...Thesis: The MPAA is no longer an effective source to categorize the ratings of modern movies and the lack of censorship is harming children and teens. I: The NC-17 rating has become irrelevant. A. The producers edit and re-submit their films for a lower rating. B. Theaters do not want to air them. II: The MPAA does not treat content consistently. A. Violence is not treated as harshly as sexual content. 1. Small moments of sexual content will warrant a higher rating. 2. It takes extreme amounts of violence to warrant an R rating. B. The system does not consider alcohol or tobacco. C. There is a set limit on swear words. 1. A. An extra use of the swear word can push a film over the edge. 2. Only considers the f word. III....
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...The Unfairness and Vagueness of the MPAA Rating System Many people take notice of a film rating, whether in the theater or on the DVD case. The American culture, especially, relies very heavily on these ratings. Oftentimes, there is almost an incredible amount of trust put in them. But where did this trust come from, and is it really deserved? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) determines the ratings on almost every film that is produced today. Although filmmakers are not required to have a rating attached to their films, the MPAA has great power in its ratings. After a close examination of the MPAA movie rating system, it is clear that there are many flaws both because of its unfair rating of different films and also because of its vague guidelines. Before the MPAA's rating system can be critiqued, it is important to understand society's need for censorship, the difficulty in rating, and the history and past critiques of not only the MPAA's rating system, but the other systems that came before it. It is impossible to look at the rating system without questioning the need for it in the first place. Media censorship is tricky, because it must “protect both free speech and children” (Jordan 235). There is a very tricky balance between these two sides. The American government recognizes the right to free speech. This means that, technically speaking, filmmakers are allowed to be able to express what they want to express in the way that they...
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...standards in which the movies and rating viewed. In the early 1900s, filmmakers had to tailor their movie to the requirements of more than 40 local, city and state censorship boards across the country. The formation, in 1922, of what is now the Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, helped by taking the first steps towards self regulation. It required it members to submit movies for approval prior to distribution. This process was governed by the Hays Code; which was named after MPAA’s first president, Will Hays. It imposed a detailed and extensive list of rules to filmmakers. It included that only “correct standards of life” could be presented. No depictions of childbirth, criticisms of religion, “lustful” kissing or “suggestive” dancing was allow. Under the Hays code, films were either deemed as moral or immoral and were approved or disapproved, but times were changing and so were the standards. The 1960’s were times of change in America and so again came change to the movie industry. Televisions were becoming color and people loved to go the drive-in picture show. Jack Valenti, the MPAA’s third president, decided in 1966 to replace the hays Code with a new set of guidelines. The MPAA created the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) in November 1968. CARA designated films with one of four types of ratings: G for general audiences, M for mature audiences,...
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...Professor: Brian Wright CMST 301 7985 The Digital Millennium of Decryption Rights Outline * Introduction * Decryption Case Intro * Digital Millennium Copyright Act * United States copyright laws replaced by DCMA * DeCSS Tool * Tool Properties * Research/Findings/Context * Motion Picture Association of America * Trafficking of digital media and the right associated * DeCSS * Creation * Intended use of DeCSS * How DVD encryption functions legally * Region Coding * DeCSS court cases * California trade secret laws * New York court case * Eric Corley * Corley’s intentions * Outcome of his legal allegations * David Touretzky * First Amendment relations * Position on source code links * Copyright Act * Fair Use * Outcome of fair use case * Judge Kaplan * Issues with Kaplan’s decision on fair use * Kaplan’s decision for First Amendment rights when using source code * Professor Touretzky response * Final outcome of court case * Conclusion * Kaplan’s Final Decision * Defendant Deposition * Plaintiff’s View of Trial * Defendants View of Trial * Overall Outcome Introduction This research essay discusses the ongoing turmoil between the DeCSS who produced a source code as well...
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...This document is attributed to Jack Lule and Flat World Knowledge 8.2 Movies and Culture LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. 2. Recognize how movies reflect cultural attitudes, trends, and events. Indicate how movies influence culture. Movies Mirror Culture The relationship between movies and culture involves a complicated dynamic; while American movies certainly influence the mass culture that consumes them, they are also an integral part of that culture, a product of it, and therefore a reflection of prevailing concerns, attitudes, and beliefs. In considering the relationship between film and culture, it is important to keep in mind that, while certain ideologies may be prevalent in a given era, not only is American culture as diverse as the populations that form it, but it is also constantly changing from one period to the next. Mainstream films produced in the late 1940s and into the 1950s, for example, reflected the conservatism that dominated the sociopolitical arenas of the time. However, by the 1960s, a reactionary youth culture began to emerge in opposition to the dominant institutions, and these antiestablishment views soon found their way onto screen—a far cry from the attitudes most commonly represented only a few years earlier. In one sense, movies could be characterized as America’s storytellers. Not only do Hollywood films reflect certain commonly held attitudes and beliefs about what it means to be American, but they also portray contemporary trends, issues, and...
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...Mr. Hawks had a wide range of films, which had different genres and functioned as mainstream entertainment. Scarface was inspired by the actions of real-life gangster Al Capone who was nicknamed “Scarface”. Al Capone’s notorious history began in the 1930’s and finished with many significant events in between. The relevant history behind Al Capone occurred when he went to jail for tax evasion in 1939 and eventually died in 1947 due to a STD. The New York and Pennsylvania censorship records included omissions of the film’s more provocative scenes. The MPAA was in disputation of young children viewing certain types of material throughout the film. Since alcohol was prohibited during the Great Depression, the MPAA attempted to reinforce this with cutting scenes featuring alcohol. When Scarface was released, the violence and intensity was something tremendous for the viewers; the audience was not used to this much violence, gore, and bloody...
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...fought in the courts at state and county jurisdictions. A decision by the New York State Court of Appeals in the Excelsior Pictures v. Regents of the University of New York State matter (1957), stated that, “the depiction of naked people in not per se obscene” (Lewis, 2008, p. 243). With an increasing number of movies of an adult nature being released many in Hollywood recognized the need for a new production code. Jack Valenti was made president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which in 1966 created For Mature Audiences, a new movie designation meant to restrict children from seeing a mature movie without an adult. Six films employed this designation in 1966, and by 1967 forty-four movies were designated For Mature Audiences. By 1968 this sole designation evolved into a wholly new rating system with the following designations: G (general audiences); M (mature audiences); R (restricted, no one under 16 without an adult); X (no one under sixteen admitted). The MPAA created a subdivision called the Code and Rating Administration (CARA) to implement this rating system, which was the end of the PCA (Lewis,...
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...For the most part, the global market has seen mixed results from film studios worldwide. Despite an increase in box office earnings, U.S. studios have been suffering, by having no choice but to downsize, and cut back on production and development. Although U.S. motion pictures are seen some adversity, interestingly the industry is a major private sector employer. According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) the industry employs 2.1 million workers and 95,000 companies, which spans from make-up artists to costume designers, stuntmen to set builders, accountants to caterers (MPAA, 2011). Domestically, this powerhouse of an industry has collectively contributed to more than $175B to U.S. GDP. Directly, the industry produces $42.1B in wages, which is approximately 32% higher than the national average. The median salary for film and television that includes high quality jobs as producing, marketing, manufacturing, and distributing motion pictures is nearly $82,000, which is 74% higher nationwide; whereas the U.K. average is about $63,000 (MPAA, 2011). Across the Atlantic tells a different tale, a recent study shows that U.K. films contribute over £4.5B to U.K. GDP (Economics, 2010). In addition, U.K. film industry employment grew over 22%, from 36,000 to 44,000 in 2009....
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...1. Introduction Harberber and Rieple (2008) define strategy as a set of intentional or inadvertent set of actions through which an organization develops the required set of resources, efficiently target valuable customers, meet financial targets and competes effectively. These strategic decisions drive the long-term direction of the organization, the scope of its activities, help gain advantage over competitors, and address changes in the business environment. The case of IMAX begins in 1994 when business partners Gelfond and Wechsler decided to purchase the organisation from its original owners and take the company public. IMAX operates in a people oriented business, operating within the entertainment industry. Through the years the owners have made strategic efforts in the direction of reaching new audiences. These efforts, in addition to IMAX’s external environment, will be analysed and explored in the sections that follow. The result of this analysis will be the comparison of the firm’s strategy with the identified industry survival and success factors, in a bid to ascertain the relevant factors that would drive future growth. 2. IMAX’s business environment A number of theorists, notably Michael Porter (1979) have developed several frameworks for understanding and analysing the effect that an organization’s external environment could have on its competitiveness and profitability. These frameworks identify the following as notable forces: Threat of new entrants; Threat...
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...Theater Industry: A Constant Evolution of Entertainment Matthew Richards BU224 Microeconomics Professor Biasca 29April2014 Introduction The lights go down. The screen illuminates. And the theatre comes alive. There's nothing quite like the feeling of watching a movie on the giant silver screen. But how has the entertainment industry continued to stay profitable despite changes in technology and attendance. The demand for entertainment will always be there. Creating a unique entertainment experience as well as a pleasurable one is now the focus of many theaters. Brief History North America 1905. Gathered outside the store front there is a group of people staring inside. This was the scene for the first type of indoor exhibition known as a movie theater. For the cost of a nickel you too could enjoy the scene. Nickelodeons were the first form of movie theaters here in North America. Their popularity ranged from 1905 until 1915. During these times there were approximately 8,000 nickelodeons. As of June 1, 2013 there are 23, 152 screens in over 1,848 sites. The top four leading companies today are Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, AMC, and Carmike Cinemas making up 78% of the market out of the top 10 companies. (Cororan, 2013) To figure out how one industry could change so much in just one century we look towards Adam Smith and his invisible hand metaphor. He states that through the self-regulating behavior of the marketplace, individuals can make profit and maximize their earnings...
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...Melissa Jinks Frist Year Writing II: ENGL 1304 5 November 2013 One Up “Proposal Argument for the MPAA rating system” A student and a teacher make out on school premises. A young man sings, “I make love with a woman on the bathroom floor.” A character says suggests to another that she, “shove it up her harry little-.” Two teens passionately make out in a bed while a mother walks in and offers condoms. A teenage girl is hit by a bus. PG-13 ("Mean Girls [2004] [PG-13] - 5.4.4."). These few scenes from the 2004 film, Mean Girls, depict the limits that are pushed in the content of a PG-13 rating. Why are filmmakers so limited when it comes to language and violence in PG-13 films? Why can’t they drop more than one F-bomb? Why do they have to be precautious when revealing the reality of the consequences portrayed in a violent scene? Although there is only a year difference between thirteen and fourteen year-olds, the MPAA should change the rating of PG-13 to PG-14 because most fourteen year-olds are mature enough to handle more explicit content, allowing liberty to filmmakers who try to avoid “R” rating and above. In doing this, leniency will be provided in the areas of language and violence and the filmmakers will be freer to expand on the content of the film while obtaining the larger audience they were aiming for. Since the boundary for content allowed in PG-13 movies is already pushed towards more mature audiences, it makes sense to say that upping the PG-13 rating a year...
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...Allan Grey JQ Excelsior Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Kazan’s film adaptation shared not only the same characters, but also the same themes, reactions and other literary techniques Williams had created throughout his play. However, for Elia Kazan to have produced the film, some scenes were eliminated or changed to fit what was known as the Hay’s Code. One of the scenes that was not so much vital to the play, was when Blanche DuBois explains to Mitch about her ex-husband. Allan Grey, Blanche’s ex husband, was found in bed with another man and by no other than his wife, Blanche herself. In the play both Blanche and Allan pretended that nothing happened after that night. Allan was probably being tortured and was already fragile as Blanche describes him, “There was something different about the boy, a nervousness, a softness and tenderness which wasn’t like a man’s, although he wasn’t the least bit effeminate looking- still- that thing was there…” (Williams 95). That along with a deadly silence put upon him was more than Allan could bare. After, one night, they all three went out and were conveniently drunk. In the middle of dancing at a casino, Blanche had brought up what had happened. She expressed herself about Allan’s doings and how she felt about them to him. Allan had then ran out on her and a bit after, a shot was heard. This was told to our readers towards the end of scene six of Williams play. Blanche had not taken into consideration the way Allan was feeling...
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...businessman who is also the national younger cousin of former president Suharto. But lately Sudwikatmono withdrew from the group. Group 21 is now dominated by Benny Suherman and Harris Lesmana. In order to drive its business, the Group 21 established PT Nusantara Prosperous Kingdom which now dominates the national cinema chains. PT Nusantara Prosperous Kingdom is a master theater titled Cinema 21, Cinema XXI, and The Premiere. In addition, to control the film distribution chain, 21 groups builds three companies that led by Harris Lesmana which is Camila Internusa, PT Satrya Perkasa Esthetika Film, and PT Amero Mitra Film. The first two name that dominate the distribution channels films Motion Picture Association of America/ MPAA whereas special Amero importing non MPAA...
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...high school was probably go to a keg party-er, did I say keg? You know I meant cake, and going to the big premiere of "Spider-man." Friday night at the movies with your buds was a sure-fire way to pass two or three hours of your endless free time. What else did you have to do? Fill out the MIT application? Most teenagers, myself included, probably look at movies as entertainment, rather than as art, and most directors will confirm this. The movie industry has capitalized on this "entertainment" view of movies. More than ever, the movies industry is dominated by blockbusters and, to many's dismay, sequels to previous blockbusters. According to the website of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), from 1999 to 2002, the average theatrical cost of an MPAA film rose over 80%. Over this 3-year period, a whopping 25 out of the top 50 highest grossing movies in the American film history were produced, all of which made over 200 million dollars. Among these blockbusters were "Spider-man," "Finding Nemo," and "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." We all know why "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" exploded at the box office. But why did the other two gross over $340 million each? Because they were thought-provoking? Hardly. "Spider-man" has the tired old theme of damsel-in-distress-as-hero-saves-the-day. "Finding Nemo" finds a rebellious fish wandering off into an adventure as his parent desperately searches for him (can you say underwater Home Alone?). What makes these...
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...Lindstrom 1 Nate Lindstrom Professor Fruchter Marketing Principles 10 February 2011 BMW Case Study Analysis According to a 2000 poll conducted by Gfk Roper, women buy 60 percent of new cars and 53% of used cars. A 2009 poll by NBC/Universal shows much of the same: ³eight of 10 women say they are involved, solely or jointly, in car purchase decisions. And a third say they make those decisions themselves´ (Motavalli, 2009). It logically follows that since women easily account for more than half of all car purchases, the marketing efforts of a car manufacturer, such as BMW, should focus on their female demographic. After all, why would they market their products to the minority demographic? Curiously, this is precisely what BMW has decided to do. In a case study of BMW¶s marketing efforts published in Marketing, 10th Edition, authors Kerin, Hartley, and Rudelius list at least three aspects of BMW¶s branding and marketing that they believe lend the most appeal. First, ³BMW is fortunate²we don¶t have too much of a dilemma as to what we¶re going to call our cars,´ says Jim McDowell, vice president of marketing at BMW. He¶s referring to the fact that BMW names their cars using simple numbers and letters²for example, the M3 or the 7 series²rather than using unique names as so many other manufacturers do (Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2011). Lindstrom 2 Second, the authors identify that BMW has been successful as placing its vehicles in four different James...
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