Film Classification...

Here is a document published by the British Board of Film Classification which explains the reasons why certain films are given particular certificates.



Classification Guidelines

Our film will be rated 15 because the content fits with the BBFC classification of what a 15 film should contain which can be found in the classification document above.

I searched for films that have similiar themes and content to our film opening on the BBFC website and here is one example of that which helped us to determine what rating our film was going to be;

DONNIE DARKO
Consumer Advice:
Contains strong language and psychological horror.

This work was passed with no cuts made.

The main spoken language in this work is English.

Directed by Richard Kelly

The cast for this work includes: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze, Katharine Ross, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Beth Grant, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase, James Duval, Stuart Stone, Gary Lundy, Alex Greenwald.

When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 113m 11s.
The running time of this film was calculated from the measured length of 10186+13 ( feet + frames ).

CLASSIFIED 13TH MAY 2002.

The document below will also help us to evaluate our film as it includes a lot of information about why film classification is important and how it started;

Student Guide to Bbfc

Here is what the BBFC classification document states about 15 rated films;

Discrimination: The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must notpromote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easilyaccessible and highly dangerous substances (for example,aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror: Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Dangerous behaviour: (for example, hanging, suicide andself-harming) should not dwell on detail which could becopied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

LanguageThere may be frequent use of strong language (for example,‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeateduse of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity: Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but withoutstrong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex: Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptableunless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence: Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the inflictionof pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely tobe acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violencebut any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet andhave a strong contextual justification.

15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over. 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.