Thesis:
The Video Recordings Act was brought about in 1984 to censor, regulate and ban films that were seen as being immoral; containing images such as pornography and violent behaviour. The law was sought to protect society from this, as these so called video nasties introduced imitable behaviour, and attracted a youth audience. The Video Recordings Act enforced age restrictions and banning of films. However, there is controversy throughout the topic of the VRA being a legitimately moral law. Some argue that the VRA protects a certain amount of society. The VRA were set up by the conservative government and therefore it holds the traditional, middle class views of how moral society should be. Whilst others believe that the VRA does not protect society, and that it should be down to individuality and choice. In my opinion the VRA is a moral legitimate law as these video nasties were being viewed by vulnerable audiences that could commit an imitable behaviour. I believe that the VRA are legitimate and moral for banning and censoring films as age restrictions only account for a particular part of society's vulnerable groups. Video nasties were produced on VHS, meaning that anyone could purchase and watch these films.
The teenage audience that these video nasties were attracting, was because of the controversy and status that came along with the viewing of the film. Therefore if the VRA were to only age restrict these films, I believe the youth audience would view these films in another way, and therefore be even more attracted to them due to their further restriction.
Monday 23 February 2015
Political:
-Conservative government sought to protect
-Government censorship and VHS police raids on dealers
-Mary Whitehouse, Margret Thatcher, BBFC and the media scapegoated the video nasties for immoral behaviour which led to a moral panic
-Video Recordings Act 1984 - 72 banned list
-Moral campaign against video nasties ; Mary Whitehouse (NVLA), Margret Thatcher, BBFC and the media
-Regulated videos have age restrictions by BBFC
-Video nasties were exploited to explain responsibility for moral decline in society
-Watching video nasties helps put in context of narrative, the campaigners did not actually watch them
Social:
-Videos being distributed by corner shops, market traders and garages
-The covers on the boxes were often more gruesome than the content
-Moral panic created by media the term 'video nasties'
-Riots, civil unrest, unemployment and recession
-Video nasties were niche films and popular with teenagers due to their controversy
-Video nasties were exploited to explain responsibility for moral decline in society
-Censorship or individual judgement
Economic:
-Riots, civil unrest, unemployment and recession
-Video nasties like Evil Dead were realistic because they were low budget
Technological:
-Cinema attendance declined massively due to the rise of VHS
-Video nasties were made for distribution for VHS
-Conservative government sought to protect
-Government censorship and VHS police raids on dealers
-Mary Whitehouse, Margret Thatcher, BBFC and the media scapegoated the video nasties for immoral behaviour which led to a moral panic
-Video Recordings Act 1984 - 72 banned list
-Moral campaign against video nasties ; Mary Whitehouse (NVLA), Margret Thatcher, BBFC and the media
-Regulated videos have age restrictions by BBFC
-Video nasties were exploited to explain responsibility for moral decline in society
-Watching video nasties helps put in context of narrative, the campaigners did not actually watch them
Social:
-Videos being distributed by corner shops, market traders and garages
-The covers on the boxes were often more gruesome than the content
-Moral panic created by media the term 'video nasties'
-Riots, civil unrest, unemployment and recession
-Video nasties were niche films and popular with teenagers due to their controversy
-Video nasties were exploited to explain responsibility for moral decline in society
-Censorship or individual judgement
Economic:
-Riots, civil unrest, unemployment and recession
-Video nasties like Evil Dead were realistic because they were low budget
Technological:
-Cinema attendance declined massively due to the rise of VHS
-Video nasties were made for distribution for VHS
The rise of the blockbuster mutliplex and homevideo
1973/4 - 1984/5
Blockbusters
Rise of the multiplex
Home video and video nasties
2000 - post
Entitlement = audiences do not expect to pay
AVATAR -> spectacle; the way it looks vs. the narrative / quality of the CGI vs. quality of the narrative/ style over substance
What is the significance of home video and the format wars for audiences?
Home video did not have to be regulated, therefore these video nasties could be produced without restricting any images.
What were the concerns around home video and regulation/censorship?
Home videos were not censored or regulated as these video nasties were being produced illegally. This therefore created a concern and moral panic, that these video nasties were influencing crimes, etc. The government, and the media blamed these video nasties for imitable behaviour, influencing the ongoings in society.
What is a video nasty and why did they become popular?
A video nasty is a low budget horror film that were banned, they became popular as people wanted to watch these for the status of being banned.
What did these films have in common?
Low budget, horror genre, appealing to a teenage audience, similar narrative/storylines
Who were Margret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse and why were they significant?
They campaigned to ban these video nasties and blamed things going on the in public as an influence of these films, for example rise in crime rates. NVLA was a campaign set up to ban these video nasties, and to restrict audiences from viewing these films, whilst regulating and censoring graphic images.
How did video nasties become political and how was this moral panic being exploited by the government?
The media exaggerated and created the moral panic around these video nasties, blaming these video nasties as an influence for crime, etc. The government also used video nasties as a scapegoat to explain crime, riots etc.
Blockbusters
Rise of the multiplex
Home video and video nasties
2000 - post
- Technological (internet piracy)/ new special effects CGI/3D = less likely to be illegally downloaded
- Social
- Economic (internet piracy = formulaic movies = safe)
- Political
Entitlement = audiences do not expect to pay
AVATAR -> spectacle; the way it looks vs. the narrative / quality of the CGI vs. quality of the narrative/ style over substance
What is the significance of home video and the format wars for audiences?
Home video did not have to be regulated, therefore these video nasties could be produced without restricting any images.
What were the concerns around home video and regulation/censorship?
Home videos were not censored or regulated as these video nasties were being produced illegally. This therefore created a concern and moral panic, that these video nasties were influencing crimes, etc. The government, and the media blamed these video nasties for imitable behaviour, influencing the ongoings in society.
What is a video nasty and why did they become popular?
A video nasty is a low budget horror film that were banned, they became popular as people wanted to watch these for the status of being banned.
What did these films have in common?
Low budget, horror genre, appealing to a teenage audience, similar narrative/storylines
Who were Margret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse and why were they significant?
They campaigned to ban these video nasties and blamed things going on the in public as an influence of these films, for example rise in crime rates. NVLA was a campaign set up to ban these video nasties, and to restrict audiences from viewing these films, whilst regulating and censoring graphic images.
How did video nasties become political and how was this moral panic being exploited by the government?
The media exaggerated and created the moral panic around these video nasties, blaming these video nasties as an influence for crime, etc. The government also used video nasties as a scapegoat to explain crime, riots etc.
Monday 9 February 2015
"Censorship is motivated by fears surrounding new technologies" Discuss this statement referring to video nasties and the impact of technological, social, political contexts of the early to mid 80s.
The NVLA created a moral panic around video nasties. Their main concern was 12-16 year olds getting hold of these films and being influenced under imitable violence. It was said that they replaced party games. Because these video nasties were banned, this created a hype and a status to get hold of and to watch these films. These films were banned but illegally sold by video dealers in garages and sweet shops. Therefore these films were still accessible to 12-16 year olds, even though they had been banned. Pressure groups and activists such as Mary Whitehouse wanted video nasties such as Evil Dead to be censored, due to the concern of imitable violence. However, this became clearly corrupt when the police began to converse with these pressure groups, whilst Mary Whitehouse befriended Thatcher over similar interests.
Campaigns by the NVLA and Mary Whitehouse were put out into the media, in conservative newspapers such as the Daily Mail.
Video nasties created a moral panic and were used by the government and the media as a scapegoat. They targeted the recession, riots and protests as a result of the influence of these video nasties.
As well as political, there was also religious conflict. These video nasties incorporated demonisation and possession, which the religious upper class opposed. The media portrayed video nasties as 'evil' through forms of propaganda. Video nasties were used as an example for everything evil in society.
However, companies and advertisement discovered that the censorship and banning of a film resulted in an increase of demand. For example, Evil Dead was deliberated constructed to be banned and therefore increase the demand and it's number of viewings. With censorship, along came a sense of the thrill of the forbidden.
Home video was unregulated, meaning that anyone could get hold of a particular film. This created a fear of who was watching and being influenced by these video nasties, resulting in a mass censorship of 80 films.
Campaigns by the NVLA and Mary Whitehouse were put out into the media, in conservative newspapers such as the Daily Mail.
Video nasties created a moral panic and were used by the government and the media as a scapegoat. They targeted the recession, riots and protests as a result of the influence of these video nasties.
As well as political, there was also religious conflict. These video nasties incorporated demonisation and possession, which the religious upper class opposed. The media portrayed video nasties as 'evil' through forms of propaganda. Video nasties were used as an example for everything evil in society.
However, companies and advertisement discovered that the censorship and banning of a film resulted in an increase of demand. For example, Evil Dead was deliberated constructed to be banned and therefore increase the demand and it's number of viewings. With censorship, along came a sense of the thrill of the forbidden.
Home video was unregulated, meaning that anyone could get hold of a particular film. This created a fear of who was watching and being influenced by these video nasties, resulting in a mass censorship of 80 films.
What years are we looking at?
1974-1984
What makes Evil Dead significant to video nasties?
It was the first film that was banned and started off the video regulation act
What role did Mary Whitehouse have in this period?
She was an active christian who thought against video nasties, fighting to ban and regulate films such as Evil Dead.
What was the role of the BBFC at this time?
They were in charge of regulation, restrictions and banning films
What is the VRA 1984?
Video Recordings Act, 1984
1974-1984
What makes Evil Dead significant to video nasties?
It was the first film that was banned and started off the video regulation act
What role did Mary Whitehouse have in this period?
She was an active christian who thought against video nasties, fighting to ban and regulate films such as Evil Dead.
What was the role of the BBFC at this time?
They were in charge of regulation, restrictions and banning films
What is the VRA 1984?
Video Recordings Act, 1984
Monday 2 February 2015
Video nasties
Social
Technological
Economical
Political
Video recordings act 1984
Moral panic -> scapegoat:
"kids aged just five tune into nasties"
Media hyped up the regulation of films because the people who owned the media backed up the conservative government.
Blamed the video nasties on the violence against the government etc, -> miners fighting etc
Mary Whitehouse -> traditional values etc, did not like what younger people and society as a whole could view without the films being regulated
Video nasties -> blood, gore, horror, violence - low budget, unregulated films
Nothing in place to regulate the films, to stop accessibility and graphic images. The video record created a fear about audiences being able to get hold of this.
Implicit -> not showing anything violence or nudity - implied, the opposite to explicit - Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Evil Dead -> biggest selling video of 1983 - people wanted to watch something with violence etc, and thats controversial = advertisement - pencil stabbing scene = influential and imitable behaviour
What do the trailers Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Last House on the Left have in common in terms of :
style:
-rape
-violence/imitable violence / dismemberment
-gore
-night / woods
-unknown actors
-young -> marketing
-female victim
-violence - chainsaw
- young -> marketing
-female victim
-documentary style - realistic
-woods
-teenage targets - audience
- chainsaw
-based on reality? true story??
budget:
-very low and poor
-woods
-VFX = terrible / plasticine animation / stop motion
-poor low budget
-No VFX - more realistic
narrative/themes:
-style over substance
-banned / moral panics to promote and advertise
-moral panic - peace symbol??
genre:
-horror
-targets the morally wrong
-demonic vs christian belief
-horror but more realistic
-horror but realistic
Evil Dead
Last house on the left
Texas chainsaw masscare
Directors and where are they now / what did they go on to do?
Evil Dead -> Sam Rammy -> Spiderman and Dawn of the Dead -> mainstream Hollywood film direction
Wes Craven -> Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Hills have Eyes -> popular mainstream hollywood horrors
Technological
- VHS
Economical
- Cinema attendance in decline
Political
Video recordings act 1984
Moral panic -> scapegoat:
"kids aged just five tune into nasties"
Media hyped up the regulation of films because the people who owned the media backed up the conservative government.
Blamed the video nasties on the violence against the government etc, -> miners fighting etc
Mary Whitehouse -> traditional values etc, did not like what younger people and society as a whole could view without the films being regulated
Video nasties -> blood, gore, horror, violence - low budget, unregulated films
Nothing in place to regulate the films, to stop accessibility and graphic images. The video record created a fear about audiences being able to get hold of this.
Implicit -> not showing anything violence or nudity - implied, the opposite to explicit - Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Evil Dead -> biggest selling video of 1983 - people wanted to watch something with violence etc, and thats controversial = advertisement - pencil stabbing scene = influential and imitable behaviour
What do the trailers Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Last House on the Left have in common in terms of :
style:
-rape
-violence/imitable violence / dismemberment
-gore
-night / woods
-unknown actors
-young -> marketing
-female victim
-violence - chainsaw
- young -> marketing
-female victim
-documentary style - realistic
-woods
-teenage targets - audience
- chainsaw
-based on reality? true story??
budget:
-very low and poor
-woods
-VFX = terrible / plasticine animation / stop motion
-poor low budget
-No VFX - more realistic
narrative/themes:
-style over substance
-banned / moral panics to promote and advertise
-moral panic - peace symbol??
genre:
-horror
-targets the morally wrong
-demonic vs christian belief
-horror but more realistic
-horror but realistic
Evil Dead
Last house on the left
Texas chainsaw masscare
Directors and where are they now / what did they go on to do?
Evil Dead -> Sam Rammy -> Spiderman and Dawn of the Dead -> mainstream Hollywood film direction
Wes Craven -> Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Hills have Eyes -> popular mainstream hollywood horrors
Essay 1: What factors led to the decline of town or city centre cinemas in the late 1970s and early 1980s?
Social, economical and technological factors have influenced the decline of cinema attendance throughout the years of the 1970s to the 1980s. These factors had an effect on the production, distribution and marketing and exhibition aspects of cinema. After the war, town and city centre cinemas, also known as flea-pit cinemas experienced a major decline in attendance. One reason for this is that they were not refurbished, and therefore an audience would not want to experience these conditions. Another factor could be the impact of a recession, piracy, technological factors such as the introduction to VHS and VFX and the youth audience.
The recession meant that the public no longer had a disposable income to spend on leisure items and the time to socialise. This therefore resulted in a decline in attendance to town and city centre cinemas. The recession influenced major factors that link to the decline of flea-pit cinema attendance. One was the introduction to VHS.
The introduction of home video became a fashion and a trend to watch films in the comfort of one's own home. Families could watch films together and more than once, meaning that this was cheaper and more economical. The introduction of VHS therefore lead to the decline in cinema attendance, having a major effect on town and city centre cinema's profit and income. This therefore resulted in the cinemas staying in their 'flea-pit' run down state, as they did not have the money to refurbish the cinema.
However, the introduction of VHS impacted the exhibition aspect of the cinema. The new technology of VHS led to a rise in piracy. This had a profound effect on town cinemas. Not only were people not attending cinemas to see new films but buying them to watch at home, they were now illegally purchasing these videos. As a result film production companies and town cinemas were not gaining any profit. A key example of the extent of piracy at this time was the film E.T, which was the most pirated film in 1982.
In the UK, Milton Keynes was the first location of the multiplex cinema in the UK. It was successfully run by film production companies from America. These production companies only distributed their own blockbuster films in these cinemas. The blockbuster was hyped up and seen as an event movie in which became a trend that a large audience wanted to see. Flea pit cinemas therefore could not showcase these films and therefore these independent cinemas suffered as a result. These multiplexes showcased blockbusters, which incorporated a range of VFX. At this time VFX were new and exciting to an audience, and encouraged people to watch the film at the multiplex cinema to gain the full experience, rather than from home video. This was successful for the increase in cinema attendance to multiplexes and as a result made flea pit cinema attendance decline rapidly.
Multiplexes were located on the outskirts of towns, near motorways and usually in shopping malls. This meant that the cinema experience became a part of the shopping experience, devaluing the ideology of the cinema. The location of the multiplex cinemas largely appealed to the new audience; the youth audience. Although the recession was still in tact, the youth audience had a disposable income, due to having no bills and liabilities to pay, they also had the time to socialise. The majority of the new audience already hung around in shopping malls on weekends, therefore the placement of new multiplexes drew and attracted this market easily, increasing attendance and profit to multiplexes. Blockbuster advertising created a hype and a fashion around the film, making it an 'event movie'. Due to the multiplex location, merchandise could be sold in a range of stores and services.
The youth audience, combined with the location of the multiplex guaranteed a large audience. The youth audience is and was very perceptible to the works of advertisement; buying into the event movie and blockbuster as a fashion and becoming competitive amongst one another. Whilst the location of the multiplexes already held an existing footfall; increasing the likeliness of attendance.
The fact that film production companies owned these multiplexes gave them the opportunity to advertise their own other films before the exhibition of the film the audience member gone to see. This created a vicious circle; blockbuster films advertising other blockbuster films in multiplexes. This encouraged the audience to return back to the multiplex rather than the independent, town cinemas. This of course, resulted in a decline in flea-pit cinema attendance and an incline in multiplex cinemas.
As a result of the introduction to VHS and piracy, the town and city centre cinemas saw their attendance plummet. The rise of the multiplex resulted in a further decline in attendance figures as these cinemas were easier to get to, their location guaranteed a larger audience due to the existing footfall in the shopping mall. Multiplexes showcased a number of blockbuster films (which the flea pits did not) and at a range of times, (whilst the town cinemas still had one single screen.) The large audience that the multiplex attracted also effected the town cinema, as this audience was already hanging around in shopping malls, as well as having a disposable income to spend on the cinema. Film production companies had the control over where their films were distributed, as these production companies owned multiplex cinemas, they showcased these films at their own venues and restricting showcase in independent cinemas. As a large dominant audience wanted to see these blockbusters compared to the films that were being shown in the town cinemas, this led in a major decline in the attendance to the town cinemas and an incline in attendance to multiplexes, resulting in flea pits being ruled out as the competition for multiplexes.
The most influential factor that led to the decline of town or city centre cinemas in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, in my opinion is possibly the influence of the recession. From the recession, other factors formed; for example if there was no recession, families may not have bought the VHS and home video. There also would not have been as greater target towards the youth audience.
Although, it is also arguable that the rise of the multiplex is the most influential factor that lead to the decline of the flea pit cinema attendance.
The recession meant that the public no longer had a disposable income to spend on leisure items and the time to socialise. This therefore resulted in a decline in attendance to town and city centre cinemas. The recession influenced major factors that link to the decline of flea-pit cinema attendance. One was the introduction to VHS.
The introduction of home video became a fashion and a trend to watch films in the comfort of one's own home. Families could watch films together and more than once, meaning that this was cheaper and more economical. The introduction of VHS therefore lead to the decline in cinema attendance, having a major effect on town and city centre cinema's profit and income. This therefore resulted in the cinemas staying in their 'flea-pit' run down state, as they did not have the money to refurbish the cinema.
However, the introduction of VHS impacted the exhibition aspect of the cinema. The new technology of VHS led to a rise in piracy. This had a profound effect on town cinemas. Not only were people not attending cinemas to see new films but buying them to watch at home, they were now illegally purchasing these videos. As a result film production companies and town cinemas were not gaining any profit. A key example of the extent of piracy at this time was the film E.T, which was the most pirated film in 1982.
In the UK, Milton Keynes was the first location of the multiplex cinema in the UK. It was successfully run by film production companies from America. These production companies only distributed their own blockbuster films in these cinemas. The blockbuster was hyped up and seen as an event movie in which became a trend that a large audience wanted to see. Flea pit cinemas therefore could not showcase these films and therefore these independent cinemas suffered as a result. These multiplexes showcased blockbusters, which incorporated a range of VFX. At this time VFX were new and exciting to an audience, and encouraged people to watch the film at the multiplex cinema to gain the full experience, rather than from home video. This was successful for the increase in cinema attendance to multiplexes and as a result made flea pit cinema attendance decline rapidly.
Multiplexes were located on the outskirts of towns, near motorways and usually in shopping malls. This meant that the cinema experience became a part of the shopping experience, devaluing the ideology of the cinema. The location of the multiplex cinemas largely appealed to the new audience; the youth audience. Although the recession was still in tact, the youth audience had a disposable income, due to having no bills and liabilities to pay, they also had the time to socialise. The majority of the new audience already hung around in shopping malls on weekends, therefore the placement of new multiplexes drew and attracted this market easily, increasing attendance and profit to multiplexes. Blockbuster advertising created a hype and a fashion around the film, making it an 'event movie'. Due to the multiplex location, merchandise could be sold in a range of stores and services.
The youth audience, combined with the location of the multiplex guaranteed a large audience. The youth audience is and was very perceptible to the works of advertisement; buying into the event movie and blockbuster as a fashion and becoming competitive amongst one another. Whilst the location of the multiplexes already held an existing footfall; increasing the likeliness of attendance.
The fact that film production companies owned these multiplexes gave them the opportunity to advertise their own other films before the exhibition of the film the audience member gone to see. This created a vicious circle; blockbuster films advertising other blockbuster films in multiplexes. This encouraged the audience to return back to the multiplex rather than the independent, town cinemas. This of course, resulted in a decline in flea-pit cinema attendance and an incline in multiplex cinemas.
As a result of the introduction to VHS and piracy, the town and city centre cinemas saw their attendance plummet. The rise of the multiplex resulted in a further decline in attendance figures as these cinemas were easier to get to, their location guaranteed a larger audience due to the existing footfall in the shopping mall. Multiplexes showcased a number of blockbuster films (which the flea pits did not) and at a range of times, (whilst the town cinemas still had one single screen.) The large audience that the multiplex attracted also effected the town cinema, as this audience was already hanging around in shopping malls, as well as having a disposable income to spend on the cinema. Film production companies had the control over where their films were distributed, as these production companies owned multiplex cinemas, they showcased these films at their own venues and restricting showcase in independent cinemas. As a large dominant audience wanted to see these blockbusters compared to the films that were being shown in the town cinemas, this led in a major decline in the attendance to the town cinemas and an incline in attendance to multiplexes, resulting in flea pits being ruled out as the competition for multiplexes.
The most influential factor that led to the decline of town or city centre cinemas in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, in my opinion is possibly the influence of the recession. From the recession, other factors formed; for example if there was no recession, families may not have bought the VHS and home video. There also would not have been as greater target towards the youth audience.
Although, it is also arguable that the rise of the multiplex is the most influential factor that lead to the decline of the flea pit cinema attendance.
Social
Economic
- Youth audience - marketing (hype) & Exhibitions (shopping centres) VFX - simple narrative (production)
- Audience leisure patterns - recession - little disposable income
Technological
- Multiplexes guarantees a larger audience -> more screens and times available = an audience more variable
- Piracy and home video
- Flea pit - one screen, independently run, no blockbusters shown here = audiences did not want these - distribution - productions companies owned multiplexes therefore they sold their films only in multiplexes. Film distributors control who and where shows their films to gain a profit. This results in a decline in flea pit cinemas so that multiplexes rise and gain the profit. The flea pits were the competition.
- Recession -> decline in cinema attendance
- VHS
- Rise of the blockbuster and event movies
- Piracy
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