How far is too far?

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FilmMakerr

FilmMakerr

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A horror movie with plenty of rape scenes and blood.


How realistic exactly am I "allowed" to make it? Of course I wouldn't "Show" any underage rape, but it happens and I can always show it through someone elses facial expressions (As a director).
 
as strange as it sounds (having never going into this style myself) , i think the younger your actors LOOK, the more disturbing it will seem. be careful, but use actors that can play younger characters, but make sure there is some maturity in their character. there are lots of 20-somethings that can easily play teens...i think if it's as you describe, you'll be able to do more than you think. but the story should superscede the visuals....you seem to have a grip on that already, and it was a wise question to ask. i'm curious to see other's replies...best of luck with your film!

-Chris
 
I think it depends on which line you're talking about. I would say that there is no line you can't cross anymore in the sense of storytelling and filmmaking - just look at films like Cannibal Holocaust. That film was so brutal and horrific that the directors were arrested and thrown in jail after the film premiered because they couldn't prove that the actors weren't actually murdered during production. Of course, later they did and were let go. However, if you're talking about the line when it comes to production of the film and not its actual content, there is absolutely a line, at least, morally. You can't actually have an actor rape another actor, or whatever. Society would freak out and you'd be prosecuted.

So it all depends what line you're talking about.
 
I would be very careful about any depiction of under age sexuality, and especially rape. It is my understanding that there are federal laws that cover that, under child pornography statutes. I think even using of age actors, who are deliberately shown as being under age can be tricky. Be creative and avoid anything explicit.
 
FilmMakerr said:
A horror movie with plenty of rape scenes and blood.


How realistic exactly am I "allowed" to make it? Of course I wouldn't "Show" any underage rape, but it happens and I can always show it through someone elses facial expressions (As a director).
Click to expand...

You should worry, even if there is not a 'child element' remotely involved.

Here's a URL for a company called "Extreme Associates", the owners were charged with Federal obscenity crimes, the initial round of courts 'dropped the charges' based on First Amendment principles. But the Bush Puritan Brigade, in the form of the Gonzales lead 'justice' department, argued before the Supreme Court to have the case sent back to lower courts. The charges were reinstated, and finally in 2009 the owners plead guilty various charges, because they had exhausted their financial ability to defend. (And note the 'new wave' Obama lead Justice Dept, didn't drop the case either... )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Associates

The way the Federal charges came about, is in the tried and true method of having someone 'order' films via the US Postal Service, and in a sting, bring charges. The area where the material was 'ordered' from was an area that has a tendency to be more 'prudish' about sexual content, and so, the Community Standard for 'obscene' was more easily obtained. Since few people will defend material that has sexual content as 'having also artistic merit', most of the Miller Test items can be obtained by the government to have the material declared at court to be obscene.
 
You've asked us the wrong question. The real question is:

Who is your target audience? Give your audience what they want, but is there an audience wanting to see a horror movie with a bunch of rapes...and rapes of kids?

I'm not sure if there is a film distributor showing films in the rapist wing of the prison system. That seems to be your target audience.
 
I couldn't resist teasing FilmMakerr. Who am I to say how far is too far? No one actually knows...but we do have to think about the audience. Do you want an audience of a select few or tens of millions? Do you want to see a horror film raping kids...why not rape a few old women and old men in a nursing home or rape a few animals at the zoo while you're at it! How far is too far? Only the wildest mind can say how far is too far! Maybe we should start thinking of the farthest things our mind can come up with just to see how far is too far! Can we reach infinity on how far is too far? Anybody?
 
skinny! said:
as strange as it sounds (having never going into this style myself) , i think the younger your actors LOOK, the more disturbing it will seem. be careful, but use actors that can play younger characters, but make sure there is some maturity in their character. there are lots of 20-somethings that can easily play teens...i think if it's as you describe, you'll be able to do more than you think. but the story should superscede the visuals....you seem to have a grip on that already, and it was a wise question to ask. i'm curious to see other's replies...best of luck with your film!

-Chris
Click to expand...

Thass my idea, to get an 18+ actress to play a 15 year old teenager, in that case it should be okay to show some nudity/sex scenes right?


Kess said:
I couldn't resist teasing FilmMakerr. Who am I to say how far is too far? No one actually knows...but we do have to think about the audience. Do you want an audience of a select few or tens of millions? Do you want to see a horror film raping kids...why not rape a few old women and old men in a nursing home or rape a few animals at the zoo while you're at it! How far is too far? Only the wildest mind can say how far is too far! Maybe we should start thinking of the farthest things our mind can come up with just to see how far is too far! Can we reach infinity on how far is too far? Anybody?
Click to expand...

LOL, :violin:
 
FilmMakerr said:
Thass my idea, to get an 18+ actress to play a 15 year old teenager, in that case it should be okay to show some nudity/sex scenes right?
Click to expand...

In the film, "Hounddog"(2007), I believe it has been reported there is a 'rape' scene involving the underaged character, played by Dakota Fanning, an 'underaged' actress at the time herself.

------------------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hounddog_(film)

Here's the wiki article on the controversy:

The film garnered a great deal of attention, and generated intense controversy, due to the use of such a young actress in the lead role. The controversy was ignited by a number of blogs who were concerned for Fanning because the screenplay called for her to appear in a rape scene.[2] The scene only showed Fanning's face and her character's reaction to the trauma.[3] The outrage spread when the subject matter became widely known.

Because of the outcry over Hounddog, North Carolina State Senator and majority leader Phil Berger called for all future films made in North Carolina to have their scripts approved in advance if they are to get the normal production subsidy from the state. Berger says that he has not seen the film but is acting in response to what he has read about it.[4]

Reviews from the Sundance Film Festival were mixed, with reviewers calling the movie plodding and heavy-handed. On the other hand, Fanning was praised for her performance, which Roger Ebert compared to Jodie Foster's in Taxi Driver.[5]

As of February 24, 2008, the movie has 44 reviews on RottenTomatoes.com and rates at 17 percent.[6]
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As the above noted, the scene that involved the rape, and Fanning, did not present 'naked bodies', but just her face and reaction to the assault.

From the various other parts of the article, the film did not really hav any 'box office' success. Hence, the film 'missed' in terms of audience.

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As for 'what if' on more nudity, even with a 'of age' stunt double. In Adrian Lyne's version of "Lolita"(1997), there was a question whether the film could be shown in the US, because of the mixing of 'of age' stunt double, with 'simulated' sexual activities involving the adult, Jeremy Irons, and the (actually underaged for the US) Dominique Swain.

In these matters, for me, it is only the 'legal' question of 'how far', because that is the 'how far' that will get a filmmaker into more trouble, than whether they missed their audience or not. The film may be a money loss, but compounded with criminal charges, the filmmker has more to loose than just their own, or their investor's money...
 
FilmMakerr said:
Thass my idea, to get an 18+ actress to play a 15 year old teenager, in that case it should be okay to show some nudity/sex scenes right?




LOL, :violin:
Click to expand...

simulated underage sex is legal in some countries and illegal in others. that being the case, dvxuser is a global community so I'm using my discretion and closing this thread.
 
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