As i touched earlier on in my blog Target Audiences range depending on what type of film you are making. In this post i will look at the BBFC's Age Rating Systems and what they actually mean. From this i hope to later apply my new found knowledge on the subject to decide an Age Rating for our Thriller.
U: This rating means the film being rated is suitable for anyone to view or purchase.
PG, Parental Guidance: This is very similar to that of U but instead means that parents should take note of what content may be shown in the film. though it may be suitable for younger ages, some parents may not want their children exposed to certain topics brought up the film.
12, 12A: These two ratings are like U and PG, they are very similar but do have slight differences. 12 refers to the overall age rating of the film in the sense that anyone 12 or above can purchase and/or watch this film. 12A comes into the cinema viewing process. If a film is rated 12A, it means that those under the age of 12 are able to see the film if they so wish but they must also be accompanied by an adult.
15: No one under the age of 15 may view or purchase this film.
18: Exactly like the rating 15 but instead the viewers must be 18 years of age.
R18: Films with this rating are only viewable in specially licensed cinemas by adults over the age of 18 and can only be sold in licensed sex shops.
Note: I have only noted this final rating for knowledgable reasons so i fully understand all of the BBFC's Age Ratings.
What conclusions can I draw from this research? What have I learnt?
After reading through each of the BBFC's Ratings i have come to conclude that our Thriller Film would most likely come under the rating 15 or 18. On top of this i have also learned that depending on the slightest thing shown in a film can instantly alter the rating given to it.
What I have learnt that will make me a better film-maker?
Now i know all of the BBFC's Rating i can more easily rate and control the content in any future films i may produce.
How will what I've learnt make my final film better?
In the case of out current work, with this rating we can now limit what we put into the piece. As well as this we also have a greater idea of who are target audience is and how we can make our work appealing to them.
How do I follow up this research? What is my next step?
Now that we have discussed the age range for our audience we can gather up all of our notes and ideas and prepare the first pitch to the rest of the group and gather feedback on what they think so far.
