Certification Research

(Taken from BBFC Website) "Consumer Advice" -

"Consumer Advice indicates the strength of individual issues by using the terms ‘mild’, ‘moderate’, ‘strong’ and ‘very strong’, across the categories. For example, language at ‘U’ and ‘PG’ is likely to be ‘mild’ while at ‘15’ and ‘18’ language can be ‘strong’ and ‘very strong’. Where relevant, the frequency with which the issue appears in the work is also indicated".

There are many factors that influence a classification decision at any level when work lies between the borderline of two categories:

1) Context - The following factors, may be taken into account when dealing with context: the expectations of the public in general, the work’s genre (for example, a realistic approach may intensify the effect or a historical, fantasy setting or comic presentation, may soften the effect), the manner in which an issue is presented (for example, language used aggressively), the intention of the film maker (for examplewhether it is for educational purposes or not.

2) Tone and Impact - While the presentation of specific issues, such as sex and violence, may not be problematic at a particular category, if the work has a generally dark or unsettling tone that may disturb the audience.

3) Release Format - Classification decisions may be stricter on video games than on film. This is based on the increased possibility of under-age viewing or game playing recognised in the Video Recordings Act.