MPAA Rating Descriptors

1. MPAA Rating Descriptors Confusing Movie-Goers for 15 Years!

2. Purpose • What is the purpose of the ratings descriptors? • Who is the target audience? • How often do people pay attention to them? • Do they make sense?

3. Descriptors for Profanity Profanity: abusive, vulgar, or irreverent language • Language • Some language • Brief language • Mild language • Some brief language • Some mild language • Strong language • Brief strong language • Some strong language • Pervasive language • Pervasive strong language (The Big Lebowski) • A substantial amount of strong language (The Usual Suspects) • “Salty language” (My Fellow Americans)

4. Descriptors for Violence • “Violence” • “Some Violence” • “Graphic violence” • “Sci-fi violence” (The Matrix) • “Action violence” (The Incredibles) • “Actuality violence” (Schindler’s List) • “Bloody violence” (District 9) • “Strong brutal violence” (The Departed) • “Strong bloody violence” (Kill Bill, Vol. 1) • “Sustained strong stylized violence” (Sin City) • “Brief mild violence” (Tangled)

5. Violence Continued • “Strong graphic violence throughout” (Hobo with a Shotgun) • “Sequences of action violence” (Rush Hour 3) • “Intense sequences of violence” (The Bourne Ultimatum) • “Violent content including some graphic images” (Hot Fuzz) • “Sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence” (Hostel II) • “Disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior” (Fight Club) • “Grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings” (Seven)

6. Violence Still Continued • “Epic battle sequences” (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) • “Intense, graphic combat” (Gladiator) • “Strong western violence” (Tombstone) • “Intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence” (Saving Private Ryan) • “An adolescent punch in the nose” (The Skateboard Kid II) • “Mild alien vampire violence” (Teenage Space Vampires)

7. Descriptors for Sexual Content • “Nudity” • “Graphic nudity” • “Sexuality” • “Some sexuality” • “Strong sexuality” • “Some sex-related material” (The Green Mile) • “Some strong sexual content” (The Departed) • “Pervasive crude and sexual content” (Superbad)

8. Descriptors for Drugs • “Drug use” • “Some drug use” • “Some drug content” • “Drug material” (The Departed) • “Mild drug reference”

9. Senseless Rating Descriptors • “Thematic elements” • “Some thematic elements” • “Rude humor” • “Mild comic action” (most animated films) • “Mild bodily humor” • “Terror” • “—all involving teens” • “Scary images” • “Disturbing images”

10. More Senselessness • “A fantasy-comic image” (Superbad) • “Zombie violence” • “Partying” • “Smoking” • “Emotional thematic material” • “Mayhem throughout” (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) • “Irresponsible gun use” (Sticks and Stones) • “Vicious bullying” (Sticks and Stones)

11. Still More Senselessness • “Non-stop ninja action” • “Swashbuckling Action” • “Accidents” • “Intense depictions of very bad weather” • “Fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar." • “Violence, language, horror images, slime and gore” • “Graphic crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language -all involving puppets”

12. Changes? How might the MPAA make this process more accessible and (in turn) effective? In small groups, create a more effective ratings descriptor system.

13. Final Thought… “Movie ratings do not determine whether a film is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ They simply provide basic information to parents about content they may find sensitive. The MPAA and its member companies believe that filmmakers should be free to bring their unique creative visions to the screen, and that parents should be equally free to decide what their children can and cannot see. By providing clear, concise information, movie ratings achieve both goals.” -from “Informing Parents, Protecting Artistic Freedom” on MPAA.org