Certificate Ratings

For our trailer certificate rating we decided, in order to create a product that could compare to existing media products, we looked at films within our chosen film genre to decide the best certificate rating.

The Lovely Bones:
The Lovely Bones has a certificate rating of 12A, meaning that those under the age of 12 are allowed to see the film with adult supervision. The DVD however was branded a 12, meaning those only over the age of 12 can buy the film.

The reasoning for the certificate rating on the DVD are the following
  • Contains child murder theme
  • Disturbing Scenes
  • Moderate Violence
However there was some controversy in the UK about the chosen certificate rating of the film.


"The board that classifies films for UK distribution received more complaints about The Lovely Bones than any other 2010 movie, it is revealed."

The Tree of Life:
The Tree of Life received a UK 12A rating and 12 rating for the DVD.

The reasoning for the certificate rating are the following:

  • adult language
  • adult content
  • mild violence

Another Earth:
Another Earth has a certificate rating of PG 13 in the US which equates to a 12A rating in the cinemas in the UK and a 12 rating for the DVD.

The reasoning for the certificate rating are the following:

  • disturbing images
  • some sexuality
  • nudity
  • brief drug use

Therefore for our trailer we have decided to classify our film as a 12. The reasoning behind this is that most existing media products of the same narrative and genre have a similar film certificate. Although many of them are 12A, a 12A certificate would allow some children to come and see the film with our family. Based on our story line and narrative, our target market and audience who we are aimed to appeal to with our media products are not typically families; instead they are young adults and teenager, particularly women, who are the same audience who would have seen the films that influenced our products and inspired us. 

Our film would also classify under a 12 as it shows similar themes to films branded under the same certificate, from our trailer our film shows the following themes:


  • some sexuality
  • disturbing scenes/images
  • mild violence












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