Film Certificates

We think that it would be good to do some research on the certificates that films are given. After this research has been completed we can judge what certificate we think our film should be given related to the content in it.
The website I used to find the relevant information for this is available through the link below, I read about each certificate and summarised it in my own words to show I had a full understanding:
Film Certificates


Universal:

The universal symbols means that people who are shown this film or plan to watch it should be over the age of 4. However, it is impossible to predict what may or may not upset a certain child, or what content they may be scared of. Universal films generally contain nothing offence or worrying, with practically no reference to drugs, sex and very little to violence. Films rated with this certificate are usually aimed at children.


Parental Guidance:

This symbol means that children should be supervised by a parent or guardian when watching a film or TV show that is rated a PG. Films that are rated PG aren't always necessarily aimed at children to watch with the parents, some could just be aimed at adults but with very little offensive or disturbing content, meaning that if supervised children could watch it with their parents.


12A:
A film that is rated a 12A is something you will only see in a cinema. A film rated 12A means that it is aimed at people who are aged over 12, so the content will not be suitable for children. However, if someone under the age of 12 wants to see a film rated 12, they are allowed to do so as long as a parent or guardian over the age of 12 accompanies them to the cinema. Films or TV shows that are rated with this certificate are likely to include some brief scenes of violence, threat, drugs, sex and bad language.


12:

If a film is rated 12A in a cinema, when it is released on DVD, the certificate will change to a 12. This is because accompanied viewing cannot be enforced at home, so as a result of this retailers aren't by law allowed to sell discs that are rated 12 to anyone who doesn't have proof to show their age. As mentioned above, a 12 film is likely to include the same things as a 12A, the certificate is just changed for cinematic viewing.

15:
A film that is rated 15 means that no one under this age can see it at a cinema without identification, and it cannot be sold be retailers to anyone under this age without proof. Films with this certificate will undoubtably include some explicit scenes of violence, threat, drugs, sex and bad language, and possibly some scenes that some people may find offensive or disturbing.    


18:    

A film with an 18 certificate means that you have to be 18 years of age to see it at the cinema, and also 18 to buy it in store. The thing thats separates an 18 from a 15 is the persistence of the explicit scenes, and the duration. A 15 may include one scene of strong violence, where as an 18 may include several scenes of strong violence, making the film as a whole more explicit.


Our Piece:
After a discussion with my group about the content of our media piece, comparing what we will include to the research I have done above, I think our piece should be rated a 12. I think this because in terms of explicit scenes, our piece is limited. We don't include any strong scenes of violence or bad language, which means that the 18 and 15 certificates are eliminated. I don't thing that the Universal or Parental Guidance ratings suit our piece because the general content of our film will be related to an adult audience, and will not be understood by children. The 12 certificate is right for our piece because it relates to the brief references of of threat and violence; also the scene of our femme fatal smoking a cigarette is likely to not be understood or seen by children.

Reflection:
This piece of research was extremely good for us because it meant we had an idea of what certificate our film would fall under. I also learnt about the reasons why a film is rated what it is, and what things make the piece that certain certificate. To improve this I could have embed some films in with the certificates, and gave some examples, but I feel that I only wanted to cover what aspects made a film that rating and not include examples. Overall, this task was very neccersary for the completion of our final piece.