The British Board of Film Classification also known as

BBFC is a non-governmental organization, which is funded by the

film industry, to ensure the national classification of films in the United Kingdom. The
organization has been running for over ninety years.
The organization has many examiners, specializing in certain areas. These examiners have a huge
responsibility on the classification. Certain areas, which examiners specialize in, can be video
games, DVD, cinema and many more.
Examiners normally view videos and DVD’s on their own, which is called solo viewing. Types of
work which is also suitable for examiners to view on their own, as it does not need another person
to deicide its classification is episodes from TV series or products aimed at young children, which
has already been broadcasted on TV. Films for cinema release, video games and pornography are
classified in teams of two. Controversial media will also need to be looked at in teams, as it is
more delicate, so needs a closer look.
Examiners watch these products in a similar way they would be viewed by the public to get a feel
for what it would be like. Films for cinema release are viewed in the Board's cinema. DVD’s are
watched in the Board's viewing rooms on plasma screens, to recreate the 'home viewing'
experience. Video games are also viewed and played in these rooms, using the appropriate
consoles. The IT department for a start to understand how long the examiners will need to play on
the game assesses games.

Types of detail examiners take into consideration:

• General context - plot, characters, outline of individual scenes
• Timings of classification moments, including camera angles, and type of shots
• Bad language, sex and drug references

I have researched into the BBFC, to understand how the classification is decided and to see the
process a product needs to go through to be passed. My type of product may be affected by the
BBFC, as I will probably need my product to be analyzed to ensure that it is suitable to be viewed
by the public and suits all the BBFC’s rules.