Public Consultation Leads To Crack Down On Gory & Raunchy Movies & Music Videos

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) published their new Classification Guidelines yesterday (13 Jan.) outlining their updated set of rules and regulations regarding film, TV and music video content. The new regulations were compiled following a public consultation that sought the opinion of 10,000 UK citizens, regarding their views on explicit content.

Rihanna's 'Pour it Up' video came under heavy criticism for its explicit themes last year

This spells bad news for performers such as Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears, who debuted sexually charged music videos over the last twelve months, garnering a backlash from some concerned UK citizens. The new study took into consideration the fact that a number of people found that the BBFC standards had fallen in recent years, allowing younger audience members to view scenes deemed inappropriate by some. For example, the film The Woman in Black, which was given a 12A rating by the BBFC receiving a high number of complaints for its lower rating certificate.

The specific changes brought on board by the Classification Guidelines resulting from the public consultation include:

• Greater weight will be given to the theme and tone of a film or video, particularly around the 12A/12 and 15 level

• Particular attention will be given to the psychological impact of horror, as well as strong visual detail such as gore

• Regarding language, the public wants the BBFC to be stricter with the language allowed at U and more flexible about allowing very strong language at 15. Context, not just frequency, is the most important factor in how language in films is perceived by the public

Woman in Black received a surprisingly high acceptance rating in the survey

Next Page: David Cooke, Director of the BBFC, gives his opinion on the change of standards

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC, said in regards to the change: “Regular public consultation is crucial to continued public trust in what we do. Our new Classification Guidelines reflect explicitly concerns raised by the public during the 2013 consultation and will, I believe, ensure that we continue to be in step with what the public wants and expects in order to make sensible and informed viewing decisions."

He continued, “There is also room for continued improvement. Although it is 12 years old this year, the 12A rating remains confusing for a significant minority, with up to 27% of consumers unable to describe accurately what 12A means. We and the film industry will work during 2014 to improve understanding of this very important rating as well as raise awareness of BBFCinsight information, which is vital in helping parents decide if a 12A film is suitable for their child.”

The new guidelines will come into force on 24 February. Further information regarding the changes is available at the BBFC website.

Watch the controversial video for Miley Cyrus' 'Wrecking Ball'