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How has censorship and regulations changed over the last 100 years? With reference to media texts, legislation and moral panics, discuss the role of the BBFC in regulating filmThe British Board of Film Classification is a regulating body which began in 1912 whose main aim it was to pass judgements on films, video/DVD and video games (moving image) which would be accepted nationally. Recently, the BBFC published a vision statement in which they declared that by 2012, they hope to be an independent and trusted resource; a high profile key brand that instils confidence across a range of media; a healthy cultural presence; and an enjoyable, inclusive and dynamic place to work.In the early years of the BBFCs establishment, T. P. O Conner, the president of the board, listed forty-three grounds of deletion which were put in place to create a sense guidance rules for the examiners. To name a few:Offensive vulgaritySafina Shaukat

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and impropriety in conduct and dress.References to controversial Safina Shaukat

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politics.Gruesome murders and strangulation scenes.

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The drug habit. E.g. Opium, Morphia, Cocaine, etc. Safina Shaukat

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Although this period did not see many of the films being cut in contrast to the 1970s, there were still a high percentage of films being cut than the present day. For instance, the percentage of films being cut in 1915 were 4.3% and the percentage of films cut in 2011 were 0.9%.That time was considered as the slightly stricter era in which films were closely scrutinised and films such as Frankenstein were categorised H (for horror) depicting that they were unsuitable for children of the horror theme. The scene in which the Monster drowns the young girl was cut however a H rating was still given to the film. Statistics illustrate a decline in the percentage of films being cut as time progresses and the trend for the cutting of video games, film trailers and film advertisements follows the same pattern. A reason for this could be that as a society, we are not affected as much by what we see on screen which differs significantly from the past when issues such as the Jamie Bulger murder case and the France and USA killings were in the limelight due to possible links to the films: Childs Play 3 and Natural Born Killers. Conversely, films could be passed based on the sole reason that the power to decide what film a child can see should be placed on their parents rather than a set rule for the entire nation to follow. Many classifications were introduced before the ones we have today came into practice. The H category declined gradually as the adults only category became much more reasonable for showcasing films which focused on adult subjects, to be portrayed in an adult manner. Later, the X rating was introduced which excluded children under sixteen from viewing the film. This category contained films such as La Ronde, Max Ophuls which dealt with a chain of sexual encounters. It is evident that as time passed, audiences were able to watch films which did not conform to the forty-three grounds of deletion. The classification continued to change in order to meet the demands of the public and an AA category was introduced for over fourteen but not under fourteen regardless of whether they were accompanied by an adult or not. This classification was designed for mature teenagers. In the 1970s, the X rating was changed from sixteen to eighteen and soon after, the 18 category was formally initiated. Also in the 70s, the 15 category began followed by the 12 category in 1989 and then lastly the 12A in 2002. The difference between a 12 and a 12A is that a child under twelve will not be admitted to watch a 12 rated film however a child accompanied by an adult may watch a 12A film. Many Acts were put in place to restrict the contents of a film. The Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 were introduced to prevent film makers publishing scenes which portrayed animal cruelty such as head-over-heels horse falls, which may break the horses neck, and cock-fights. The Obscene Publications Act 1959 and 1964 made it a requirement for films not to include any obscenity or things which may be perceived as morally wrong. Another famous Act was the Protection of Children Act in 1978 which made it illegal for film makers to display indecent images of children under sixteen or show them engaged in sexual activities. The Video Recordings Act 1984 required films to be packaged and labelled correctly with the BBFC certificate and an explanation of the certificate which had been enforced on that specific media text. The last Act was the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which was put in place after the murder of Jamie Bulger, this gave the BBFC the right to revisit any past decisions they had made in the light of the new events and the realisation of the effect that the media may have on certain individuals.On some occasions, the public appeal against the BBFCs decisions and classifications given to certain films and this has happened numerous amounts of times recently. The Dark Night was given a 12A classification yet faced a lot of controversy as complaints were received that the violence was far too strong for the category given. Another example is of Shrek 2 which was given a U but received twenty-seven complaints due to the language which consisted of the word bloody at various times.The BBFC have played a pivotal role in transforming the film industry from allowing the release of films which would have breached the codes of the grounds of deletion if they had been released in the past. In this age, society has far more flexibility and choice regarding what they wish to view. Some may feel that, from a very young age, children are being exposed to adult ideas however it would be right to say that in the twenty-first century, it is not only the media which can be blamed for this. Changing attitudes and social norms should also be held accountable.