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Author Topic: MPAA: Control over titles? Richard Greco Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1180 From: Plant City, FL Registered: Nov 2003 posted 05-10-2005 01:06 PM                     I had heard that in order for Meet The Fockers to keep the title, the MPAA made the producers find a family in the US with the last name Focker. Does the MPAA do this? If so, what other titles had to be changed?  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-10-2005 01:38 PM                     This is part of the text from the Motion Picture Association of America. STANDARDS FOR ADVERTISING The principles of the code cover advertising and publicity as well as production. There are times when their specific application to advertising may be different. A motion picture is viewed as a whole and may be judged that way. It is the nature of adveriting, however, that it must select and emphasize only isolated portions and aspects of a film. It thus follows that what may be appropriate in a motion picture may not be equally appropriate in advertising. This must be taken into account in applying the code standards to advertising.Futhermore, in application to advertising, the principles and standards of the code are supplemented by the following standards for advertising: Illustrations and text shall not misrepresent the charcter of a motion picture. Illustrations shall not depict any indecent or undue exposure of the human body. Advertising demeaning religion, race, or national origin shall not be used. Cumulative overemphasis on sex, crime, violence and brutality shall not be permitted. Salacious postures and embraces shall not be shown. Censorship disputes shall not be exploited or capitalized upon. STANDARDS FOR TITLES: A salacious, obscene, or profane title shall not be used on motion pictures.  |  IP: Logged Wayne Keyser Master Film Handler Posts: 272 From: Arlington, Virginia, USA Registered: May 2004 posted 05-11-2005 08:42 PM                     I can't speak to the issue of MPAA requirements, but studios almost always get legal clearance on names (just so someone named Fokker can't sue saying the studio stole their name.) They either find a historic citation (example: the old Star Trek series, Captain Christopher Pike was cleared by finding an obscure Christopher Pike in British history). So the job is simple and it's relatively cheap insurance: find someone named Fokker, pay him a modest fee and get him to license you the name. Any other Fokker comes down the pike with a suit, you can point to the actual Fokker whose name you used.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 05-11-2005 08:47 PM                     So then whats the point of the disclaimer in the credits saying something like any names used in this movie are purely coincidental, or something like that?  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 05-11-2005 11:01 PM                        Yeah, "any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is not intended or implied" ... this means to me that you're basically acknowledging the POSSIBLE existence of the name (or character) in real life, but for all you know, there isn't. What's so original about "Christopher Pike" that someone with that name could claim it couldn't possibly just be made up? I happen to know that there's another Brian M. Weidemann out there somewhere, unrelated to me; and I thought my name was a nice unique thing. Now, as for Fokkers ... I think finding a family name in existence is a little silly. A Google search turns up 900,000 fokkin' results ... what with it being a German aircraft and all! It would be like doing a movie called Meet The Shiites and needing to find that surname without realizing where the word comes from. "Ooh, ah, that word sounds like a naughty word, so it must be censored!" I don't think the title alone to Meet The Fokkers could be thought of as risqué ... it's just healthy, mindless, adolescent "Uh huh, he said 'fokkers'" sniggering. Which, funnily enough, was the whole basis for the movie's comedy. Oh, nevermind, they spelled it Fockers ... they're in trouble now!  |  IP: Logged Wayne Keyser Master Film Handler Posts: 272 From: Arlington, Virginia, USA Registered: May 2004 posted 05-12-2005 12:33 AM                     "Any similarity..." - so it's double insurance. No license, Fokker comes at ya with a lawsuit, claiming that every incident in the movie is a parody of some event in his life, you're gonna spend a good amount of money defending yourself. You're already overbudget when your lawyers are all in Hollywood and the suit is filed in Mississippi. On the other hand, you have permission from a live Fokker, you can tell the scammer to go to hell for the cost of a registered letter on fancy legal stationery.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-12-2005 12:39 PM                       Let's face it. They wanted you to think, "Meet the Fuckers." There is no justification for it otherwise.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 05-12-2005 01:52 PM                        Ben Stiller's character was "Gaylord 'Greg' Focker" in "Meet the Parents", well before they wrote the sequel: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212338/  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-12-2005 02:10 PM                        quote: Brian Michael Weidemann Now, as for Fokkers.... quote: Wayne Keyser you have permission from a live Fokker What are you guys, blind? It's "F O C K E R S." But Tim is right, they wanted you to think Fuckers (or Fucker, in the original movie).  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 05-12-2005 04:53 PM                        quote: Oh, look, it was me! Oh, nevermind, they spelled it Fockers ... they're in trouble now! I suppose any sarcasm that might have been there was lost if the whole post wasn't read. Or, just maybe, I edited and appended that, immediately after posting, when I realized my whole argument was flawed. Yes, they're intentions were blaringly obvious, but that doesn't make it indecent outright.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-12-2005 05:28 PM                        If anything, "Fockers" is more suggestive than "Fokkers" would have been. Next will probably be a movie about Dustin Hoffman's mother, called "Meet the Mother Focker."  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-13-2005 12:41 AM                       HAHAHAHAAA! LOL! quote: John Pytlak Ben Stiller's character was "Gaylord 'Greg' Focker" in "Meet the Parents" Yes, I know that, John. They could just as well have called it "Meet the Parents 2," "Meet My Parents," or "Battlestar Miami." C'mon, they were being salacious.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 05-13-2005 02:37 PM                        quote: Richard Greco what other titles had to be changed? I believe that "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" was originally going to be called "Bill & Ted Go To Hell" (hence the Megadeth song from the soundtrack). "South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut" was supposedly changed from "South Park: All Hell Breaks Loose" - both because of the word "hell" (which, if true, is crazy seeing there are plenty of titles containing the word "hell"). "Fucking Åmål" was changed to "Show Me Love" here in the states - I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the MPAA or not though. I've heard of other instances (whether true or not, I don't know) but can't think of them off the top of my head. Although there are some "set in stone" rules, I DO know that the MPAA is a very subjective organization, each film is individually screened and rated. Some words/images that are acceptable in one film are not in a different film. -J  |  IP: Logged Dylan Marchetti Film Handler Posts: 27 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2004 posted 05-21-2005 12:52 PM                        I know they've changed some posters, too...the one for Half Baked comes to mind. I also recall the poster for Juice had to be altered because Tupac was holding a gun, which got airbrushed out on the final poster...despite multiple other posters with guns held by white folks. Hmmm...  |  IP: Logged Alan Dallas Film Handler Posts: 48 From: Prescott Valley, AZ Registered: Jul 2004 posted 05-24-2005 12:19 AM                     quote: Dylan Marchetti despite multiple other posters with guns held by white folks. Hmmm... James Bond 1 Sheets come to mind.  |  IP: Logged

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