Impact Of Certification On Film Openings

Certifications have a large impact on film openings and the whole film itself. It can have an impact on the genre, the mood and the tone of the film. The certification of a film can determine what certain aspects there will be in the film such as mise, camera, sound, editing. We also use certification as a way to have an expectation of what the film is going to be like, for example, if the film is an 18 we expect it to be more dark and more relate able for adults.

An example of a film being impacted by certification was Casino Royale. This is because when it was first released, some critics and audience members questioned if it should have been given the 12A rating and questioned whether it was acceptable or not. This was due to the graphic opening scene in which Bond is seen suffocating and violently beating another man in a toilet and also a torture scene during the course of the film. The vivid death scene sparked angry audience members because James Bond films never really went into so much detail with regards to fight scenes and never showed off such realistic scenes in previous movies. The BBFC are always changing the guidelines of movies every few years because a lot of children under the age ratings are getting a hold of these films a lot easier than they used to.

This will help in the creation of our film opening because it will help us establish an idea of aspects in a film are included in different certifications of films.

Notes On Certification

U (Universal) - This means that the film is suitable for all viewers and has nothing unsuitable for people aged under 4 years.

PG (Parental Guidance) - This means it is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for children under the age of 8 years old

12A (12 Accompanied) - This means that it is suitable for people aged 12 and over but may be suitable for people under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult over the age of 18

12 - Suitable for people aged 12 and over (video only)




15 - Suitable for people aged 15 and over




18 - suitable for people ages 18 and over


The reason we have certification is so that people don't view certain things at a certain age because it can affect them in a negative way which links to the hypodermic needle theory relating to actions being taken after watching a film. An example is that a child could watch an 18 rated film and could act from the things they saw in this film and potentially harm someone else or commit a crime that they do not know they are committing. The people that regulate film certification is the BBFC which stands for the British Board Of Film Classification. The BBFC'S mission is to

• protect the public, and especially children, from content which might raise harm risks
• Empower the public, especially parents, to make informed viewing choices 
• Recognise and respect adults freedom of choice within the law 
• Respond to changing social attitudes towards media content through public consultation and research
• Provide a cost effective and efficient classification service

It will help us in our opening because it will help us get a better of what certification we might want our film to be and with that, we can decide what things we are going to add to our opening with regards to mise, sound, camera angles and editing.