Have you ever seen those rating advice intros that weren’t quite right?
You’re at your local video store that’s choc-a-bloc full of VHS tapes from floor to ceiling.
You see that movie that looks interesting, but unsure if it’s suitable for the young’uns. How can you decide?
That’s where the Australian Film Classification Board comes in with their ratings system.
Introduced in 1970, the Australian Government put together a board to label film and publications a certain rating for age demographics.
G – General Exhibition (all ages)
NRC – Not Recommended For Children (Parental guidance for under 15)
M – Mature Audience (15 and over recommended)
R – Restricted (18 and over)
Over the years, the classifications get reviewed and tweaked to public feedback and change in society. NRC was changed to PG, MA+15 was added for Restricted to 15 years and over, X for 18 Years and over and sale restrictions in various states and territories. In the early 2000’s, they went colour-coded to define and highlight the importance of the ratings system, and to help make it obvious that a teen wasn’t buying something R rated “by accident”.
When you rented a movie on tape, you would get the classification at the start of the video. Here’s a few of the most remembered ones.
https://youtu.be/c5zXoA7d5wk
For more information on the Australian Classification Board and ratings (including magazines and video games), head to their site.
