Horror Certification Analysis

Below, I have researched various horror films based on their BBFC ratings, as well as comparing Working Title and Warp examples. 

BBFC Horror Certifications by Laura Fagan on Scribd

Audiences and Classifications

In this post I will cover; different types of audiences and audience classifications. 

Types of Audience:

Mainstream- A mainstream audience focuses on appealing to the largest market possible. Often, a four-quadrant audience is targeted; male, female, young and old. The vertically-integrated conglomerate, Universal Pictures, has a subsidiary, the British film company Working Title. They focus on having as much commercial appeal as possible, with films such as Notting Hill (1999) or Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), both set in London and featuring an all caucasian cast playing middle class characters, in order to have a wide release and larger commercial appeal, especially in the US. This is explained by the Gant rule, where in order to make a profit, a film company should make 10x the amount of the UK box office in the US. The films are often hybrid's; or combinations of genres in order to broaden the appeal. They also have larger budgets to accommodate IP or franchising, stars, and special effects. 

Niche- Also known as an arthouse audience, a niche audience focuses on targeting a small group with a specific interest. These are often independent (indie) films that don't have a mass-market appeal. The indie company Warp, focuses on representing minorities, and feature characters of under-privileged areas positively rather than reducing them to a stereotype. This makes the films less commercially viable, and the films have limited theatrical releases. For example, the film Submarine (2010) is set in Wales, and She, A Chinese (2009), is about a Chinese immigrant, with the film's dialogue being mostly in Mandarin. Because of the niche representations, the UK government often give grants to the company, to help support them financially and fund representations for certain areas. These films are typically low budget (under $10m) and social-realist drama's, with little known actors. 

Classifications: 

When analysing films throughout my blog, I have mainly focused on BBFC (UK) and MPAA (US) age ratings. 

From my research, I have noticed that higher budget films receive lower age ratings, compared to indie films that receive higher ones. For example, the Warp indie film This Is England (2006), featuring mostly under-18 actors, received an 18 rating. Meanwhile, the Working Title franchise instalment The World's End (2013) received a 15. This example shows the damage on the commercial appeal needed by an indie company, and hurts them financially, but allows big 5 studio productions to reach a larger audience. 

Here are the classification requirements I found on the websites. 

IMDB also has a parent's guide, which shows the different restrictions worldwide, as well as a detailed breakdown of the different aspects and user reviews. 

Specific examples of horror film certifications are linked here. 

Possible Influences for my Film: 

As an indie filmmaker making a slasher film with a primary target audience of 15-24+ I would aim to fit into the 15 BBFC classification. I would need to avoid the 18 rating as this would damage my commercial prospects and theatrical distribution. However, due to Web 2.0 (O'Reilly) and the effects of digitisation and disruption, such as streaming platforms, my film could still be viewed by those under the age rating or classification I receive. 

This blogpost covers a detailed box office analysis of horror films. 

According to the BBFC, my restrictions to remain under this rating are:

- Dangerous behaviour should not show imitable detail

- No discriminatory endorsements

- No misuse of dangerous substances, or endorsements of drug use

- Strong sexual detail and nudity can only be presented in a comedic context, and repeated strong references or scenes without narrative purpose are unacceptable

- Sexual silences or threat can be referred to or depicted, but not detailed or prolonged

- Horror must serve a narrative purpose and not focus on sadistic threat

- Violence should not focus on the injury, and strong gory images are unacceptable