British Board of Classification
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The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) was established in 1912 and since then has been solely responsible for the classification of all films in the UK. Their work is not limited to cinema release as they also classify films released on DVD. The BBFC have only banned 15 films in the history of British cinema, the most recent of which being the infamous Human Centipede 2. The classifications of all British films are as follows:
U – Universal: All ages admitted.
PG – Parental Guidance: All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
12A – The most recent of classifications, those aged 12+ may freely see the film although those under 12 may also enter if an adult accompanies them.
12 – Only those over the age of 12 are admitted.
15 – Only those over the age of 15 are admitted. Films rated 15 can contain adult themes, drugs, strong language, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity.
18 – Only adults are admitted. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity are also allowed.
The BBFC have huge amounts of control and say in the film industry. Under The Video Recordings Act, it is illegal to supply any recording that has not been certified by the BBFC. This classification is impossible to hide as the law requires that the age rating is displayed on the packaging and during the screening several. It is clear from the small number of films banned that they are not a ruthless board that ban any film they do not like. In many cases they advise cuts in order for the film to be granted a lower certificate. One example of this is cutting out the word “spaz” from the film Marmaduke in order for it to pass as a U. They tend to be very strict in terms of discrimination in U and PG films, cutting out words such as “moron” and “retard”. Another very sensitive topic for the BBFC is the issue of suicide. They recently cut over two minutes of the Hindi film Anjaana Anjaani as there were scenes of attempted suicide by asphyxiation.
Films are classified by a minimum of two senior examiners using specific BBFC guidelines. If the two examiners fail to come to an agreement then the director or even the presidential team will most likely closely examine the work. The primary issues they look at include discrimination, drug use, intense horror scenes, imitable behaviour, obscene language, nudity, sex and sexual violence. They place themselves in the shoes of the targeted age rating and consider how they would feel. When taking into account imitable behaviour they have to be rather cautious, as it is very difficult to judge what behaviour is easily imitable. The Jackass films being an obvious film rated higher for imitable behaviour, but the BBFC even rated Fred: The movie under ground of imitable behaviour.
U – Universal: All ages admitted.
PG – Parental Guidance: All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
12A – The most recent of classifications, those aged 12+ may freely see the film although those under 12 may also enter if an adult accompanies them.
12 – Only those over the age of 12 are admitted.
15 – Only those over the age of 15 are admitted. Films rated 15 can contain adult themes, drugs, strong language, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity.
18 – Only adults are admitted. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity are also allowed.
The BBFC have huge amounts of control and say in the film industry. Under The Video Recordings Act, it is illegal to supply any recording that has not been certified by the BBFC. This classification is impossible to hide as the law requires that the age rating is displayed on the packaging and during the screening several. It is clear from the small number of films banned that they are not a ruthless board that ban any film they do not like. In many cases they advise cuts in order for the film to be granted a lower certificate. One example of this is cutting out the word “spaz” from the film Marmaduke in order for it to pass as a U. They tend to be very strict in terms of discrimination in U and PG films, cutting out words such as “moron” and “retard”. Another very sensitive topic for the BBFC is the issue of suicide. They recently cut over two minutes of the Hindi film Anjaana Anjaani as there were scenes of attempted suicide by asphyxiation.
Films are classified by a minimum of two senior examiners using specific BBFC guidelines. If the two examiners fail to come to an agreement then the director or even the presidential team will most likely closely examine the work. The primary issues they look at include discrimination, drug use, intense horror scenes, imitable behaviour, obscene language, nudity, sex and sexual violence. They place themselves in the shoes of the targeted age rating and consider how they would feel. When taking into account imitable behaviour they have to be rather cautious, as it is very difficult to judge what behaviour is easily imitable. The Jackass films being an obvious film rated higher for imitable behaviour, but the BBFC even rated Fred: The movie under ground of imitable behaviour.
Age certificates for our teaser trailer
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We imagine if the BBFC were to class our film, Ping!, it would be granted a 15 classification. The reason for this classification is obvious, as it contains a reasonable amount of violence and very strong language. These reasons mean it does not meet the criteria of a 12. As our film does not contain any hard drug use or sexual violence Ping! was not crude enough for it to pass as an 18.