LO4, Task 5: Ethical, legal and regulatory issues notes

ethical- representations i.e. gender/ age

legal- copyright (music/ soundtrack)
- certification (age rating) BBFC - British Board of Film Classification
- BBFC also comes under regulation. - ASA- Advertising Standards Authority

the products impacts and effect on the audience
relevant issues of representation
relevant legal and ethical issues
relate legal and ethical issues to the role that the relevant regulatory bodies play in upholding guidelines and regulations.

for a merit give examples from the film

research age ratings
whether they have changed
whether the rating it different in America to here- why is this different?

knowledge of audience theories-

active- uses and gratifications- audience pleasure
passive- copycats- they re-enact the film- they are influenced by the film


a) The products impact and effect on the audience

1) passive audiences- hypodermic syringe (Theodore Adorno 1930)- media has a negative impact on an audience. Mass audience believe everything they see and hear.
Issues about sexual content?
what negative effects does it have on the audience?
what is in the film that the audience could re-enact.

2 examples of positive impacts- positive impacts and role models- role model Hazel and Augustus and also Isaac.

2) active audience- we are able to filter and adapt to content in media (David Gauntlett 2007) We have uses and gratifications theory- people use media on their own purposes.

b) relevant issues of representation

Who is being represented?
All representations are mediated ( Stuart Hall, 1980)

mediated- set up to be represented that way

is there use of stereotypes/ countertypes (Tessa Perkins, 1979). Not all stereotypes are false, they are based on a small element of truth.

Stereotypes- common characteristics of different groups of people.
- most stereotypes are negative.

Countertype- challenged stereotypes

Representations of women- are they objectified (Laura Mulvey, 1975). Representation of men (Earp and Katz 1999) 'equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence'

c) relevant legal and/or ethical issues

Legal- copyright infringement? - main worry in film industry illegal downloading?

Copyright infringement- the use of content that you don't have the rights or the permissions to use.
To prevent copyright infringement you need to make sure that you have the right permissions to use whatever it is that you need.
There are many ways to gain permission
if you use something without the creators permission legal prosecution could take place, you could also be sued.

could be used as a form of marketing- illegal downloads


Ethical- offensive material- racism, sexual content, strong language, violence, drug use
age of the audience and the negative impacts- passive audience

Sensationalism- making something bad look good

Censorship- removing content that is not appropriate. re-edited based on the content that is included in the film.

d) role of relevant regulatory bodies