Regulatory and professional bodies Regulatory and professional bodies within the Creative Media Sectorwithin the Creative Media Sector

Adam Grundy

Unit 2 Task 1 Be able to extract information from written sourcesUnit 7 Task 3 Understanding the regulation of the media sector

Task 1: Be able to Task 1: Be able to extract information extract information from written sourcesfrom written sources

Be able to extract information from written sourcesWritten sources: e.g. books, journals, websites, magazines, newspapers, handoutsReading: with concentration; skim-reading: scanning; using index; using word search; using phrase searchExtract information: e.g. write notes, summarise, highlight text, annotate document, underline passages,

British Board of Film Classification British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)(BBFC)

In order to keep the British movie industry under control and to stop the release of racist or obscene films. Then came the The British board of Film Classification, they are a non-government controlled organization that are not organized for profit. They are the ones responsible clarifying what film gets which age rating. They age ratings are; U, PG, 12A and 12, 15, 18 and R18. For them to choose a specific age rating for a film. Depending on what the film includes (EG: sex, violence, bad language) can affect the film on what age rating it classifies as. If a film gets denied due to being to obscene then the BBFC would suggest that they do enough cuts and editing to turn the film into a suitable age classification, for example this is what happened with the human centipede two. It was considered to wrong and horrific to be passed as a film so it was denied. When they went back to the BBFC they told them to do specific cuts and edits and at the end of it, it finally came out as a viewable rating of 18. The obscene publications act came into place before it was published and after it was greenlit, it was deemed acceptable for the public viewing. The BBFC follow certain regulations, for example their labeling regulation where the specific age rating (For example the U rating) number/letter can be no smaller than 5mm in size on the case and no less than 2mm on the disk and on the case it must be visible on all sides.

British Video AssociationBritish Video Association

The BVA was established in 1980 and it was set up to represent the interests of publishers and rights of pre-recorded video entertainment. The BVA’s members account for some 90% of the £2.6 billion video entertainment sector, which includes television companies and independent labels which distribute video content. Their members represent the video divisions of major film and television companies, as well as independent video publishers.The BBFC is at the epicenter of the video industry as They work alongside with associated organizations. Such as FACT (Federation against Copyright Theft) has continually targeted those that seek to acquire copyright-infringing content at cinemas. Despite the ever-increasing use and speed of the internet within the UK and the availability of copyright-infringing digital content online, a market still exists for the sale of illegal hard copies. For years the BVA have been working with hardware, software, service providers and retail sectors to promote the concept of the authorised domain as opposed to the illegal file-sharing and streaming services which are a threat to the film industry, because there are a lot of websites that allow movie streaming by breaking copyright and not their right to do so. This is a growing problem but people continue to do so which makes problems for the industry, financially wise and legally wise. The laws that link to the BVA relate to any film that gets released, like it has to have a certificate and cannot be copied.

Film Distributors AssociationFilm Distributors Association

The FDA (Film Distributors Association) established in London 1915, The FDA liaises and works with many individuals, companies and organisations. They represent the distribution of video content throughout the media industry and they are a founding member of All Industry Marketing for Cinema (AIM), a generic marketing body which works to increase and broaden the UK cinema audience across the board. Their main issue is with Online piracy since it is an on going and seems like an unbeatable problem. Piracy has affected most of the media industry and the film industry is no difference due to online file sharing and streaming. Piracy breaks copyright infringement as it is shared without the content producers authorisation. Though along with FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) they have made in recent years have made a measurable difference to cut down film theft in UK cinemas. Their main area is to make sure that all films are distributed equally and fairly and that nobody illegally shares it.

The FDA is the voice of the people and the movie industry, it lets everyone share the same opinion that films (And other media content) should be distributed fairly and properly and that it is in the well-being for thewhole film economy

Video Standards Council (VSC)Video Standards Council (VSC)

The VSC is a standard body for the video and game industries and has a Code of Practice designed to ensure that both industries show a duty of care in their dealings with customers and the public generally. It was established in 1989 at the request of the then Home Secretary as a body set up to develop and oversee a Code of Practice designed to promote high standards within the video and DVD industry. The Code was subsequently expanded to promote high standards within the video games industry. In 2012 by the UK government the VSC was in charge of all video game age ratings whereas the BBFC was in control of age ratings of video games. With this new system it means that anyone who is caught selling a game to game to someone lower than the age rating could face jail. The VSC will now rate games to Pegi's specifications while enforcing compliance among retailers though this new system doesn’t affect online purchases. While the BBFC will now largely stop assessing content in games, it will still be called upon to judge games with gross violence or sexual material. The VSC follow the Video Recordings Act 1984 and are age rated by the relevant age rating authority unless any such video entertainment product or video game is exempt from any legally enforceable age rating process. 

Office for Communication (Ofcom)Office for Communication (Ofcom)

Ofcom was established by the Office of Communications Act 2002 (the 'Ofcom Act'). It is ofcom’s job to an eye on the UK's telecoms, television, radio and postal industries to make sure that the they are suitable for the public viewing. They still stick to the same laws as any other Association. Ofcom are responsible for making sure talent shows tell the public that after a competition is closed, that they have to tell them that if they continue to phone in that they would be charged. Many shows have made the mistake and not showed this as it is a requirement and were sued due for this. This doesn’t have to be in big letters, it can be in very small letters and as long as it is viewable, it counts and the program will not be prosecuted. Ofcom are the ones who are in charge of all TV stations throughout wales and England. An area of the Ofcom website seemingly intended for members of the public to submit questions to Ofcom does not actually provide this service. Rather, it provides a list of suggested questions in the style of an FAQ. Ofcom want to make sure the TV stations are following the rules so they don’t abuse their rights or even their customers. Its non-governmental so if the government was in control they could say what can be shown and what cannot be, which denies the free speech act of 1968.

Advertising Standards Advertising Standards Authority(ASA).Authority(ASA).

The Advertising Standards Authority or better know as ASA was established in 1964 and is a UK based organization who’s purpose is to make every advertisement in the country is a responsible advert and that it follows their rules and regulations. This advert is non governmental so the government cannot be biased against certain ads. They follow certain rules to make sure the advert passes as a reasonable and responsible advert. Their work led to 3,700 ads being changed or withdrawn.  The UK Advertising Codes are written by two industry committees: the Committee of Advertising Practice writes the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) writes the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. This also stops the company being biased against anyone who tries to bribe the company to let the advertisement pass. In 2004, The office of communication contracted day-to-day responsibilities for regulating TV and Radio adverts to the ASA and this for the first time giving the public and advertisers a single regulator for advertising.

Trading Standards CentralTrading Standards Central

The trading standards institute is the group where anything sold is actually to the quality of what they say it is, and if it isn’t then the TSC can get you done for selling something for less than its worth. For example when somebody sells an iPhone on eBay and when it arrives it turns out to be fake. It means this it has to be of the quality of what it is selling. This applies within the media with online piracy of music, films, shows and games. Their aim is to provide advice and support to those who are shopping cross-border within the internal market and act when necessary. Though they are not part of the government, they do work with them and stakeholders. They said they do not work for individual complaints as they said it’s the Citizens Advice Consumer Advice line and your local authority trading standards service job to sort your complaints. So this tells us that this specific organisation works for the big companies (And businesses with their problems) to deal with the biggest illegal trading problem, piracy. As said before they work along with the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, which says selling a product, it must be to the value of what you're selling it at, If a seller says they are selling a genuine iPhone and it turns out to be fake, it means that they are breaking the law.

Press ComplaintsPress ComplaintsCommission (PCC)Commission (PCC)

The press Complaints commission, Started in 1953 is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines. It has no legal powers – all newspapers and magazines voluntarily contribute to the costs of, and adhere to the rulings of, the Commission, making the industry self-regulating. After the news of the world phone hacking scandal that was taking place for multiple years, David Cameron and Many Other MP’s called for It to be replaced entirely with a brand new body, the new body being Independent Press Standards Organization. The PCC have a code of practice that they expect newspapers to follow though the Commission does not impose financial penalties on newspapers found to have broken the Code, which proved it was faulty.