Overriding Factors

Other factors are also taken into consideration when classifying films, these are:

Context

• The expectations of the general public and especially the films intended audience
• The film's genre, for example a fantasy setting may lighten the content and therefore be judged more leniently
• The manner of presentation, for example language used aggressively may be jusdged more harshly than the same terms used in a comic way
• The intention of the film maker, for example if the work is intended to be educational
• The original production date of the film, for example outdated attitudes might be judged more leniently in an older and clearly dated work
• Any special merits of the work

Tone and Impact

• If a film has a generally dark of unsettling tone that may disturb the audience at that catergory it may receive a more restrictive classification
• This is especially relevant to borderline junior characters, taking into consideration the level of reality, the presentation of a despairing view of the world or a lack of clear moral perspective
• The impact of the film is also taken into account, for example in a horror film, threat may be considered more significant than violence

Release Format

• Classification may be stricter on video works than on film
• This is due to the increased possibility of underaged viewing and of films being viewed out of context
• A film will occassionally require different cuts or classification on video