Regulation In The Film Industry. (Key Theory 13- Regulation)

Regulation In The Film Industry.

Regulation-  A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

Film censorship is carried out by various countries to differing degrees, sometimes as a result of powerful or relentless lobbying by organisations or individuals. Films that are banned in a particular country change over time.

Age Certifications In Film:

UC- A new Uc certificate was introduced for videos only to indicate a recording that is especially suitable for young children to watch on their own. Those under the age of a certificate could not buy or rent a video with that certificate.

U- A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. U films should be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

PG- Parental Guidance. General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

12/12A- Suitable for people aged 12 and older. It is illegal to supply a video work with a 12 certificate to anyone under that age even if under supervision. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating.

15- Suitable only for 15 years and over. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.

18- The 18 certificate is issued by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to state that in its opinion, a film, video recording, or game should not be seen at home or elsewhere, watched in a cinema or purchased by a person under 18 years old.

R18- To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults only. The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults.

E- In British film classifications, the E certificate is an unofficial rating sometimes applied to video titles released in the United Kingdom which are exempt from being classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as any of the other certificate categories.

Key Theory 13- Regulation- Sonia Livingstone and Peter Hunt.

The increasing power of global media corporations together with the rise of convergent technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk. 

Straight Outta Compton Certification.

Universal submitted trailers for the film earlier in 2015, with 12A requests. The BBFC gave these trailers a rating of 12A, noting the they contained some suggestion of violence and the sight of guns and baseball bats, but there was no clear detail of blows making contact and no bloody injury detail. The trailers also contained implied strong language with an abbreviated use of the term 'mother' audible in lyrics during a performance.

The distributor sought advice from the BBFC, stating that they would like to release the work with a 15 rating. They submitted a finished version of the film, which was seen by Compliance Managers, who felt that the requested 15 would be acceptable. 

Straight Outta Compton was submitted for formal classification in July 2015, with its release scheduled for 28 August. It was submitted with a 15 request and passed at that category, with the BBFC insight of 'strong language, violence, sex, drug use'. 

The detailed BBFC insight notes that there are several uses of strong language ('f**k' and 'motherf**ker'), during dialogue and in rap lyrics. There are also uses of discriminatory language such as 'nigger', with some aggressive uses of the term during scenes of police brutality. When a character is diagnosed with AIDS, he complains 'I ain't no fag'.

The BBFC passed an extended 'Director's Cut' version, which received an 18 rating. That version contains an additional 26 minutes of footage, including two stronger sex scenes. The Compliance Officer who watched it for classification noted that, under the BBFC Classification Guidelines, a combination of sexualised nudity and drug use required an 18 rating.