Classification in film

Certificates in filmSuitable for all ages

Cinema release Suitable for 12 And over

Suitable for 15 And over

Adult works for licensed Premises only

Suitable for allAges

Parental guidence

Video release suitable for 12 years and over

Suitable for 18 and over

History of film classification

The BBFC introduced the film certification in 1912 for safety reasons.Before this film classifications were decided by the local councils. 1912-1932: The universal rating and adult rating was made.

Universal means suitable for all ages, targeting families which leads to an increase in sales. The adult classification means that it is only suitable for children if they are with an adult.

1932-1951: The horror certificate was made for children over 16 years old, protecting younger children.

1951-1970: The horror certificate was replaced by the X-rating. This meant that only people over 16 could watch the film and this was reinforced by all councils.

1970-1982 in 1970 the A-certificate was split into two. The one half (A) allowed children of 5 and over to be admitted into cinemas but held a warning to parents that children under 14 that it may not be suitable. The other half (AA) only allowed people over the age of 14 to be admitted. Also at this time the X certificate was raised from 16 to 18 due to people commenting it was not a suitable age to be viewing these films.

1982-1985- A lot of replacements were made in these years. The certificate was replaced by PG which stands for parental guidance. The AA rating was raised a year and the name was changed to 15. The X rated certificate was renamed 18 to make the audience clearer. The rating R18 was made which meant only licensed cinemas could be allowed to show these films

1985-1989- The video recording act 1984 was then made to give the BBFC legal responsibilities to rate all video footage to protect the public and make clear guidelines. A rating called Uc was introduced which allowed children under 5 to watch a film without an adult.

1989-1994- Due to there being such a large age difference between PG and 15, the 12 rating was introduced allowing people aged 12 and over to watch films only in the cinema.

1994-2002- The 12 rating was then introduced for videos also 2002-2009- The certificate 12A was then modified so only

children 12 or over could attend films along with an adult 2009-present- The rating Uc was dropped

How certificates target, isolate and impact a film audience

BBFC make the film certificates on how they believe the audience will react to it. This isolates the audience by only letting certain ages watching the film. This helps protect society but the certificates can also limit profits and sales as the restriction on the age can stop people being able to buy films.

Variation The certificates in other countries differ from the uk.

In Hong Kong, the film ratings are decided by the Office for Film, Newspaper and article administration. Before they had certification, films were made under strict guidelines. The rating system is in levels ranging from 1-3.

1= All ages 2A= Not suitable for children 2B= Not suitable for young children 3= 18 and above only

Level 2 films are advisory only, and have no legal effect as it is down to parents choice.