Dear BBFC video distributor,

In continuing our drive to reduce turnaround times and provide the industry with the best possible service; I am pleased to announce the BBFC is launching on-line submission forms.

Feedback from the home entertainment and on-line digital delivery sectors indicated replacing the paper submissions with an electronic alternative would save both time and money. With this in mind, and since the start of 2010, the BBFC has developed and trialled the service with several industry partners. In that period over 1800 online submission forms have been successfully processed via customer BBFC Extranet accounts and we are now ready to offer the service industry wide from today; 5th July 2010.

By introducing electronic submission forms our aim now is to phase out paper submission forms by the end of June 2011 which gives customers 1 year to switch from paper to online. We will send several reminders about the online switch over between now and then but I urge customers to adapt to the electronic route quickly to realise the full benefits which are;

• saves time writing submission forms – particularly for multiple episodes
• allows the BBFC to research the work 24hrs earlier, thereby speeding the process up when the disc is delivered
• utilising your BBFC extranet account to its fullest, including having the ability to accept classification decisions on-line rather than the (post delayed) paper Interim Clearance Form, should see further improvements in turnaround times
• less paper usage is environmentally friendly and in line with the BBFC’s ‘green policy’

FAQs:

Do on-line submissions cost more?

No, you will not be charged any more than a normal submission. In fact trial feedback suggests customers savings are made through time and materials.

Why are certain types of submission not allowed?

We are launching with DVD features and trailers but will be developing similar systems for all submissions.

If I don’t use the on-line submissions service, will my submissions go through the BBFC more slowly than usual?

No, they will still be processed in exactly the same way as they currently are, so you won’t notice any difference. However paper submissions will not benefit from the increased efficiencies noted above.

How does the system work?

The system is very simple to use and can be done by anyone with an ‘Extranet certificate’. If you don’t already have an ‘Extranet’ account it’s very simple to set up and means you can track your works on-line, providing significant improvements in turnaround times, as we eliminate the paper side of the classification process. For an account, simply email ithelpdesk@bbfc.co.uk or call on 020 7440 3299 requesting a certificate for the extranet.

To help customers make the transition from paper to online submissions, the attached video tutorial provides a step by step guide on how to create an online submission form

For more information on this new service please call our customer helpline on 020 7440 0299.

Alternitively, if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Barrett

Head of Operations

dbarrett@bbfc.co.uk

+44 (0) 207 440 1583

Dear BBFC video distributor,

I am pleased to announce a new service to our video customers. Pre-Booking Express (PBE) is a fast-track classification system for video submissions which goes live on Tuesday 4 May 2010. It enables you to get a category decision within 24 hours of delivering the submission to us.

The home entertainment and online digital delivery sectors have indicated to us that it would be extremely useful if we could offer a specific service providing rapid turnaround for works which have a very short lead time. In general, such short lead times are planned rather than accidental: the distributor knows that the content will be ready on a particular date in the future but needs to get a classification outcome shortly after that date. But PBE will also help on those occasions where you require a last-minute urgent turnaround on a title. In either situation, therefore, we think that PBE will prove a very useful service.

PBE does attract a slightly higher fee than the norm, due to the higher administrative costs involved. The running time you supply us with at the booking stage will be rounded up to the nearest 15 mins. (or to 5 mins. for works with a running time of less than 5 mins.). This rounded up running time is referred to as ‘booked time’. The fee will be based on the booked time, and a rate of standard tariff + 10% will apply.

For the past few months we have been trialling PBE, and it has proved to be a success. We are therefore able to offer PBE to all video distributors from 4 May 2010. Please note that there are certain types of submissions which we can’t accept into the service. The attached guides give further details of the service (there is a user guide for easy reference as well as the full document), but we have assembled some FAQs which we hope will give you an instant picture of how PBE can work for you.

FAQs:

Why does PBE cost more?

The increased fee reflects the additional work we do to ensure that your submission receives its category decision within the extra-fast timeframe. PBE utilises a workflow stream radically different than the standard process, and as it is the only classification process in which you will know in advance when you will receive your category decision, administrative costs are higher than for other submissions.

Why are certain types of submission not allowed?

We want to make sure, as far as possible, that every work submitted under the PBE service is passed within the published turnaround times. PBE submissions are fast-tracked at every stage of the process right up to the point we deliver the category decision and register number to you. This means that the category decision has to be straightforward. In order to minimise the risk to you of not receiving the category when you thought you would, we have issued guidance (see the attached documents) designed to help you determine whether your work would be suitable for the service.

Why would a PBE work be disqualified from the service while still in progress?

Until our Examiners have completed a viewing, we can never know whether a particular work will contain issues that make the category decision difficult to arrive at. If a submission has to drop out of the service, we will let you know as soon as this comes to light. The attached ‘guidance’ document gives full information on how such instances are handled. The vast majority of our submissions are passed without any issues whatsoever, so it is only a small percentage of works which we can’t handle under PBE.

I’d like to use PBE, but I see that you have to be on the extranet. How do I join?

Simply contact ithelpdesk@bbfc.co.uk and they will set things up for you.

If I don’t use the PBE service, will my submissions go through the BBFC more slowly than usual?

No. PBE submissions are viewed primarily by senior Examining staff, whose viewing hours typically operate outside those for standard submissions. One of our main objectives in the PBE trial was to develop a process that would also maintain the standard workflow and turnaround times for all other submissions, and we have achieved this.

Download: BBFC Pre-Booking Express (PBE) service - User guide
Version: 1.0  Updated: June 23, 2010  Size: 28.49 KB

Download: BBFC Pre-Booking Express (PBE) service - Guidance for video distributors
Version: 1.0  Updated: June 23, 2010  Size: 41.38 KB

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Barrett

Head of Operations

dbarrett@bbfc.co.uk

+44 (0) 207 440 1583

I am writing to you with news of an improved service for the issuing of BBFC consumer advice (CA). As I’m sure you are aware, the BBFC provides CA for every theatrical feature, video feature and video game which receives a classification. In addition, we provide, on request, CA for any work which did not receive it at the time of submission (usually because it was submitted before we started it on a regular basis in 1997) as well as any combined CA required for multiple/box set releases.

Up to this point, we have processed requests for CA for old works/box sets twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays. In response to industry demand, we have now revised our process and are offering a next-day turnaround for these requests.

Therefore, from Monday 15 February 2010, if you get your request to us by 09:00, you will receive your completed CA back by the end of the next working day. You will no longer need to hit the twice-weekly deadline – you can send us requests any day of the week!

We will be running this service initially for a three-month period, after which we will let you know if we will be continuing with it.

Consumer advice appears on a very high proportion of DVDs and Blu-rays already, but with this greater flexibility, we hope that distributors will feel even more encouraged to display it on their product.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Barrett

Dear Film Distributor,

I am emailing you with clarification as to how best to submit works to us for a theatrical certificate. We are anxious to help you avoid unnecessary delays to the processing of your work or incurring cancellation fees for submissions that fail to turn up on time.

Our website bbfc.co.uk contains all the information on how to submit a film or trailer for a theatrical certificate. The full process is here:

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/customer/cust_procFilm.php

Please note in particular the following:

1. From 2 November 2009, all media items we receive must contain only and exactly the feature film, short film or trailer to be examined. If a media item submitted for a theatrical certificate contains other material, such as a trailer before the start or in the middle of a film, we will put the work on hold and require you to submit replacement media items. This will incur a second handling charge and a further viewing charge.
2. We require the media item(s), the payment and the submission form to be delivered by the time stated. It is your responsibility to check with us that all materials have arrived on time; the BBFC will not contact you to remind you to deliver your materials to us by the deadline. If you fail to meet the delivery deadline for either the media item(s), the payment or the submission form, your submission will lose its place in the schedule, which can result in a cancellation fee.
3. KDMs and/or usernames for trailer links must be emailed to projection@bbfc.co.uk by 12pm on the working day before examination.
4. All media items submitted for theatrical certificates must be addressed to:Projection
   British Board of Film Classification
   3 Soho Square
   London
   W1D 3HD

   Please either send in the submission form with the media items or fax it to us on 020 7440 0291.

5. We would like to reiterate that for advice viewings we accept all playable formats, on the basis that the service is designed to be used for works-in-progress.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Dave Barrett

In light of experience over the past months, we have reviewed the requirements relating to the submission of works containing the facility for ‘seamless branching’ and have concluded that a slight relaxation is possible..

The detail is set out below but the headline is that if the standard feature has already been classified, or is merely awaiting packaging approval, there is no longer any need to include it in a single submission along with the stand alone elements and the feature with all elements ‘branched in’. In future, provided the standard feature has been classified, or is merely awaiting packaging approval, a single certificate will cover all the video works created by a seamless branching facility provided a single submission, with the appropriate box ticked, includes (a) the feature with all elements ‘branched in’, and (b) all the elements as stand-alone items.

For those who have tended to submit the feature separately and in advance of the seamless branching elements, this should result in significant cost savings.

If you have any queries about this, please contact the Technical department on etechnical@bbfc.co.uk or on the helpline (020 7440 0299).

Policy

If video works created through use of seamless branching (including alternative endings) are to be covered by the relevant video certificates then the effect of including them within the feature, as well as the effect of viewing them as ‘stand-alone’ items, must be considered during the process of determining the suitability of the work for classification, or for classification at a particular category.

A video certificate will cover all the possible combinations offered by ‘seamless branching’ facilities (including ‘alternative ending’ functions) providing that a single submission has included:

1. the feature with no additional material added (unless it has already been classified or is merely awaiting packaging approval)
2. the additional material as stand-alone items (unless the retail disc will not allow any of the additional material to be viewed as a stand-alone item)
3. the feature with all additional material branched into the feature (excluding alternative endings, provided these can be viewed as stand-alone items)

The elements can be submitted on:

• separate discs forming a single submission, or
• a single disc which allows the material to be accessed as required in 1, 2 and 3

The relevant box on the submission form (‘Seamless branching’) must be ticked.

The BBFC will view and charge for: the feature with no additional material added (unless it has already been classified or is merely awaiting packaging approval); the additional material as stand-alone items (unless the retail disc will not allow any of the additional material to be viewed as a stand alone item); the feature with all additional material branched into the feature (excluding alternative endings, provided these can be viewed as stand-alone items).

Exception

If the retail disc will only allow the additional material to be branched into the feature in a single, fixed combination, the ‘contains additional material’ version so created can be submitted independently of, and without regard to, either the ‘standard feature’ or the additional material as ‘stand-alone’ items (i.e. requirements 1 and 2 are waived).

In such circumstances, classification can proceed even if the ‘standard’ feature has not been classified (but the certificate awarded will not cover the ‘standard’ feature). It is the responsibility of the distributor to ensure that the standard feature is classified separately. The same applies to any ‘additional material’ that can be viewed as a ‘stand-alone’ item.