1. Audience research (ratings)
The U symbol stands for universal and any U film should be
suitable for any audience member aged 4 years or older
and can only show the briefest of sexual and violent
encounters and drugs are only allowed if it is clearly anti-
drug.
PG stands for parental guidance and can be viewed by any
age however it is advised that parents see it first and
decide if it is suitable for their children. PG films can
contain slightly more adult content than U films however
some films such as ‘The artist’ are rated PG and was aimed
at adults.
12A is a symbol used only for cinema films and it means
that a child of any age can go see the film if they are
accompanied by an adult and it relies on the adult’s
judgment as a 12A can contain mild language, moderate
violence and sexuality and it can also contain
discriminatory behavior.
A 12 is the same as a 12A however 12A isn’t used for DVD
or blue ray ratings and a 12 is used instead.
The majority of thrillers are rated around 12, as a
successful thriller should be subtle and not rely on
anything graphic.

2. A 15 is a very large leap from a 12 as it can contain much
more violence, horror, language and sexuality and it can
even contain derogatory terms and can show drug use
however it can’t promote or encourage it and a 15 can also
contain themes that impressionable teenagers could copy.
18 are for adults only and contain very strong language,
violence, strong sexual activity and sexual violence.
18s can also contain very strong blood and gore as well as
racist and homophobic terms. We decided that because
most thrillers are rated 12 or 18 that we should create a film
with an 18 rating as there is a large gap in the market but 18
thrillers are still popular enough to make money.