British Board of Film Classification (Video) (UK)

1990-1996

Bumper: On a black background, we see one of the BBFC certification rating symbols (see below). After a couple of seconds, the black background fades to a dark green background, with a blue box with a green border near the left side of the screen as the certification rating symbol zooms out inside the blue box. At the right of the screen is radio broadcaster and ex-Top of the Pops presenter Simon Bates talking to us about what the film is like (see Music/Sounds section for details), then towards the end, the certification rating fades to a white screen that contains a black outlined box with: "VSC" on it, and "The Video Standards Council" under the box, sort of like this:

VSC

The
Video Standards
Council

After Bates finishes talking, the VSC logo zooms in, taking up the whole screen, then a red tick fades in.

Certification Symbols:

• Universal (U): A green triangle with "U" on it.
• Parental Guidance (PG): A yellow triangle with "PG" on it.
• 15: A white circle with a red border and "15" on it.
• 18: A red circle with "18" on it.

Although the 12 rating was debuted in 1989, it wasn't used on videos until 1994, by which time a new bumper was made.

Trivia:

• While this bumper was usually the last bumper to appear during the opening trailer reel, a few VHS tapes, such as Rabid Grannies and Captain Ron, placed this bumper at the very beginning of the tape, the latter after the warning screens.
• This bumper was re-created in the Harry Enfield and Paul Calf 18 rating bumpers and the beginning of a British commercial for the 1996 video game Primal Rage.

Variants:

• On the 1992 UK rental VHS release of Grand Canyon, a still image of the 15 certificate at the very start of this bumper faded from and to black.
• On RCA/Columbia/Columbia Tristar VHS releases, the bumper fades in and out.
• On titles from other companies, the bumper cuts in and fades out.

FX/SFX: Live-action, plus computer effects for the zooming.

Music/Sounds: Bates says "Whenever you rent or buy a video, you need to be sure that the film you choose is suitable for the audience at home. To help you, there are certificates given to films which tell you broadly what the film is like." Depending on the bumper, any one of these lines follows it:

• Universal (U): "This film has been classified "U". That means, quite simply, "Universal". In other words, it can be seen by people of all ages. There will be nothing unsuitable for children, and the whole family might well enjoy it."
• Parental Guidance (PG): "This film has been classified "PG". That stands for "Parental Guidance". Which means that parents might want to check up on it before showing it to their younger children. If it's an action film, it might have some violence. If it's romantic, it might have some sexy scenes or very brief nudity. It might also have some of the mildest swear words."
• 15: "This film has been classified "15". Which means it's unsuitable for anyone younger than that. It's an offence for a shop to supply a "15" video to anyone below that age, so don't ask them to break the law. "15" films may have a fairly adult theme, or contain scenes of sex, violence or drugs, which, while not particularly graphic, are unsuitable for younger teenagers. They may also contain sexual swear words."
• 18: "This film has been classified "18". Which means it's for adults only. It's an offence for your shop to supply an "18" video to anyone under that age, so don't ask them to break the law. An "18" film will certainly have an adult theme and might well contain strong scenes of sex or violence, which could be quite graphic. It may also contain some very explicit language, which will frequently mean sexual swear words."

After explaining the rating, he finishes with "Video certificates are there to give you the chance to make an informed choice. They allow you to have piece of mind, and be entertained. Thanks for listening. Enjoy the film."

Availability: Rare. Only appeared on rental VHS tapes from Walt Disney/Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures/Buena Vista Home Video (1991-94), Guild Home Video (1990), RCA Columbia Pictures International Video/Columbia TriStar Home Video (1990-92), 20/20 Vision (1990-92), Virgin Premiere (1990-91), CBS/Fox Video (1990-91), Fox Video (1991), The Video Collection/Video Collection International (1991-1996), Medusa Pictures (1990), Vestron Video International (1990-1991), First Independent (1991), Castle Pictures (1990), and Cannon/Pathé Video (1990-91). Examples of where to find each variant:

• U: Avalon, Dakota, Felix the Cat: The Movie, The Final Days, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, King of the Wind, The Little Kidnappers, Playbox: Busy Bee, Rosie and Jim: Butterflies, Rosie and Jim: Sailing, Shipwrecked, and Working Trash.
• PG: Absolute Strangers, Animal Attraction (1989), Animal Behavior, Another Stakeout, Arachnophobia, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bloodhounds of Broadway, Born Yesterday (1993), Buddy's Song, California Man (Encino Man in North America), Cannonball Fever (Speed Zone in North America), Captain America (1990), Captain Ron, Catch Me if You Can (1989), Chances Are, Cool Runnings, Desert Law (Beyond Justice and The Law of the Desertin North America), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (retail only), Dream Machine, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Scared Stupid, Father of the Bride (1991), The Freshman, Ghostbusters II, Give Me a Break! (Life With Mikey in North America), The Gods Must Be Crazy II, Hocus Pocus, Home Alone, The Karate Kid Part III, Legend of the White Horse, Little Man Tate, The Maid, Oscar, (The) Rocketeer, Robin Hood (1991; not Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), Rockula, The Secret of the Ice Cave, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (one of the last tapes to use this bumper), Sister Act, Steel Magnolias, Straight Talk, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, The Three Musketeers (1993), UHF, The Unpredictable Michael Barrymore Live, Upworld (A Gnome Named Gnorm in America), What About Bob?, The Wizard (1989), and Billy Bathgate (which is actually rated 15; it is likely to be a rare event in the video).
• 15: The Abyss, Air America, Aspen Extreme, Betsy's Wedding, Beverly Hills Brats, Blood Oath, Blue Heat, Boyz n the Hood, Catchfire, Chattahoochee, The Chocolate War, Come See the Paradise, Communion, Deceived, Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel, Desperate Hours, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Doctor, Drop Dead Fred, F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion, Far Out Man, Fighting Justice (True Believer in North America), Flatliners, The Fourth War, Ghoulies Go To College, Glory, The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Heart Condition, Heaven Tonight, Hidden Agenda, Hudson Hawk, I Love You to Death, Immediate Family, Johnny Handsome, Lambada, Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too, Love at Large, Love Hurts, Madhouse, A Man Called Sarge, Masters of Menace, Me and Him, Miracle Mile, Mr. Frost, Mr. Wonderful, Music Box, Navy Seals, Next of Kin, Nuns on the Run, Old Gringo, One Good Cop, Over Her Dead Body (Enid is Sleeping in North America), Pacific Heights, The Package, Payback (1990), The Pope Must Die (The Pope Must Diet! in North America), Postcards from the Edge, Powwow Highway, Pump Up the Volume, The Return of Swamp Thing, Return to the Blue Lagoon, Reversal of Fortune, The Rose Garden, Run (1991), Scenes from a Mall, She's Out of Control, Short Time, Sleeping With the Enemy, Son-in-Law, Spies, Lies & Alibis, Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, Stranded, Stop at Nothing, Three Fugitives, Too Hot to Handle (The Marrying Man in North America), True Identity, Vital Signs, War Dancing, The War of the Roses, Welcome Home Roxy Charmichael, Windprints, Winter People, Worth Winning, and Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory.
• 18: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes, Backstreet Dreams, Bad Dreams, The Big Hurt, Blood In Blood Out (Bound by Honor in North America), Blue Steel, The Boost, Bugsy, Buying Time, Casualties of War, The Comfort of Strangers, Creepers (aka The Crawlers), Criminal Law, Damned River, Downtown (1990), Drugstore Cowboy, Dune Surfer, The Exorcist III, Fear (1990), Flight of the Innocent (La corsa dell'innocente), Future Force, The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Heathers, The Hot Spot, The Immortalizer, An Innocent Man, Keaton's Cop, The Kiss, The Krays, Last Exit To Brooklyn, Leviathan (1989), Lock Up, Mike Reid's Pussy in Boots, Miller's Crossing, Misery, Monkey Shines, Mortal Passions, Mortal Thoughts, Never Cry Devil, Night of the Warrior, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Operation Paratrooper, Phantom of the Opera (1989), Predator 2, The Prince of Tides, Prom Night III: The Last Kiss, Psycho Cop, Q&A, Rabid Grannies, Renegades, Revenge (1990), Scissors, The Sheltering Sky, Shocker, The Silence of the Lambs, Smith and Jones: One Last Stand, Snake Eater, Society, Stir, Street of No Return, Talk Radio, Terror at the Opera, Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do With It (What's Love Got to Do With It in North America), True Blood (1989), The Unborn, The Under Achievers, Vampire's Kiss, War Party, and Watchers 2.

Editor’s Note: This bumper became a source for YouTube Poops and both of the reconstructions mentioned above.

1990-1994 (Alternate)

VSC U Warning (1990-1994)

VSC 15 Warning (1990-1994)

Bumper: On a white background, we see one of the BBFC certification rating symbols (see below). After several seconds, the certification rating fades to the same VSC screen from the previous bumper. A red tick then fades in.

Certification Symbols:

• Universal (U): A green triangle with "U" on it.
• Parental Guidance (PG): A yellow triangle with "PG" on it.
• 12: A white circle with a red border "12" on it. This rating was introduced for videos in 1994.
• 15: A white circle with a red border "15" on it.
• 18: A red circle with "18" on it.

FX/SFX: Besides the fading, maybe something special, really.

Music/Sounds: No music, but we hear a male voiceover, Mark Roman, telling us what the film is like. The quotes are similar to Simon Bates' quotes from the previous bumper with some differences.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the 12 certificate rating variant, a different male announcer explains what the film is like.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The 12 certificate rating variant includes an ending line that is the same as in Bates' bumpers.

• Universal (U): "This film has been classified "U". That means, quite simply, "Universal". In other words, it can be seen by people of all ages. There will be nothing unsuitable for children, and the whole family might well enjoy it."
• Parental Guidance (PG): "This film has been classified "PG". That stands for "Parental Guidance". Which means that parents might want to check up on it before showing it to their younger children. If it's an action film, it might have some violence. If it's romantic, it might have some sexy scenes or very brief nudity. It might also have some of the mildest swear words."
• 12: "This film has been classified "12". "12" films are suitable for older children. They may have stronger moments of violence, or references to teenage experience but nothing gratuitous. There may also be a swear word or two that you wouldn't hear in a "PG" movie. "12" films are unsuitable for younger children, and it's an offence for your shop to supply a "12" video to anyone under that age. Video certificates are there to give you the chance to make the informed choice. They allow you to have piece of mind, and be entertained."
• 15: "This film has been classified "15" which means it's unsuitable for anyone younger than that. It's an offence for a shop to supply a "15" video to anyone below that age. "15" films may have a fairly adult theme, or contain scenes of sex, violence or drugs, which, while not particularly graphic, are unsuitable for younger teenagers. They may also contain sexual swear words."
• 18: "This film has been classified "18" which means it's for adults only. It's an offence for your shop to supply an "18" video to anyone under that age. An "18" film will certainly have an adult theme and may contain graphic scenes of sex or violence. There might also be some very explicit language, which will frequently mean sexual swear words."

Availability: Rarer than the previous bumper, having only been used on rental videos from Warner Bros. and MGM/UA. Examples of where to find each variant (In alphabetical order):

• U: Black Beauty (1994), Brother Future, Carry on Columbus, Free Willy, Frogs!, Hypersapien: People from Another Star, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, Rover Dangerfield, The Secret Garden (1993), Sweet 15, Survive the Savage Sea, Thumbelina (1994), and Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Vacation.
• PG: Angel Street, Babylon 5, Babylon 5: A Voice in the Wilderness, Benny & Joon, Born to Ride, Carry on Columbus, The Company, The Company II: Sacrifices, Curly Sue, The Cutting Edge, Defending Your Life, Delirious, Dennis the Menace (1993), Devil's Treasure (aka Treasure Island; not to be confused with the 1950 Disney film of the same name), Fatal Deception, The Flash, The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster, The Flash III: Deadly Nightshade, Forever Young, Getting Even with Dad, Going Under, Graffiti Bridge, Ivory Hunters, Judgement in Berlin, Ladybugs (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), Lionheart, Major League II, The Man in the Moon, Mannequin 2: On the Move, Maverick, Memphis Belle, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, The Meteor Man, Mister Johnson, Montana, My Blue Heaven, Police Academy: Mission to Moscow, Of Mice and Men (1992), Pure Country, Rad, Rich In Love, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Rocky V, Son of the Pink Panther, Stalin (1992), Stay Tuned, Teen Agent, Time Trax, To My Daughter, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, War of the Buttons, White Hunter Black Heart, and Willing to Kill.
• 12: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Clean Slate, Grumpy Old Men, The Pelican Brief, That Night, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, and Wyatt Earp.
• 15 (this is the easiest bumper to find, considering how many tapes it was featured on): 50/50, American Kickboxer 1 (not to be confused with the Jean-Claude Van Damme film series, Kickboxer), Barbarians at the Gate, Batman Returns, Bed of Lies, The Big Steal, Blown Away, Body Snatchers, The Bodyguard, The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Boyfriend from Hell, Cast a Deadly Spell, Citizen Cohn, City of Joy, Class Act, Company Business, Criminal Justice, Crisscross, Crooked Hearts, The Crush, Curacao, The Curse of the Dragon, Dark Justice, Dave, Dead Solid Perfect, Deadly Intentions... Again?, The Death Merchants, Death Merchants II: The Mafia Connection, Demolition Man, Descending Angel, Dirty Tricks (aka Running Mates), Dogfight, Doublecrossed, Dragonfight, El Diablo, Empire City, The Face of Fear, Fatal Instinct, Final Pulse, Fires Within, Flirting, Framed, Freejack, The Fugitive, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Guilty By Suspicion, Hometown Boy Makes Good, A House of Secrets and Lies, The Human Shield, In the Arms of a Killer, Innocent Blood, It's Nothing Personal, JFK, Judgment (1991), Killer Rules, Kung Fu, Lambada: The Forbidden Dance (possibly a relation to the previously mentioned Lambada; the final release by Cannon/Pathé Video, distributed by Warner Home Video), The Last of the Mohicans (released by 20th Century Fox in North America), Lean on Me, Lethal Weapon 3, Libestraum, Made in America, The Mambo Kings, McBain, Meeting Venus, Men Don't Leave, Midnight Sting (aka Diggstown), Mortal Sins, A Mother's Justice, The Mummy Lives, Murder in Mississippi, Night Visions, Not Without My Daughter, Nothing But Trouble, Other People's Money, Passenger 57, Pink Cadillac, The Power of One, Power Play: The Jackie Presser Story (aka Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story), Prison Stories: Women on the Inside, Quick Change, Quigley Down Under, Rescue Me, Roger and Me, The Russia House (1990), The Sands of Time, Sarafina! (released by Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films in North America), Seven Minutes, Singles, Sommersby, South Central L.A., Stanley & Iris, Stephen King's IT, Stephen King's The Stand, Stephen King's The Tommyknockers, Taking Back My Life, Thelma and Louise, This Boy's Life, Til I Kissed You, Under Siege, Unforgiven, Untamed Heart, Walker Texas Ranger: One Riot One Ranger, White Sands, Women & Men: Stories of Seduction, and The Women of Brewster Place.
• 18: American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, American Ninja 4, American Ninja 5, American Samurai, The Assassin (AKA Point of No Return), The Borrower, Chain of Command, Crime Lords, Dead-On: Relentless II, Death Warrant, Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection, Delta Force 3: The Killing Game, Disturbed, Eternity, Falling Down, The First Power, The Forgotten One, Frankenstein Unbound, Goodfellas, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Hellbound, The Hitman, Hurricane Smith, Impulse, In the Spirit, Jungle Assault, The Last Boy Scout, Midnight Ride, Naked Tango, New Jack City, Nightbreed, No Place to Hide, Out for Justice, Over the Line, Presumed Innocent, Prison Heat, Relentless 3, Relentless: The Redeemer, Renegade, The Rookie (1990), Roots of Evil, Rush (1991), Salt on Our Skin, Scanners II: The New Order, Showdown in Little Tokyo, Sketch Artist, Sketch Artist 2: Hands That See, Street Knight, Tales from the Crypt Volume III, Terminal Bliss, Tobe Hooper's Night Terrors, To the Death, and True Romance.

Editor’s Note: Strangely, several films, amongst others, contain the previous VSC bumper or none of them whatsoever, despite their videos being released during their usage, such as 1492, Adrift, An Innocent Man, And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, Basic Instinct, Boyz n the Hood, Carnel Crimes, Clean and Sober, Cover-Up, The Dark Wind, Deep Cover, Dinosaurs The Movie, Dolly Dearest, The Doors, Double Impact, Dreams (1990), Eve of Destruction, Father of the Bride, Fear (1990), Fever (1991), A Few Good Men, Filofax (Talking Care of Business in United States), Fire, Ice And Dynamite, The Finest Hour, Flatliners, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, The Grifters, The Gun In Betty Lou's Handbag, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Honeymoon in Over, Hocus Pocus, Iron Maze, Jacob's Ladder, Joe Versus the Volcano, Late for Dinner, The Lawnmower Man, Let Him Have It, Love at Large, Love Field, Malcolm X (released by Warner Bros. Pictures in United States), Maniac Cop 2, Medicine Man (released by Hollywood Pictures in the United States), Misery, Mortal Passions, Mr. And Mrs. Bridge, Mr. Destiny, Mr. Saturday Night, Music Box, Nemesis, Night and the City, Nowhere To Run, Only You (1992), Out Cold (aka Where's Ernie? in Australia), Revenge of Billy the Kid, Reversal of Fortune, Ricochet (released by Warner Bros. Pictures in United States), RoboCop 2, Rock-a-Doodle, Shattered (released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in United States), A Shock to the System, Sibling Rivalry, Sister Act, Spaced Invaders, Stay Tuned, Stranger in the Family, Street Hunter, Strictly Ballroom, Thunderheart, Timebomb, Too Hot to Handle, True Identity, Vampire’s Kiss, and Year of the Gun.

1995-2006

BBFC VSC Warner Bros Home Video UK VHS Warnings

Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK variants

BBFC Coumblia Tri-Star UK VHS Warnings

Columbia Tristar/20/20 Vision/Mosaic Movies variants

VSC 15 Warning

Twentieth Century Fox 15 variant

BBFC U Warning (Buena Vista Disney)

Buena Vista/Walt Disney U variant

Bumper: On a static background, we see a hand holding a remote, pressing the on button, and it cuts to a screen made up of TV static opening up halfway (similar to a widescreen aspect ratio), and a rating symbol zooms up. It fades out, some text appears (depending on the certification list below) and movie clips displayed in 4:3 slide or fade in at certain points. After the text disappears, the static screen wipes to a pink old-movie fashioned screen that features a circle that changes between having a BBFC certificate, a film countdown and a movie clip as it slowly zooms out. After it reaches it furthest point, the old-movie fashion screen closes, turning itself off like a CRT television. Then a white flash appears, revealing the certificate. Finally, it fades to a black-grey gradient screen that contains a black outlined, white filled box with "VSC" on it, and "The Video Standards Council" under the box, sort of like this:

VSC

The
Video Standards Council

A red tick is then drawn.

Trivia: While this bumper was usually the last bumper to appear during the opening trailer reel, Columbia Tristar and 20:20 Vision VHS tapes and previewless titles instead placed this bumper at the very beginning of the tape following the warning screens.

Variants:

• A hand with the remote shot is on a light static background and the light was yellowish green on the U and PG rating variants. A different hand is in a different position and the light is red on the 12, 15 and 18 rating variants.
• On the Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK and Buena Vista/Disney U rating variants, the movie clips on the static screen fade in instead of sliding at certain points.
• The movie clips vary on Warner Home Video/MGM/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK, Buena Vista/Disney, Fox, and FilmFour/VCI releases (more info below).
• On releases with the Buena Vista/Disney, Fox, and FilmFour/VCI variants, the VSC screen cuts to black after a couple of seconds.
• On releases with the Warner Bros./MGM/UA Home Video/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK variants, the VSC screen fades to black after a couple of seconds.
• On releases with the Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies variants, the VSC screen immediately fades to black after its completion.
• On the U-, PG-, and 18-rated Buena Vista/Disney variants and each Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK variant, the rating circle on the old-movie fashioned screen stays on screen for a couple of seconds before slowly zooming out.
• On Columbia Tristar, 20:20 Vision, Mosaic Movies, and FilmFour/VCI releases, the animation of the rating circle zooming out begins upon its appearance.
• On the 12- and 15-rated Buena Vista/Disney variants, the animations of the 12 and 15 rating circles zooming out fade in a few inches away from the viewer. As a result, the furthest point of the circle is "3" on the film countdown instead of "2".
• On Columbia TriStar Home Video, 20:20 Vision and Mosaic Movies releases, the movie clips in each variant are replaced with a translucent rectangular screen showing random flashing images of various stuff related to the content of a movie slowly sliding in and out in an unbalanced fashion. The movie clips in the circle are also replaced with the same random flashing images from the translucent screen.

Certification Symbols, Animations and Text:

• Universal (U): A green triangle with "U" on it, starting out blurry but becoming clear, spins in on a white background in a widescreen aspect ratio. It fades to the static background. The text reads "family enjoyment", with "enjoyment" in a yellow sans font and "family" in a blue cursive font, which slides in separately, before coming together. The word "enjoyment" tilts about 90 degrees to the left, then the "o" takes up the whole screen. The screen fades to the old-fashion screen instead of wiping in. At the end of the bumper, the same spinning animation appears in an open matte fullscreen ratio.
  • Clips used (in this variant, two film clips fade in at various points during the TV static screen part; the movie clip on the upper right corner is in 4:3 on the Buena Vista/Disney variant and 16:9 on the Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK variant):
    • Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK: Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Vacation, Free Willy, and Black Beauty (1994).
    • Buena Vista/Disney: Aladdin (1992), The Jungle Book (1967), and Honey I Blew Up the Kid.
• Parental Guidance (PG): A yellow-orange triangle with "PG" on it, sliding up against a background with the same symbol but close up for the start of the bumper. It slowly fades to the static background, leaving "PG" in the close up certificate and the smaller certificate, before they fade out. The text reads "Parental Guidance", fading in one at a time. At the end of the bumper, the certificate zooms in with a unfolding effect on a white background.
  • Clips used (in this variant, two film clips slide in at various points during the TV static screen part):
    • Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Gone with the Wind, and Dennis the Menace (1993).
    • Buena Vista/Disney: Sister Act and Cool Runnings.
• 12: A white circle, outlined in red, with "12" on it, zooming in against the static background. The text reads "Reference to teenage life", fading in one at a time. At the end of the bumper, the flash reveals the certificate on a black background.
  • Clips used (in this variant, four film clips slide in at various points during the TV static screen part):
    • Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Pelican Brief, and Wyatt Earp.
    • Buena Vista/Disney: Cabin Boy.
• 15: Another white circle, outlined in red, with "15" on it, zooming in against the static background. The text reads "some sex OR violence", fading in one at a time. At the end of the bumper, the flash at the end of the bumper is replaced by an animation of a hand stamping in the certificate on a black background while a few uses the flash at the end.
  • Clips used (in this variant, four film clips slide in at various points during the TV static screen part):
    • Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK: Batman Returns, Demolition Man, The Fugitive, and The Bodyguard.
    • Buena Vista/Disney: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Consenting Adults, and The Distinguished Gentleman.
    • Fox Video: The Abyss and My Cousin Vinny.
    • FilmFour/VCI: Brassed Off and Secrets & Lies.
• 18: A red circle with "18" on it. At the start of the bumper, the certificate is replaced with the words "18 or over", fading in one at a time, then "18" turns white and takes up the whole screen before fading out. The text reads "adult THEME", wiped in one at a time, later changing to "SeLF Awareness". The 18 rating zooms out over the circle over the old-fashioned movie screen, instead of that screen wiping in. At the end of the bumper, the flash reveals the certificate on a white background.
  • Clips used (in this variant, five film clips slide in at various points during the TV static screen part):
    • Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Lethal Weapon 2, and Above the Law.
    • Buena Vista/Disney: Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do With It (titled What's Love Got to Do With It in America) and Pulp Fiction.
    • FilmFour/VCI: Same as the 15 variant.

FX/SFX: Just about everything.

Music/Sounds: No music here, but we do have various sound effects: a tuning sound effect at the beginning, a beep when the white screen opens, and during the old-fashioned movie screen's time, a projector running can be heard in the background. Another beep is heard when the screen closes, followed by a loud whoosh and a drawing sound effect. An announcer is heard talking about what the film is about. The female announcer is Floella Benjamin for the U and PG ratings, while Emilio Delgado (who provides the same voiceover for the Guild Home Video piracy warnings) is used for the 12, 15 and 18 ratings. The voiceover always starts with "When you rent or buy a video, you need to know that the film you choose is suitable for the audience at home. To help you understand what the film is like, you can look at the certificate it has been given." and ends with "Video certificates are there to give you the chance to make the right choice. Thanks for listening."

Music/Sounds Variants:

• On the 15 certificate rating variant, the appearance of the 15 certificate is accompanied by a stamping thud sound effect instead of a whoosh while a few has the whoosh in it.
• In between the two sentences listed above, Floella Benjamin says on the U and PG variants:
  • Universal: "This film has been classified "U". That means it can be seen by people of all ages, and there will be nothing unsuitable for children." (Due to this dialogue being shorter, the voiceover pauses at various points and most of the old-fashioned screen part has no voice-over, compared to the other versions of the bumper described below.)
  • Parental Guidance: "This film has been classified "PG". This stands for Parental Guidance; it means that parents may wish to check the film before showing it to their children. If it's an action film, it might have some limited violence. If it's romantic, it might have some sexy scenes, or very brief nudity. It might also contain some milder swear words."
• In between the two sentences listed above, Emilio Delgado announces the following for each 12, 15, and 18-rated variant:
  • 12: "This film has been classified as "12". That means this film is unsuitable for anyone younger than 12. A film with a "12" certificate may contain stronger moments of violence, or references to sexual experience. There may also be swear words that you wouldn't find in a "PG" film. It is an offence to supply a video classified "12" to anyone below that age."
  • 15: "This film has been classified as "15". That means this film is unsuitable for anyone younger than 15. A film with a "15" certificate may have a fairly adult theme, or may contain scenes of violence, sex or drugs, which are unsuitable for younger teenagers. It may also contain sexual swear words. It is an offence to supply a video classified "15" to anyone below that age."
  • 18: "This film has been classified as "18". That means this film is only suitable for people aged 18 or over. A film with an "18" certificate will almost certainly have an adult theme, and might well contain scenes of sex or violence, which are quite graphic. It may also contain explicit language, including sexual swear words. It is an offence to supply a video classified "18" to anyone below that age."

Availability: Quite common. Check your VHS tapes for this rating bumper. Seen on many British retail and rental VHS releases from Warner Home Video, MGM/UA Home Video, Icon Film Distribution, Redbus Film Distribution/Home Entertainment, Helkon SK, Buena Vista Home Video, Walt Disney Home Video/Disney Videos, Touchstone Home Video, Hollywood Pictures Home Video, Miramax Home Entertainment, Dimension Home Video, Columbia TriStar Home Video, Mosaic Movies, 20:20 Vision, FilmFour/VCI, and a few from Fox Video/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

• The Warner Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video/Icon Film Distribution/Redbus Home Entertainment/Helkon SK variants are the most common since they appeared on British Warner Home Video, pre-2001 MGM/UA, Icon, and Redbus/Helkon SK VHS releases.
• The Buena Vista/Disney variants appear on the British VHS rental releases of titles released by Disney and its subsidiaries (Buena Vista, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax, and Dimension). They also appeared on their UK VHS retail releases of The English Patient and Ransom as well as the 1997 FilmFour VHS rental release of The Country Club Plaza due to tape manufacturing errors.
• On FilmFour/VCI VHS releases, only their versions of the 15 and 18 rating bumpers were used.
• On British Fox Video/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment VHS releases, only their version of the 15 rating bumper, which appeared only on the 1995 UK rental VHS releases of Airheads and Speed (1994), was used.
• The Columbia Tristar Home Video/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies variants appear on British VHS releases from each aforementioned company.
• The Columbia TriStar Home Video/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies variant of the 15 bumper surprisingly appeared on the 2000 UK DVD release of Pink Floyd: The Wall released by Sony Music Entertainment; it may have also been used on other Sony Music Entertainment DVDs that have BBFC certificates.

Examples of where to find each variant:

• Appearances on retail VHS tapes (some of these are reissues of older tapes):
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK U variant: Animaniacs videos, The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot (titled Quest for Camelot in the United States), Free Willy 3: The Rescue, FairyTale: A True Story (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), Thomas and the Magic Railroad (released by Destination Films in North America), Dennis Strikes Again!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966), Pokèmon 3: The Movie, Addams Family Reunion (1998), 2001: A Space Odyssey, Tom & Jerry videos, The Challenge, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, High Society, The Wizard of Oz (1939), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Napoleon, and Air Bud (released by Walt Disney Pictures in North America).
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies U variant: Stuart Little 2, Fly Away Home, and The Swan Princess (released by New Line Cinema and Turner Home Entertainment in North America).
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK PG variant: The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in America), Pokémon: The First Movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), PG-rated Friends videos, Cats and Dogs, Dr. No, For Your Eyes Only, Jack Frost, The Kentuckian, The Living Daylights, Moonraker, Of Mice and Men (1992), The Great Escape (1963), Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island, Sunchaser, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Batman of the Future: School Dayz, Osmosis Jones, Scooby-Doo: The Movie, The Witches, Maverick, and Doctor Zhivago.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies PG variant: First Knight, Evolution, Daddy Day Care, Bicentennial Man, The Madness of King George, and Men in Black II.
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 12 variant: Batman of the Future: Return of the Joker, Fathers' Day, 12-rated Friends videos, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Ocean's Eleven, Hearts In Atlantis, and Bend It Like Beckham (released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in North America).
  • Columbia TriStar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 12 variant: Spider-Man (2002), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and America's Sweethearts.
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 15 variant: Angel Eyes, The Client, License to Kill, WCW Uncensored 1999, Valentine, The Pledge, Rain Man, Swordfish, Rock Star, The Wolf, and Phantasm IV.
  • Buena Vista/Disney 15 variant: The English Patient.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 15 variant: The Quick and the Dead, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Bats.
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 18 variant: 3000 Miles to Graceland, Training Day, Exit Wounds, Replicant, WCW Uncensored 2000, Carrie (1976), Diabolique, Goodfellas, Disclosure, Lethal Weapon Double Feature, Raging Bull, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
  • Buena Vista/Disney 18 variant: Ransom.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 18 variant: Snatch, Double Team, Maximum Risk, Never Talk to Strangers, Universal Soldier: The Return, and Wishmaster (released by Live Entertainment in North America).

• Appearances on rental VHS tapes:
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK U variant: Shiloh, Space Jam, The Never Ending Story 3: Escape From Fantasia (released by Miramax Films in North America), The Iron Giant, and The Importance of Being Earnest.
  • Buena Vista/Disney U variant: The Lizzie McGuire Movie, George of the Jungle (1997), The Princess Diaries, Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Man of the House, and Inspector Gadget (1999).
  • Columbia Tristar U variant: Stuart Little and Madeline (1998).
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK PG variant: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Bogus, Carpool, Fail Safe (2000), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, Hope, Kangaroo Jack, Manchester United Beyond the Promised Land, New York Minute, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, See Spot Run, Vegas Vacation, The Virginian (2000), Whale Rider (released by Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment in North America), What a Girl Wants, Wild America, Wrongfully Accused, and You've Got Mail.
  • Buena Vista/Disney PG variant: The Haunted Mansion, Mission to Mars, Jack, Freaky Friday (2003), I'll Be Home for Christmas, Mighty Joe Young, Spy Hard, Holes, The Count of Monte Cristo, My Favourite Martian, In the Army Now, A Kid in King Arthur's Court, Operation Dumbo Drop, and Remember the Titans.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies PG variant: Matilda (1996), Call Me Claus, Godzilla (1998), The Mask of Zorro, Spider-Man 2, Men in Black, Men in Black 2, Big Fish, A Knight's Tale, and Evolution (2001) (released by DreamWorks Pictures in North America).
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 12 variant: What Women Want (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), The Avengers (1998), Best In Show, Bio-Dome, The Bridges of Madison County, Catwoman, Chasing Liberty, City of Angels, Dirty Work, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Eight Legged Freaks, Empire Records, Felicia's Journey, GoldenEye, Grand Isle, Hackers, Home Fries, In Pursuit of Honour, Joe's Apartment, Last Stand at Saber River, Lost & Found, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Message in the Bottle, Miss Congeniality, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, Ocean's Twelve, Pay It Forward, The Perfect Storm, Practical Magic, Second Best, Something's Gotta Give, Sphere, Swimfan (released by 20th Century Fox in North America), The In Crowd, Thicker Than Blood, Three to Tango, Two Weeks Notice, The Whole Ten Yards, Wild Wild West, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) (released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment in North America).
  • Buena Vista/Disney 12 variant: Reign of Fire, Armageddon, The Other Sister, Keeping the Faith, Coyote Ugly, Six Days, Seven Nights, Unbreakable, Chocolat, Bounce, Shanghai Noon, The Hours (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), Chicago (2002), The Recruit, Kate & Leopold, The Waterboy, Shanghai Knights, Bruce Almighty (released by Universal Studios in North America), and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 12 variant: The Cable Guy, Spider-Man (2002), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Net, For Better or Worse, Mona Lisa Smile, Blue Streak, Big Daddy, 50 First Dates, Mr. Deeds, 13 Going on 30, The Forgotten, Street Fighter (1994) (released by Universal Studios in North America), Hellboy (2004), xXx (2002), and Doctor T & the Woman (released by Artisan Home Entertainment in North America).
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 15 variant: The Hunted (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), 187, Analyse This, Any Given Sunday, Basic, Before Sunset, The Big Tease, Bless the Child (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), BOA, Cabin Fever, Conspiracy Theory, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, Deep Blue Sea, Dreamcatcher, Eraser, Evidence of Blood, Executive Decision, The Exorcist: The Beginning, Fallen, Felicia's Journey, Get Shorty, The Gift, Glory & Honor, Goodbye Lover, Gossip, Heat (1995), Heist, Incognito, Jeepers Creepers, Kevin & Perry Go Large, Lethal Weapon 4, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Maybe Baby, Michael Collins, The Mod Squad, Murder By Numbers, The Negotiator, Outbreak, Payback (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), The Postman, Proof of Life, Purgatory, Ordinary Descent Criminal, The Rage: Carrie 2, The Replacements (2000), Rob Roy, Ronin, Snow Job, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), Spartan, Stolen Hearts, Striptease, Taking Lives, Tank Girl, Three Kings, A Time to Kill, Tin Cup, Torque, Troy, Trial by Jury, Two for Texas, Under Suspicion (2000), U.S. Marshals, We Were Soldiers (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), The Whole Nine Yards, Wicked, Wrongfully Accused, and You Know My Name.
  • Buena Vista/Disney 15 variant: Gone In 60 Seconds, Jackie Brown, Crimson Tide, Little Voice, Good Will Hunting, The 6th Day, Air Force One (released by Columbia Pictures in North America), Die Hard With a Vengeance (released by 20th Century Fox in North America), Snake Eyes, The Talented Mr. Ripley (both released by Paramount Pictures in North America), The Insider, High Fidelity, Starsky & Hutch (released by Warner Bros. in North America), Scary Movie 3, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Firelight, Playing By Heart, The Rock, The Hurricane, Mystery, Alaska, Ride (1998), and The Country Club Plaza (despite being released by FilmFour).
  • FilmFour/VCI 15 variant: Secrets & Lies (released by 20th Century Fox in North America), East is East, Brassed Off (released by Miramax Films in North America), Dogma (released by Lions Gate Films and Columbia Tristar Home Video in North America), The Yards, Career Girls, Velvet Goldmine, and Best Men.
  • Fox 15 variant: Speed (1994) and Airheads.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 15 variant: The Patriot, Bad Boys II, Charlie's Angels, Still Crazy, Erin Brockovich (released by Universal Studios in North America), Jerry Maguire, The Foreigner, The Craft, Anger Management, Gothika, Panic Room, Layer Cake, The Devil's Own, White Chicks, Citizen X, Legends of the Fall, The Tailor of Panama, The Bone Collector (released by Universal Studios in North America), Black Hawk Down, and Autumn In New York (released by MGM in North America).
  • Warner Bros./MGM/Icon/Redbus/Helkon SK 18 variant: And Your Mother Too, The Art of War, Escape Clause, Eyes Wide Shut, Fire Down Below, Fled, Ghost Ship, G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time, A House in the Hills, House on Haunted Hill, Interview with the Vampire, L.A. Confidential, Lord of Illusions, Natural Born Killers, The New Age, Soldier, Sweet Sixteen (2002), The Specialist, Species, Species II, Thinner (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), The Devil's Advocate, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, and House on Haunted Hill.
  • Buena Vista/Disney 18 variant: Bringing Out the Dead (released by Paramount Pictures in North America), Chasing Amy, Con Air, Cop Land, End of Days, From Dusk Till Dawn 1-3, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Nightwatch, Pulp Fiction, Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, Scream (1996), Scream 2, Scream 3, Silent Trigger, Starship Troopers (released by Tristar Pictures in North America), Veronica Guerin, Kill Bill Vol. 1, and Kill Bill Vol. 2.
  • FilmFour/VCI 18 variant: Sexy Beast.
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 18 variant: Hollow Man, The End of the Affair (1999), Bad Boys, Till the End of the Night, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, The Replacement Killers, 8MM, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Orgazmo, Screamers, Laurel Canyon, and The Punisher (2004) (released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment in North America).
• Appearances on DVDs:
  • Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies 15 variant: Pink Floyd: The Wall (released by MGM/UA theatrically in North America).

Editor’s Notes:

• Thanks to its omnipresent, this bumper spawned numerous variants over the years, most of which were over-utilized, had wasted potential, and/or contained mistakes.
• The FilmFour/VCI variants of the 15 and 18 rating bumpers include the same movie clips from one another, which could confuse viewers over which film from each clip was actually rated.
• The Columbia Tristar/20:20 Vision/Mosaic Movies variants contain flashing images, which may cause photosensitive viewers to experience epileptic seizures. Since these companies could have made their own variants with clips of films that they owned the rights to instead, this counts as an example of wasted potential.
• The Warner Bros. variants feel over-utilized since they also appeared on titles from MGM/UA, Icon, and Redbus/Helkon SK. Since the latter three companies could have made their own variants with clips of the movies they released and/or distributed instead, this is another example of wasted potential. However, this is excusable since Warner Bros. owned the home video rights to these titles in the United Kingdom.
• The Fox variant of the 15 rating bumper only appeared on two titles released by the company, making it underutilized. If this bumper appeared on more releases from the company instead, they could have also made their own variants of the other rating bumpers.