Producing : Ask Me Anything (AMA) 10/25 to 10/26- Understanding the Motion Picture Rating System by Barry Freeman

Congratulations on all of your achievements, Barry Freeman! Thanks for having this AMA. Say I want my movie to be PG-13. What are some things that would make my movie rated R instead of PG-13?

Hi Barry, what rating gets the highest views for a Netflix audience, female driven comedy?

How is smoking rated? Can it be rated G?

Maurice Vaughan Thanks Maurice! You've asked the $64,000 question. As one example, the most clearcut ratings element is language. A film is typically allowed one and sometimes two uses of the "F-bomb" for a PG-13 film, assuming they are not used in a sexual context. For violence, blood and impact are two main triggers for an R rating.

Dawn Wolfrom Hi Dawn! For Netflix, their highest (most mature) rating is TV-MA which is somewhat equivalent to the MPA's R rating. Their next highest rating is TV-14. While I don't haver statistics for Netflix's female driven comedies, I've observed their Netflix original female driven TV-MA comedies do well. As a general point, Netflix uses the MPA ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17) when available and their own ratings for original material that doesn't require an MPA rating.

You're welcome, Barry Freeman. Thanks for the answer! I heard that sometimes the rating depends on how something is shown in a movie (Example: A movie has fight scenes. The filmmaker could show people fighting, but the audience doesn't actually see the punching, so the rating would be lower -- maybe PG-13). Is that right?

Joseph Montague Good morning (I'm in Los Angeles) Joseph! Smoking is actually the most recent ratings element that the MPA uses. It was added in the 2004-2006 range. Smoking is almost always rated PG or PG-13. Once there is any visual of smoking (even by a penguin or alien), it typically jumps the film from G to PG. For a film to be rated PG-13 for smoking, it requires a large amount of it or minors/teens use of it. One mitigating factor that could keep smoking at PG is the use of it in period pieces (Ex World War 2) when smoking was more widely accepted, and smoking was more prevalent.

Hey Barry, Thank you for giving us some insight on your career! It is much appreciated. How do I know if I need your service and at what stage in the film process?

Maurice Vaughan Yes Maurice. There's a difference between what a viewer sees and what the film actually shows. An example is the Mission Impossible and James Bond franchises. They both have a lot of violence and intense action. Ethan Hunt and James Bond shoot the villains but the camera doesn't linger on any possible impact shots and we don't typically see lots of blood or large pools of blood near the downed bodies. If we see a pool of blood, it might look more like motor oil (darker) than what we would expect. This minimizes rthe impact a bit.

That makes sense, Barry Freeman. I like to have an idea of rating for a script when I pitch it. Your answers help. Thanks!

Max D’Amora Hey Max! Thanks for the question and this one is important for film makers who have plans for a theatrical release, even for a limited run. If your film contains 50+ "F-bombs, bloody gory violence and graphic sex, you have made an R film and it makes little sense to make dozens of changes for a PG-13. The only concern there is that it's too strong for R and is rated NC-17. NC-17 films are almost always rated for graphic violence and/or very mature/graphic sexual content.

Typically, the best time for producers to discuss ratings issues are at the script stage. You can save time, money and aggravation by having a decent idea about possible ratings implications at this stage. It might be as simple as reviewing a few scenes of violence or some edgy sexual references.

While there are plenty of grey areas in ratings, producers can eliminate a lot of unneeded troubles by being prepared early in the process. It might mean to shoot a scene several ways (Ex 1 having a couch arm obscure body parts in a sex scene; Ex 2 Filming a scene with sexual references with three different phrases).

Maurice Vaughan My pleasure Maurice. I'm enjoying this forum and all of the questions are great!

Hi Barry! I was on a show and I’m trying to remember the rule we had to go by when the characters were smoking a joint. It seemed for that network, we couldn’t show them actually smoking it but the could hold it. Does that seem right? And network tv vs like streaming, how does it differ? Streaming has kid controls but seems all the shows are bunched together despite the ratings?

Barry Freeman, thank you for being available to the community today! Why is PG-13 the gold-standard rating and what are some ways to ensure that a movie can target that rating from early in the process?

Xochi Blymyer Hi Xochi! In my experience, network "standards" are considerably more strict on drug use compared to streaming.

The MPA answer is that some (not a lot) recreational marijuana by adults can be a PG-13 but harder drugs (heroin, cocaine) typically aren't typically allowed, with the exception of brief nearby paraphernalia that sets the scene without any use.

Ashley Renée Smith Hi Ashley and thanks for your help with AMA! A few factors on why PG-13 is the gold standard, at least in my experience.

-PG-13 has no restrictions on viewer age or accompaniment while R rated films require a parent/guardian for theatre goers under 17 years of age. This creates a potentially wider/larger audience = Box Office Revenue.

Hi Barry Freeman - thanks so much for taking the time for this AMA! I have two questions if that's OK. #1 are there any difference in how ratings are determined between live action and animation? #2 Is there an all inclusive document that screenwriters can refer to when writing their script that informs us as we write?

Leonardo Ramirez Hi Leonardo! Great questions as these all are... Animation seems to be given more leeway than live action. Ex with violence, animation is often rated in a lower less restrictive category for animation as opposed to live action. As far as a document, you can go on the MPA website and look at various articles with an engine search. Or you can contact me and I'd be happy to help!

What a kind offer, Barry Freeman and great answers! Thank you so much Barry. Super-informative AMA.

Hi Barry Freeman - thank you for being here for this AMA! My question is on the other end of the ratings spectrum. A friend of mine is developing a faith-friendly movie and wants to keep it rated G but there are a few themes and potential scenes that involve a fight or someone in trouble for gambling and doing drugs (drug use is only discussed and not seen). What takes a movie from G to PG? Thanks, again!

Sam Sokolow Greetings Sam! Faith-based films seem to be a growing category. One general factor to take into consideration with them is the thematic material/content. When a ratings element doesn't neatly fit into one of the usual categories (violence, sex, language, drugs/alcohol, smoking), it can indeed be rated either PG or more for a thematic description. Examples are abortion and bullying.

Your references to possible fighting, gambling and drug use references all Could qualify as PG (or stronger) depending on the actual content. For example, (drug references), if there's a passing reference to somebody getting into some trouble at school and it's quite vague, it's probably ok. If the reference is to someone being suspended because the person was caught smoking weed in the bathroom, that's more of a problem.

Thanks BARRY! Ratings are so interesting to how they are determined!

Thank you for that Barry! You’re the man. One more quick question. How do you analyze different kind of scripts for ratings. Do you use the same process on all genres? Thanks Barry

Max D’Amora Thanks Max! Yes, I use the same process for all genres. As far as analyzing a script, of course it's individual interpretations but I offer several options on scenes that might be a problem for the filmmaker's ratings objectives. Ex If there's a sexual reference that might be an issuer for PG-13, I'll offer some safe options. The filmmaker might submit his/her preferred (riskier) option but will have sufficient backup in post instead of having to scramble/settle.

Xochi Blymyer Xochi, I agree that it's an interesting process and system and one that is often misundertood. Hopefully I was able to help a bit yesterday and I enjoyed it! Thanks f

Hello, Barry. Thanks for all the helpful information. A question please -- because so much media is produced for and seen by viewers around the world, are there any site-specific ratings considerations, such as in more conservative countries or societies? Back in the '60s and '70s there used to be a thing about shooting two versions of potentially problematic scenes. E.g., the American version would be "cleaner" and not show a couple actually in bed. The French version would show lots more. It became rather a joke on sets, "Which version are we shooting now?" Wishing you continued success and enjoyment in your profession.