DVDs EXEMPT FROM CLASSIFICATION

[Sgt Sunshine]

Recently when viewing Wikipedia I noticed there are some DVD's/Videos which are Exempt from classification "E" Certificate..........These apply to Music & Documentary subjects among others..........

My point being you are very likely to see images of a sexual nature in a music video, as well as violent images in a Documentary (and indeed vice/versa)....

So how can this be ????Is it the same in USA or rest of Europe/World?



On a slight aside note.............I recently bought the film "The Graduate" and its rated 15............

No swearing that i remember.............

No violence (very minor near the end at church)

No sex (well not explicit, brief 1-2 seconds nudity)

Really cannot understand why this great film should have 15 certificate (12A) would be fine.........especially after what you could see in "E" cert programme..........

[EHV_Emmetts]

I'm also somewhat confused about the Exempt classification.

For example some Top Gear DVD's I have are 'E' classified whilst others have received a 'PG' classification.

The BBFC works in a mysterious way.

[Husky]

Last year I bought a music DVD of a live performance. It's exempt from classification, but features multiple uses of the 'F' word.

[Sgt Sunshine]

name='Husky']Last year I bought a music DVD of a live performance. It's exempt from classification, but features multiple uses of the 'F' word.

Yes I can only wonder why this is the case???

Surely Music/Documentaries/Educational material....should still be subject to the same rules that govern certification in films!.............

I'm not in favour of overt censorship or anything like that , but wonder why this strange anomaly exists?

[Steve Crook]

name='Sgt Sunshine']Recently when viewing Wikipedia I noticed there are some DVD's/Videos which are Exempt from classification "E" Certificate

The BBFC site doesn't mention an "E" Certificate.

Do you have any examples of any such titles? Then we can look them up and see what classification they really got.

It could well be an error on Wikipedia, it won't be the first. Which Wikipedia page was it on?

Steve

Update: They don't have an "E" certificate, but some things are exempt from classification

See Exempt Works

There, amongst other things, they say:

WHO DECIDES WHETHER A WORK IS EXEMPT OR NOT?

Decisions as to whether a work falls into one of the exempt areas or includes material that loses the exemption can only be made by the distributor or supplier. The Board's role is purely to classify works submitted to it. The Board has no authority to make any decision about whether submitted works could be exempt.

...

WHAT HAPPENS IF A WORK WHICH SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED IS NOT?

The Video Recordings Act is enforced mainly by local Trading Standards Officers. Their role is to visit stores and inspect the stock and to check that no unclassified works are being sold or rented and that all other details of relevant legislation are being observed. They are entitled to take an 'exempt' work from a shop if they doubt its exempt status. If, on inspecting that work, they reach the conclusion that it should have been classified, the distributor could be prosecuted.

[Sgt Sunshine]

name='Steve Crook']The BBFC site doesn't mention an "E" Certificate.

Do you have any examples of any such titles? Then we can look them up and see what classification they really got.

It could well be an error on Wikipedia, it won't be the first. Which Wikipedia page was it on?

Steve

Update: They don't have an "E" certificate, but some things are exempt from classification

See Exempt Works

There, amongst other things, they say:

WHO DECIDES WHETHER A WORK IS EXEMPT OR NOT?

Decisions as to whether a work falls into one of the exempt areas or includes material that loses the exemption can only be made by the distributor or supplier. The Board's role is purely to classify works submitted to it. The Board has no authority to make any decision about whether submitted works could be exempt.

...

WHAT HAPPENS IF A WORK WHICH SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED IS NOT?

The Video Recordings Act is enforced mainly by local Trading Standards Officers. Their role is to visit stores and inspect the stock and to check that no unclassified works are being sold or rented and that all other details of relevant legislation are being observed. They are entitled to take an 'exempt' work from a shop if they doubt its exempt status. If, on inspecting that work, they reach the conclusion that it should have been classified, the distributor could be prosecuted.

Steve

The Wikipedia page is under the title "British Board of Film Classification" but I don't know how to put that link in here!

The text refering to "E" is near the beginning of the article, but it doesn't list specific titles that are "Exempt" it only says that that classification is available under certain circumstances (as I said earlier Music videos/Documentaries etc)

Wikipedia may have its accuracy problems and I'm not sure whether this is the case here, but the rest of the page seems fine to me........

One of the earlier posters on this thread mentioned he had a music video that used "F" word in it.........but still exempt??

Steve I hope this is clear and understandable..............

Cheers

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Sgt Sunshine']Steve

The Wikipedia page is under the title "British Board of Film Classification" but I don't know how to put that link in here!

The text refering to "E" is near the beginning of the article, but it doesn't list specific titles that are "Exempt" it only says that that classification is available under certain circumstances (as I said earlier Music videos/Documentaries etc)

Wikipedia may have its accuracy problems and I'm not sure whether this is the case here, but the rest of the page seems fine to me........

One of the earlier posters on this thread mentioned he had a music video that used "F" word in it.........but still exempt??

Steve I hope this is clear and understandable..............

Cheers

Presumably if somone reported the offending music video to the BBFC and they thought it needed a 12 certificate, the distributor could be fined. It does seem reasonable that the BBFC shouldn't be wasting their time on stuff like how to paint dvds or Open University course material. As Steve's link says - you don't have to submit your film for certification but there may be problems if you don't.

[Steve Crook]

name='Sgt Sunshine']Steve

The Wikipedia page is under the title "British Board of Film Classification" but I don't know how to put that link in here!

The text refering to "E" is near the beginning of the article, but it doesn't list specific titles that are "Exempt" it only says that that classification is available under certain circumstances (as I said earlier Music videos/Documentaries etc)

Wikipedia may have its accuracy problems and I'm not sure whether this is the case here, but the rest of the page seems fine to me........

One of the earlier posters on this thread mentioned he had a music video that used "F" word in it.........but still exempt??

Steve I hope this is clear and understandable..............

Cheers

What they say isn't incorrect, it just needs careful reading

The rest of that table on the Wikipedia page says of the "E" symbol:

It is not an official symbol. Distributor believes that the work is exempt from classification. (music, documentary, non-fiction, etc.)

And it then has a reference to a BBFC page that says much the same thing.

But it's not saying that it applies to all music videos. It's up to the distributor to decide if they think it needs classification. And if they distribute it and someone complains, they can be fined if they should have had it classified

Steve

[Steve Crook]

name='Husky']Last year I bought a music DVD of a live performance. It's exempt from classification, but features multiple uses of the 'F' word.

A DVD of a live performance isn't automatically exempt. Nothing is automatically exempt. The distributor may have decided that they won't submit it for classification.

As that's a word that can be often heard on the national TV channels at any time - although usually only after the artificial "watershed" and on national radio at any time where there is no "watershed", I can understand why the distributor would make that decision.

If you were to complain about the content and if the complaint was upheld and it was decided that it should have been submitted for classification, then the distributor could be fined and it would be withdrawn

Steve

[Amethyst_Isle]

Steve

Are you saying that if a Distributer released the most notorious video nasty in history and no one complains to the BBFC and do not get it classified it will receive/get an E ?

[CaptainWaggett]

name='Amethyst_Isle']Steve

Are you saying that if a Distributer released the most notorious video nasty in history and no one complains to the BBFC, they do not get it classified it will receive/get an E ?

Feature films have to be classified. From the BBFC website

Can I bring back DVDs from abroad that are not currently classified?

The Video Recordings Act 1984 (VRA) makes it illegal to supply any video or DVD within the UK which has not been classified by the BBFC. There are some exceptions to this (eg educational works or works predominantly concerned with sport, religion and music) but all feature films and TV programmes must be classified.

Although it is not a customs offence to import an unclassified video or DVD it must be for your personal use only and the content must not breach the UK law (eg Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964, Protection of Children Act 1978).

You are therefore entitled to purchase unclassified videos or DVDs whilst abroad, provided they contain no illegal material and are solely for personal use.

What does the 'E' symbol mean, and is it an official category?

The 'E' symbol on video packaging indicates that the distributor believes the work to be exempt from classification. Under the Video Recordings Act 1984, a video is an exempted work if it is designed to inform, educate or instruct; is concerned with sport, religion or music; or is a video game. However, if such a work depicts human sexual activity or gross violence to any significant extent it will need a BBFC classification.

The 'E' symbol is not an official symbol and does not have any legal standing. Nor is it a requirement that it should appear on video cassettes, unlike the BBFC classification symbols. Under the Video Recordings Act, the onus is on the distributor to decide whether or not a video work is an exempted work, and distributors have tended to put an 'E' symbol on tapes as guidance to the public.

The Board does not examine exempted works and does not decide whether or not a work is exempt

So I imagine a documentary series about famous serial killers or the Holocaust would need a classification but the distributors probably wouldn't bother for a DVD on how to improve your golf.

[Sgt Sunshine]

name='Steve Crook']What they say isn't incorrect, it just needs careful reading

The rest of that table on the Wikipedia page says of the "E" symbol:

It is not an official symbol. Distributor believes that the work is exempt from classification. (music, documentary, non-fiction, etc.)

And it then has a reference to a BBFC page that says much the same thing.

But it's not saying that it applies to all music videos. It's up to the distributor to decide if they think it needs classification. And if they distribute it and someone complains, they can be fined if they should have had it classified

Steve

Steve

Thanks for sorting that one out.....I thought it applied to ALL music videos etc...must get eyes tested & new brain installed.......

I still wonder why "The Graduate" got 15 rating though?

All the best

Thanks to Captain too for your reply...................

[batman]

AFAIK the exemption only applies to factual programmes, especially natural history ones, but even then they have to go through the process as some may contain 'dodgy' images et al. An example is that Executions video of few years ago, that was an '18'. Any work of entertainment that uses dramatisations and/or songs (from Shakespeare to Blyton to Tarantino) needs a certificated classification. Music concerts are classed as entertainment so they need to be classified. The classifications for the same item may change between cinema and dvd/video.

[Sgt Sunshine]

name='CaptainWaggett']Feature films have to be classified. From the BBFC website

So I imagine a documentary series about famous serial killers or the Holocaust would need a classification but the distributors probably wouldn't bother for a dvd on how to improve your golf.

Captain..............Its possible that "nude golfing" or "How to kill with a 9 iron" mat cause offence to some!!!

[Amethyst_Isle]

How to be a Serial Killer Golfer perhaps ?

[Dr Amicus]

IIRC, one of the relevant clauses in the VRA was inserted so as to ensure Faces of Death, one of the original Video Nasties, was covered.

[torinfan]

Is this only in the UK?

I've never seen such certification on DVDs sold here.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='torinfan']Is this only in the UK?

I've never seen such certification on DVDs sold here.

I assume so. Film certification is completely different here from the US.

[torinfan]

name='CaptainWaggett']I assume so. Film certification is completely different here from the US.

Thanks, I guessed that one.

[Brief Encounter]

Mrs Merton is 'E'. Somewhat surprising at times!