What film classification does my trailer conform to?

BBFC 15 Classifications

It could include any of the following:

strong violence

Frequent strong language (eg 'f***').

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

What about discriminatory or offensive terms? There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and

the work could explore themes relating to this. However, at 15 the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory

language or behaviour.

Any issues I have to be wary of:

- If I choose to include scenes of drug taking, I must ensure that it is not encouraging people to take drugs.

I chose this certification instead of 12 as the 12 certification specified the following:

Can horror films be passed 12 or 12A?

Yes, some horror films are passed at this category. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12A or 12A as long as horror sequences are not too frequent or sustained and the overall tone is not disturbing.

What about other issues like imitable behaviour or drugs at 12A or

12?

Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging and suicide) may be present in 12A or 12 works but will not dwell on detail which could be copied or present those activities in a manner that children are likely to copy.

Anti-social behaviour should not be endorsed.

There may be infrequent sight of drugs misuse in a 12A or a 12 but the portrayal should not be glamorised or provide instructional detail.

Why did I choose a 15 rating?

I felt that the 12 rating didn’t give me enough scope to explore the depths of schizophrenia because I would have to tame the action down so that it wouldn’t be disturbing for the viewers. Schizophrenia is a disturbing prospect for mental illness sufferers and therefore, creating a film that doesn’t express this disturbing nature will (in my opinion) make it harder for me to make a successful psychological thriller.

Source: BBFC - http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15