Welcome back! Happy first day of summer everyone! The best part about the summer time (aside from my birthday ~cough, cough~) are the abundance of movie trailers for upcoming summer films. It gave you something to look forward to for when school ended. The first thing you see when watching a trailer for a movie is the movies (trailer) rating. The screen is typically green, it may be yellow, and sometimes it’s red. This always comes with a letter, and that letter is an MPA (or MPAA) rating. I included an example as our featured photo so you could better understand what I’m talking about.
An MPA rating is a Motion Picture Association rating and it determines a motion picture’s suitability for certain audiences based on the movies content. It was previously known as Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) until 2019. These ratings aren’t enforced by law but most theaters refuse to show certain non-rated or NC-17 rated films.
G is the rating for General Audiences. This means all ages can be admitted to see this movie. There’s nothing in this movie that would offend parents for allowing their children to view this movie. Think of any Disney movie ever created.
PG is the rating for Parent Guidance Suggested. This means there is some material that might not be suitable for children. Parents are urged to give “parental guidance” or watch the movie with their children. This movie may include material that parents won’t like their young children watching. Think of Encanto, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Ice Age
PG-13 is the rating for Parents to be Strongly Cautioned. This means there may be some material in this movie that is inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious in letting their children and pre-teenagers watch this movie. Think of Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Dark Knight, or The Avengers movies.
R rating is for Restricted audiences (shown in our featured photo). This means if you are under 17 you are required to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. This movie contains adult material and parents are urged to learn more about the movie before showing it to their young children. A perfect example would be Deadpool.
NC-17 is a rating for Adults Only. This means no one 17 and under is permitted to watch this movie in a theater. You have to obviously be an adult and no children are permitted. Think of the movie Showgirls.
With these ratings there are many restrictions you should keep in mind when creating your story.
Think of how much violence is involved. Depictions of violence are permitted under all rating but must be moderated for the lower one. Children shouldn’t see Deadpool cutting his own hand off, that may or may not traumatize your child. Movies with extreme violence like Deadpool usually get an R rating.
The language you use can be the difference between PG and R. Profanity is permitted in PG movies but anything harsher than that is rated PG-13 and if it’s used more than once it lands in the R rating.
Surprisingly drug and nude content is typically rate PG-13 and above.
If these tips helped you in any way please comment below and share with your friends!
See you next time!