RESEARCH: MORAL PANICS

BBFC reviews its policy on music and factual videos in a Guardian article. On the 3rd of September, 2012, The Department of Culture, Media and Sport closed a three-month consultation that observers believed would end a loophole. This means that DVD's with a variety of titles such as The Bitch of Buchenwald and Britains' Bloodiest Serial Killers can claim exemption and release from being given these age guidences' by the British Board of FIlm Classification



Currently, as things stand, most documentaries, music videos and sports can claim exemption from classification. David Austin states that 'The great majority of exempt video works are fine. They are not going to harm anyone, but there are a significant number of titles that are potentially harmful to children'



The BBFC has estimated that around 200 videos might be caught by a change in the law. Austin showed the Guardian a variety of examples that would have been classified, but claimed exemption. All of these examples range in seriousness, however, the most shocking, was a documentary  about the American heavy metal band Slipknot. Austin argued that the documentary was so bad he confiscated it away from his 10 year old son, and would give it back when he's older. The documentary shows the word Slipknot carved into a fans arm and another who had done the same to her belly.


Gorgoroth, a Norwegian black metal band, made a music video which was rated X in Germany but is still unrated in the UK. This music video shows a topless women being crucified with blood running down her breasts. Music video, Come Undone, by Robbie Williams, too, shows some serious images of a variety of drug takings. It contains scenes of Williams cavorting in bed with two naked women.


Austin stated that  'Given concerns about knife crime in this country, that really is how to kill someone. If that came in for classification, we would not classify it- we would cut that'

The BBFC, along with other regulatory bodies, is ' calling for exceptions to the exemptions that would cover material that is violent, sexual, discriminatory, has repeated strong language of containes imitable behaviour such as drug use'

"it is completely common sense' says Austin. "we're talking about videos quite legally being sold on the high street, often to children. Some companied do submit them on a voluntary basis, which makes it even more confusing for parents who see on the shelf 18 and 15 ratings and see ones with an E symbol"

Although it is good that artists are pushing boundaries of music nowadays, i think that there should be a limit to how far artists go.  It is important that there is a certain degree of freedom in todays music industry, however, i  think that there should be a limit to this freedom. I believe there should be laws and regulations to control music and its videos as they are starting to become bad influences on younger audiences.

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