Certificate Research

Certificate Research 

U:

·         Suitable for audiences aged four years and over

·         At U we only allow infrequent use of very mild bad language (e.g. ‘damn’ and ‘hell’).

·         Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour

·         Violence will generally be very mild. A U film may include brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger.

·         ‘Baddie’ characters may carry or use weapons, but there will be no emphasis on these.

·         E.g. Curious George, The Bee Movie

PG:

·         PG stands for Parental Guidance

·         A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older

·         A PG film will not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child. PG works can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism.

·         There may be mild bad language (such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’)

·         Sex references are unlikely unless they are undetailed and infrequent.

·         Violence will usually be mild.

·         E.g. Saving Mr. Banks, Shrek

12A

·         12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12

·         The 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema

·         The BBFC's Guidelines state that strong language (e.g. 'fuck') may be passed at 12 or 12A (Non Aggressive)

·         Moderate language (e.g. uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A).

·         Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12A or 12. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers also there may be nudity

·         At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,

·         Some horror films are passed at this category. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12A or 12A.

·         E.g. Hancock, The Switch

15:

·         Strong violence

·         Frequent strong language (e.g. 'fuck). Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms (e.g. 'c***'),

·         Portrayals of sexual activity

·         Strong verbal references to sex

·         Sexual nudity

·         Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence

·         Discriminatory language or behaviour

·         Drug taking

·         E.g. 21 Jump Street, Bridesmaids

18:

·         Very strong violence

·         Frequent strong language (e.g. 'fuck’) and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’), There is no limit

·         Strong portrayals of sexual activity

·         Scenes of sexual violence

·         Strong horror

·         Strong blood and gore

·         Real sex (in some circumstances)

·         Discriminatory language and behaviour

·         E.g. Taken, Kill Bill

Considering all the features of each certificate we have decided our film is a 15 as it will contain some use of strong language and violence, although there will be no sexual  activity we still feel  is should be classed as a 15 as that’s the  most appropriate seen as the level of violence and strong language wouldn't be appropriate for a 12 year old yet we want to avoid an 18 certificate as that would cut out to large a portion of our audience would be unnecessary as the blood/gore won't be that strong and nor will the violence