D1

D1

When you look at the purpose, content and meaning of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it quickly becomes apparent that they are all linked and all help each other out in different ways. Together, they have helped reboot a franchise that has been still since 2005 with the release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

The purpose for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was for the new films be heavily tied in with the original trilogy as this was when Star Wars was at its best in the eyes of the majority of the Star Wars community and would give fans a sense of nostalgia. Therefore, it was important for the fans to know what happened after the events of the original trilogy which gave purpose to the new trilogy of Star Wars films being made as it allowed there to be a new storyline in the Star Wars universe. Something that heavily linked it the new trilogy to the old trilogy was the reoccurrence of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca after 30 years away from the Star Wars Saga. This helped give fans a feeling of nostalgia as they will have recognized beloved characters from the original films and it also helps fans understand just how connected this film is to the original trilogy.

Roughly 30 years after the destruction of the Death Star; ex-stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) finds himself turning on the First Order after coming to the realisation that he was fighting for the wrong side all along. Finn discovers a young girl known as Rey (Daisy Ridley) and realises that she is the one in possession of the BB-8 droid that has a map leading directly to Luke Skywalker which the first order have been looking for relentlessly. Rey and Finn finally encounter Kylo Ren in person whilst on board the Star Killer Base and engage in lightsaber combat using Luke’s lightsaber. After a long winded lightsaber duel it is Rey who ends up on top and Finn and Rey can then continue with their journey to Luke Skywalker. This links into purpose as this content summary shows how the film is trying to give the audience a feeling of nostalgia whilst simultaneously setting up a new storyline.

The Director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, JJ Abrams has stated that the film has two main meanings. Firstly, to bring about a feeling of nostalgia by bringing back elements of the original trilogy that fans have come to know and love over the years, and secondly, to set up a new story that will help continue the saga and add more depth to the already rich in detail Star Wars universe. This links into purpose and content as the two meanings of the film come together to form the overall purpose, whereas the content featured within the film is what gives the film its meaning by combining both the nostalgia and new path elements.

P5 D

P5 D – Role of Relevant Regulatory Bodies

Every film that is produced needs to be given an age rating for it to be released to the general public and for it to be shown in cinema’s. The UK’s leading age rating company is the BBFC, which is responsible for the age ratings given to all films that are released in the UK. All film companies who plan to release a film in the UK are required by law to send their film to the BBFC for it to be assessed and given an age rating based on the content that the BBFC has seen within the film.

Walt Disney Pictures was no exception either as they too had to send a copy of Star Wars: The Force Awakens to the BBFC before it was released so that it could be given an appropriate age rating. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was given a 12A due to the fact that it did contain moderate violence, but nothing too realistic that it would shock audiences or cause minors any real distress. It also featured no strong language which helped keep it a 12A.

Age Ratings

U stands for Universal, this means that the film is suitable for people aged four and above. U rated films will have little to no violence whatsoever, no blood or gore and will feature absolutely no strong language making it suitable for all young children.

PG stands for Parental Guidence, this means that the film is still suitable for children aged four and above however, parents should be aware that there could be some content in these films that may distress or upset their young children so they should look into the film first before allowing their young children to watch it.

Both 12 and 12A films are not suitable for anybody under the age of 12. However, if parents do decide to take a child under the age of 12 to a 12 or 12A rated film, they should understand that their could be some content featured that may upset their child. 12 and 12A rated films usually contain moderate violence some strong language.

No one under the age of 15 is suitable to see a 15 rated film, these films will contain some level of violence, strong language and are prohibited to show on-screen drug use as well as low levels of nudity and sexual conduct which is in no way suitable for the viewing of any young children.

No one under the age of 18 is suitable to see an 18 rated film, these films will often contain strong gory violence, strong language and are prohibited to show on-screen drug use, scenes containing graphic nudity and scenes realistically depicting sexual acts. This again is in no way suitable for the viewing of any young children.

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens age rating

The BBFC has decided to give Star Wars: The Force Awakens an age rating of 12, this is because there is minor violence in which people are seen being both shot and impaled, blood is also often contained in these scenes which does help justify the age rating of this film. Furthermore, there is also minor language included in this instalment of the Star Wars saga. Words such as ‘damn’ are frequently said which could be considered as an offensive word to some people.

The ‘village scene’ in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a perfect example of why Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been given a 12. It demonstrates violence with many people being shot in the scene by blasters, as well as a shot that shows blood smeared over a stormtroopers helmet. The scene also contains some minor language which some viewers could find offensive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P5 C

P5 C – Relevant Legal and Ethical Issues

Legal and ethical issues can make developing and producing a blockbuster film much more difficult than people would expect. Through the years, film companies have therefore learned the value of respecting legal and ethical norms; however, this does not mean that film companies such as Walt Disney Pictures do not run into their fair share of legal and ethical issues.

One legal issue that Disney will have been wary of during the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have been copyright claims. When a film is in production; everything from the clips used down to the soundtracks used need to be original or granted for use via a written document from the owners of the content. Disney therefore would have had to of been extremely careful with what content was included within the final cut as something as simple as a brand being featured in the film without that brand’s consent would be enough for a viable copyright claim to be made against Disney, costing Disney precious time and money as well as potentially damaging their reputation as this would no doubt be covered by the media.

Another legal issue that would undoubtedly be on Disney’s radar is the potential for cast/crew members to be injured on set. Because the injury has taken place on set, the injured crew member is fully entitled to sue the film company they are working for due to a lack of health and safety standards which has led to the injury taking place. Walt Disney Pictures actually found themselves in this situation back in May 2014 when Harrison Ford got is body trapped under a hydraulic door used on the set of the Millennium Falcon. He suffered a broken leg and was out of filming for around 6-8 weeks, Disney got into a lot of trouble for allowing this to happen with four charges being brought against them by the Health and Safety department and were also forced to pay out £1.6 million as a result of the accident.

Although many ethical issues have now been eradicated or at least reduced since the release of the original trilogy (such as gender equality, racial diversity etc.), that doesn’t mean that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been without its ethical issues since its release in December 2015. Due to the massive child audience Star Wars has amassed over the last few decades, the inclusion of violence and death has led to the Star Wars franchise being heavily criticised by some critics because of the affect in can have on some young children. For example, throughout Star Wars: The Force Awakens; there is blood, characters being impaled with lightsabers, characters being shot and generally a lot of death being shown on-screen. This has therefore made some parents uncomfortable with letting their children watch Star Wars films as they do not want them to be exposed to any forms violence or aggressive conflict at that young of an age.