Students become film censors for a day
Tawa College students were invited to try their hand at film classification with the help of the country’s Chief Censor last week.
The opportunity was part of the widely popular and longrunning Censor For A Day programme run by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
Schools at various locations nationwide are invited to participate in the bi-annual event.
About 110 senior media studies students from three schools gathered at Event Cinemas, Queensgate, last Thursday to watch a yet-to-bereleased film.
Schools participating were Paraparaumu College, Wainuiomata High School and Tawa College.
The students were given a presentation about New Zealand’s classification system, including an overview of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993.
They also learnt about the process followed by censors when classifying films, video games and other publications.
Students were encouraged to speak about various themes in the movie, and to express their opinions on the classification system in general.
Chief Censor Andrew Jack said Censor For A Day provided students with first-hand experience of the classification sys- tem, which is part of the NCEA media studies curriculum.
‘‘Young people are among the biggest consumers of films, DVDs/Blu Ray and video games,’’ he said.
‘‘They’re also most affected by the classification rating system. We value this direct engagement with students and the opportunity to better inform them of the process.
‘‘Most importantly, it also gives us insight into their thoughts and opinions.’’
Jack said it was always interesting to hear what students did and didn’t find harmful.
‘‘Often, they consider their younger siblings and how they would feel about them being exposed to such content.
It’s an interesting and very useful exercise for us all. ‘‘