BBFC - 1950s

1951

The new ‘X’ category is introduced to deal with controversial subjects. It incorporates the former ‘H’ category. The category excludes children under the age of 16. Many films are still cut to get into this category for things such as nudity, sex and drugs.

An increase in television ownership erodes the family cinema audience and causes teenage audience to increase. The popular Press suggests that certain films cause teenage criminality.

1954

‘The Wild One’ is rejected until 1967 because the BBFC describes it as ‘a spectacle of unbridled hooliganism’. Some authorities overturned the rejection and allow local releases. The Board cites 1964 riots in English seaside towns (Margate and Clacton) as justification for their decision.

1956

John Nichols replaces Watkins for two years before being replaced by John Trevelyan in 1958.

1960

‘Beat Girl’ fails to impress the Board with the film’s script about a teenage girl considering becoming a stripper to rebel against her father. It is judged to be 'the product of squalid and illiterate minds'. The film is cut several times to get an ‘X’ classification. It is currently a ‘12’ on video.

BBFC - 1912-1949

1912

The British Board of Film Censors is established.

1916

T.P. O’Connor is appointed President of the BBFC. He lays down 43 grounds for deletion for examiners. The list was so strict to earn the trust of the public.

1918 – 1939

Between the First and Second World Wars, several film genres and themes cause concern. These include horrors, gangster films and films dealing with sexuality.

Some councils bar children from ‘A’ rated films in this period.

1948

Arthur Watkins is appointed Secretary to the Board. He was a successful playwright coming from the Home Office. They give advice to many film-makers on scripts.

Watkins and the new President, Harris formulate terms of reference for the BBFC on based on the following:

• Was the story, incident or dialogue likely to impair the moral standards of the public by extenuating vice or crime or depreciating moral standards?
• Was it likely to give offence to reasonably minded cinema audiences?
• What effect would it have on children?

Besides the ‘H’ (for horror) category (which many councils used), there was no category excluding children. An ‘adults only category was seen as desirable to protect children and to allow film-makers to deal with adult subjects.

‘Frankenstein’ (1931) had a sequence cut from it in which the monster drowns a small girl. The film received the ‘H’ category in 1932 to suggest its unsuitability for children. The London County Council and Manchester City Council banned children from seeing it.

PCC Seminar Reflections

This useful aspect of this seminar was to get a better understanding of why the PCC does what it does today. Also, getting to see some case studies really demonstrated the thought process that goes into whether a complaint if upheld or not.

5 interesting facts I learnt from this seminar:

• Newspapers owned by Northern & Shell (Daily Star, Sunday Express, OK!, etc.) have not been regulated by the PCC since January
• If the PCC sees a breach of code but does not receive a complaint from the person in question, the PCC will inform them
• Each year, the PCC receives several complaints from people about things that do not breach the code, e.g. complaining about photographs being published that reveal a dangerous act of public interest
• The parts of the code that are breached the most often are accuracy and privacy
• The PCC can ask contact all press publications, to tell them not to harass a person, etc.

BBFC Seminar Reflections

I think that this seminar was particularly useful because I got a better understand of how the actual process works, as opposed to just the final result. It was also very useful to hear about the BBFC from a personal angle.

Although I learnt a lot from this talk, I have 5 interesting facts:

• The BBFC used to be about censoring films, not classifying them, hence why the C stood for Censors
• BBFC board members are much public than they used to be in the past, they now stand for transparency
• Every country’s classification system, including ours, is mainly based around people’s values
• Films must be watched in the same way that audiences would see them (in 3D, with subtitles, etc.)
• If somebody believes a film was classified incorrectly, that classifier must reply and justify their rating

The PCC Code of Practice

The PCC Code of Practice or The Editor’s Code consists of 16 clauses:

1. Accuracy
2. Opportunity to reply
3. *Privacy
4. *Harassment
5. Intrusion into grief or shock
6. *Children
7. *Children in sex cases
8. *Hospitals
9. *Reporting of crime
10. *Clandestine devices and subterfuge
11. Victims of sexual assault
12. Discrimination
13. Financial journalism
14. Confidential sources
15. Witness payments in criminal trials
16. *Payment to criminals

Clauses marked * may be permitted if it is in the public interest to know.

Considerably more information about these clauses and the public interest can be found here.

Why is the PCC important?

The PCC believes that "in a democracy, the press should not be subject to stringent controls by law or by government” although the press should also remain unaccountable.

The PCC thinks of themselves as a mechanism which can right wrongs when people’s expectations of the press are gone against.

Their motto is made up of three words:

• Fast – dealing with complaints in ~35 days
• Free – doesn’t cost to use the service
• Fair – independent from the industry

Who complains to the PCC and what do they complain about?

The PCC accepts complaints from anyone who believes an article involving them breaches the Code.

In 2007, 1.5% of complaints came from public figures but 95.8% came from ordinary members of the public.

The Code provides special protection to particularly vulnerable groups such as:

• Children
• Hospital patients
• Those at risk of discrimination

The majority of complaints are about regional newspapers, perhaps because readers attach importance to papers which will be read by people in their locality.

What is the history of the PCC?

1953

The Press Council is set up with the aim of ‘maintaining high standards of journalism as well as protecting press freedom’

1980s

A number of publications fail to observer basic journalism ethics. Consequently, many MPs believe the Press Council to be weak and ineffective. Some politicians believe it would be better to have a government controlled regulatory authority to enforce legal punishments. A Departmental Committee was given the task “to consider what measures are needed to give further protection to individual privacy from the activities of the press and improve recourse against the press for the individual citizen”. The Committee recommended a new Press Complaints Commission for non-statutory regulation.

1991

The PCC is set up and replaces the Press Council. It continues to grow in respect and influence. It is clearly supported by the current Government.

2007

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee states that: "We do not believe that there is a case for a statutory regulator for the press, which would represent a very dangerous interference with the freedom of the press. We continue to believe that statutory regulation of the press is a hallmark of authoritarianism and risks undermining democracy. We recommend that self-regulation should be retained for the press, while recognising that it must be seen to be effective if calls for statutory intervention are to be resisted."

How is the PCC funded?

The PCC is funded through PressBof, the ‘Press Standards Board of Finance’. They are a board responsible for collecting money from newspapers and magazines in the UK.

The amount of money that a particular newspaper or magazine contributes is proportional to its readership. The larger a newspaper the more it has to pay.

Neither members of the public or the government pay for the PCC.

How does the press regulation system work?

The press regulation system is administered by the PCC. It is not a legal system and it is not run by the government.

It is a voluntary agreement by the press industry, allowing itself to be regulated by the independent PCC.

The Code of Practice is drawn up by a committee of editors due to their knowledge of the press industry and law. The PCC mostly consists of ‘lay’ members. Even the Chairman, Baroness Buscombe has no connection to the industry.

What does the PCC do?

The Press Complaints Commission deals with complaints about the editorial content of UK newspapers, magazines and related websites. They are a free and fast service for everyone, especially members of the public.

There are a body independent of the government so that we have a free press. The PCC administer a 16 clause Code of Practice which should be adhered to by journalists and editors. If the PCC receives a complaint about press, they investigate to see if the Code has been breached. If a problem is found, they mediate between the editor and complainant to resolve the dispute. Usually a correction, apology or clarification will be published.

If a problem remains unresolved, the PCC assesses all of the evidence and will issue a formal adjudication. This adjudication sets out the reasons why the complaint was either upheld or rejected; if it is upheld, the adjudication must be published in full.

Occasionally the PCC will decide that no other action is necessary if, for example:

• A correction is published
• The complainant receives an apologetic letter from the editor
• A follow-up letter from the complainant is published

Ways to improve the film classification system

The two main problems I have with the way films are classified are that:

1. It doesn’t necessarily work for everyone
2. Not enough people know about it

In relation to my first point, I don’t actually think there is another practical way to classify film for people; the system we have isn’t perfect but it’s the best one we have.

Concerning the fact that not enough people know about the BBFC and that they can access information on ratings, I believe this can be solved with some promotion.

For a start, the BBFC’s website gives information as to why every film receives the rating it does. If this information was available in cinemas or placing selling films, I believe this would drastically reduce the number of complaints with the BBFC’s guidelines (from parents who take their child to see a more mature film).

Alternatively, an advertising campaign in cinemas, on TV or otherwise encouraging parents to check the BBFC site for classification information would definitely benefit the BBFC.

Does the film classification system work?

I believe that the system should work but due to the nature of people, it doesn’t completely.

Although I believe to an extent that children must be protected to an extent, the fact that there is no evidence for films causing harm makes me believe that the vulnerable must be protected in other ways.

For example, I don’t believe that somebody would witness criminal activity, drug – taking etc. in a film and then go to do it unless they already had plans to do it in the first place. If anything, society needs to be protected from these people instead of the films that allegedly made them think and act this way.

I do however believe that a young child should not see certain things in case they start to develop concepts such as profanity from an early age but I don’t see why films must be one of the few media that actually has to teach them morality. There are other media; books, art, music that very rarely compromise in a similar way.

Pros and cons of current film classification

For

• It is relevant our modern culture and society
• The system is regularly updated based on audiences’ views
• Focuses on protecting younger generations from harm
• People (local councils) are able to act against guidelines
• The BBFC takes the work very seriously

Against

• Not upheld very effectively in the real world
• Unable to completely protect children
• Encourages production of ‘safe’ but ‘dull’ movies (for a wider audience)
• Can’t be applied to everybody because people are different
• The BBFC is relatively unknown, parents don’t seek out information
• No evidence that films actually cause ‘harm’
• Films may be classified with only the working classes in mind

18 > R18

‘18’ and ‘R18’ are very similar except that ‘R18’ may have:

• Unjustified sexual context
• Explicit images of sexual activity

15 > 18

‘15’ and ‘18’ are very similar except that ‘18’ may have anything acceptable in a movie unless it serves to stimulate.

12a > 15

‘12a’ and ‘15’ are very similar except that ‘15’ may have:

• Drug taking but not generally encouraged in the film
• Strong threat and menace
• Frequent use of strong language and the strongest terms, e.g. ‘cunt’ if justified
• Any nudity if educational or non-sexual
• Nudity in a sexual context without strong detail
• Detailed sexual activity
• Strong verbal references to sexual behaviour
• Any theme suitable for the age group
• Detailed references to sexual violence
• Portrayal of sexual violence if justified

PG > 12a

‘PG’ and ‘12a’ are very similar except that ‘12a’ may have:

• Aggressive discrimination if clearly condemned
• Misuse of drugs, but infrequent, criticised and not shown in detail
• Moderate physical and psychological threat
• Dangerous behaviour (but not dwelled upon or shown to be harm free)
• Moderate language and infrequent use of strong language e.g. ‘fuck’
• Brief nudity in a sexual context
• Discreet portrayal of sexual activity
• More mature themes
• Gory moments if justified by context
• Implied sexual violence if justified

U > PG

‘U’ and ‘PG’ are very similar except that ‘PG’ may have:

• More serious themes
• Discreet mentions of sex and relationships
• Stronger violence and threat
• Scary but not prolonged horror
• Discrimination, if given context

R18

Very little is not permitted for ‘R18’ films although they must be distributed in specialist locations.

‘R18’s must still not breach the BBFC’s guidelines obviously.

18

Little is cut from ‘18’ films as adults can watch what they want, however the following is not allowed:

• Promotion or encouragement of drug taking
• Material produced in breach of the law
• Detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts which may cause harm
• Unjustified explicit unjustified sexual activity

15

• The strongest language may be used (such as ‘cunt’) although continued use it not.
• Strong threat and menace is allowed without the strongest gory images.
• Drug taking may be shown as long as the film does not promote their misuse.
• Misuse of easily accessible substances such as solvents is typically unacceptable.
• The following may also be included: strong violence, sexual activity, strong sex references, sexual nudity, brief sexual violence, discriminatory behaviour.

12a

• Strong language (such as ‘fuck) is allowed if infrequent and given context.
• Moderate language (such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’) is allowed.
• Discrimination is allowed if not endorsed by the film.
• Sex may be discreetly portrayed.
• Nudity is allowed but must be brief in a sexual context.
• Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail.
• Gory moments are permitted if justified.
• Sexual violence must be implied and heavily justified by context.
• Moderate threat is permitted if disturbing sequences are not sustained.
• Dangerous imitable behaviour may be present without detail.
• Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

PG

• A ‘PG’ film is suitable for general viewing.
• No theme is prohibited as long as it is treated appropriately.
• Mild bad language is permitted such as ‘shit’ and ‘son of a bitch’ with context.
• Sex is acceptable if implied and lacking detail.
• Bloody violence is permitted if the cause of injuries is not shown.
• ‘Jump’ moments are allowed but realism and sustained threat is not.
• Realistic weapons will be glamorised.
• There must be no strong focus on drug references

U

• A ‘U’ film is suitable for anybody four years and over.
• Very mild bad language is allowed such as ‘damn’ and ‘hell’.
• Characters may kiss or cuddle or make references to covert references to sex.
• Brief moments of characters in danger are permitted if they are quickly resolved.
• Weapons may be permitted if there is no emphasis on it.
• Easily imitable behaviour presented as fun will not be present.
• A children’s work at ‘U’ should contain a positive message.
• Discrimination is unlikely to be present unless clearly disapproved of.
• Drugs references are allowed if brief and given education context.

BLK comments for wk 1 hwk

excellent notes dominic, and some interesting reflections. a great start. miss b :-)

Discrimination

As of 2009, the BBFC have also had to consider how a film features discrimination.

Discrimination relates to the 5 matters of:

1. Race
2. Gender
3. Religion
4. Disability
5. Sexuality

Classifiers must also take into account the impact of including discrimination.

Less restrictive categories may be given to films which explicitly criticise discriminatory behaviour or seek to challenge such attitudes.

Legal Issues

More information concerning the legal issues involved in BBFC film classification can be found here.

The acts that must be considered are:

• Human Rights Act 1998
• The Licensing Act 2003
• The Video Recordings Act 1984
• The Obscene Publications Act 1959 & 1964
• Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
• The Protection of Children Act 1978
• The Sexual Offences Act 2003
• The Public Order Act 1986
• The Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937
• The Animal Welfare Act 2006
• The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002

Theme

The sensitivity of a theme's presentation will be the main factor affecting classification.

Most themes are allowed to be classified at '15' or '18'.

The most problematic themes are inappropriate for junior levels of classification; these themes include:

• Drug abuse
• Sexual violence
• Paedophilia
• Incitement to racial hatred

Horror

For films targeted at a younger audience, classifiers must consider several factors concerning horror:

• The frequency of scary scenes
• The length of scary scenes
• The detail of scary scenes
• Horror effects (music and sound)
• The outcome (and whether or not it is swift and reassuring)

As older audiences often see horror films to be frightened, the films are classified to protect the young from receiving too intense an experience.

Imitable Techniques

'U' and 'PG' films must not feature potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy.

'12' and '15' films should not dwell on detail about dangerous behaviour (especially towards oneself) which could e copied, or appear harm free.

Weapons

'U' films may not have emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.

'PG' films must not glamorise realistic or easily accessible weapons.

'12' and '15' films should not glamorise easily accessible weapons.

Criminal Activity

No film may be classified whether the material is in conflict with the law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence.

Furthermore, any films actively promoting illegal behaviour will be cut or rejected.

Drugs

For all classifications, no film is allowed to:

1. Promote the misuse of drugs.
2. Portray drug misuse in detail.

Films emphasising the dangers of drug misuse may be less restrictive than those who present it neutrally.

Where drug use is significant in works appealing to children, it will be indicated in Consumer Advice Information.

Sexual Violence

Detailed verbal references to sexual violence may be allowed in '15' films but any portrayal must be discreet and well justified.

For all films, portrayals of sexual violence which might, for example, eroticise sexual assault are not allowed.

Sexual References

'U' films may contain references only (to 'making love' etc.)

'PG' films may only contain mild sex references and innuendo.

'12' films should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

'15' films may have strong verbal references but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless the context justifies it.

'18' films are allowed to make most references to sex but nothing encouraging an interest in sexually abusive activity.

Sex

Sex applies to everything from kissing to details of real sex. The classification levels rise in accordance to this from 'U' to '18'.

Sex works (whose main purpose is sexual stimulation) are likely to only receive a '18' or 'R18' rating. If the material is simulated, it is likely to be passed '18'.

'R18' films may contain clear images of: real sex, fetishism, explicit animations and images. These films may only be supplied in licensed sex shops or shown in licensed cinemas.

Language

The extent that offensive language or expletives can offend someone is dependent on the individual.

Consequently, there is no compressive list of what language is not acceptable. Classification levels are given based on general views expressed in public consultation exercises.

Violence

Although violence is frequently shown in films aimed at all ages, the degree and nature of violence.

There are more restrictive fiction classifications reserved for any of the following:

• Regularly using violence to solve violence.
• Good people inflicting pain.
• Being callous towards villains.
• Encouraging aggressive attitudes.
• Characters taking pleasure in pain.

Project Reflections 1

Before this project started, I didn't know much about media regulation. But since then, I have learnt some rather interesting facts, specifically about the BBFC:

• The BBFC is independent from the government and were set up by the film industry itself.
• An issue's context can have a large effect on the certificiate that a film receives.
• The BBFC review their own guidelines approximately every 5 years to match public opinion.

BBFC Overriding Factors

Occasionally, the BBFC is presented with borderline cases for films. In these situations, they must consider the following three factors:

1. The context of an issue. This includes many other factors such as the audience's expectations, genre, presentation manner, filmmaker's intention, production date, special merits of the film.
2. The tone and impact. For example, if a film has an unsettling tone throughout, it is likely to receive a more restrictive classification. This also includes how close it resembles the real world and what the moral perspective is. How a film makes the audience feel may also be taken into account.
3. The release format. A DVD may occasionally receive a higher classification than in the cinema because of the increased possibility of under-age viewing. 

BBFC Legal Consideration

The BBFC must consider all of the following acts:

• Human Rights Act 1998, for the right to a private life and freedom of expression.
• The Licensing Act 2003, that cinemas require a license with the aims to prevent crime and disorder, public safety, prevention of public nuisance, protecting children from harm.
• The Video Recordings Act 1984, that films must be classified based on how the film deals with criminal behavior, violent or horrific behaviour / incidents and sexual activity.
• The Obscene Publications Act 1959 & 1964, which makes it illegal to publish any work considered obscene.
• Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which makes it illegal to be in possession of an extreme pornographic image.
• The Protection of Children Act 1978, making it illegal to make, distribute, show or possess indecent photographs of one who is under the age of 18.
• The Sexual Offences Act 2003, making it illegal to expose oneself with the intent to cause distress.
• The Public Order Act 1986, which makes it illegal to distribute, show or play publicly, a recording that is threatening, abusive or insulting with the intention to stir up hatred from race or sexuality.
• The Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, making it illegal to show any scene that involved actual cruelty to animals.
• The Animal Welfare Act 2006, making it illegal to supply, publish, show or possess a video recording of an 'animal fight' that has taken place in Great Britain.
• The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002, which makes it illegal to publish a tobacco advertisement.

BBFC General Principles

The BBFC has two main guiding principles:

1. Works should be allowed to reach the widest audiences appropriate for the film's treatment.
2. Adults should be free to choose what they see (as long as it's legal and not harmful)

Whilst applying these principles, they also consider three main qualifications:

1. The film must not be in conflict with the law.
2. The film must not cause harm.*
3. The film must be publicly considered acceptable for the age group concerned.

*Harm may include: desensitising violence, degrading empathy, encouraging dehumanisation and anti-social behaviour, reinforcing unhealthy fantasies and more. These especially apply to young children.

Who are the BBFC?

The British Board of Film Classification is a non - governmental body that classify films.

They charge a fee to those who submit films and video (such as distribution companies) to them, as a result they can remain independent.

Besides films, they also classify video games, anything released on DVD or Blu-Ray and anything distributed via the internet.

One of the main reasons for the BBFC's classification categories is to protect children from any harm which may be caused.

If the BBFC deems a film unacceptable, they may reject it (if it breaches criminal law) or cut it.

About every five years, the BBFC updates their guidelines through public consulation.