Film Bodies

British Board of Film Classification

The BBFC is a non-governmental organization that rates all Films DVDs and to a
lesser extent video games. They classify these media products into a number of
age appropriate categories such as Universal, Parental Guidance, 12, 15 and 18.
an example of classification which has sparked controversy was Stanley Kubrick's
A Clockwork Orange. When the film was first shown to the BBFC it was granted
an 18 (or at the time X) rating without any cuts. However the press thought that
the anti social behaviour of the films main character might be copied by youths,
and in 1973 due to some copycat violence and threats being made towards
Kubrick and his family the film was withdrawn from circulation.
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studieclockworks/-orange

the Film Distributors' Association

http://www.launchingfilms.com/about-us
the FDA is the trade boy for theatrical film distributors in the UK, essentially they
distribute films into cinema's across the UK.
The British academy of film and television arts
The BAFTAS are a charity that rewards excellence within the film industry,
technically they are a charity as they require donations trust, foundations and
corporate partnerships to support themselves, for example this year's BAFTAS
were sponsored by EE . A recent issue with the BAFTAS according to critics is that
they are becoming too much like a wannabe Oscars.
http://www.bafta.org/about
OFCOM
ofcom are the uk's communications regulators, they regulate everything from
what goes on TV to the signals broadcast over boat radio
OFCOM
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

OFCOM abide strictly by the communications act of 2003. According to their

website they state their main legal duties are to make sure that:
The UK has a wide range of electronic communications services, including
high-speed services such as broadband;
a wide range of high-quality television and radio programmes are provided,
appealing to a range of tastes and interests; Television and radio services are
provided by a range of different organisations; People who watch television
and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material;
People are protected from being treated unfairly in television and radio
programmes, and from having their privacy invaded;

OFCOM are important because they protect the public from scams either
across the various communications network. You can complain directly to
OFCOM about being scammed or any of the services OFCOM aims to maintain.
A more enjoyable reason why OFCOM are important is because they make
sure that high quality television and radio programmes as broadcast and that
caters to all consumers, they will also try and represent everyone fairly in this
way and makers sure that no one is excluded or misrepresented by the media.
They also help to protect the public from offensive and harmful broadcast
material to make sure that people can enjoy broadcasting services without
any anger or oppressed feelings. OFCOM also protects peoples privacy and
makes sure that broadcast services dont invade the lives of others without
permission. They also maintain the British global postal services and make
sure that it is universally priced and covers all areas. OFCOM has been crucial
in investigating breaches of security and privacy in the communications area
like for example the news international phone hacking scandal in July 2011.
And lastly OFCOM are important because they make sure that all
communications networks are sued in the most effective way, an example of
this would be the radio a now aged form of communication, OFCOM doesnt
just control radio programme broadcast but also radio use by boat drivers and
taxi drivers for example to make sure that the radio service is working at its
best and is being used effectively.
The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) are according to their website the
UKs independent regulator of advertising across all media. What the ASA
does is make sure that misleading harmful and offensive advertising is
completely managed across all media not just TV. They manage complaints
made by members of the public about certain advert and have the power to
order a company to either alter or have the advert taken completely down.
The ASA are important because they manage all British advertising. They
arent funded by the tax payer due the fact they have an arms-length levy on
advertising space which they receive by fining ads that are complained about
by the public and deemed inappropriate and also by taxing advertising ad
space. They make sure that all adverts are equally and independently
regulated and controlled to ensure a fair balance between companies and the
public themselves, they are often seen as a messenger between the people
and the companies who can often be seen as unreachable. The ASA are also
important because regulate the code that all British advertisers abide by (UK
Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code) this therefore means that
companies will be able to produce the highest quality adverts whilst also
keeping the people happy. They also work alongside to make sure that the
advertising rule is up to date and relevant as advertising changes, for
example the shift from print advertising to a higher proportion of advertising
consumed being online.
https://www.asa.org.uk/
The Independent Games Development Association.
http://www.tiga.org/about-us-and-uk-games

TIGA is a non profit trade association that represents the UK Games industry.
They work with developers, publishers, outsourcing companies and many
mire. they aim to make the UK a haven from games business through
government lobbying and maintaining political a voice in both the English and
Scottish parliaments.
British Web design and marketing association

the bwdma acts as a pool of knowledge for people seeking to improve E

business standards, they seek to build relationships within the industry and
government. they seek to assist all industries with the application of the
internet and the encourage development within the digital economy.
british interactive media association
http://www.bima.co.uk/documents/Join_BIMA.pdf
BIMA has represented the diverse interest of the British Digital Industry since
1985, according to their website. they aim to support and promote the british
digital industry, share knowledge and best practice, reward good work and
encourage the next generation in the digital age. BIMA is supported by
membership and you receive rewards for becoming a member such as extending
your network to include BIMA executives, you also get enjoy networking events
which can help your business grow, you can also enter your work into BIMA's
awards scheme which can help raise your profile.
The Press Complaints Commission
http://www.pcc.org.uk/about/index.html

The PCC independently regulates the press. It does so by mostly dealing with
complaints from the public about the press as framed within the editors code of
practice. they serve the public by holding editors to account, they strive to
protect the rights of individuals whist still maintain free speech, they help to
maintain a balance between the press and the public.
These regulatory bodies all together will face issues based of the fact they have
to cater to everybody.
For example the BBFC has to rate its films based on guidelines that they have
partly designed, they control what can and cannot be seen by the public, some
would see that as a invasion of consumer choice as the public does not get to
decide what to watch completely but instead gets a selection of works that the
BBFC deems to be safe an example of this ii mentioned involved A Clockwork
orange, the BBFC deemed it to be safe to broadcast under an 18 rating however
the press and the public rallied to have it removed from screens due to it
possibly encouraging anti social behaviour in youths. It's the same the PCC,
some members of the public might deem a story (such as Kate Middleton's
sunbathing images) as horrible offensive and n invasion of privacy however
others may think that it is justifiable and fine, the problem they face is satisfying
everyone.

Following on from this some of the regulatory bodies may face issues of freedom
of information in particular the organizations run on memberships such as BIMA.
People may think that all information especially on the internet should be
available to everyone all the time, however some organizations which hold a pool
of knowledge within themselves like BIMA, who charge companies for access to
their networking lists and events and industry knowledge.
Censorship is similar to consumer choice as it refers to decided what is safe for
the public, which can cause issues as everyone has their own thoughts of what is
appropriate and what isn't. most things too inappropriate for UK broadcasting
falls under the UK Obscenity act which lays out strict guidelines on animal abuse
and rape amongst other issues within the media industry. an example of
censorship within the film industry is the film Cannibal Holocaust which was
produced by an Italian film company and distributed in video form without a
rating which at the time was legal. However it was eventually rated by the BBFC
and a large amount of footage was removed which to this day is discussed as to
whether or not it was a good decision.
and finally taste and decency. Taste is something that varies from person to
person, some people enjoy things and others don't it's not a matter of anything
being its purely opinion. One of OFCOM's roles is to provide enough programming
that satisfies everyone regardless of race, background, religion and so on.
OFCOM might face criticism as it might be catering too much towards a specific
group of people for example songs of praise being centred on Christianity and
there being no alternative substitute for the other religions. Decency is a more
serious matter as decency defines what really cannot be seen by the public, in
the media industry production companies may have to be clever with their
narratives in order to imply something without being in breach of decency. For
example visual graphic displays of rape are in breach of the obscenities act and
so in order to get around this and still portray the desired narrative film makers
ay iimply that an event has happened as opposed to showing it on camera.