1. DISNEY: LEGAL & ETHICAL, REGULATORYBODIES
FORM COMPLETED BY: Chris Reynolds
A) POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF FILM UPON AN AUDIENCE
THEORY/EFFECT EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS CAN THIS BE AN EFFECT
THAT THE FORCE
AWAKENS HAS ON AN
AUDIENCE? HOW?
HYPODERMIC NEEDLE
THEORY
This was created in the 1920s
and 30s by the Frankfurt
school. The contents of the
media were injected into the
thoughts of the audience, who
accepted the attitudes,
opinion and beliefs expressed
by the medium without
question. The audience were
purely passive. The audience
had no individual difference.
Throughout the film there will
be hidden messages within
the film which are intended
for certain audience
members and also explicit
messages which are
intended for everyone.
TWO STEP FLOW Lazarsfeld and Katz in the
40s and 50s created the two
step flow.
First – Opinion leaders get
information from a media
source
Second – Opinion leaders
then pass the information
along with their interpretation,
to others (friends, family,
acquaintances, etc.)
The opinion leaders would
see trailers, posters and
spoilers from Star Wars. This
would then lead to the
opinion leaders passing this
on to others with their original
interpretation which creates a
chain reaction.
USES AND
GRATIFICATIONS
Blumler, Kats and McQuail
expanded this theory and
published their own in 1974,
stating individuals might
choose and use a text for the
following purposes (uses and
gratifications)
Diversion - escape from
everyday problems and
routine.
Personal relationships –
using the media for emotional
and other interaction.
Personal Identity – finding
yourself reflected in texts.
Learning behaviour and
values from texts.
Iconic characters would
create diversion for the
audience as it will allow them
to escape from everyday
problems. The introduction of
new characters would create
personal relationships for the
audience.
2. Surveillance – Information
which could be useful for
living
DESENSITISATION The theory of a media
audiences’ reactions growing
weaker according to the level
level/amount of exposure to
violence, death and sex.
This theory states that the
longer we are exposed to
violence, horror or any other
shocking material, we
eventually become less
sensitive to it and any real life
equivalents.
In the film Kylo Ren kills
Han solo by killing him
with a light saber straight
through the chest which
would create a reaction for
the audience. However
they would be used to this
from the previous films.
WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF THE FORCE AWAKENS ON AN AUDIENCE?
Due to uses and gratifications the audience would achieve diversion meaning they can
escape from everyday problems. This allows them to relax and enjoy the film more. They
could also achieve personal relationships with the new characters
WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE FORCE AWAKENS ON AN AUDIENCE?
Due to desensitisation the audience are used to watching the violent scenes in Star Wars
therefore there reaction would be weaker. This could lead to more violent behaviour in
everyday life.
B) ISSUES OF REPRESENTATION
WHO/WHAT IS BEING
REPRESENTED
WHY HAS THE
INSTITUTION
REPRESENTED THEM IN
THAT WAY
WOULD THIS BE
CONSIDERED A POSITIVE
OR NEGATIVE
REPRESENTATION-
EXPLAIN
Race The Star Wars franchise has
introduced the first black
character, Finn, who has a
This would be considered as
a positive representation as it
shows Star Wars’
3. lead role within the film. This
allows the franchise to reach
out to a wider and more
diverse audience.
progression within society. It
appeals to and inspires
ethnic minority communities
which brings in more revenue
and creates a positive brand
image for Disney.
Gender Rey, who is a female, is the
lead role in the film. Her
character is an independent
woman which stops the
traditional stereotype that
only men can have these
stereotypes.
This is very similar to race as
it also shows Disney’s
progressions in the film
industry and society. It would
be considered a positive
representation as this was
the first Star Wars movie
where the lead role was
female.
Age There are various ages within
the film and there hasn’t
been a predominant lack of
any ages compared to
gender and ethnic minorities
in previous films. The two
new main characters are
considerably younger than
other characters which would
appeal to the new, younger
audience.
This would be considered as
a positive representation as
Star Wars are showing they
are able to fit various ages
around their storyline. The
younger ages would typically
provide the action and the
elder would typically tell the
story or impart wisdom.
Sexuality Unfortunately, the new Star
Wars does not focus on
sexuality or sexuality issues.
There are no homosexual
characters within Star Wars
and it doesn’t look like its
going to change within the
latest trilogy.
This would have to be
considered as a negative
representation as it shows
that Star Wars hasn’t taken
into mind this contemporary
issue. However, I doubt that
this would have a huge effect
on the LGBT community in
that they would boycott
Disney.
Does the film provide typical mainstream representations or does it offer something that
challenges society?
I have mixed feelings on this as there are some ways in which they do provide mainstream
representations and however there are some ways in which they challenge the norms of
society. Firstly, the introduction of the characters Rey and Finn would be considered, by the
general consensus, as mainstream due to the open mindset of todays society. However, it
can be argued that the inclusion of these characters in a lead role is challenging society. In
the major films such as Indiana Jones or Batman the main role has been a white male. With
the inclusion of these character within Star Wars, Disney can be challenging certain norms of
society. The introduction of Rey challenges the traditional stereotype that women are
delicate and are not independent in which Rey is quite the opposite. Critics have said that
Disney should’ve stuck with the same ethnicity throughout all the Star Wars films when
regarding the lead roles.
4. What are the current debates in society regarding representation that could be related to
the film?
One current debate in society which could be related to the film is equality. The introduction
of a black man and a female in lead roles of a major film franchise shows a big jump forward
in society for equality.
C) LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
LEGAL Explain the issue: Example in relation to THE
FORCE AWAKENS
Discrimination: The unjust or prejudicial
treatment of different
categories of people,
especially on the grounds of
race, age or sex.
Within the film no groups of
people are really
discriminated against
because of race, age or sex
Copyright: The exclusive and
assignable legal right, given
to the originator for a fixed
number of years, to print,
publish, perform, film, or
record literary, artistic, or
musical material.
Disney owns all legal rights
of Star Wars. Things such
as merchandise, characters,
soundtrack etc
ETHICAL –Offensive material Explain the issue: Example in relation to THE
FORCE AWAKENS
5. Violence/sex/language: Material that could be
considered vulgar, obscene
or offensive should not be
included unless it is treated
in an encyclopaedic manner.
In the film there is a death
scene in which Kylo Ren
stabs Han Solo with his light
saber and results in his
death. This is quite a strong
scene and could be quite
distressing for the audience.
Children: Children must not, due to
legal reasons work for as
many hours as adults.
Also, if a film had a rating
of 12A for example they
would have to be
accompanied by an adult.
The film contains some
violent scenes which could
be distressing for children
without being accompanied
by an adult.
HOW DO THE LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS HAVE AN EFFECT UPON THE MAKING OF THE
FORCE AWAKENS?
Due to legal considerations Disney cannot discriminate against any group within the casting
or the film. This helps Star Wars as it would not anger any groups within society and will help
maintain good brand image. Disney could also not use any copyrighted material within their
film from other production companies such as Warner Bros. Due to their younger audiences,
they would also refrain from using any vulgar scenes within the film except from the odd one
or two.
D) REGULATORY BODIES
BBFC
Who are the BBFC?
6. The BBFC or British Board of Film Classification is a non-government organisation
founded in 1912 and are responsible for the national classification and censorship of
films shown in cinemas and video works such as television works, trailers etc.
What role does the BBFC perform?
every 4-5 years, the BBFC carries out a major public consultation exercise to find out
what the public thinks about the age rating of films and videos before they are released
and whether the BBFC’s classification standards meet public concerns.
Why does the BBFC exist?
In 1912 the local authorities started to impose their own, widely varying, censorship
standards on films. The BBFC was set up in order to bring a degree of uniformity to
those standards.
What rules does the BBFC set that have to be followed by film institutions?
There are two key principles, laid out in the Guidelines, under which we operate:
to protect children and vulnerable adults from potentially harmful or otherwise
unsuitable content
to empower consumers, particularly parents and those with responsibility for
children, to make informed viewing decisions.
HOW DO THESE RULES HAVE A DIRECT EFFECT UPON HOW A FILM IS MADE?
EXAMPLE 1: (LEGAL)
The producers will most likely not use any offensive or discriminatory material as the
BBFC could go as far as banning the film within the UK.
EXAMPLE 2: (ETHICAL)
The producers would create more PG scenes within the film, so they will not get a high
age rating. The higher the rating, the less room for target market and therefore less
potential revenue for the film.
