Watershed
Ofcom enforce the 'watershed' rule which is meant to protect younger viewers from offensive content including misuse of drugs, alcoholism and sexual activity. Watershed prevents programmes being broadcasted with such content until after the time of 9pm. Offensive language is also restricted; although the swearword of 'bloody' as in 'bloody marvellous', has been allowed in recent time. Ofcom value themselves on protecting those under the age of 18 and ask producers to be considerate to those who may view their product.
Violence
Ofcom also regulate the amount of violent content in programmes. Knives and guns are particularly 'dull areas' and have producers often have to explain why such weapons are neccessary. This is particularly important when concerning young males who often see using weapons or violence as acceptable. For example, the James Bulger case is a horrific example of how content seen by younger boys can cause a huge negative impact on them.
Casting
Ofcom ask that all actors under the age of 18 are well regulated and that they are aware of their role. Ofcom have a set of rules applicable with how actors under the age of 18 should be protected and what they can and cannot do. Under 16's require parental permission and all parents/guardians should be aware of what their son/daughter are requires to do within the footage.
The entire cast of 'Tracy Beaker' (above) would need parental permission to act in the series and parents/guardians would be all aware of their roles in the programme.
Flashing images are regulated so that persons with epilepsy can enjoy television without the worry of a seizure often brought on by flashing lights etc. Therefore ofcom enforce clear warnings to be put at the start of programmes which such content and the message is often relayed after advertisement or during the programme. Warnings can also be said aloud by a spokesperson. An example of a breach of this ruling is shown below.
BBC breached code over flashing images warning failure:
The news item on the BBC News at Ten on 23 November 2010 reported the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton had decided to marry at Westminster Abbey.
But the report included footage from the announcement of their engagement, which contained repeated flash photography.
OFCOM received a complaint from a viewer with photosensitive epilepsy, who was concerned at the amount of flashing images and the failure to include a warning.
How Ofcom will affect my work
My music video should not really concern Ofcom rulings. There are no flashing images and all content will be able to be viewed before watershed without editing two versions. There is an example of violence where my main character is physically abused by some youths his age through punches and pushes. However, it doesn't display dangerous weapons and it's purely to represent how friends can part. It also shows a form of bullying which is not something which needs regulating as it's a key issue between young people and this can be seen as a positive to prevent bullying in schools for example. Some of the actors are under the age of 18 but none are asked to act anything daring and are very aware of their roles. My music video also does not include anyone under the age of 16.
By doing this research it's clear to see how I need to follow rules to adapt to my target audience. For example, using accessive drug and alcohol misuse when targetting teenagers would be a critical error as they wouldn't be able to view the content freely and are protected by Ofcom. It also shown me how regulated TV has become since the Broadcasting Act 1990 and it's near impossible to offend people in the masses; although my example of the BBC above shows how people can still make formal complaints and be concerned with content.
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