An Intro to the BBFC - Part 1

The BBFC is a 'co-regulatory' body, that is responsible for the classification and regulation of film (and video/dvd) in the UK.

A co-regulator was defined in the Leveson inquiry as:

Co-regulatory models typically provide more industry involvement than statutory regulation and can be particularly effective when there is widespread industry support for the objectives of regulation. They require periodic monitoring by a backstop body to ensure effectiveness and can require the backstop body to carry out enforcement activity.

This means that there is still an Independent Regulator (The BBFC) but that has a 'backstop' - another organisation that can enforce regulation or issue controls.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide/bbfc-history/1912-1949 

BBFC timeline

1.       What year was the BBFC founded? 

2.       What was the original name of the BBFC? 

3.       Who actually had power to license and screen films, regardless of the BBFC’s advice? (This power was given by the 1909 cinematograph act) 

4.       What were the first two age certificates given? 

5.       How many reasons did T.P O’Connor list upon which a film could be ‘deleted’?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppqutUB23A&list=PLlh6Y6IR5v9cDFZj2L1EbmkA3gQTjeHEt&index=1 – Dear Censor – BBFC documentary.

1.       Who was the chief censor in the 1940s and 1950s? 

2.       What Marlon Brando film causes big problems between the BBFC and it’s distributor? 

3.       Who was the next chief censor? 

4.       What certificate was ‘Garden of Eden’ eventually reclassified as? 

5.       What is the name of the controversial film featuring the first full example of male nudity/

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Further reading: 

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide/legislation

- What allows the BBFC to licence films for the public?

- What legislation does the BBFC use when classifying films?

- What does the Obscene Publications Act say?

- What does the Video Recording Act say?

- Why was the Video Recording Act changed via the criminal justice and public order act? 

? When was it changed and how was it changed?

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What were the Video Nasties? Why were they an issue for The BBFC? 

Here is a link to some of the BBFC's most interesting or controversial decisions:

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies 

G325 - Critical Perspectives Examination

G325 is your FINAL A2 MEDIA EXAM.



For my section you will answer ONE QUESTION for 50 marks. (It will take an hour)


The contemporary media issue we will be studying is MEDIA REGULATION.


Regulation means:


"To control (something, especially a business activity) by means of rules and regulations."
"To control or direct by a rule, principle, method, etc.: "


We also discussed the difference between statutory regulation, and self regulation. You find out more here:


This is from the specification in case you missed last lesson:

KEY TOPICS AND QUESTIONS

Contemporary Media Regulation 

1. • What is the nature of contemporary media regulation compared with previous practices? 
2. • What are the arguments for and against specific forms of contemporary media regulation?
3. • How effective are regulatory practices?
4. • What are the wider social issues relating to media regulation?

Candidates might explore combinations of:

Film censorship, the regulation of advertising, the Press and regulation / control, computer / video game classification, the regulation of online media, social networking and virtual worlds, contemporary broadcasting and political control, the effects debate and alternative theories of audience, children and television, violence and the media or a range of other study contexts relating to the regulation of contemporary media. Regulation might be researched in regard to media content, access, ownership and control and / or in relation to politics, public interest and democracy.

June 2015 Example Questions

"Assess the arguments for media regulation in 2015"


"Some areas of contemporary media require stricter regulation than others. Discuss"






We then discussed press regulation, and film regulation. Including the arguments for and against regulation.















Some interesting videos on the subject are below.




- Mr Lane

Regulatory Bodies Research Homework

For your homework you need to find out who the following REGULATORY BODIES are, what industries they relegate, and how they regulate them. Put the information on your blog by Tuesday (13Z & 13V)

 

1. BBFC  
2. OFCOM  
3. IPSO
4. IMPRESS
5. ASA
6. VSC
7. BBC TRUST

Genre Research

This is your homework - to be completed by Monday 18th/Tuesday 19th July

WHAT MAKES A ______ VIDEO? 

(Eg. What makes a pop video)

•Choose a particular genre

•Find 5 artists from that genre

•Look at their music videos and try to find links and conventions that videos from that genre have. (Such as Pop Videos featuring a certain number of costume changes / Rock videos often focusing on the performance of the individual band members.)

•Also note whether they are a solo artist or a band (and how they show this in their videos)

•Look for technical codes such as;

–Whip Pans, Crash Zooms, Jump Cuts, Close Ups, Slow Motion, Cross Cutting, Props, Costumes

•And look for narrative & genre codes such as

–Theme, Storyline, Characters, Use of artist as character, Goodwin’s theories, Atmosphere, Tone, Concept, Relationship between lyric and visuals.

Narrative Theory - to help with your exam response

Click on the link below and summarise the points made on your blog by answering these 4 questions.

What is the difference between story and narrative?

What does Aristotle say about the relationship between "action" and "character"?

What do you understand by Christian Metz's point that in narratives we should consider "the time of the thing told and the time of the telling"?

Give some examples of devices to manipulate time used by filmmakers.

NARRATIVE THEORY

Narrative Theory

Make sure you have four separate posts summarising the key narrative theorists below:

Vladimir Propp - Russian theorist of folk tales
Tsvetan Todorov- Bulgarian structuralist
Roland Barthes - French semiotician
Claude Levi Strauss - French anthropologist

Now apply all 4 to a mainstream movie of your choice.

eg.

G324 - Advanced Portfolio Task Brief

Your task is to create:

"1. A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options: 

1. • a website homepage for the band;
2. • a digipak for the album’s release;
3. • a magazine advertisement for the digipak."

Your artist, album, and video will need to be original and created by you. You can choose a song from the following playlist (TBC) for your promo video (but remember you are planning the release and promotion of an entire album.)






A digipak is a certain type of cardboard packaging for a physical release of a CD. They look like this:



They can have four, six, or even eight panels. Here are some templates for them: http://www.oasiscd.com/graphics/templates-digipak.asp


GETTING STARTED:

The first thing you need to do is research existing artists and see how they present a coherent identity across their videos, websites, digipaks, and start researching these specific items. See this post for more info.