Task 7 (Research tasks)

 Task 7: Regulatory frameworks

What is a regulatory body and a regulatory framework?

A regulatory body is;

“appointed by the Government to establish national standards for qualifications and to ensure consistent compliance with them.” [1]

Regulatory bodies are responsible for the protection of the public. For example, there are regulations that are made and enforced in order to protect the health and safety of those in a specific organisation. Regulatory bodies impose requirements for an organisation and then make sure that the requirements are enforced at a consistent standard.

A regulatory framework is;

“a model people can use for reforming and enacting regulations in an effective and logical way.” [2]

Regulatory frameworks are adapted to each industry and organisation that they are being applied to. 

What is Ofcom, what does it do and what framework does it produce and follow?

Ofcom (The Office of Communications) is a regulatory body that oversees the communications industry which includes telecommunications and broadcasting. The Ofcom website states that they also oversee the universal postal service. Ofcom enforces that the Royal Mail must deliver and collect letters 6 days a week while parcels are delivered 5 days of the week at affordable and consistent prices. They also work to prevent people from being targeted or affected by scammers, in particular those who are vulnerable and the elderly. Ofcom is independent and are funded by the fees that are paid to them by the companies that they regulate.

What is the ASA, what does it do and what framework does it produce and follow?

The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) is the UK’s advertising regulator. The ASA enforces the Advertising Codes across the UK’s media, making sure that advertisements that are put out to the public follow these codes. They ban advertisements that are misleading, harmful, offensive, or irresponsible. The ASA are an independent regulator and are funded by advertisers rather than the taxpayers of the UK.

The ASA would affect my business as my social medias would be my way of advertising and so the posts that I would make would need to be regulated properly. As my business progresses and grows, I would begin to pay for advertising through contracts with famous make-up artists and other internet personalities who are well known on various platforms. With the content that I would be creating for my business, I would need to give explicit warnings that any products that are featured in sponsored social media posts are not in fact real. I also will have to abide by the rules and guidelines of the platform that I'm putting the sponsored post onto so as to not have my post be reported and taken down for violating the platform's rules.

What is the IPSO, what does it do and what framework does it produce and follow?

The IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) is an independent regulator who oversees the newspaper and magazine industry within the UK. They ensure that high standards are held when it comes to journalism and also make sure that the freedom of expression is maintained for the press. The IPSO makes sure that newspapers and magazines stick to the rules of the Editors’ Code, and if they discover that there has been a breach of this code they then ensure that the newspapers and magazines have republished the work with the corrections and adjustments implemented. They monitor the press standards and work with a multitude of organisations in order to improve these standards.

What is the BBFC, what does it do and what framework does it produce and follow?

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) focuses on aiding families on choosing what they choose to watch and what they may find not appropriate for their children to watch. The BBFC has Compliance Officers who examine content and then recommend classifications for the aforementioned content and if the content needs cuts. The BBFC are independent from the UK government. They are responsible for the censorship of films that are released to cinema screens as well as other miscellaneous video works. 

As I want to provide film institutions with prosthetics, the products that I create could appear realistic depending on what exactly is asked of me by the client. If, for example, a studio asks for a realistic looking limb for a scene, this content could be declared inappropriate and the scene could be cut and used in an uncensored version rather than the version that would be released to the general public. Conforming to the BBFC's classifications, my work would mainly be featured in films that are rated 15 and up. Rated 12A and 12 allow minor injury with no focus on gore and horror elements. I am not opposed to making prosthetics for films with younger audiences, but I think it would benefit my company more if I aimed my work towards studios and individuals with more mature ideas of what they wanted. Rated 15 productions allow strong violence, horror and injury which will allow me to be less restrictive with the appearance of the prosthetic.

What is PEGI, what does it do and what framework does it produce and follow?

PEGI (Pan European Game Information) is focused on aiding customers who are in Europe to make informed decisions on their purchases concerning video games and apps through age recommendations and content descriptors. PEGI is used in 39 countries, and they use images that have become well-known in order to show what possibly offensive and inappropriate things will be included in the product.

What is the Creative Industries Council and what is their involvement with regulation?

The Creative Industries Council is;

    “a joint forum between the creative industries and government.” [3]

The Creative Industries Council focuses on improving many areas involving the creative industries, regulation being one of those areas.

https://datadictionary.nhs.uk/nhs_business_definitions/regulatory_body.html [1]

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-regulatory-framework.htm [2]

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/creative-industries-council [3]