certification research

Films need certification ratings in order to show what audiences the film is suitable for in order to protect the wrong audience from watching content which they could find disturbing and maybe even traumatic. If a film decides to have a certain age certificate in mind, must be be sure exactly what content is acceptable or not acceptable in order to make sure that that's the certificate the BBFC will give them, if they have content which is not suitable the age rating will be increased which could lose the production of the film their target audience, profit and maybe even their reputation. When it comes to the thriller genre there are some certifications which are not suitable for it due to the amount of suspense and violent allowed to be in it which will be explained below.

The lowest certificate provided by the BBFC is 'U' which stands for universal which is typically suitable for audiences aged 4 and over. If there is violence or horror in this film there must be a counter balance meaning "good overcoming evil" or a protagonist "saving the day". There must NOT be any discriminatory language or behavior as it is not suited for such an age. Unless with an anti drug message, there must not be reference to illegal drugs or drug misuse. If there is any horror type content, it must be extremely mild and brief making sure it does not cause any anxiety in the child. Due to children being prone to copying what they see there must not be any overly violent behavior which could influence the behavior of the children. Due to this very mild infrequent use of bad language is allowed as again to make sure the children do not get influenced by it as they are at a very vulnerable and influential age. Also, only infrequent "natural" nudity as long as there is no sexual connotations behind it. When it comes to sex only very mild sexual content is accepted for example a kiss. This certain certification is not suitable for the thriller genre as very mild horror or violence is accepted making it very hard to include content of suspense, violence and tension especially with such low acceptations of themes that cannot harm the audiences perception of the world making a psychological thriller completely out of the question.

The next certification is 'PG' which stands for parental guidance. This means that

children of any age can watch the film unaccompanied by their parents however there may be some content that parents may feel they need to monitor the children watching if they feel it is too disturbing. A PG certified film must make sure that the content does not disturb children of ages 8 and above. Discrimination in a PG certified film is unlikely to be acceptable such as discriminatory language or behavior unless shown to be disapproved of or wrong. If there is any reference to illegal drugs or drug misuse it must be accompanied with or balanced out with a strong anti drug message. If there is content of horror, the sequences must not be prolonged or too intense as to not disturb any children of ages 8 and above. There must not be any content of realistic weapons as they may influence the audience. When it comes to language, only mild bad language is acceptable for this certification. The same as the 'U' rating, there must only be content of natural nudity with no sexual context behind it as the children are too young to be exposed to such content. Any sexual activity implications must be infrequent if not used at all however innuendos may be used. Moving on, when it comes to themes, if the theme is more serious it must be balanced out with the message of bad behavior being unacceptable in our society in order not to have a bad influence on the audience. Finally, violence is allowed as long as it is very moderate with a justification by its context. This certification is also not suitable for the thriller genre. It's content is far too moderate to be able to make a thriller that has all the requirements and expectations such as suspense, fear, violence, tension etc.

This certification is for film that have content suitable for audiences of ages 12 and over. In cinema work '12A' is used to show that anyone of an age below 12 can watch it without being accompanied by an adult whilst the '12' certificate is for DVDs meaning that anyone below that age is not allowed to buy it. A film with this certification must not have aggressive discriminatory content as it would be very unlikely to be accepted. Content of drug misuse is acceptable however must be infrequent and must not give instructing detail. Any disturbing sequences (horror) must be infrequent however moderate physical or psychological threat is permitted. Any dangerous behaviour is acceptable as long as it cannot be copied or shows a message that it is acceptable in society. Any weapons used should not be "glamorised" meaning it should not be seen as something "cool" or influential. Nudity in a sexual context is permitted however the scenes must be infrequent, brief and/or discreet. The same way sexual activity can be shown as long as it is brief or discreet however if sexual references are made they must be only suitable for young teenagers as to not influence sexual behavior which is not suited to a young audience. When it comes to themes, mature themes are acceptable however their context must be suited to teenagers of ages 12 and over so that they do not get the wrong message about the theme. Infrequent use of gore is allowed to be used in a 12 certified film however must be justified by the context and if moderate violence is used it must not show too much detail or show instruction. A 12 certified movie could be used for a thriller however only for some sub genres for example an action thriller or a historical thriller as it has violence, horror and theme limitations making it hard to incorporate traits of the thriller genre such as suspense or tension.

A '15' certified film simply means that audiences under the age of 15 is not permitted to watch the film as it includes content which is unsuitable for anyone younger as it has been specifically suited for audience who are more mature and will not get disturbed. This particular certification must make sure it's content doesn't endorse or make discriminatory behaviour and language positive as the audience may get influenced by it as well as some get offended by it.
When it comes to illegal drug misuse it is permitted with this certification however must not be encouraged as something positive in order not to influence the audience. Showing highly dangerous drug/substance misuse tends to not be allowed to be shown in these films. Unless sexualised, strong threat is allowed to be shown as part of horror which is why the majority of horrors tend to be certified a 15. Dangerous behaviour is also permitted in these films as long as there is not a focus on detail or making realistic weapons look positive and give instruction. With language; strong language is acceptable as long as it is not frequent use of the crudest language unless justified by context. Nudity in a sexual context is also acceptable as long as strong detail is not used e.g. close ups of nude body parts that are seen as "revealing". If nudity is used in a non sexual or educational context there are no restrictions with this certification.
Strong verbal sexual references as well as sexual activity is permitted however again there is not too much attention to detail as then it would be more of an 'R18' or in other words "porn". As with themes, there are none that are not allowed or prohibited as long as it is balanced out with content that is suitable for an audience of 15 years of age in order to not traumatise or disturb them. Finally when it comes to violence; strong violence is permitted however must not have too much detail on the infliction of pain for pleasure. Any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet or brief and must have contextual justification. A 15 certified film is majorly used for the thriller genre as no theme is prohibited and allows the use of strong violence and horror/disturbing sequences which allows content that is suspense and tension filled as well as rather psychological and disturbing.

This certification means that any audience younger than the age of 18 is not permitted to watch the film. Guideline concerns will not overlook the the principle that an 18 year old audience are technically adults therefore are in charge of their own actions as well as the entertainment they choose. Due to this concept any theme is accepted, strong language of any sort is not prohibited, no amounts of violence is prohibited, horror or disturbing sequences are acceptable of any level: this is all because the production company of any film is not responsible for the influence and actions of adults as it was their choice to watch the film and they have control over their own actions. Sexual scenes are permitted if they are educational of any level for example if safe sex is portrayed. Sex works is only acceptable in this certification at certain levels, if there are maximum frequent levels of explicit sexual behavior then it will earn an 'R18' rather than a normal 18 certification. Thrillers can earn this certification especially if they are very violent thrillers with extremely explicit themes and sexual scenes however I do not feel my group will use this certification but could be a consideration depending on the storyline and sub genre chosen.

After careful consideration our group has decided that the certification we are aiming for is most likely 15 as firstly it is the average certification for most thriller films but also will allow us to have enough allowable material for the creation of suspense and tension.