ABSTRACT
This chapter is about the regulation of film. Legally, there are significant differences between the narrower categories of ‘cinema’ and ‘video’. The goal is to identify and assess the regulation of film, especially how regulatory boundaries are set and how specific rules apply. The three areas of focus are content regulation (i.e. classification by the British Board of Film Classification), tax relief for film and related production, and copyright law. These laws require the identification of a relevant medium, but also contain significant subcategories (e.g. different types of exhibition and distribution). The final part of the chapter is a reflection on film as a medium, and how the legislation on cinema and on video interacts with notions of the value and purpose of film.
