The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was founded in 1912 to classify films and videos for public viewing in the UK. They assign age ratings to films and videos to help consumers and families determine appropriate content. The BBFC was originally called the British Board of Film Censorship but changed its name in 1984 to reflect its focus on classification over censorship. It is funded by the film industry and responsible for classifying videos, DVDs, and some video games. There are seven age categories ranging from Universal to R18. The BBFC views submitted material and suggests age ratings which may require compulsory cuts if content violates laws protecting children. This influences filmmakers to consider the maturity

1. The British board of film
classification (BBFC)
By
Michael.J

2. The British board of film classification (BBFC) were founded in 1912 because People didn’t want the
government to control what gets censored. The BBFC were originally named the British board of film
censorship but changed to classification in 1984 as they felt that classification reflect the fact that
classification plays a far larger part in the Board's work than censorship. The Board are a non
governmental organisation funded by the film industry and are responsible for the age classification of
videos, DVD’s and some video games depending whether the game is within the video recordings act of
1984.
Current president of the BBFC,
Patrick Swaffer

3. The BBFC are responsible for placing videos, DVD’s and some video games into age categories. There are
seven categories in England and they are all age rated depending on the content of the material and are as
follows; Universal (U) which is suitable for all ages; Parental guidance (PG) which means that all ages are
admitted but some scenes may not be suitable for children; Cinema only (12A) which means that the material is
unsuitable for anyone under the age of 12 unless accompanied by an adult who is aged 18 years or above; Home
media only (12) which means children under the age of 12 cannot buy or rent a DVD or VHS that is rated as 12;
15 means that anyone under the age of 15 are not allowed to watch the material in a cinema; 18 is the same as
15 but only applies to people that are under the age 18 and lastly R18 (restricted 18) which means the material
can only be shown in properly licenced cinemas or sold at licenced sex shops. These age ratings are crucial to
consumers and more specifically family. It tells parents whether their child is seen as mature enough to see the
material and let the parent know the type of things that entail within the film.

4. The BBFC rate theatrically released films and video games that fall into the video recordings act of 1984.
They are the authority when it comes to certifying video releases. The BBFC are given material (most cases a
film) and are given a suggested rating by the producers of the material then the BBFC give their age rating
and normally ‘consumer advice’ which is just a detailing of the mature scenes. In some cases the BBFC will
make suggestive cuts to the material to allow for a less restrictive audience, but in some cases the BBFC will
make compulsory cuts to material if they break the Protection of children act of 1978. the final certificate will
then depend on whether the distributor's decision to make the cut or not. The BBFC have the power to reject
the material if the distributor decided to not make the cuts that are seen as compulsory.

5. The BBFC are arguably one of the most influential organisations in film and game classification in the
UK. Although PEGI have much more control over the gaming industry but the BBFC will be asked to
rate the game if it falls under the Video recordings act of 1984. A video game that the BBFC banned in
the UK is ‘The punisher’. Their reasoning was that “the interrogation scenes were deemed very high
impact on public”. The game producers then masked these scenes and later released the game as an 18
certificate.

6. The BBFC have a very large impact on how my group and I make our final film. We will have to abide to
all laws and acts placed on current film content. Ranging from The child protection act to the age rating we
plan to use for the film. Like every other film maker we must take into consideration the age of our
audience and whether the film material is not to mature for the audience. Using this we will stay within the
guidelines of the age certificate we expect.