Research into age certificate and the BBFC - Miss Georgiou

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is important to film because they view the content which they have made and classify films, taking into consideration the age of the audience.  They do this to avoid any complaints from parents and negative feedback from other companies who are also contributing to the film.  They are responsible for what for what is shown in cinemas.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification

U - Stands for universal.  The U rating is given to films and DVDs which are suitable for children, aged 4 and over.  So, they are suitable for any age group.  Disney movies are rated U because they don't contain any inappropriate scenes or bad language will be so used so that the children themselves do not catch onto the language and use it into their normal lives.  The films may include brief scenes of fights or moments when the characters are put into danger, these are normally dealt with by relieving the scene with reassuring elements like comic interludes or music.  They always have very basic stories to them, they normally have elements of happy endings as in like fairy tales in Disney movies like Cinderella. Cinderella is an example of a U film because violence wise, it includes characters being chased a few times by a cat, anger shown threw throwing items, a fall from a great height and a characters clothes get torn.  Sexual content includes a man kissing the back of a woman's hand, kisses and embraces another character kiss the top another ones head. U films, generally are about friendship, loyalty and honesty which are made to help children understand and take the knowledge they got from the film into their life which sets an example for them.  http://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/content-details/cinderella#primary

PG - stands for parental guidance.  This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children.  PG films may include violence, mild language or may show sex references.  It should not disturb a child who is aged eight or over.  Their parents should consider if the content would upset younger or more sensitive children.  If characters are setting a bad example for children, the message they are trying to communicate to their audience would be that this particular activity is bad and they should not do it as this could harm them in any way. Blood is allowed, but the audience should not be able to see how the injury is in detail.   Parents should watch the film before letting their child watch it, to see if it is suitable for their child to watch.  Parents watch the film with their child just in case the child gets frightened. The film, Spy Kids end scene, has some violence but it isn't for long and it is justified, so they are able to view the film.  Examples of why it is rated PG would be that, violence wise it includes man being thrown the window, a man fighting with children, men being chained together and locked in jail cells, a man is strapped to a bed and changed a cartoon figure and there are many fighting scene between the characters and robots.  The language use is not strong as they only use name calling.
http://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/spy-kids

12 - People aged 12 and over see a film only only in the cinema unaccompanied without an adult.    It only exists for video works.  No one younger should buy or rent a twelve rated movie.  12 rated movies can include strong language, mild violence and some drug/sex references.  New Moon is an example of a 12A film as some violence is shown through fighting and blood is shown, when the character gets a paper cut which is a justified reason. The main character in the film gets symptoms of serious mental illness with depressive and obsessive wants.  She thinks about suicide.  Violence such as confrontations causing fights, with characters being beaten and being thrown into objects/walls/floors.  Other violence like a mans neck is broken and his head is taken off.  A character recklessly rides a motorcycle without a helmet on two different parts, which sets a bad example for the younger ages. http://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/twilight-saga-the-new-moon   

12A - Children aged 12 and younger who must be accompanied by adult who is aged 18+.   12A were only introduced, reason being about spider-man which showed a violent scene.  They were thinking of rating it at a 15, then had the idea of putting on a rating of 12A, so children can have someone with them if they get fearful. They consider the content from the film to suitable for children aged 12 and over.  There may be the use of strong language but this will be infrequent.  Violence is allowed with the exception of no emphasis on blood.  Blood is allowed if there is a particular reason like injuries caused by an accident. There are are certain scenes including sexual content including such as when a Nia pushes the main character in one scene, they are interrupted before they go further.  When the main character develops a relationship, he talks about his ambition to sketch her naked which may be uncomfortable for under 12's.  Violence includes Craig dreaming he's going to kill himself by jumping off a bridge, another character throws books and screams showing his anger and Craig is shown projectile vomiting at a restaurant with his family which could be  unsettling for younger children. Language includes uses "s**t" and "d**k" and some mild language which should be in an adults view.  Which shows why it would be considered to have a certificate of '12a'. 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804497/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

15 - No one under the age of 15 is allowed to see a 15 at the cinema or buy/rent a DVD.  There may be frequent use of language.  Sex references and nudity may be shown  Drugs may be shown, they must not encourage or promote drug misuse.  Violence may be strong but does not cause pain or injury.  For example, 21 jump street is a comedy which has allot of strong language in it, they deal with drugs but they deal with the consequences of drugs as they are under cover police officers.  There are many references to sexual content which may not be appropriate for a younger audience including sexual nudity. There are many elements of Violence including a police officer practising rolling off the hood of a car but hits the wind shield instead.  A man pushes a middle aged woman into a pile of shoe boxes on the floor of a department store to make stop talking and more.   Profanity includes frequent uses of language - 124 uses of the F-word.  Drug use and alcohol usage is also a big factor in the film, which would show why it would have a '15' certificate.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232829/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

18 - Only suitable for adults, any theme is allowed.  There is no limit to the use of strong language and violence can be strong. They have  very strong references to sex, violence and language. If a younger audience were to view a film with this rating, it may give wrong impressions and effect them in a way which makes them scared.  An example of a film, is called the shining,there are disturbing and very violent parts, there are nudity references, dead bodies are shown with pools of blood and it contains very disturbing imagery.  Violence includes seeing blood coming out of an elevator that the boy sees in his mind and somebody else see later on in the film, a man smashed down doors with a axe, while a woman hides defending herself with a knife and slice the mans hand with blood visible to the audience.  A man is killed after being in the chest by an axe, where the scene is considerably graphic and intense and seen in a pool of blood.    There are allot of frightening and intense scene which would be unsettling and uncomfortable for younger audiences. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

My thriller, will be rated the age certificate of 15, as I would be able to include more things and I won't have as much limitations as I would with a 12A.  The advantage of it being rated 15 would be that I would be able to use various techniques. Our narrative will not necessarily include much violence but it will include a knife as a weapon and a killing and including blood.