Choosing a Certificate...

One of the decisions we had to decide on was what the certificate of the film was going to be. We immediately could rule out all certificates below 12, simply due to the nature of the plot of the film. Therefore, we looked more closely at certificates 12 and above, to see what restrictions they came with.

12

A film rated 12 is restricted to a minor use of strong language, and scenes involving nudity or violence must be mostly restricted, with only a portrayal of nudity being prohibited. With the introduction of cert. 12A, 12 films are highly restricted in the adult themes they can show, as young children are now sable to view some of them, as long as accompanied by an adult.

15

In a 15, there may be a frequent use of strong language, no nudity can be portrayed, but with a restriction on strong detail. Violence can be strong but is not allowed to focus on the infliction of pain. Drug taking may also be shown, though detailed is banned. The film is not allowed to promote drug use.

18

There are no constraints on theme, language, nudity or horror in an 18 film. Scenes which may promote violence can be cut if they get to graphic, and the same rule applies to unnecessary sexual activity.12 films are probably too restricted in what we are able to show, and with the serious nature of the film, the film already seems too much for certificate 12. certificate 18 is most likely too high for the audience we were thinking to aim for, as although our film opening is serious, the film would be unlikely to go on to contain strong scenes of violence or sexual activity.

Certificate 15 seems the most suitable for our film opening as we were originally planning to aim our film at an audience of older teens, young adults. however, giving the film a certificate 18 would prohibit our target audience, as well as giving the audience reason to believe that the film is going to contain stronger adult scenes than we believe the film would contain.