1. BBFC Lesson 4 – Legislation
1. What is legislation?
Enforcement of rules within an institution
The BBFC is required to consider whether material
2. FILL IN THE GAP submitted for classification is likely to infringe the
criminal law.
3. The Video recordings Must consider the potential for harm to the viewer or
act must take into society as a results of the viewers actions
consideration the
potential for what?
1. Criminal behaviour
2. Illegal drugs
4. List the criminal
3. Violent or horrific behaviour
behaviour/topics that if
4. Indecent images of children
depicted need special
5. Animal cruelty
attention
6. obscentity
(Clue there are 8 of them)
7. Racial hatred
8. Human rights infringements
Grant licenses
5. What power do local
Change film certificates (rarely happens)
authorities have over the
Can choose whether or not a film is displayed in their
BBFC
cinema
6. Cinematograph Films 1. Infliction of pain or terror
(Animals) Act 2. Goading animals to fury
1937prohibits the
exhibition or supply of a
film if animals have been
cruelly mistreated for the
purposes of making the
film by:
In 1952 the Cinematograph Act prevented any film from
being show in the UK without a certificate; this must be
7. FILL IN THE GAP used in advertising the film at the cinema entrance and
also shown immediately before the start. .The box
office was to act as an age bar
The Obscene Publication Act noted that a film must be
8. FILL IN THE GAP judged as a whole and individual scenes should not be
judged out of the wider context.
The Protection of Children of Act not only took into
9. The Protection of
account the effect on the viewer it also took into
Children of Act
account the effect on the young participants.
10. What effect did the ‘If local councils overrule the BBFC or make their own
2003 Licencing Act have decisions, they must have a published policy in place’
on local authorities
powers?

2. 11. What change did the The definition of a child changed from under 16s to
Sexual Offences Act under 18s
make?
12. When were Video 1978
Recorders were
introduced in the UK?
There were no legislations on video recordings and if
13. What was the initial they weren’t published to the cinema the BBFC could
problem with videos? not censor them. So anyone could make a profit from
video tapes which included unethical material.
14. What did the Passed the video recordings act in 1984
government eventually
do?
15. What news event James Bulger murder case
caused the VRA to be
updated?
The guidelines which the BBFC received from the
16. What changed? government were much clearer and more specific. They
could also review and change their decisions.
Games are now very realistic and lifelike. Graphics have
17. Why are video games
improved hugely.
now no longer exempt
The majority of the gaming public 20 years ago were
from classification from
young, and have now grown up, increasing the demand
the BBFC?
for adult content.