The Film Classification Guidelines (Age Rating)

Every 4-5 years, the BBFC carries out a major public consultation exercise to find out what the public thinks about the age rating of films and videos before they are released and whether the BBFC’s classification standards meet public concerns.

The Guidelines detail what is acceptable at each age category, from U to R18.

There are 2 key principles, laid out in the Guidelines, under which we operate:

• to protect children and vulnerable adults from potentially harmful or otherwise unsuitable content
• to empower consumers, particularly parents and those with responsibility for children, to make informed viewing decisions.

A U film is suitable for audiences aged 4 years and over.

U films should be set within a positive framework and should avoid as much violence, threat or horror in a film that their might be.

Drugs

Usually you don't see Drugs used in 'U' films, the highest class of drugs used is probably smoking a cigarette or drinking alcohol. 

Imitable behaviour

You don't see as many lethal and dangerous weapons in a 'U' film compared to a 'PG' films or higher.

Language

You don't hear words such as 'f**k' or 'as**oles' in 'U' films, they are mostly referred in 12 or above. 

Nudity

Occasional nudity, with no sexual contact.

Sex

Very small amount of 'sexual content' shown in a 'U' film (e.g. kissing)

Threat

The biggest 'threat' a 'U' film can create is a jump scare. 

Violence

Violence usually isn't shown in a 'U' the most violence it could show is probably fighting without any sever blood injuries or a gun being shot at a different person without revealing as much blood as in a 'PG' or higher. and mostly every cartoon either will get rated into a 'U' movie rating or a 'PG'. E.g. the film 'UP' is about a old guy who is named Carl Fredricksen and he is 78 years old who planned to travel to Paradise Falls with his wife who he was married to for his whole life, but she dies from an illness at an old age, so when he was about to be sent to a elderly home, he decided to travel to Paradise Falls in his house filled with ballons, Russel joins him for his adventure to get the last elderly medal. 

 General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.   A PG film is for children aged 8 and older, but it's recommended for children younger then 12 that they should have a parental guidance.

Bad language or behaviour is unlikely to be shown unless it's too aggressive which might affect children 

Drugs

Drugs might be shown in a 'PG' film, but they won't focus as much on them as in a 12 age rating film or older.

Imitable behaviour

No glamorisation of easily accessible weapons such as knives or hatchets. Mostly none anti-social behaviour is shown so that young children won't be likely to copy.

Language

Mild bad language only. If the language is too aggressive or a film uses very frequent of mild bad language may result in that the film will be passed to a higher category.

Nudity

There may be nudity but with no sexual context. Sexual activity may be implied, but should be infrequent shown and mostly censored. 

Threat

Frightening sequences or situations where characters are in danger should not be intense. Fantasy threats may be shown as long as it doesn't reveal too much that in the scene of the character dying.

Violence

'PG' films might show a little bit more violence than a 'U' rated film but it doesn't exceed as much violence as show in a 12 rated film, so the violence isn't as blood as in a 12 and they don't swear as much as in a 12.

No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child.

Discrimination

Discriminatory language or behaviour won't be shown in a 12A or in a 12 rated film.

Drugs

Drug use isn't shown as much in a 12 rated film as in a 15 or 18, if any drug use is used than it shouldn't show too much detail about the drug use.

Imitable behaviour

Any dangerous behaviour done in a film which has easy access to children won't be shown or will be censored. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

Language

There may be moderate language. Strong language may be permitted, just to have a positive manner in order to not promote work to children which might provoke them in using the language themselves.

Nudity

There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be very brief and discreet.

Sex

Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, and things such as kissing or cuddling is allowed but, frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent otherwise they may be moved from a '12' rated film to a '15'

Violence

.
                                          In a '12' age rating film there is a huge amount difference with a 'PG' rating film, there is more action and mostly more 'CGI' is used to create the film rated '12' to make it seem more realistic.   

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

In a 15 age rated film there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language but not as aggressive as in a 18 film.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not show-off to much of promotion of the drug so that people of the public won't be able to misuse of the drug (for example, through instructional detail). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances is unlikely to be acceptable. 

E.g. of the drugs that might not be shown:

• Marijuana.
• Cocaine.
• Heroin.
• Ecstasy.
• Crack.
• Meth.
• MDMA

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not show too much details because the action could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.

Language

There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used and who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole to have censored language used in a '15' age rated film.

Nudity

There are no nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail.

Sex

Sexual activity may be shown, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable and the film will be moved into a '18' age rated film. Films that mostly focus primary on sexual stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable and moved to a '18' age rated film.

Violence

 In a '15' age rated film there is a lot of violence from people being killed by different types of weapons to torture scenes, but it doesn't exceeds the amount of violence shown in a '18' aged rated film. For example: 'Shaun of the Dead' is based on a zombie-apocalypse world with a couple of survivors who fight off the zombies but in a humours manner. In 'Fury' the film is based about 5 people showed as being a tank crew in Nazi Germany during the final days of World War II.

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society. For example, the detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sadistic or sexual violence which make this violence look appealing; reinforce the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence; or which invite viewer complicity in sexual violence or other harmful violent activities
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work or where the primary purpose of the images in question is sexual arousal In the case of video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Violence

There is a lot of violence in a '18' rated film, the highest rating of a film that there can be (R18 is for sexual content), for example: 'Zombieland' is a world run-over by zombies that only has 4 survivors and they have to survive the apocalypse which reveals a lot of blood and gore. 'Saw' is about people who are being tested of having a choice of life or death after they did something very bad to someone else or when they had a chance at something very important and they didn't care (e.g. cancer patient survivor keeps on smoking after being treated of the cancer). 'Final Destination 4' is my favourite film in the 'Final Destination' Trilogy because how the people die in a particular way after surviving a accident which they weren't supposed to survive.