The BBFC was criticised by politicians and the media in 2008 for giving Christopher NolanвЂ™s The Dark Knight a 12A rather than a 15 (the film was a PG-13 in the US). This was underlined by the case of Derek CianfranceвЂ™s Blue Valentine in 2010, which was classified 15 in the UK but NC-17 in the US. The BBFCвЂ™s standards in relation to violence are stricter than in the US but the reverse is often the case when it comes to sex. In both cases, context was taken into consideration. The 2016 animated feature My Life As A Courgette received a PG certificate in spite of references to sex and adults taking drugs. The Australian documentary Embrace received a 12A certificate in 2016 despite featuring several scenes of nudity (it was about body image, not a film intended to titillate). The boardвЂ™s decisions can demonstrate nuance. For example, this year 20th Century Fox was advised during post-production to reduce the вЂњsadistic violenceвЂќ in Red Sparrow in order to secure the desired 15 rating. Film companies often approach the board in advance of release, submitting early cuts or scripts to discover what rating they are likely to receive.

Disputes in classificationД¬ontroversies over films such as Crash and A Clockwork Orange used to be commonplace. The BBFC awarded the film a U certificate.ДЄustin counters that the BBFC charges distributors вЂњRPI minus 1%вЂќ - that is to say an вЂњautomatic sub-inflation increaseвЂќ, and is open to exploring a вЂњcost-neutral modelвЂќ that would reduce the cost for a film where it was being played on fewer screens.ДЄccording to the BBFCвЂ™s fee calculator, a standard theatrical 90-minute film would cost $1,226 (ВЈ914) to be rated - significantly more expensive than in France and Spain, where the classification system enjoys a government subsidy, and in Italy, where there is no charge at all. He had paid $8,000 (ВЈ6,000) to the BBFC to classify his film Paint Drying- a crowdfunded, 607-minute epic showing paint drying on a wall - which Lyne made to draw attention to the cost of getting films classified. вЂњUnlike, say, the US ratings board which has a sliding scale cost system based on budget, the BBFC charges the same to Disney as it would to you or I,вЂќ filmmaker Charlie Lyne said in 2016. Some UK filmmakers have expressed frustration that the BBFC charges the same amount for classifying a small independent film as for a US studio blockbuster. It will be spending heavily on new IT systems that will вЂњspeed up by 30% or more the classification timeвЂќ. Austin claims the BBFC has deliberately built up savings вЂњbecause it has a lot of investment to makeвЂќ. The board, which was set up by the film industry in 1912 so that it could oversee its own censorship affairs without interference from the government, is now an enviably wealthy organisation, with reserves of more than $19m (ВЈ14m) at the end of 2016. While the BBFC enjoys strong approval from the cinema-going public, the film industry - and especially the distributors that pay the classification fees that keep the lights on at the boardвЂ™s Soho Square offices in London - may have a more nuanced view. Revised guidelines are expected to be published in December, and should come into force in February 2019.

Among the titles that focus groups will see as they debate sex references, nudity and bondage on the 15/18 border is Fifty Shades Freed. The reason is that we talk to them, we do what they tell us to do.вЂќ A new consultation is running this summer, in which the public is being asked about subjects including racism and discrimination transgender representation difficult themes, including suicide, self-harm and anorexia and imitable techniques, violence, threat and tone at the junior classifications.

вЂњLast time we carried out this research in 2014, we had 92% approval ratings from the public. вЂњThatвЂ™s one of the reasons we have such high trust levels,вЂќ says Austin.

But BBFC chief executive David Austin does not want to assume that no news is good news - which is why, every four years, the board conducts extensive research into the publicвЂ™s view of itsВ ratings system. Geoffrey Macnab explores how the board stays ahead.ДЇor the UKвЂ™s British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), staying out of the headlines by avoiding controversial ratings decisions is one measure of success. The BBFC continues to adapt to viewersвЂ™ evolving needs. Screen appraises the global landscape for ratings and investigates how classification boards are adapting to changing times. The BBFC is currently consulting the UK public in preparation for revising its film ratings guidelines while also expanding its portfolio of responsibilities.

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