always suitable to have young actors taking harmful substances, so often replacement substances are used so they don't cause the actors any damage, however in doing this it can promote drug use, and can cause people to take up the misuse of drugs, and can get them in trouble with the law if its the wrong classification.Sex-This can range from a kiss to detailed graphic sexual content. Those which contain sex will be given a higher rating.Imitable Behaviour - This can include criminal and violent techniques, and glamorise of easily accessible weapons, such as knives. Audiences can gather potentially harmful information from watching these, and can promote anti-social behaviour. These are likely to receive a higher classification.

"The U symbol stands for universal, which means the film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, though it’s not possible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.PG stands for parental guidance, which means the film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film shouldn’t unsettle a child around eight or older, but parents should consider whether the content might upset younger, or more sensitive children.Films classified as 12 are generally not suitable for children aged under 12. Strong language, might be passed at 12, depending on how it’s used, who’s using it, its frequency and any contextual justification, but language might not be aggressive or frequent. Puns on strong language are often allowed, and there might be moderate language.15 films are not suitable for children under 15 years of age, and no theme is prohibited as long as the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds. This means the content might include strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes relating to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking.Films rated 18 are for adults, and no 18 rated works are suitable for children. No theme is prohibited, and as adults are free to choose their entertainment as long as the material isn’t illegal or harmful, some themes tackled might be offensive even to adult viewers."- BBFC age ratings