2 x 250 word introductions on BBFC censorship

Considering the debates surrounding the censorship of Video Nasties, how appropriate was it to pass the HC uncut?

I believe that it was not appropriate to pass the Human Centipede 2 uncut because this film came under everything needed in order for it to be called a Video Nasty. It was a film that is considered to be most in need of it getting cut as it is one of the biggest Video Nasties in the world. It is very possible for the vulnerable, such as children and the elderly, in particular to become psychologically harmed, and even for others to become psychologically harmed as well. However, everyone should be capable of making their own decisions as to whether or not they want to watch the film. For this reason, I feel that the film should not have been banned, instead it should just have been cut enough for all of the very gruesome scenes to be wiped from it, leaving us with a film that is still horrific, but not horrific enough for it to be outright banned.


To what extent have social changes impacted film regulation? Focus your discussion on the development of censorship of Video Nasties to Human Centipede 2.

Social changes have impacted film regulation as the films that were considered horrific and that were banned in the past, such as films in the 1980s, would not be banned nowadays as the audience would not be shocked and affected by them now, in the same way as the audience were affected by these films years ago. This therefore means that different types of films are getting banned now, and they are usually banned due to an extreme content of things such as gruesome deaths or other things that could potentially cause psychological harm to people. Video Nasties are much more extreme though now than they were in the past. What was considered nasty in a film before would probably no longer be considered nasty. Because of this, there is a higher need of censorship of Video Nasties nowadays.


General overview of Film censorship, reasons and justifications for this, definition of the Video Nasties and the factors/participants that led to the VRA 1984

Film censorship is carried out by various countries to differing degrees, sometimes as a result of powerful or relentless lobbying by organisations or individuals. Films that are banned in a particular country change over time. A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. A particular issued rating can be called a certification, classification, or certificate. The justifications of using censorship when it comes to films and using age rating certificates is that it controls what we can and cannot watch at the cinema, and it protects the vulnerable, such as the elderly and children. A Video Nasty is a film or video that contains scenes that are considered to be gratuitously and offensively violent or pornographic.
The act was a legislative reaction to a moral panic concerning "video nasties" that was sparked by tabloid newspapers in Britain during 1982 and 1983. Public and political concern increased in 1982 with the release of films such as SS Experiment Camp, Cannibal Holocaust, Snuff and The Driller Killer. Quite apart from the content of the films, the advertising for them seemed calculated to cause offence and controversy. The BBFC responded by introducing a voluntary scheme for rating video recordings.


Theories that relate to this Moral Panic, Desensitisation, Uses and Gratifications, Copycat and the main points you will make (3 points)

Desensitisation - people become desensitised to these Video Nasties, that they are not even considered Video Nasties anymore. Instead, they are considered normal by viewers because they are so used to seeing that sort of stuff in films.
Uses and Gratifications - These Video Nasties can be useful to us in order to educate ourselves and to meet our specific needs. Also, in terms of films, there may only be one scene in it that should be censored or cut out due to it being considered a Video Nasty. This does not mean that the whole film should be banned.
Copycat - people who are vulnerable may try to copy the bad things that they see in films because they are influenced by them.


Thesis Statement

Overall. I feel that Video Nasties should be censored in films, as they contain things such as extreme violence or pornography. They should be censored in order to protect young children who could be unaware of what the film is about. However, I also feel that these sorts of films should not be censored for everyone, as adults can make their own minds up about whether they want to watch the film or not. This therefore makes it difficult to know what to do in terms of censoring or banning a film as censoring or banning a Video Nasty would not benefit everyone, but allowing it to become public would also not benefit everyone, as both adults and children should benefit from it.

50 Shades of Deadpool

Regulation has changed in terms of becoming more lenient and strict, with a new age of technology and streaming media,  rising organisations such as the BBFC would be left behind if they did not improve their regulatory practices to work around this new era. While exploring how the BBFC uses its regulatory practices in relation to sex and violence I took into account how society has become desensitised and I have also looked into the Uses and Gratifications Theory paying particular attention to how we use the media to satisfy our needs. I feel that over the recent years the BBFC have taken a much more liberal approach to the ratings of films and this is evident with the ratings of movies such as Deadpool and 50 Shades of Grey.

The BBFC have had to adapt their regulatory practices to work around societies peak of tolerance in regards to sex and violence, specifically in the media. This tolerance is referred to as desensitisation. We have consumed so much of this harmful content that we now have built up a defence against it and it is now less effective. This has led movie makers to up the levels of violence and sex in their movies to entice us to watch their movies. Due to this, the BBFC has to adapt and work around this increase in gore by becoming more liberal in regards to their age ratings. This is seen in regards to 50 Shades of Grey which was made an 18 in the UK but an R in the US. By making the movie a lower age rating compared to other countries it shows that the BBFC is working alongside this mass desensitisation.

The BBFC have also had to take into account the Uses and Gratifications of the media, specifically how we use the media to indulge certain cravings. These cravings are usually linked to violence and sex, we view content to satisfy these needs. The BBFC has recently given Deadpool a 15 age rating which is surprisingly liberal given the sexual scenes and excessive violence. We as humans crave to experience certain pleasures and we can achieve this through the media so by witnessing violence and sex in for example Deadpool we can calm these craves.