Legal issues & Guidelines

ASA

The ASA are the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. This includes

not just TV adverts and videos, but also posters, web banners, and other forms of

advertising. The ASA’s main job is to make sure that an advert that is being shown has no

offensive material, and that all information in the advert is correct. They basically make sure

the advert can be seen by all age groups and is relevant to the product being advertised.

BBFC

The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. This is mainly used for TV

programs and films, it was also used for video games before the ESRB became the standard

classification for games. The BBFC do a similar job to the ASA except they give films a rating

from U to R18. These ratings restrict the age groups that can view the film or purchase it in a

shop. If somebody wanted to make a family film then the best rating to aim for would be a

U or PG because a wide age range can view it, however if the film is aimed at an older

audience then it doesn’t matter what rating it is. Film makers must take the rating into

consideration when making a movie.

Insurance

There is insurance that film companies can get that covers them against any accidents that

may occur. One of the biggest is the AON insurance group, who are also sponsors of

Manchester United football club. This insurance makes sure that if am member of the crew

or the public is injured, the company will be protected if they decide to take legal action.

Our advertising company would need this to make sure it is protected against such

accidents.

Trade Unions

AON is also an example of a trade union as it has the same role as one. It protects the film

company against any legal action that may be taken against them during filming. We would

also need this while making our advert to help protect us against legal action.