Censor for a day report archive
Each time the Classification Office runs its Censor for a Day programme, we write up a report about who attended the event, the film we used and how the students classified it. Here are some of the reports for past Censor for a Day events.
Term 3 2011:Fright Night
The second programme for 2011 took place in Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North. We had 271 students from 16 schools attend along with their teachers. Students viewed the remake of the 1980s film Fright Night, a film which follows teen Charley Brewster as he deals with the realisation that a vampire (named Jerry) has moved into the property next door in the Las Vegas suburb where he and his mother live. 51% thought that Fright Night should be classified R16 due to horror, violence and offensive language.
Read the report on the Term 3 2011 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v9.0, 1.59mb)
Term 1 2011:Tucker & Dale vs Evil
The team from the Classification Office began the Censor for a Day programme with an event in Wellington, before heading up to Auckland to hold events in Albany, St Lukes and Manukau. In total we had 533 students from twenty schools attend (with their teachers). Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a horror-comedy that shows what happens when misunderstandings are taken to the extreme. 74% of students thought that the horror and violence in Tucker & Dale vs Evil required an R16 classification. For many of the students, the comedic elements of the film mitigated the effect of the horror.
Read the report on the Term 1 2011 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v9.0, 2.6mb)
Term 3 2010:Animal Kingdom
This Censor for a Day event was held in Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington in the second week of September 2010. 225 students from 11 schools attended with their teachers. Animal Kingdom is an Australian drama which tells the story of 17-year-old Josh Cody’s dramatic introduction to the criminal underbelly of Melbourne. 80% thought that Animal Kingdom should be classified R16 – primarily due to the depictions of crime (including illegal drug use), cruelty, violence and offensive language.
Read the report on the Term 3 2010 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v9.0, 975KB)
Term 1 2010:Daybreakers
326 students from 14 schools attended Censor for a Day in March 2010. Daybreakers is a horror/sci-fi action thriller, set ten years into the future, where a virus has turned the majority of the population into vampires. 75% thought that Daybreakers should be classified as R16 due to the horror and violence in the film. Most students also thought that the film's descriptive note should contain a warning about the violence, horror, and offensive language in the film.
Read the report on the Term 1 2010 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v9.0, 271KB)
Term 3 2009:Jennifer's Body
329 students from 17 schools attended Censor for a Day in September 2009. Jennifer's Body is a horror/comedy directed by Diablo Cody, starring Megan Fox. The plot involves the high school student Jennifer (played by Megan Fox) being transformed against her will into a flesh-eating demon, or succubus. 84% thought that Jennifer's Body should be classified as R16 due to the horror, sex and violence in the film. Most students also thought that the film's descriptive note should contain a warning about the sexual and violent content.
Read the report on the Term 3 2009 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v9.0, 271KB)
Term 1 2009:Defiance
In Term 1 2009 students in Auckland and Wellington were invited to attend Censor for a Day. 596 students from 29 schools listened to a talk about New Zealand's classification law, watched the film Defiance and discussed how they would classify the film. Many of the students commented the film had significant social, cultural and historical merit and thought that this might mean the film should receive a lower classification so more people could benefit from seeing it.
As this film was cross-rated 'M' from Australia, there is no New Zealand Classification Office decision on Defiance.
Read the report on the Term 1 2009 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v1.4, 389KB)
Term 3 2008:American Teen
The Censor for a Day programme in Term 3 2008 involved another teen-based film. The documentary American Teen tells the story of five students' last year at high school, and explores the different challenges that people face. Students in Wellington, Tauranga, Rotorua and Hamilton discussed the role of stereotypes in films, and thought about how the experiences of the students in the film related to their own experiences as New Zealand teens. As this film was cross-rated 'M' from Australia, there is no New Zealand Classification Office decision on American Teen.
Read the report on the Term 3 2008 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v1.4, 584KB)
Term 1 2008: Charlie Bartlett
At the start of 2008 Censor for a Day was held in Wellington and four locations in the South Island. Students in Nelson, Invercargill, Christchurch, Dunedin (and Wellington) were shown the comedy/drama Charlie Bartlett. This film is set in a high school, and deals with issues such as peer pressure, drugs and sex. As this film was cross-rated 'M' from Australia, there is no New Zealand Classification Office decision on Charlie Bartlett.
Read the report on the Term 1 2008 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v1.4, 742KB)
Term 4 2007: Atonement
2007 was the first year that the Classification Office ran Censor for a Day in two terms. In Term 4 a team from the Office held the event in Wellington and then travelled to Napier, New Plymouth and Palmerston North with the award winning film Atonement. The tragic love story starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy made the students think carefully about how they would apply the classification criteria to the film.
Read the report on the Term 3 2007 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v1.4, 402KB)
Read the Office's summary of reasons for the classification decision on Atonement (PDF, v1.4, 271KB)
Term 1 2007: The Notorious Bettie Page
Students in Rotorua, Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland and Wellington examined and discussed the film The Notorious Betty Page. 75% of the students thought that the film should have a restricted classification, with 66% classifying it as R16.
Read the report on the Term 1 2007 Censor for a Day event (PDF, v1.4, 271KB)
Glossary:
- Pre-release film = A film that has not yet been shown to the New Zealand public
