Censorship is the name for the process or idea of keeping things like obscene word or graphic images from an audience. Regulation is the action or process of regulation or being regulated. In post-war years it was fears of social unrest that was the reason for many films being censored or banned. As the nation relaxed in the 1960s nudity became the prime concern. The early 1970s saw film-makers pushing the limits of acceptability. In the 1980s the British Board of Film Censors to the board of Film Classification. Levels of violence then became the concern.

When Rambo III was submitted to the board in the late 1980s. Between Rambo II and III the Hungerford Massacre- where Michael Ryan killer 16 people with an assortment of guns- had made firearms and violence front-page news in Britain.
The attitude of the BBFC showed the way it had always had to respond to shifts in public opinion. The issue was that Rambo II seemed to be almost non-stop gunfire- "It's not so much what is shown, but how much and how relentlessly." The examiners fell into an intense debate over whether to grant the film the same 15 certificate as its predecessors (with cuts), or the more adult 18 reflecting the heightened sensitivities surrounding gun use. The film was released with an 18 certificate after cuts had been made.

Films can have different cuts of the film released depending on the country. In extreme cases films can be banned in certain counties. This is something we would have to take into consideration for our film. If our film has any elements that may offend people in other countries it could be censored or banned.

A recent example is the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey. The film was released in the UK with an 18 rating. However, in Indonesia, Cambodia and Malaysia it was banned out right. In the US the film came under fire from Christian groups for its salacious content and received an  R rating. Fifty Shades was promoted heavily in Vietnam however was cut of all love scenes and many other scenes were heavily edited. Similarly, last year Vietnam took Sex in the City off the air after only five episodes despite cutting racier moments. France couldn't differ more, they awarded the uncut version of the film a 12 certificate. The president of the French ratings board said the film "isn't a film that... can shock a lot of people" and described it as "a romance, you could even say a schmaltzy".

The Biblical epic Noah directed by Darren Aronofksy was dismissed by local censors in China on religious grounds. Noah was a huge hit in the US, despite its unorthodox depiction of the antediluvian patriarch. The film upset Christians, Muslims and secularists. The film was banned in Malaysia, after censor deemed it to be in violation of Islamic law, as well as Indonesia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates due to concerns over the depiction of the prophet.

Promotional material such as posters can also face censorship and regulation. The Sin City sequel poster featuring Eva Green was deemed to risqué by US censors. Green appeared on the poster wearing a revealing thin gown and was banned by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for nudity.

Here are the legal responsibilities we must consider when filming our trailer:

We must make sure that none of the general public are in the background of our film without our consent. This is because they are protected by privacy. We must also make sure that we do not refer to a member of the general public in a way that would lower their reputation.

We should obtain written consent from anyone who is featured on camera

Insurance: As we are students and our project is part of our course then we are covered by our school. However, if we were an actual production company, we would need Public Liability Insurance which would cover the responsibilities of our production. As we are filming in the street, we would need at least £2 million cover. However, it is probably safest to have around £5 million. The size of our production is quite small which suggests that the costs for the insurance would be slightly lower.

U means Universal. This means that anyone of any age is allowed to watch a film that has this certificate. Us only included infrequent uses of mildly bad language and there is no large focus on sexual behaviour. Violence in films that are rated U is also generally quite mild. Us also have no references to drugs. However, a U rated film isn't necessarily a children's film - it is just a film that includes generally positive messages. Examples of films that are rated U are 'Wall-E', the 2015 version of 'Cinderella', 'Inside Out' and 'Home'. According to the BBFC - U means 'suitable for all'.

PG means parental guidance. This means that the film is suitable for most people but may be unsuitable for younger viewers. PG films aren't all for younger viewers. For example, Saving Mr Banks was rated PG because it didn't include any explicit content, not because it is was a children's film. Mild bad language, brief/infrequent sex references, mild violence and passing references to drugs may all be included in a PG rated film. Examples of films that are rated PG are 'Maleficent', 'Monte Carlo', 'Coraline' and 'Brave'.


12A rated films usually contain content that generally isn't suitable for children under the age of 12. However, the 'A' stands for accompanied which means that children under the age of 12 can watch a 12A rated film if they are accompanied by an adult. Strong language, brief sexual nature, moderate violence and drug misuse may all be included in a 12A rated film. Horror films can also be passed as a 12A if they include only moderate physical and psychological threat. Examples of films that are rated 12A are The Hunger Games series, 'Everest', 'Pitch Perfect 2' and 'Jurassic World'.


An 15 rated film is only suitable for those aged 15 or above. 15 rated films may include strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual activity, references to sex, nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence, discriminatory language and drug taking. 15 rated horror films can include strong threat and horror but there must not be a sustained focus on sadistic or sexualised threat. The most common films that are rated 15 are horrors and comedies. Examples of films that are rated 15 are 'Trainwreck', 'The Visit', 'Magic Mike XXL' and 'Mad Max: Fury Road'.


An 18 rated film is only suitable for adults aged 18 or above. 18 rated films may include very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex and discriminatory language and behaviour. 18 rated horror films may contain sustained threat, horror and gore. Examples of films that are rated 18 are 'Spring Breakers', 'Gone Girl', 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and 'Legend'.

We made a collage of posters of horror and thriller films. We did this because we haven't quite decided which genre our film will fit into to (it is mainly a thriller but has elements of horror).