M2 - LEGAL ISSUES

OFCOM

Regulate what can be shown onscreen, on radio and on broadcast. Their duties come from parliament and they ensure that people are not exposed to inappropriate things or scammed. It sets standards for programmes, sponsorship and product placement. 




UNDER EIGHTEENS

• Ensuring that anything that could be considered harmful to under 18s is not broadcast when they are likely to be tuning in, such as the encouragement of sex, the occult, nudity, drugs use, alcohol use, adult language and violence. 
• The Watershed is 9pm - you mustn't broadcast inappropriate content before 9pm.
• The involvement of under-18s in filming.

HARM AND OFFENCE

• Provide protection of the public from depictions of harm, suicide and violence.
• Protect the public from hypnosis, photosensitive epilepsy-inducing sequences or sickness.
• Broadcast competitions must be regulated.

CRIME, DISORDER, HATRED AND ABUSE

• Material that has the potential to spark violence in viewers, lead to crime or cause disorder. cannot be shown.
• Hate speech cannot be encouraged, such as homophobic, racist or sexist slurs.

RELIGION

• Proper degrees of respect are shown for religions and discrimination is not encouraged or, if possible, depicted at all.
• Religious programmes must not seek to promote or sell religious views or beliefs subliminally.
• The religion being depicted must be clear to the audience.

BBFC

The British board for film classification, decide on ratings for films so that they can be distributed and shown to audiences across Britain. Ensures that the right audiences see the right films and nobody sees something inappropriate for their age. Emphasis on the context in which things are shown!

UNIVERSAL

• Potentially dangerous behaviour must be disapproved of or not depicted. Attainable weapons must not be shown.
• Scary or potentially unsettling scenes should be mild/
• Discrimination should not be depicted.
• References to drugs or drug use should be scarce or not depicted.
• Infrequent use of mild bad language.
• Occasional nudity.
• No sexual content.
• Mild contextual violence.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

• No glamorisation or encouragement of dangerous behaviour that children may be able to copy.
• Scary or potentially unsettling scenes should not be prolonged
• Discrimination should not be depicted.
• References to drugs or drug use should be discouraging or not depicted.
• Infrequent use of mild bad language.
• Occasional nudity.
• Mild sexual implications or innuendo.
• Mild contextual violence.

12A

• No glamorisation or encouragement of dangerous behaviour that children may be able to copy.
• Scary or potentially unsettling scenes can be moderate but the overall tone must not be 
• Discrimination should not be depicted.
• References to drugs or drug use should be scarce or not depicted.
• Infrequent use of mild bad language.
• Occasional nudity.
• Discrete sexual references or depictions.
• Sexual threat must only ever be implied.
• Moderate violence, no dwelling on details.

12

• No glamorisation or encouragement of dangerous behaviour that children may be able to copy.
• Scary or potentially unsettling scenes can be moderate but the overall tone must not be 
• Discrimination should not be depicted.
• References to drugs or drug use should be scarce or not depicted.
• Infrequent use of mild bad language.
• Occasional nudity.
• Discrete sexual references or depictions.
• Sexual threat must only ever be implied.
• Moderate violence, no dwelling on details.

15

• Dangerous behaviour should not be dwelled on.
• Strong threat or horror may be depicted, must not be sadistic in nature.
• There may be discrimination depicted but it should not be encouraged.
• References to drugs or drug use can be depicted but must not be encouraged.
• Strong contextual bad language.
• No constraints on nudity but likely used in a comical context.
• Sexual activity without detail.
• Strong contextual violence.

18

• Adults may choose their own entertainment, but works rated 18 cannot be viewed by anybody below that.

R18

• Strong sexual content involving adults.

CLAWS BBFC RATING

We've decided that Claws would likely receive a PG rating because of its challenging themes.

CODE OF PRACTICE

We completed a risk assessment, actor consent forms and location consent forms to ensure we would all be safe and on task. These are the main risks listed in London's code of practice for filming in the city and in general. It works for where we would like to film as well.

We need to be aware of the following:

• Council property
• Health and safety
• Lighting
• Litter removal
• Noise
• Problem solving
• Public liability insurance
• Residents
• Risk assessments
• Rivers and waterways