Chapter 500： Classification

California, Encino, Motion Picture Association of America, also known as the location of MPAA.

In the meeting room of the Rating Committee within the Film Association, the rating discussion on "Chain Saw" is ongoing.

"There are many extreme violence scenes in this film."

Sitting on the side of the oval conference room, Matt Mendes said very clearly: "Blood and violent scenes are extremely detrimental to the mental health of young people and may bring many negative effects."

Matt Mendes, as one of the oldest judges on the rating committee, speaks quite a lot.

Some of the other judges in the conference room nodded and some were lost in thought.

According to MPAA regulations, the judges of the rating committee must be the parents of children aged 5 to 17, and the term of office shall not exceed seven years. However, Matt Mendes has served on the rating committee for nine years, and the child has already passed the legal age of majority. .

His position in the MPAA remains unmovable because he is the spokesperson for Walt Disney on the jury.

In fact, many judges, like Matt Mendes, are no longer in compliance with MPAA regulations, and some even have no children but still serve as judges.

Because the rating committee is a "secret" organization that does not disclose the identity of the judges, it is the voice of the six members of the Film Association Committee on the rating committee.

Clement is the least experienced among the six member agents. After his predecessor retired, he entered the rating committee and reached an agreement with Sony Columbia Pictures.

"Matt said very reasonable." Lindelof said at this time: "Extreme violence, not suitable for teenagers."

Clemente smiled, and Universal Pictures stepped forward.

Then, Fellman, who stood behind 20th Century Fox, said: "This is the most violent movie I have seen this year. It must be restricted."

The agent of Paramount Pictures stood up directly and said: "This "Saw Cry" has exceeded the limit of R grade."

The agent of Warner Bros. Catello said directly: "I recommend NC-17 classification."

Clement took a look at him. It is said that Warner Bros. and Relativity Entertainment have a close cooperation. It seems that while cooperating, when it is time to press, he will not be soft.

They hadn't had any discussion beforehand, but there was a kind of silent understanding.

This kind of tacit understanding actually existed last year, but it has not found a suitable opportunity to use it. The rating committee can indeed be used as a weapon, but many standards and rules are laid out clearly. Even the Big Six cannot do too much, otherwise it will provoke. A lot of unnecessary trouble.

Some films are rashly given a first-level rating. For example, they fully meet the R-level standard but are rated as NC-17. The authority and credibility of MPAA and the rating committee may be damaged.

The rules of the MPAA have been running for decades, and many actions can only be used to flick the ball.

They waited a long time for these ratings, and finally waited for an extremely violent "Chain Saw", the six major tacit understanding does not require prior communication.

Although it can be revised and re-graded, the time and energy delayed may disrupt the deployment and rhythm of the film company.

"How about you?" Someone asked, "What do you think?"

Clement smiled and said directly: "I think NC-17 is suitable."

"Secondary!" Someone agreed.

All judges unanimously passed the NC-17 classification.

Matt Mendes formulaically said: "The Chainsaw Fright, graded NC-17, unanimously passed."

According to the prescribed process, the MPAA notified Shahai Entertainment the second day after the classification was determined, and the news was quickly fed back to Ronan.

George Clint, who got the news, immediately brought director James Wen to the Relativity Entertainment side.

"Sorry, Mr. Anderson." James Wynn was slightly apprehensive: "My job was not done well."

Ronan shook his head: "This matter has little to do with you, don't do that, James. The final finished version is confirmed by me, but I took it lightly."

In the past two years, Relativity Entertainment has developed smoothly. DreamWorks is still at the top, Ronan is somewhat relaxed.

This is human nature, it is impossible for a certain thread in the head to be tight all the time.

George Clint was a bit angry: "We submitted the film to the rating committee very early, but they delayed until the end of the time limit before agreeing on the rating of "Chain Saw". It was clearly aimed at us. The rating committee's rating has always been blue. Light violence, the six major brands have more violent R-rated films than "Chain Saw", but they have no opinion!"

Ronan smiled: "George, this shows that we are a very powerful company."

"Uh..." George Clint was taken aback for a moment, then understood Ronan's meaning and said, "It is true."

Ronan sighed and said, "In the future, such a situation may happen again. You prepare some preparatory plans."

George Clint scratched his head: "The Big Six is ​​really the same as before, using the old methods."

"This is not the 1960s and 1970s." Ronan said: "The Big Six have their own competition, and it is impossible to truly unite together. They use methods within the rules of the game, but we cannot despise the fallen movies. The company is a lesson from the past."

Many companies just can’t survive just by means of the rules of the game. For example, DreamWorks, the Big Six have not used any methods outside the rules of the game, and it is not even apparent that the Big Six have suppressed DreamWorks, but DreamWorks finally Still falling apart, there is no chance to challenge the top players in Hollywood.

The many problems in DreamWorks itself are of course also a key factor.

Because even if the six major companies have a tacit understanding, they are competitors themselves, and they cannot truly unite.

James Wynn is still a pure director now, a bit mad.

"What should we do?" he asked.

Ronan quickly made a decision: "James, you can edit it as soon as possible, and make the scale smaller."

James Wen always felt that his job had not been done well, and said, "Give me three days."

George Clint took over: "When the re-editing is completed, I will immediately submit it to the rating committee for re-evaluation!"

Ronan nodded: "That's the only way for the time being."

Just do it when it comes to it, James Wynn did not delay for a minute, he immediately left, and summoned his staff to the post-production studio of Warner Studios to re-edit "Chain Saw".

In the office, George Clint said: "I was notified that I stopped the copy printing. At least 1,000 copies were unusable, and more than one million US dollars was wasted."

Ronan is also a little angry, but no matter how angry, there is no good way, unless he does not go to the MPAA classification.

According to the current laws in the United States, no one forces filmmakers to submit their films to MPAA for rating, but most filmmakers and distributors still submit their films for rating, because after the film is rated, it is equivalent to A kind of certification for movies is equivalent to the mark affixed after evaluation by the MPAA Association.

The vast majority of the media require that the film must obtain a rating before allowing the film to be advertised in the media, otherwise it will be protested by other advertisers or public organizations.

And without grading, "Saw Cry" can be shown in hundreds of theaters at most.

It may even be resisted by the Federation of Teachers and Parents.

These non-governmental organizations are not mascots, and their influence cannot be underestimated.

Ronan shook his head and said: "For the time being, this is the only way. George, pay attention to this matter and formulate corresponding countermeasures. The MPAA rating committee is not something we can solve in the short term."

Relativity Entertainment entered this industry too late, and the power cake of top players has long been divided.

In fact, MPAA's grading system is generally very reliable, but the judges may not be reliable.

Some media have said that the MPAA Rating Committee is the only secret committee in the United States except the CIA.

Because the identities of the judges are all kept secret, and even the rating links are kept secret.

The MPAA clearly stipulates that no group or individual can influence the rating process.

How many people will completely believe this rule?

Since MGM was disqualified, the MPAA now has only six members left, that is, the six major Hollywood companies. A new company who wants to join MPAAA is not an impossible task, but without any chance.

For example, DreamWorks, after several attempts, were all rejected.

The members of the MPAA have already reached an agreement. Important decisions such as recruiting new members must be agreed by the six members.

In other words, similar to the Security Council, any company in the Big Six has a veto.

It is possible to persuade one, two, or even three or four, but the six nodded unanimously...

It is conceivable that a competitor will come to discuss with you and want to share your interests and power. What choice will you make?

The sixth is not the Virgin.

It’s not that the top six films have been upgraded, but after the rating is completed, the rating committee directly tells the producers belonging to the top six which shots need to be deleted, so that they can be downgraded after re-evaluation; and other similar movies like "Chain Saw" In the end, I only tell you the rating of the movie. If you want to get the corresponding level, you need to change it without specifying where to modify it.

If the final rating is one level higher , for example, PG-13 becomes R and R becomes NC-17, a higher level means millions or even tens of millions of dollars in losses.

It's okay to say that a powerful company like Relativity Entertainment, but for independent films, this basically means that it will be finished.

This incident also made Ronan realize that Relativity Entertainment may have entered the sight of the six major companies, surpassed the psychological bottom line called non-threatening, and was regarded as a powerful competitor.

Ronan also knew that in the future, he might be able to deal with some troubles from the Sixth National Congress.

But no amount of trouble can be an obstacle to the development of relativity entertainment.

This time "Chain Saw Cry" encountered trouble, but it did not become an obstacle to the release in the rules of the game. After James Wynn re-edited, George Clint submitted the rating review and did not give the rating committee a chance to pick it up, and successfully got the R level. Rating.

The film was also released smoothly!

The success of "Chain Saw" is the best response!