Film Classifications - U

When a new film is released, it undergoes a process known as film classification, that gives the audiences an idea of the sort of audience that is recommeded for the film. For example, more violent, swear-heavy films would have a higher rating, as they are not suitable for a young audience. In Britain, films are classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). In the following series of posts I will go through each of the ratings and talk about what makes a film that rating, and what sort of audience it would attract.

This is the lowest film classificational; it stands for 'Universal' - a universal audience. This means that anyone can watch it, from babies to elderly people, however they tend to be aimed for a very young audience. A lot of U rated films are animation and almost all of them are aimed at the 5-7 audience. There are a few exceptions, such as a few of the Star Wars films are U rated, however they are aimed for a very wide audience. This film classification is very much for family films, and you do not get many thrillers that are made for this age group, especially not serious thrillers, because of their dependance on threat and violence. I don't think our film is rated for a universal audience as it is aimed at a 16-25 audience who may think that watching a U rated is childish, and it would reduce our audience.