Stepping into the World of Film Ratings: Students Become Censors for a Day

Over the past two weeks, around 500 media studies students from high schools in Upper and Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Napier have joined us at their local cinema to learn what it’s like to be a Censor for a Day.

We host these events to teach rangatahi about our mahi, including how we classify films, games, books, and other publications. We explain the connection to the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, and then let them have a crack at classifying something themselves. We show them a film that encourages critical thinking and great conversations about the types of themes on screen. We discuss how these themes inform age ratings and content warnings.

This time around we chose Dream Scenario (2023) starring Nicolas Cage which is rated R13 with a warning note for Bloody violence, offensive language, sexual material and content that may disturb.

We kicked off our C4AD tour at Lower Hutt’s Queensgate Mall’s Event Cinemas with rangatahi from four different high schools.

I caught up with some students from Heretaunga College and Hutt International Boys’ School (HIBS) after watching the movie to ask them why they think ratings are so important, and what themes they think had the most impact in Dream Scenario.

This is what they had to say:

Paige, 17, Heretaunga College

“The reason why ratings are important is to guide children not to watch things that they aren’t capable of handling.

“The most important things that I noticed in Dream Scenario was violence, sex and horror. I’d say it was probably R16, I thought it was R18 but I’m not exactly sure.”

Daniel, 17, Heretaunga College

“I think ratings are important so you don’t expose an immature audience to a serious or inappropriate topic for someone their age.

“The most important thing in Dream Scenario was how it affected people’s lives – when it was a violent dream people got scared, and they started treating [the main character] differently. And I guess how dreams can affect your perception of stuff.”

Arthur, 17, HIBS

“[Ratings] are important because of harm, and for people to safely show their kids movies.

“I thought how [Dream Scenario] blurs the line between what’s real and what’s not could give some kids semi-irrational fears.”

Logan, 17, HIBS

“I think ratings are important to create a barrier for kids, obviously some of them aren’t going to be suitable enough to watch certain things which is why I think it’s very important that age barriers are a thing.

“I think the most important thing in Dream Scenario is the violence which is why it probably got an R rating.”

One question we always ask students at these events is 'what was the first film to ever scare you as a child and why?’ This gets the crowd going and we always hear lots of great answers – interestingly, a few movies like Coraline and Monster House come up all the time!

I talked to a few students about their first scary film experience:

Josh, 18, HIBS

“It was the opening scene in Finding Nemo when the Barracuda comes and eats all of Marlin’s eggs, because at the time – I’ve always loved swimming with fish and stuff – it made me sad to see all the fish dying, and only one got away.”

Maddie, 17, Heretaunga College

“The first film that scared me was probably E.T. or Coraline when I was younger. I was the youngest in my family, so I just used to get put in situations where I was forced to watch half the stuff that was put out. It was definitely those types of movies because they were just so dark and malicious.”

Kasey, 18, Heretaunga College

“The first film that scared me was Monster House, I was 6 years old and my brother was 8, and it was his favourite movie. And I just could not handle it, the old man really freaked me out and I would just have nightmares about being swallowed by a house for months.”

Libby, 17, Heretaunga College

“The first movie that scared me was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and I don’t know why – I think all the different monsters and knowing that you can’t see them but certain people can, and how they all go back in time – it just really freaked me out as a child.”

Censor for a Day events are about empowering rangatahi with the knowledge and skills to critically evaluate media content. From intense discussions about the themes of Dream Scenario to reminiscing about the first films that gave them the chills, the students dove deep into the world of film classification. It’s always fascinating to hear their perspectives and their thoughts about age ratings and content warnings.

Whether we're debating the nuances of Nicolas Cage’s latest performance or sharing laughs over childhood movie scares, our journey through the cinematic world with young people has been both fun and inspiring. At the Classification Office, we are committed to working with youth to enhance the viewing experience for everyone. Whenever we take on a teaching role, we ensure we are also listening, as young people have so much valuable insight to share. Here’s to more movies, more discussions, and more informed viewers!

If you’re curious about Dream Scenario and want to know why rangatahi felt these ways about the film, check out our find a rating page. It’s also streaming on Netflix now if you want to have a go at seeing what you’d classify the film yourself (But please do make sure you’re old enough first!)

Further reading:

• Lights, camera, classification! – Blog
• Free-range internet chickens – Blog