BBFC Institution research

1) Research the BBFC: what is the institution responsible for? How is it funded? What link does it have to government?

2) Read this BBFC guide to how films are rated. Summarise the process in 50 words.

3) Read this BBFC outline of the issues faced when classifying a film. Summarise the debate in 50 words.

4) Read this BBFC section on controversial decisions. Why did The Dark Knight generate a large amount of media coverage regarding its certificate? Do you agree with the 12A certificate The Dark Knight was awarded?

5) What are the guidelines for a 15 certificate?

6) The BBFC website offers an explanation of every classification it makes and detailed case studies on selected titles. Choose one 15-rated film from the BBFC case studies section and summarise the classification the film was given and why. 


What is the BBFC?
The The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up which was in 1912, the videos/dvds was since the Video Recordings Act in 1984. BBFC do not receive subsidies from the government nor the film industry, they are not a profit organisation, and their fees are adjusted to only cover its cost. The income is from the fees they charge for its services, calculated by measuring the running time of films and DVDs they submit for classification

How films are rated?
Films are rated in teams of two. With each work, the Examiners log details of what they watch, including - General context (plot), characters, an outline of individual scenes; timings of key moments, including camera angles, types of shots, on- and off-screen moments; and bad language, sex and drug references and so on.

Issued faced when classifying films?
When classifying a film, there are quite a few issues faced, meaning they have to consider whether the material is in conflict with the law, harmful to the viewer, unacceptable to appear to a wider audience, acceptably portraying the dominant issue, or problematic within its tone.

Controversial Decisions- Dark Knight
The main classification issues in The Dark Knight are violence and threat. The Dark Knight was awarded a 12A rating by the BBFC which is ‘Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries and blood’ and ‘Sustained moderate threat and menace are permitted. This resulted in much press coverage and complaints from members of the public, because they thought the violence was too strong to be contained in that category. In my opinion, I think the movie should have been awarded a 15 rating, due to, the high levels of violence in it. However, I don't think the 364 complaints about the age rating was necessary as it is something i would not be outraged about. The Joker, uses a knife, the use of the weapon is not accentuated or glamorised to encourage the use of the violence. Also,many parents and viewers thought that the tone of the film was too dark to show to younger audiences, however, a counter would be that the younger demographic are normally exposed to more graphic content through games, mainstream media and the internet. 

Guidelines for a 15 certificate 
The guidelines for a 15 rated films, indicate that they may feature 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. However, this depends on the severity and extent of these features.

Mad Max
Mad Max (1979) was rated X and the film also required cuts, however in 1992 the film was classified within the BBFC's guidelines as an 18 rated film, without the cuts. Now in 2015, the film was screened for modern audiences and was classified a 15 due to the strong threat, violence and injury detail. The scenes that were cut initially fit into the 15 classification because of it's implied nature and lack of visual detail. This shows just how different generations change their ideologies towards particular films and scenes.