LO4- Task 5, Ethical, legal and regulatory issues

A) Impact and Effect

In the 1930's Theodore Adorno had this theory called the 'Hypodermic Syringe', this is the idea that the media has a negative impact. In Avatar there is an enormous amount of weapon use, the weapons are specifically used by the humans when they show ignorance towards the lives of the Na'vi. And though the film is very clearly fictional, Adorno's theory suggests that the audiences could interpret this ignorance/ violence towards minorities as acceptable as well as the use of guns and other weapons. Juxtaposed to this is Dennis McQuail's theory (1972) which suggests people interpret media differently and use it for different purposes e.g entertainment.

These theories demonstrate two different types of audiences, active and passive. An active audience are people who discuss and question what they see, this then prevents an audience from wrongly interpreting themes within a film. A passive audience are people who copy what they see on screen, this kind of audience of course supports Adorno's theory because it shows the negative impact of media on an audience. In Avatar for example there is a (sort of) sex scene between the protagonist (Jake) and Neytiri, the scene was even removed from the original version of the film because of it's suggestive content. If this was seen by a passive audience, it is likely that it would encourage sexual behaviour and as Avatar is certified 12 by the BBFC it makes this scene highly inappropriate.

A positive impact that Avatar might have is the way that the Na'vi people are so connected with the environment. This might affect an active audience so they too begin appreciating nature and the environment, similarly the scene where Neytiri saves Jake but is insulted at the way Jake disregards the life of the other animals.

B) Representation

Representation is the way that someone or something is represented, Stuart Hall (1980) said that "all representations are mediated", here Stuart Hall is saying that representations are created on purpose and this is how we get stereotypes.

Tessa Perkins (1979) declared that actually not all stereotypes are negative, for example in Avatar the Na'vi are often likened to the stereotypical American Indian where they are a spiritual and athletic people. The film has also received criticism for it's portrayal of white males as rationalist and technocratic. David Brooks (A columnist for the New York Times) even accused the film of "resting on the assumption that non-whites need the white messiah". Perkins also says that stereotyping, even when negative, comes from some element of truth "Stereotyping is not a simple process and contains a number of assumptions that can be challenged." For example, Earp and Katz (1999) said '' the equation of masculinity with pathological control and violence'', this is a negative stereotype about men but in Avatar the majority of the marines are men and they seek money, control and violence so the media portrays some truth to this.

So though the portrayal of men is certainly a negative stereotype, Sigourney Weaver (as mentioned previously) portrays a strong dominant woman, this is a countertype because it challenges typical stereotypes about women being the 'damsel in distress. This is displayed in the scene where Grace knocks over the mug which Parker is using as a makeshift golf hole whilst passing a sarcastic ''Oops''. Here the character, Grace Augustine, is challenging her superiors which in turn challenges the 'damsel in distress' stereotype.

C) Legal and Ethical

The BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, is the primary organisation for film ratings and censorships in the UK. The BBFC initially gave Avatar a 12A certificate; however this has changed multiple times. The featurette 3D version of the film was certified on the 20th August 2009 as a 12A, but the 2D version was certified as a 12 on the 23rd February the following year. Between September and October of 2010 all versions of the film were certified as 12 which was most likely due to the introduction of the 'sex scene'. The film is rated PG-13 in America by the MPAA for all the same reasons except their classification also includes ''some smoking'' which is not seen as a problem in the UK.

The film keeps to these guidelines set by the BBFC by using different shot types. There are various scenes (such as when the antagonist kills Tsu'tey) which could have included more gore which would have been more inappropriate for younger audiences but by cutting the camera away from the scene it only gives the audience suggestions of violence rather than the violence itself.

The soundtrack for Avatar was originally composed by James Horner, and though the soundtrack was filmed specifically for this film 20th Century Fox would have still needed to get permissions from James Horner's record label 'Atlantic Records' which itself is a subsidiary of 'Warner Music Group' as well as having permission from James Horner himself. This is very important because if 21st Century Fox did not seek permissions for the use of this soundtrack despite it being made specifically for this film they would still be classed as copyright infringement and therefore could be sued by the owners of the soundtrack.

 The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regulates advertising across all types of media in the UK. CAP (Committees of Advertising Practice) codes are rules made by the ASA for advertisers, agencies and media owners. The 'Non-Broadcast codes' are the CAP codes which regulate all types of non-broadcast advertising, this includes all print material.

For the promotion of Avatar this poster was used (right), the poster is very simple so it does not show any harm or widespread offence. The poster displays some characters and the location so it is very clear that this is a sci-fi or fantasy film, as well as not showing any reference to pricing etc. this means that the film cannot be classed as misleading. Therefore, it would be appropriate to advertise towards a mass audience on billboards or the web in order to attract a mass mainstream audience, because the poster's content is not offensive.

And that is just about all you need to know about Avatar and how ethical, legal and regulatory issues affect film. Thankyou, and as the Na'vi would say "hayalovay", until next time.