The BBFC plays a vital role in the film industry; as they reviews films, and decide what the suitable age is for the audience. They need to consider and carefully view the films to prevent any complaints from parents and other companies distributing the film. Without the BBFC, children will be able to view disturbing scenes that are not appropriate at their age, this can also effect their health and safety.
Films that have been labelled 'U' means that the film suitable for all ages,, from toddlers to teens and adults - this could be because the film does not contain any irrelevant, shocking scenes, that may impact on younger viewers. Tinker bell, for example, is a 'U' rated film, meaning that it does not contain unfriendly scenes that can negatively effect a young viewer. Scenes in Tinker bell contain bright colours and sceneries, it also contains friendly looking characters including the villains. E.g a cat was portrayed as a villain by it's menacing expression, but the impact will not strike fear into the young viewers as the cat's appearance is fluffy, making it less frightening but displaying a mixture of cuteness.
PG stands for Parental guidance, this means that the film is suitable for general viewing however parents are to decide whether the film content is decent for viewing or not. PG films should not disturb a child aged 7-8.
Films that are PG usually contain small amounts of conflicting scenes, however they are mild; scenes that are not strong enough to encourage bad manner, behaviour etc..
'Spongebob squarepants the movie' is rated PG for its mild impacting scenes - towards the end of the film the hero experiences a life death situation, however the hero survives by a miracle and the films ends with happy ending. This particular film is not disturbing due to the fact it is animated and unrealistic, the events will not happen to the viewers, the film also contains humour which overpowers the inappropriate scenes.
12A- Children aged 12 and over, can go to see a film in the cinema unaccompanied.
Big momma's house is a 12A rated film which means it is appropriate to be viewed by children aged 12 and over. However the rule does not apply if an adult (older than 18) gives the child permission to view the film, although the adult must accompany the child. Reasons that the film is given the age certificate 12A could be because the film content may include infrequent swearing (e.g. f***), faint sexual scenes, moderate violence etc... These content will vary in films depending the genre.
For example in 'Big Momma's house' (12A) there is a scene which the main character removes his mask and mentions the word "f***" in a aggressive tone; which can influence a child's speech and disturb the child.
12 rated films are for children aged 12 and younger, but the film content remains the same as 12A (e.g. violence, infrequent swearing and non-graphic sexual scenes). The 12 age certificate only applies to DVDs and Blue rays. An adult 18 and older must accompany the child, as they are handed the responsibility to look after the child and decide whether the film is appropriate.
An example of this would be 'King Kong', most scenes the film contains are appropriate for a young child, however there is a scene which King Kong gets injured after fighting a dinosaur. Scenes like this can be cause the young viewer to feel sad and upset and an adult must be there to accompany and ensure the child.
15 rated films contain content which is much more stronger than 12 and 12A. Only viewers aged 15 and older are able to view the selected film because it can disturb children at a younger age, which is not natural.
15 rated films contain contents like: strong violence, frequent strong language , 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 and drug taking. The film 'Friends with Benefits' is an example of a 15 rated film which mostly contain sexual references and frequent swearing. There are scenes where the characters have shown sexual references, which younger children will not understand but could use, which will give other people misunderstandings. Teens aged 15 should mostly be aware of such information and so they will not be surprised as they have learnt what is appropriate and what is not.
18 rated films are only for viewers who are 18 and over; viewers who can be referred to adults.
The age certificate 18, is the highest rating, which films can receive, this is mainly because it contains very strong content that is extremely inappropriate for teens and children. However, adults may also find some scenes disturbing even at their age. 18 rated films contain scenes which either have very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayal of sexual activity, sexual violence, strong horror (blood and gore) and discriminating language and behaviour. Some films can contain a mixture of these. Adults are free to choose their films as there are no limits. For example 'The human centipede' is rated 18 because of it's disturbing scenes and physical appearances, when the bodies are sewn together, it can be portrayed as sexual violence and torture, which younger views can find terrifying and possibly scarring.
The relevant age certificate for my film would be 18.
I have chosen this age because my film will contain disturbing gory scenes which will be unsuitable for a child or teen viewer. My target audience is at teens which are aged 15-17 but regarding on what the scene will be involving it would still have impact on adults and teen viewers may get disturbed and upset.
Some scenes will contain infrequent language but will portray violence.
Wai-Lum Pang
Candidate number-3263
You have idnentified the correct age certificates and you have also started to consider a range of film examples to include, to support the points that you have made. However, you need to expand on the examples that you have included, by referring to more detailed examples. Also aim to include images too.
ReplyDeleteFinally, aim to expand on the points that you have made on your target audience, by referring to your narrative in more detail. Also reference your research too