The BBFC & Film Certificates.
The BBFC (The British Board of Film Classification) are an organisation concerned with establishing rules with which dictate what can be displayed in films, assigning age certificates depending upon this. Films must obtain these age classifications in order to release in the UK (both in the cinema or as a DVD). Audiences can also complain to the BBFC should they believe any age classification is incorrect. For example, the organisation received complaints that The Joker (2019) should have been rated as an 18 due to its levels of violence/brutality, Peter Rabbit (2018)'s young audience may copy the scene involving the rabbit throwing fruit at people, The Woman in Black (2012) for its 'scary' tone, and Logan (2017) contained far too much blood/violence for a 15.
For a U (universal, can be viewed by everyone), films cannot contain: dangerous behaviour (potentially dangerous/antisocial behaviour children may copy), discriminatory language/behaviour (unless clearly disapproved of, though highly unlikely), drugs (must carry an anti drugs message suitable for young children), bad language (unless infrequent and extremely mild), nudity (unless occasional with no sexual context), sex/sexual references (unless extremely mild), threat/horror (anything likely to cause anxiety to young children without a reassuring outcome), violence (unless mild, comedic, animated or wholly unrealistic) 
For a 12A (children under 12 years old in a cinema must be accompanied by an adult), films
cannot contain: dangerous behaviour, discriminatory language/behaviour (must not be endorsed as a whole), drugs (infrequent and not glamorised), bad language (moderate at most depending. upon context), nudity (if in a sexual context, must be brief and discreet), sex/sexual references (briefly and discreetly, references can be moderate at most), sexual violence/sexual threat (may be verbal references but not graphic, if it is a stronger form of sexual violence must only be implied and negatively presented), threat/horror (moderate at most, and overall tone should not be disturbing), violence (moderate at most and not in detail).
For a 15 (individuals cannot be any younger than 15 to view or purchase a film), films can contain: dangerous behaviour (details should not be dwelled upon, depends on factors such as realism, context, and setting), discriminatory language/behaviour (may be present but not endorsed overall), drugs (may be present but not endorsed as a whole, depictions of easily accessible substances is not likely to be acceptable), bad language (strong language allowed, but extremely strong language is dependent on context), nudity (allowed in a non sexual/educational context, sexual nudity is only permitted if brief and in a comic context), sex/sexual reference (may be portrayed but not in strong detail and without purpose of sexual arousal, strong references are allowed but should not be frequent or pornographic), sexual violence/sexual threat (focus is allowed but in a sadistic manner is not), violence (allowed but no focus drawn to infliction of pain or injury, or sadistic/extremely gory). For an 18 (individuals cannot be any younger than 18 to view or purchase a film), films cannot contain: material in breech of the criminal law, material likely to to cause risk/harm to individuals (public health morals, sadistic violence in a positive light etc.), or material that exists for the sole purpose of sexual arousal.
When creating classification guidelines, the following is considered:
--> Scenes involving violence of all kinds
--> Scenes involving sex & nudity
--> Scenes involving obscene nudity
--> Scenes with discriminatory language
--> Scenes of self harm
--> Scenes of criminal activity
--> Scenes with dangerous behaviour
--> Scenes of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes
--> Scenes involving child actors/characters
--> Strobe lighting
However, the context and the way a certain activity is being depicted heavily influences the age rating. For example, should a film be animated/fantasy, the BBFC believe that audiences can differentiate reality from fiction.
With certain issues, should they be paired with sensitive issues or not portrayed in a positive light, they can be considered to be more appropriate for younger audiences, such as with violence:
--> Is the violence made to seem normal?
--> Why are they being violent? Is it self defence?
--> What injuries or harm are caused?
--> Who is it that is violent e.g. hero or villain?
--> How does the perpetrator treat the victim?
--> Is the violence enjoyed?
--> Is the violence made to seem exciting or glamorous?
--> How much violence is there?
--> How realistic is the violence?
--> Does the violence get punished?
Another way in which consideration is given is through the format of the release. With DVDs, the BBFC tend to be much stricter than that of with a film's cinema release. For example, The Hunger Games was released as a 15 in its DVD format, but a 12A in the cinema.
The producers of The Hunger Games could only get their age rating down to a 12A in order to reach a wider audience should they edit the Cornucopia scene as it contained children killing each other. So, they removed diegetic sound effects of screams/kills, digitally airbrushed blood on weapons to reduce its goriness, and cut kill shots so that details of injuries/wounds couldn't be seen.
IN RELATION TO OUR OPENING SEQUENCE:
I believe that our sequence would be classified as a '15' both within its opening sequence and our intended narrative plot. This is because though there are psychologically disturbing depictions, such as a belt around her neck, her wrists duct taped, her feet zip tied, and a funnel duct taped to her mouth, they are only showed briefly and there isn't a huge emphasis placed upon them as the majority of our sequence is about the preparation of the poison. Our elements of violence are not endorsed either, as the man is presented as a villain through our use of mise-en-scene (black turtle neck, sinister expressions etc.) and non-diegetic eerie music.
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