Regulation Research

BBFC Guidelines

The BBFC stands for The British Board of Film Classification is the UK's regulator for the film and video industry. They were founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films. They give out the age ratings U, PG, 12, 15 and 18. They are a designated body which gives them the legal power to rate and sometimes cut or reject works.

Their main purpose is to examine and rate films or videos before they are released in order to protect young audiences from unsuitable and harmful content. They also give consumers the information need to justify whether or not to view a particular film or video. They decide what rating/certificate a film is by watching the film/video all the way through, awarding a certificate and justifying why they've given it this rating.

The BBFC look at issues such as Discrimination, Drugs, Horror, Behavior which is easily imitable, Language, explicit scenes (Sex) and Violence.

Sex
There is a clear public consensus that some of the imagery and references to sex should not be passed as suitable for younger audiences. The BBFC reflects this through the age rating system - The U certificate rating only allows mild sex scenes for example; Kissing and references like 'making love.' When you get further down the spectrum, the use of sexual behavior gets more explicit meaning it's more detailed. At the bottom of the age ratings there's a special rating, R18, which contains certain explicit imagery of real sex. These types of images can only be rated 18 once they've been justified by context. The BBFC must also consider the legal issues that's associated with images of sex such as the protection of children-act and the 1994 amendment to the video recordings act. Which states that the BBFC must pay special attention to certain matters including 'sexual activity.'

Drugs
Films that depict drug misuse have been a major concern for the BBFC and for the society.The BBFC's guidelines prohibit detailed portrayal of illegal drug use which could potentially raise concerns for the public even if the rating of the film/video is rated 18. Any work taken in which may promote the misuse of drugs and any detailed portrayal of drug use that's likely to promote or glamorise the activity may be cut. Work that shows drug misuse whilst emphasising the dangers may receive a less restrictive age rating than works that present drug misuse in a neutral manner.
At the certificate U, the guidelines state 'No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless they are infrequent and innocuous or if there's a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for the younger audience.'

Language
The BBFC still continue to show that they are sensitive to how the public view bad language. Instead of the BBFC relying upon a list of swear words rated by offence, they have now taken into consideration 3 things; Strength, the Context the word(s) are used in and the Tone. The BBFC takes care to ensure that they surpass audience expectations at any age rating. More derogatory terms/phrases are removed from the younger age rating, while the strongest obscenities are restricted to the higher ratings such as 15 and 18. The BBFC perpetuate guidelines on the language that reflect public attitudes on the issues. Below shows what language can be used in throughout the age ratings;
U - Infrequent use of mild bad language.
PG - Mild bad language only.
12 - Moderate language only.
15 - There may be frequent use of strong language. Vigorous or repeated use of the strongest terms is very unlikely to be acceptable.
18 - There is no constraints on the language used.

Violence

The BBFC has a challenge to determine whether the violence in any given work is acceptable for the audiences. They must also consider potentially effects such as desensitisation or fear, as well as the more obvious concerns about encouraging violent behavior. The BBFC debates issues such as whether or not more sanitised adaptions of violence are in fact more harmful, because they don't show sufficiently the consequences of violence. Nearly always, it is the film which encourages the viewer to take pleasure in the pain and distress of the victim(s) that raises the most objections.

Certifications

The first certificate in the age rating is U. This stands for universal and this means that any film rated U should be suitable for children aged four and over. However when a child is as young as the age of four, it's a hard task to make a judgment on what might upset a particular child. In a U rated film, the BBFC only allows infrequent use of mild Language. For example terms such as 'damn and hell.' In a U rated film, the characters may only be seen kissing or cuddling and any more than this may have a negative effect on the child. There can also be some references to Sexual Behavior. However, there mustn't be any 'overt focus' on any sexual behavior, language or innuendo. Another topic which is of high concerns in U rated films is Violence. The kind of violence included will usually be very mild. They typically only include minor and brief fight scenes where characters will be placed in a situation of danger. It can also contain mild scary scenes but later on will be balanced out by reassuring elements such as music or comical themes. At a U rated film, there is not normally any references to Drugs or the misuse of drugs unless there's a clear and vivid anti-drugs message or educational theme to it in which the younger audience will understand. 

The second certificate which is PG. This stands for parental guidance and this means that some films are suitable for general viewing but could potentially contain some scenes unsuitable for children. In PG rated films there may be some mild bad Language, but the context that the words are used in are an important factor meaning if the language is used in an aggressive manor or if there's continuous use of the language then the work may be passed at a high category. Also in PG's, there will be infrequent and un-detailed use of references to Sex. But there will be ways to lessen the impact of sexual references such as using comedy. A quote from the BBFC's official webpage is 'Sex and references are treated the same irrespective of sexuality so there could be mild or un-detailed sexual references at PG.' Simultaneously, the Violence within PG rated films is mild and infrequent. There are many different factors when it comes to the violence portrayed in PG's, for example; there should be no detail of violence, there may also not be any scenes of how a injury was inflicted in detail and a scene may contain some blood. PG's don't tend to contain much threat or gore, and will only usually contain some jump/frightening moments or scenes. There may be inoffensive or passive references to illegal Drugs. There mustn't contain strong or in-depth focus on this topic and in-addition drug references are acceptable if there's a strong anti-drugs message.

The third certificate in the age rating is 12A and 12. Films or videos that have this rating generally means viewers under the age of 12 shouldn't view the product. If you'e under the age of 12, you can't see a 12A in the cinema unless accompanied by an adult. With a 12A or 12. the BBFC tend to be a little more lenient with the Language and allows stronger terms such as 'fuck'. It all depends on the context the language is used in, the individual using the language and the consistently at which the language is used. If the profanity is used in an aggressive manor could potentially result in the work being rated a 15. In a 12A or 12, the Sexual Behavior can be portrayed in a discrete approach. Simultaneously, verbal sex references must not go beyond what is suitable for the young viewers. Frequent and repetitive use of sexual references or innuendo are unlikely to be accepted into this age category. At a 12A or 12, there may be some uses of moderate Violence but there should not be any emphasis or detail on the injuries shown. However, sexual violence such as rape may only be shown briefly and must have a strong contextual justification.

The fourth certification on the list is a 15. This also applies the rule where anyone under the age of the certificate, in this case a 15, can't see the film or video unless they are accompanied by an adult. In a 15 rated film, there is no restrictions when it comes to the Language used. Even the strongest terms are used depending on the context they are used in, the individual that uses them and the tone/manner also. At a 15, Sex and sexual content can be portrayed and have no restriction but there is usually no vivid detail. There can be mild use of references to sex but anything that is offensive and crude will have to be justified by context. 15's can also contain nudity but not in strong detail. There can strong Violence shown but it shouldn't dwell on the distress and pain of the individual nor the injury beforehand.  Simultaneously, gory scenes are unlikely to be shown and the same with strong and sadistic scenes of violence. Drugs at this rating can also be shown but MUST not promote or encourage the miss use of drugs.

The last certification on the age rating is an 18. When a film is rated 18, this means that anyone under the age of 18 can't watch the works, so it's unsuitable for children to watch. In this age rating there is no restriction on the Language used meaning even the strongest of terms can be used. The terms used can be in an aggressive manner and not have to be justified by context. Also in an 18 rated film there's allowed to be strong and detailed portrayals of Sex. There are no constraints on the nudity shown. Strong and crude depictions of sex are even permitted in 18's. There is also no restrictions on the Violence shown and can even be portrayed in strong detail. Unlike other ratings, there can also be dwelling on the infliction of the pain/injury. The goriest of images are also permitted at this category. Drug taking can also be shown but it STILL can't promote or encourage the misuse of drugs.

Certification and guidelines for my product

For my media piece, which is a Documentary I have given it the a U rating. This is because it meets all of the different requirements in the U category and doesn't go beyond it. Seeing as it's rated a U, anyone above the age of 4 may view my media product. Although this can be viewed by anyone, there are also some restrictions we must follow as there will also be some younger viewers. For example; We will have to keep the language to a minimal meaning there won't be frequent use of swear words. Although there may some references used which is suitable for young viewers but nothing too strong which would have a negative effect on the younger audience. Seeing as we're recording many different sporting events such as football, many of the participants many use bad language due to a factor within the football game. My media piece won't contain any sexual content primarily because it's a sports documentary and there isn't anything relevant we can link to sport and sex. However, when it comes to the violence part, there could potentially be some mild fights within the football pitch between the players. There won't be anything more than mild violence due to the restrictions that the U rating has. There also won't be any mention of the word drug nor any reference to it.

By reading the guidelines that are expected from the BBFC for a U rated film, I feel that this has given my group and I a better idea on what my Documentary can and can't contain. I feel that nothing within my Documentary will go against these guidelines and therefore there's nothing that I can't include for my final media product because of this, I don't need to feel restricted on what I can and can't include which makes it easier for me and my group.

What I have learnt from this is that if anything challenges or goes against the BBFC's guidelines then I cant use it. So if my Documentary contained strong language such as 'fuck' then I won't be able to use that scene as it goes against the U ratings guidelines. It has also given me a better insight about the kind of elements and features that my text can and can not include. From this, it has taught me more about why they give certain age certificates for different products.