The BBFC has put together a plan for films rating themselves 15 and 18. If a film is rated 15, this means that nobody under this age will be able to neither see nor buy the film. For a film to be rated a 15 it must abide by some rules.
First of all it must not include discriminating language or behaviour. There is allowed to be frequent use of strong language but the strongest words can only be used if it is justified by the context, and repeated use of the strongest language is not acceptable. They may have a few swearing words that aren’t considered ‘too hurtful’ inside the movie, but as soon as words that may be offensive to anyone they are no longer allowed to class themselves as a 15.
If drug taking is being shown, it must not encourage drug misuse. This is because they feel that people who are 15 or younger they might try and follow these guidelines. If drugs are used within the film, it must be discrete and cannot be too obvious. If there are elements of dangerous substances being misused then it is unlikely to be acceptable.
15 rated films can be horror however only light horror such as a strong threat or menace, if anything sadistic or sexualised is shown it cannot be classed as a 15. Also things such as hanging, suicide and self harming can be shown but should not be shown in detail again, if they are used they must be done discretely, so that the actions are not copied by the audience and can therefore still be used within the movie.
Nudity is also allowed but without strong detail, this means the director will have to think of a way to cover up and make sure that it is not too obvious. There are no constraints of nudity in a non sexual or educational context. Sexual activity can be shown but again, not in strong detail. Strong verbal references to sexual behaviour can be used but the strongest references would not be allowed. Films whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence in 15 rated films can be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images and strong sadistic or sexualised violence are probably unlikely to be accepted. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence can be used but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
This research has helped me understand more about the classification of 15 films. I know that if we make a horror, we have to make sure that it’s not as bad as it could be in an 18 and we will also need to be careful about the things we show on screen. If we do choose to show something like this, we will need to use our camera skills well, and be able to hide things that aren’t supposed to be shown such as varying the angle that’s shown and changing from close ups and long shots. Another thing we would have to think about is lighting, because we could make some of the scene dark so things aren’t as obvious and we need to make sure that we can fit into the 15 genre if that’s what we are planning to do.
First of all it must not include discriminating language or behaviour. There is allowed to be frequent use of strong language but the strongest words can only be used if it is justified by the context, and repeated use of the strongest language is not acceptable. They may have a few swearing words that aren’t considered ‘too hurtful’ inside the movie, but as soon as words that may be offensive to anyone they are no longer allowed to class themselves as a 15.
If drug taking is being shown, it must not encourage drug misuse. This is because they feel that people who are 15 or younger they might try and follow these guidelines. If drugs are used within the film, it must be discrete and cannot be too obvious. If there are elements of dangerous substances being misused then it is unlikely to be acceptable.
15 rated films can be horror however only light horror such as a strong threat or menace, if anything sadistic or sexualised is shown it cannot be classed as a 15. Also things such as hanging, suicide and self harming can be shown but should not be shown in detail again, if they are used they must be done discretely, so that the actions are not copied by the audience and can therefore still be used within the movie.
Nudity is also allowed but without strong detail, this means the director will have to think of a way to cover up and make sure that it is not too obvious. There are no constraints of nudity in a non sexual or educational context. Sexual activity can be shown but again, not in strong detail. Strong verbal references to sexual behaviour can be used but the strongest references would not be allowed. Films whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Violence in 15 rated films can be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images and strong sadistic or sexualised violence are probably unlikely to be accepted. Detailed verbal references to sexual violence can be used but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
This research has helped me understand more about the classification of 15 films. I know that if we make a horror, we have to make sure that it’s not as bad as it could be in an 18 and we will also need to be careful about the things we show on screen. If we do choose to show something like this, we will need to use our camera skills well, and be able to hide things that aren’t supposed to be shown such as varying the angle that’s shown and changing from close ups and long shots. Another thing we would have to think about is lighting, because we could make some of the scene dark so things aren’t as obvious and we need to make sure that we can fit into the 15 genre if that’s what we are planning to do.
Remember you will be making a thriller-not a horror! I want you to evaluate and reflect upon whether an 18 might be more limiting than a 15, or vice-versa and why?
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