A '12A' is suitable for ages 12 and over and therefore if anyone is younger than this it is down to the legal guardian whether it is appropriate to see, knowing you must be at least 12 to view the film on your own. A '12A' contains very mild violence and language and there may be occasional sex scenes, the film cannot be too disturbing if rated a '12A'.
A '15' would be able to be much more disturbing than a '12A'. Below are some of the things that can be found in a '15' rated film as quoted by the BBFC.
- strong violence
- frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
- portrayals of sexual activity
- strong verbal references to sex
- sexual nudity
- brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
- discriminatory language or behaviour
- drug taking
An '18' is the most extreme rating and the most 'disturbing' or 'upsetting' a film can be as it is only suitable for adults. Below are a few things found in '18' rated films as stated by the BBFC.
- very strong violence
- frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
- strong portrayals of sexual activity
- scenes of sexual violence
- strong horror
- strong blood and gore
- real sex (in some circumstances)
- discriminatory language and behaviour
After taking this all into account I feel that my trailer should only be rated a '12A' although it is a thriller and will be found scary, it is not too disturbing and language would be extremely mild. However as I still have more editing and filming to do a will decided on a more specific age rating when my trailer is fully completed.
