BBFC and age certifcates

The British board of Film Classification (BBFC) , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non governmental organization , funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. It’s aim is to inform the public on the approriate viewing ages of different films , this was changed when the Video Recording Act was introduced , the advised age rating were legally enforced , meaning no one under 18 can see or buy a film rated 18+ at the cinema

1984 It was originally set up in 1912 with only two age certificates. ; Universal which was available to everyone and adult. Over the hundred years , the BBFC have grown and evolved into what they are today. They rate films accordingly to their seven age certificate and as well as rating films, they do the same to video games now and are able to request a censorship on films and demand for scenes from films to be cut in order to make that film a certain age certificate. The two age certificates i need to focus on are a 15 and 18 as those two are usually given to horror and slasher films due to their content such as violent scenes ,psychological torture etc.

My Film would depend on the explicitness of my films content on a certain age certificate because it would allow gaining much more larger audience therefore meaning more profit for the film.

201118+

198418+

201115+

200415+

198018+

201115+

SLASHER MOVIE CERTICATES

vs

Advantages• Larger audience meaning the film

has more chance of becoming popular hence more profit

• Decreases illegal downloading of the film as more people will be able to watch it.

Disadvantage More restrictions of things because

of the younger viewers , for example you cannot add too much gore and violence , i would be looking for other like language and content of the film.

A younger age certificate means less explicit content in the film.

Advantages• More explicit images can be shown

as the film is aimed at an older audience

• No restrictions when it comes to what is in the trailer

• It will attract hard core slasher genre fans which will push up the potential profits of teens

• The film can be controversy which lead to word of mouth and viral effect..

Disadvantage Less audience will result less profits

and marketing. Under 18’s will not be allowed to

watch the film which limits viewers.

Conducting and Distributing the survey

I have created a online questionnaire on Question pro in order to gather important key information that would contribute and help me when creating my own horror trailer. The main purpose of the questions where to have an understanding of what people prefer to see in a horror slasher genre. In my questionnaire had asked a wide range of horror related questions which included personal questions of people filling in the questionnaire. this was done in order to get their opinions and help build my understanding of what needs to be included in my horror trailer in order to make it as effective as possible.

I shared the questionnaire to media platform sites to reach my audience Overall 96 people took part of the survey which is a bit less than I hoped for but still enough for me to gain an understanding of what things to put in the trailer.

What gender are you? Males are prominent

on this graph to compared to females. This can explain a lot As males tend to like slasher films more than females . However it is has been a growing popularity for females over the years.

Generally the slasher film genre is aimed at teenagers of both genres so the fact that there were more males will not affect my trailer as i will aim it at both genders

What Gender Are you?

MaleFemale

Which age category do you fall under?

15-1718-1920+

Most of my participants that answered to the questionnaire were aged 15 to 17. this now shows me that it would be a better option to give our film a 15 age certificate as the results show that people that age enjoy horror films.

What is your favourite film genre?

Horror is the most popular choice , the genre which I have chosen to base my coursework on has a pre existing audience which will help in my distribution of the film , this makes the results more reliable

horrorActionComedyThrillerRomance

Who is your favourite Horror Sub genre

Zombies

Slasher

Supernatural eg ghost

Gothic eg vampires and werewolves

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

This result shows the influence the horror genres has on todays society eg the Blair witch which is the cause for the many supernatural films which have recently been released, paranormal activity, But , the fact that slasher is the highest reveals its still popular in present age. By researching out my audience wants and needs I can effectively cater to their preference.

Which horror location do you consider most terrying?

AxeGunHammerChainsawKnife

Weapons are an iconic feature in slasher films therefore i asked my participants what they found the most terrifying weapon. The weapon that people found the most threatening was a chainsaw followed by knife . Therefore i will try to use a weapon which will cause fear and suspense , but still be under the 15 certificate.Furthermore since we an independent film we do not have the budget to buy axe or a chainsaw .

Where do you prefer to watch horror films?

In a Cinema At home At a Friends house

0

40

80

Most people like to watch horror films in the cinema which shows that if we want our trailer to be watched by horror films we would have to show it in cinemas during previews. However , after the film release we would cater for the DVD , TV and downloadable market to cater for the audience that enjoy watching films in the comfort of their homes. A release pattern would there be useful for our film.

How often do you go the cinema?

The most common answer I received was “other” it has higher percentage , this suggests that cinema is hardly visited , this could suggest that maybe more are purchasing DVD's rather than going cinema or maybe due to development of 2.0 more people are illegally downloading movies. These factors has decreased cinema visits.

Once a week

Twice a Week

once a month

other0

20

40

60

80

15-1797% enjoy going on to social networks

65% enjoy going to the cinema

95% of the intended demographic enjoy the horror genre and its sub genre Preferred genre :

horror

90% have a have latest mobile phones

Most terrifying location: forest