Self Reflection and Final Journal Report

Role 

In my group, Censorship For Media Production Makers, my role is to research on censorship laws within Australia covering these various points:

1. Overview of censorship in Australia

• Who controls media content that is produce and distributed in Australia?
• What is their purpose for controlling media content in Australia?

2. A brief history of how censorship began in Australia

• How and when it happened (events that occurred)?

3. The Australian National Classification Scheme

• What is its purpose?
• Who decides what is included or excluded from the scheme?
• When was it established?

4. Classification markings in Australia

• What is the purpose for having these markings?
• What are the types of markings available in Australia?
• What do they represent and limit from the public?
• Who classifies materials and devices in Australia?

5. The Australian Law Reform Commission

• What is their role?
• What power do they have?
• What is their purpose?
• What changes are proposed to the new Australian National Classification scheme?

6. A brief comparison between Eastern and Western censorship

• What are their differences?
• Who is affected?

7. Retrieve some case studies about censorship in Australia

• Are there censorship laws that are passed in Australia?
• Who were affected by censorship laws and what did the government do?

8. Conduct an interview with a professional media practitioner in Australia

• Get a broader perspective on censorship laws within Australia through media professionals.
• Have a better understanding on the challenges that I might face once I set my foot out in the media industry.
• Explore other aspects of censorship that are not covered in books or case studies.

9. Provide a summary on censorship in Australia

• Have a holistic understanding about censorship within Australia

My task in the group is to:

1. Focus my research on censorship laws in Australia and its effects.
2. Publish my research findings on the blog.
3. Search for censorship case studies in Australia and compare them.
4. Interview a professional media practitioner in Australia.
5. Participate in any video work required in this project.
6. Help in designing the website.

Issues and challenges

Some of the issues and challenges that I came across are:

1. Getting media practitioners in Australia to take some time off from their busy schedule for me to conduct an interview with them.
2. Finding the right media practitioner whose work relies heavily on censorship in Australia.
3. Finding controversial topics about censorship being discussed in Australia.
4. Finding censorship topics related to filmmaking within Australia, as Australia focuses more on Internet filtering and classifying films more than banning them in the society.
5. Organising my research findings on our website so that it is informative and well researched.

Progress

When I first began my research in this project, it was quite easy for me to find topics related to censorship laws within Australia, as there are quite a number of Australian websites that provide me with that information. In addition, they were well organised and structured so it was easy for me to identify who is in charge of the censorship laws, what powers do they have, what media content is allowed, removed or classified in Australia.

However as I shift my focus to films that are censored in Australia, I realised that films that are produce and distributed in Australia are hardly censored but are given classification markings instead. This is due to the fact that Australia only permits games, films and videos that have been classified by the classification board to be produced, distributed and consumed by the public. On the contrary, the government place their focus on Internet consumption by setting up stronger filtering systems that prevent Australians from consuming unclassified materials. Hence I found it hard to find any public dissatisfaction with film censorship within Australia and any controversial topics related to it as the Australian government allows a wide range of films to be consumed. The only issue is that Australians have to be of legal age to consume films with strong themes or content.

However, after dedicating more of my time to research on controversial topics related to film censorship in Australia I manage to find some sources that showed Australians questioning the board of film censors on their decision. This is due to the fact that I use various online platforms such as YouTube, DowJones and personal blogs to find what I need and through my interview with a media practitioner whose work relies on censorship in Australia. My strength was my decision in dedicating more time in my research and my weakness was focusing on the right angle to explore this topic.

Strategies

My strategy in conducting my research was a combination of research, collaborative and personal learning strategies. When gathering resources to research on my topic, I employ research strategies such as using various online platforms that are available on the RMIT website and searching up on catalogues and news paper articles that are available in the state library. For most areas in my research, I went to google scholar, the RMIT Library Website and the Australian Government Classification Website to look up on articles, reports and information related to censorship classification in Australia. I also read up on some of the reviews from personal blogs such as (blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology) and movie reviews online such as (twitchfilm.com and theage.com.au). They have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of who banns and classify films in Australia and why these films are banned. When met with a challenge or an obstacle, I employ the collaborative strategies such as informing my group mates about the obstacles that I hit with and ask them for other ways that I can go about to solve it. Lastly, whenever there is a problem that presents itself before me, I will employ personal learning strategies such as reflecting on previous projects that I have done before and use that experience to solve the problem. These strategies that I use in conducting my entire research on this topic is very effective as it helps me overcome any problems that I encounter along the way. In addition it helps me in tackling future problems that I might come across when working on other projects in the future.

Problems

Some of the problems that I came across are:

1. Organising my time well to channel my focus on a particular area required in my research.
2. Choosing which points from my sources that are relevant to my research topic.
3. Finding media practitioners that are willing to take some time off from their busy schedule to allow me to conduct an interview with them.
4. Finding media practitioners where their work is heavily affected by censorship laws in Australia.

How did I go about to solve them:

1. I ensure that I spend at least eight hours every week to focus on my research.
2. Having a discussion with my group mates and asking them for their opinions on which areas in my research that I should focus on.
3. Sending out emails to a list of media practitioners that I found online during my research, so that I will get at least one who is willing to take an effort to allow me to conduct my interview.
4. Starting my search for such media practitioners earlier as it requires a lot of time to source for one.

Connections And Intersections

In conclusion, this course has taught me values like:

1. Problem solving skills whenever I come across an obstacle.
2. Develop my knowledge of the media industries so that when I set my foot in it, I will have at least some substantial knowledge.
3. Develop my skills in researching these industries through looking out for various sources that will help me build project.
4. Develop my skills in analysing media industries, theories and practices in Australian, international and cross-cultural contexts, especially when our work comes together in the project.
5. Helps me identify, analyse and solve problems relevant to media practice.
6. Helps me to effectively learn to adapt, innovate and lead in a rapidly changing professional environment.
7. Help me to work effectively in a collaborative environment given a little amount of time we have.
8. It helps me contextualise my individual interests and skills within a broader, more-in-depth understanding of contemporary mediascapes.
9. Evaluate my learning experience and understanding my strengths and weaknesses.
10. 10.  It helps me to communicate professional research in appropriate forms online.

These values that I have taken from this course are very useful and I can see that they will help me in my career as a media practitioner in the future and ensure that the work that I produce are of professional quality and standard.

 

Marks Awarded:

ITEMS	HD	D	C	P	N (Fail)
Role	HD
Progress	HD
Strategies	HD
Problems	HD
Connections/intersections	HD

 

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Film Production Business v.s Media Censorship – Individual Progress Report And Presentation

Synopsis

My team and I will be exploring censorship and copyright laws in Australia, Bahrain and Singapore to understand the intentions and purpose behind them and how they affect film producers through in depth analysis, research and case studies. This is so that we will know enough to set up our own media production business in future and adapt to the ever-changing media landscape as professional media practitioners.

My role in my research group

My role in my research group is to focus on the copyright laws and censorship classifications in Australia. In terms of copyright, I have to look at it in broad terms, such as the moral rights that artists and media producers have in Australia. In addition, I will have to find out who is monitoring and enforcing it in Australia, how is copyright enforced in Australia and what constitutes to breaching a copyright law in Australia. As an extension, I will also research and present the penalties involved if someone were to breach a copyright law in Australia along with a few case studies of copyright laws infringement in Australia and how they were dealt with by the government.

In regards to censorship classifications in Australia, I have to look at how it came about and the boundaries and taboos that it has. In addition, I have to find out who is in charge of censorship classification in Australia, how it classifies films produced in Australia, how it is enforced and affects film producers and media production businesses in Australia. I will also be researching on what type of films have been censored in Australia and why are they censored. As an extension, I will also research and present the penalties involved if someone were to breach a censorship law in Australia and present a few case studies of censorship laws infringement in Australia and how they are dealt with by the government.

In conclusion to my entire research, I will provide a point of view of professional media practitioners and producers in Australia in regards to the topic of my research through an interview with them. In addition, I will compare and contrast Australia’s copyright laws and censorship classifications with two other countries, Singapore and Bahrain. Geographically located at the tip of Southeast Asia, Singapore is known as a conservative society and its censorship laws are fairly high. A lot of films considered by the Singapore government that target sexual, political, racial or religious issues are not screened or produced in Singapore.  Hence, as the society and governing between both Australia and Singapore are quite different, by comparing and contrasting their copyright laws and censorship classifications, one can have a better perspective and a deeper insight into the topic. In addition, to provide a holistic understanding of the entire topic, I will also compare copyright laws and censorship classification between Australia and Bahrain. This is due to the fact that Bahrain is a Middle Eastern country that is stepping up on its enforcement to censorship laws. In Bahrain, there has been on-going protest and petition by its citizens against it.

As a final contribution to my part in this group, these research findings and comparison will be posted up on our group’s blog so that it can be shared with the public and people that may find it useful when setting up a media production business in either of these three countries.

The progress I have made so far

Over the past few weeks, I have researched and discovered that the Australian Government agrees to the National Classification Code made by The Classification Board since its establishment in 1970. ‘The Classification Board is an independent statutory body that makes classification decisions about films, computer games and publications’ (Australian Government Classification Website, Review Board Decisions – 2011). The members of the Classification Board are chosen to be broadly representative of the Australian community. The Australian Classification Board members are from different age groups and backgrounds. They are not required to hold any specific qualifications, but must meet certain selection criteria that reflect the experience and qualities needed to effectively carry out their role. I have also discovered that ‘over the last few decades, censorship of films and publications in Australia has steadily tightened, not through changes to censorship laws but through changes in the guidelines and interpretations of the national Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC)’ (Yee D., 2004). Hence, in order to know what and why recent films have been removed or given a classification in Australia, I went to look up on the most recent Australian Classification Board’s report, which presents the films, games and publications that have been censored since 2011. Since 2011, these films, The Human Centipede II (full sequence), Happy Feet Two (2D and 3D), The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 1, A Serbian Film, House of The Dead – Overkill Extended Cut, We Dare and Mortal Kombat have met the Board’s decisions. Out of the list of films that the Australian Classification Board have reviewed, I found the film, The Human Centipede II, to be most intriguing because the first sequel to that film, The Human Centipede I, was rated R18 in Australia and was screened in Australian cinema. After watching the first sequel to the film, The Human Centipede, I felt that it contained a lot of disturbing scenes that explored themes of sex, horror and violence which should not have be distributed or screened in Australia. Hence, I was curious to find out why The Human Centipede II was given a RC (Refused Classification) by the Australian Classification Board. In the report, ‘The Review Board found that the film contains aspects or scenes of importance under various classifiable elements’ (Australian Government Classification Review Board Report, p.3). This meant that the film contained elements of themes, violence, sex, language, drug use and nudity that is subjected to section 9 of the Classification (Publications, Film and Computer Games) Act 1995. ‘Section 9 provides that films are to be classified in accordance with the National Classification Code (the Code) and the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games (the Guidelines)’ (Australian Government Classification Review Board Report, p.1).

‘The Guidelines for Refused Classification” in regards to films under the category of ‘crime or violence’ are: Gratuitous, exploitative or offensive depictions of

• Violence with a very high degree of impact or which are excessively frequent, prolonged or detailed;

• Cruelty or real violence which are very detailed or which have a high impact;

• Sexual violence.

“The Guidelines for Refused Classification” in regards to films under the category of ‘sex’ are: Gratuitous, exploitative or offensive depictions of

• sexual activity accompanied by fetishes or practices which are offensive or abhorrent;

• incest fantasies or other fantasies which are offensive or abhorrent’ (Australian Government Classification Review Board Report, p.5 – 7).

“The Code“:

The National Classification Code states, inter alia (in Item 1 (Refused Classification), sub-paragraph (a), (b) and (c), that films that:

a) depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adult to the extent that they should not be classified; or

b) describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not); or

c) promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence;

should be refused classification.

The Code also requires that in making its decision the Review Board must take account of community concerns about, inter alia, the portrayal of persons in a demeaning manner (National Classification Code (d) (ii))’ (Australian Government Classification Review Board Report, p.8).

After reading up on the Guidelines for Refused Classification in Australia and the National Classification Code, I went to research the National Classification Scheme.

‘The National Classification Scheme is a cooperative arrangement that enable the Commonwealth, States and Territories to take a national approach to classification. Commenced on January 1st, 1996, it classifies films (including videos and DVDs), computer games and certain publications, and the Classification Review Board can review the Classification Board’s decisions. It was established following recommendations made by the Law Reform Commission about censorship procedure in 1991 (Report No. 55)’ (Australian Government Classification Website, Classification In Australia).

In addition, I also went to research on the meanings and description of the classification markings on film and computer games in Australia (www.classification.gov.au/Classificationmarkings/Pages/Classificationmarkingsonfilmandcomputergames.aspx).

What Strategies I Have Utilised In My Research

For most areas in my research, I went to google scholar, the RMIT Library Website and the Australian Government Classification Website to look up on articles, reports and information related to censorship classification in Australia. I also read up on some of the reviews from personal blogs such as (blogs.crikey.com.au/cinetology) and movie reviews online such as (twitchfilm.com and theage.com.au). They have provided me with a comprehensive understanding of who banns and classify films in Australia and why these films are banned.

The Problems That I Have Encountered

1. I found it hard to find books on related topics as most of them appear as articles or reports online.

2. I found it hard to cite or reference them.

3. I only manage to find a one sided perspective on the review of the film.

4. I found it hard to select the film (genre and content) that would best reflect my topic of discussion as there are quite a number of films that are banned in Australia.

How Have I Resolved These Or Intend To Resolve Them

1. Go to the Research Center that RMIT has to conduct more research on my topic.

2. Conduct some interviews with media professionals in Australia so that I can have a deeper insight into my topic and a clearer direction on where I should focus my research on and which sources I should target on.

3. State my problems to the rest of my group mates, classmates and tutor to get their feedback, advice and direction on my research.

How I Believe My Project May Connect And/Or Intersects With Other Research Projects

I believe my project may be connected to this other group in the class that is researching on things that are “on demand” in Australia. Due to the fact that there are some movies which have been refused classification in Australia, they will not be exposed to the Australian market. This reduces the number of films that Australians can choose from and eliminates the banned film from becoming a product that is “on demand” in Australia. In addition, this will exponentially increase the ratings on films that are available in Australia.

References

Australian Government Classification Review Board Report, Human Centipede II Review Board Decision Reasons Report, p.1 – 8, viewed on April 13th, 2012

Australian Government Classification Website, Classification In Australia, National Classification Scheme, http://www.classification.gov.au/ClassificationinAustralia/Whoweare/Pages/default.aspx, viewed on April 13th, 2012

Australian Government Classification Website, Classification In Australia, Who We Are, Clssification Review Board Decision, Review Board Decisions – 2011, http://www.classification.gov.au/ClassificationinAustralia/Whoweare/ClassificationReviewBoarddecisions/Pages/ReviewBoarddecisions2011.aspx, viewed on April 13th, 2012

Yee D., A book review of Snatched: Sex and Censorship in Australia by Helen Vnuk, dannyreviews.com/h/Snatched.html, viewed on April 14th, 2012

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