LO2 Understanding the Creative Media Sector

Understanding ethical and legal constraints within the media

sector
Why is it important to consider ethical issues when producing media?
It is important to consider ethical issues, because media is viewed by a large variety of
people across the world, and therefore people could find things offensive due to many
different reasons, lie race and religion! "he media should always produce things that
promote e#uality and diversity!
How is gender represented in film?
"he portrayal of gender in the media is a largely debated sub$ect! %omen in media are
usually represented as in the home, or as se& ob$ects who e&ist primarily to service men!
"he media usually depicts woman as wea and vulnerable, and men usually as
independent, and in many cases violent and aggressive! %hat people don't realise is that
this is being translated to the modern household, especially with young children who grow
up seeing this on the "( and therefore thin that it is a right and accurate depiction of the
real world! )esearch tells us that the more television children watch, the more liely they
are to hold se&ist views about male and female roles, and with males are also proven in
some cases to demonstrate aggressive behaviour! "hese points are also clear in adverts,
with woman and girls shown as always preoccupied with their appearance, or with
$ewellery, whereas men and boys are shown as being sporty and outdoorsy! In adverts for
brands such as *ie, most of the athletes and professional sportspeople shown are male,
which does not promote gender diversity in sports!
What is the Films Act (1985?
"his +ct repealed the ,ilms +cts -./0 to -.10, got rid of the *ational ,ilm ,inance
Corporation, the 2ady Levy 3%hos plans were to ta& the bo& offices to help support the
4ritish ,ilm Industry5 and the 4ritish ,ilm ,und +gency! "he act came in to action in -.21,
the -st of +pril for distributers and the -st of October for e&hibitors! "he act made the blind
booing of films illegal, and were made to be shown to the 44,C and given a rating before
being shown to the public! It helps the industry, as it gives e#ual opportunities for all films
to be shown in cinemas!
What is the !ideo "ecordings Act (198#?
It is an act of the U6 7arliament passed in -.18! It says that all commercial video
recordings being sold or rented within the U6 have to be given a classification by an
authority designated by the 9ome Office before being released! "he 4ritish 4oard of ,ilm
Classification, which has been around since -.-2, was chosen in -.18 to be the
designated classifying authority! ,ilms were classified with an age:rated system, and it was
made an offense for people under that age to see the specific film! ,ilms that do not have
classification are not allowed to be sold or given to anyone of any age, unless it is
educational, or to do with a sport, religion or music and does not depict violence, se& or
incite a criminal offence!
LO2 Understanding the Creative Media Sector
What would $e the conse%uences for $rea&ing copyright law?
Copyright law violations involve someone profiting from, distributing, or claiming material to
which they have no rights! "he typical conse#uences for these violations include fine, loss
of employment, or loss of freedom, depending on the scale of the violation! In most cases
of copyright infringement, no action is taen unless the rightful owner of the material files
a complaint!