In order to protect children from viewing inappropriate content in television, videos and films, classification has been put into place. This is used to advise consumers about particular films before viewing, so they can judge for themselves whether they see it suitable or not. This is also used to warn parents that they may not want their children under a certain age, watching specific films that are unsuitable for young children to see. The BBFC assesses and age rates films, videos and television before it is released for the general public to see. It is said that through this, the company "ensures the highest possible level of protection and empowerment." From this rating system, their are different levels at which a film can be certified as, falling into 1 of 6 categories, which include:
U
This U, stands for the word Universal, meaning if a film is given a U certification, it is suitable for viewers aged 4 and over.
PG
This PG rating stands for Parental Guidance, meaning that a film or video is suitable for general audiences, however some scene may be inappropriate for young children. Media products published at this rating should not harm a child aged around 8 or over, however parents are advised to consider whether the content could be upsetting for their children, especially if they are sensitive.
12A and 12
Films or videos set at these rating, involve content that is not particularly suitable for children aged under 12. The rating 12A, no one younger than 12 may see a media product at this level, unless they are accompanied by an adult.
15
When a film is rated 15, it means that no-one under this age is allowed to see the film at the cinema or buy/rent it, (unless they are over 15.) Media products rated 15 are inappropriate for children under 15 years of age to see.
18
If a film is rated 18, it means that it is only suitable for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see films certified at this age at the cinema or buy/rent it. These rated films are not suitable for children to view.
To gain audience feedback, we decided to do a group task of reviewing each others work and discussing what people through the negatives and the positives of the films were. The clip below shows the group discussion after watching my short film, demonstrating our focus group set up, and the feedback I received from the audience members.
To gain more feedback from an audience perspective, I put together a focus group consisting of people in a variety of ages. This focus group was intended to gain the opinions of what people thought my Unit 41 certification should be. To do this, I showed the focus group the film I had made, to then after, ask them the following questions to gain a better perspective of what I could certify my film as. Below, I have included the recording of this group to demonstrate what the conversation consisted of, as well as stated the question I asked.
Questions
1. Do you think this film would be upsetting for children under 8yrs?
2. Would this film be appropriate for a child younger than 4yrs to watch?
3. Do you think any language used in this film could be seen as offensive?
4. Do you think the message of this film is appropriately told for children as younger as 4ys to view?
5. Out of the below options, which would you say is the most suitable age rating for this film?
U - Universal.
PG - Parental Guidance required for children under 8.
12 - Not suitable for children under 12yrs.
12A - Parental guidance is required for children under 12yrs.
15 - Not suitable for children under 15yrs.
18 - Only suitable for adults.
Audio recording of focus group
This discussion group was very helpful in determining which rating to give my film. The general feel of the group says that this would be too harmful for children under 8 to watch, especially without parental guidance. In this focus group, I decided to ask a variety of ages what they thought to get a wider range on opinions. This was so I would be considering all age ranges opinions, in order to get the best possible responses I could to get the most accurate results to base my certification on.
No comments:
Post a Comment