Motion Picture Association

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Motion Picture Association of America logo

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) (until September 18, 2019: Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ) is the association of the six major US film production companies, namely Paramount Pictures , Warner Bros. Entertainment , Sony Pictures Entertainment , Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group , Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox , as well as Netflix since 2019 . It sees itself as representing the interests of the entire American and worldwide film and television industry and lobbying on their behalf . The organization is known to the general public mainly because of the age recommendations ( ratings ) it gives for films.

History and activities

The organization was founded in 1922 under the name Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (MPPDA) by the heads of the major Hollywood film studios. As a representative of the interests of the film industry, it should enhance its image in society and counter the call for state censorship of films at the time. Its President William Harrison Hays , who had previously served as post office secretary in the cabinet of Republican President Warren G. Harding , attempted to forestall government interference by developing a system of self-censorship for the film industry, known as the Hays Code or Production Code , which continued until in the time after World War II lasted. Hays was succeeded by Eric Johnston as President of the MPPDA in 1945 . Under his leadership the organization got its current name.

With the moral shift in society in the 1960s , the Hays Code , which prohibited the showing of "immoral" films, became increasingly untenable. It was therefore initially modified and finally abolished under the leadership of Jack Valenti , who took office in 1966 and remained President of the MPAA until 2004. In 1968 Valenti instead established the system described below, which has been used to this day and which has only been changed in detail since then. It is strongly shaped by the idea of ​​artistic freedom and the parents' personal responsibility for their children, so it is a much less strict system than the Hays Code.

From 2004 to 2010 the organization was led by Dan Glickman . During his tenure, the film industry saw major changes due to technological advances in the field of digitization and the Internet. The possibility of illegal distribution of film material over the Internet created a financial threat to the film industry, which is why the main field of action of the MPAA today, in addition to the awarding of film ratings, is the “fight” against copyright infringements . It advocates strict laws to protect copyrights and runs extensive information and deterrence campaigns against copyright infringements. From 2011 to 2017, the former Democratic Senator Chris Dodd was President of the MPAA, currently the former Secretary of State at the US State Department Charles H. Rivkin .

Age recommendations

The ratings inform underage viewers and their legal guardians about the suitability of films for certain age groups. Unlike the Hays Code before 1968, the rating does not judge a film as good or bad or moral or immoral. The issuing of these age recommendations is not a state measure, but a voluntary self-regulation of the film industry, similar to the German FSK . Unlike these, however, the MPAA's recommendations are not legally binding; there is no legal regulation comparable to §§ 11 and 12 of the German Youth Protection Act . Nevertheless, all of the major film studios and most of the other film studios have committed to submitting their films to the MPAA for evaluation before they are released. And the National Association of Theater Owners , the association of American cinema operators, has committed itself to enforcing age recommendations through ID checks at the entrance of minors. Many dealers and film distributors also pay attention to the MPAA ratings.

Evaluation process

In order to ensure that the rating is independent of the interests of the film producers, it is not carried out by the MPAA itself, but by a subsidiary organization called Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), which is financed by fees charged for the rating of the films become. Nevertheless, the ratings always bear the MPAA logo. CARA not only evaluates films from the six MPAA member companies, but also all films submitted to it (including foreign ones). Since the rating of a film is necessary for it to be shown in the majority of American cinemas, most film studios submit their productions for evaluation.

The evaluation process begins with the judgment of a committee ( board ) consisting of eight to thirteen parents. These evaluators (“ raters ”) work full-time at CARA, may not have previously worked in the film industry and must have at least one child between the ages of five and seventeen. This is to ensure that the rating is in line with the majority opinion of the average American parent. Evaluation criteria for the age recommendation are the language used in the film, sexuality, violence, drug use and other factors that the evaluators believe are important for average parents.

The evaluation process begins with each member of the board viewing the film to be evaluated alone and writing down on a form which evaluation, in their opinion, is appropriate for which reasons. This is followed by a joint discussion and, if there is no agreement, the age recommendation is agreed. If the filing studio does not agree with the evaluation of the film, it can contact an Appeals Board , which will review the evaluation. This no longer consists of parents, but of representatives from different areas of the film industry, but may only change the rating if it is obviously irrelevant. Of the approximately 900 film ratings carried out by CARA each year, only about ten are contested and of these, the rating is only changed in about three cases. More often, however, it happens that film studios cut out some objectionable scenes from a film and then resubmit it for evaluation. In some cases, film producers ask members of the rating committee during production whether a particular scene is still suitable for a particular rating.

Assessment categories

G ( General Audiences - All Ages Admitted )
A film rated G does not contain any content unsuitable for children, so it is suitable for people of all ages. Individual impolite expressions may only be used if they are part of everyday language also used with children, and violence may only be depicted to a minimal extent. Heavy swear words, nudity, sexual activity, and drug use must not appear in any way. In terms of content, this rating corresponds to the German "Approved without age restriction".
PG ( Parental Guidance Suggested - Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children )
This classification recommends prior assessment or supervision by a parent or adult. It says that some content may not be suitable for younger children, such as swearwords or hints of violence and nudity. However, sex or drug use must not occur. The rating with PG is only a behavioral recommendation for parents, it does not mean that children are not allowed to show by cinema operators.
PG-13 ( Parents Strongly Cautioned - Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13 )
This classification is a significant tightening of the PG approval. It includes a warning to parents to carefully check whether they allow a child under the age of 13 to view the film, as some of the content is considered by the reviewers to be unsuitable for children under that age. A film cannot receive a higher rating than PG-13 for its theme alone, so such a film may contain violence, nudity, sex, vulgar language, and drug use. The distinction to the two even more stringent assessment categories is only made according to the form and intensity in which these contents are presented. A film is usually rated at least PG-13 if drug use, a heavy swear word or sex occurs. However, like PG, this assessment also only represents a behavioral recommendation for the custodians; there is no obligation for cinema operators to reject children under the age of 13. However, some cinema operators do this anyway.
R ( Restricted - Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian )
A film with this rating can contain intense depictions of sexuality, violence or drug use. Parents are therefore advised not to allow their children to see the film. A film in which more than one serious sexual swearword or swear words are used in a sexual context is usually also given an R according to the CARA guidelines. It is precisely this regulation that repeatedly meets with criticism, since "Fuck" is a sexuality-related swear word and films in which the word appears more than once receive the rating R, although the word has meanwhile become part of everyday American language, detached from its sexual meaning. This so-called "one-fuck-rule" means that the word is often avoided or only hinted at in films in order to receive the PG-13 rating, which is criticized as being unrealistic, since the vast majority of American young people know and use the word. With a two-thirds majority of the evaluators, however, the evaluation with R can exceptionally be waived even if there is more than one sexual swear word. The R-Rating represents an actual prohibition on granting children and young people under 17 years of age access to the film unaccompanied by a parent or adult. According to the definition of this evaluation category, there is no age limit provided that a child is accompanied by its parents, but younger children are generally denied access to the performance even when accompanied by an adult.
NC-17 (No One 17 or Under Admitted, formerly: No Children 17 and Under Admitted)
This rating means that the film is only suitable for adults. Children and adolescents up to and including 17 years of age are therefore prohibited from entering a film rated in this way, i.e. the film is only accessible from the age of 18. Reasons for the evaluation of NC-17 can be excessive, detailed depictions of violence as well as depictions of severe substance abuse or psychologically disturbing behavior, but these are often pornographic depictions.

Films or film versions not checked by the MPAA are referred to as "Unrated" ( Unrated Edition or similar).

Changes since 1968

The original names of the assessment categories were "G", "M", "R" and "X", but the "M" category was soon renamed "PG". In the course of time it became clear that the jump between the ratings “PG” and “R” was too big, so that in 1984 the intermediate level “PG-13” was introduced. In addition, in 1990 the rating “X” was renamed “NC-17” because “X-Rated” had become a colloquial synonym for porn films over time.

Difference to the FSK

In terms of content, i.e. in terms of the criteria used, the ratings are roughly comparable with the German age ratings from 0, 6, 12, 16 or 18 years of age. However, they differ from the German FSK approvals in that, with the exception of the NC-17 films, all films are generally allowed to be viewed by children and young people of all ages. At most, accompaniment by adults is required ( R ) or recommended ( PG , PG-13 ).

Age rating is not required by law in the USA. However, economic pressure leads to the publication of most films in theaters with an “R” or lower, since unchecked or “NC-17” films are only shown in a few cinemas and are not advertised by many media outlets. On VHS or DVD, however, unchecked publication is normal and is not subject to any advertising or trade restrictions.

Compared to Germany, swear words, nudity and sex lead more quickly to restrictions on approval due to different moral concepts, while depictions of violence tend to be assessed less strictly.

Certificate number

In the credits of American productions or foreign films certified by the MPAA, which are initially intended for the cinema, there is an MPAA certification number. This is awarded continuously and is 51222 ( Star Wars: The Last Jedi ) in December 2017 . The first certificate was given in 1934 the film The world goes on ( The World Moves On ) by John Ford ; at that time was still spoken of "PCA Code" ( P roduction C ode of A merica, see Hays Code ), and there were only the two options "approved" (released) or "not approved" (not released). While the certification number is mentioned in the credits, the final age rating is not mentioned. If there are different versions, films may also receive several releases: This is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with the certificates No. 39418 (theatrical version) and 39783 ( Special Extended Version ) released. The certification also applies to short films or cartoons. For example, the Warner cartoons from the 1940s are individually certified.

Promotion of films

The MPAA not only evaluates films itself, but also all types of advertising for films that have been rated by CARA. However, the CARA is not responsible for this, but the MPAA Advertising Administration . Over 60,000 advertising media are evaluated annually, including television and radio commercials, preview films shown online or in the cinema, newspaper advertisements, press kits, posters and other advertising spaces. For example, at the beginning of an American preview film, the following sentence is displayed in white letters on a green background (for "restricted" on a red background):

"The following preview has been approved for
all / appropriate / restricted audiences
by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc."

The evaluation procedure for film advertising is less standardized than that for films. A wide range of measures is also used, for example requirements regarding the distribution of advertising only on certain TV channels, only at certain times or with the omission of certain film clips, on websites with access authorization only for adults and only in certain magazines. Overall, the MPAA is looking for a balance between the possibility of effective advertising and the protection of minors in cooperation with the film producers applying.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Motion Picture Association unifies Global Brand. Motion Picture Association, September 18, 2019, accessed November 4, 2019 .
  2. ^ Ted Johnson: Motion Picture Association Rebrands With Unified Name And Updated Logo. In: Deadline. September 18, 2019, accessed November 4, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Netflix accepted into the elite club of film studios. FAZ.net , January 23, 2019, accessed on January 23, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Who We are , MPAA, accessed January 23, 2019
  5. ↑ MPAA Reveals $ 400,000 Spend on Q1 Lobbying of Law Enforcement Agencies June 24, 2011 (accessed January 6, 2013)
    MPAA Already Lobbying Obama May 11, 2008 (accessed January 6, 2013)
  6. ↑ a b c d History of the MPAA www.mpaa.org (accessed January 7, 2013)
  7. ↑ MPAA - Public Awareness Campaign www.mpaa.org (accessed January 7, 2013)
  8. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 6
  9. ↑ a b CARA - About Us - How it all began ( Memento of the original from October 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.filmratings.com (accessed January 6, 2013) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.filmratings.com
  10. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 11
  11. ↑ CARA - Resources - Submittal Agreement ( Memento of the original from October 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.filmratings.com (accessed January 6, 2013) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.filmratings.com
  12. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 11
  13. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 6
  14. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 7
  15. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 12
  16. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 14
  17. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 12
  18. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 12
  19. ↑ a b c d e The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6, 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 7 ff
  20. ↑ The One Fuck Rule www.balloon-juice.com of October 5, 2010 (accessed January 7, 2013)
  21. ^ Classification and Rating Rules. (PDF) Effective as revised January 1, 2010. Motion Picture Association of America, January 1, 2010, accessed August 3, 2018 . P. 9
  22. ↑ Formerly X-rated ; NC-17 explanation in English
  23. ↑ The Movie Rating System - Its History, How It Works and Its Enduring Value ( Memento from January 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), brochure, 2010, 22 pages, English (accessed on January 6 , 2015 ). January 2013 at www.filmratings.com, PDF, 22.6 MB), p. 14.
  24. ↑ a b c MPAA - Movie Advertising www.mpaa.org (English, accessed on January 8, 2013)