showing guns in music videos?

C

chris grieder

Well-known member
I'm directing a music video pretty soon and apparently it's going to be playing on fuse. Our only issue is that we're considering showing someone hold up a store with a spray painted squirt gun, and i'm afraid that may run the risk of not getting aired on tv. Does anyone know the legal terms as far as showing guns in a music video? will they air it?
 
There's no legal issue. Just think about how often you've seen that on TV. The only issue is station policy.
 
chris grieder said:
I'm directing a music video pretty soon and apparently it's going to be playing on fuse. Our only issue is that we're considering showing someone hold up a store with a spray painted squirt gun, and i'm afraid that may run the risk of not getting aired on tv. Does anyone know the legal terms as far as showing guns in a music video? will they air it?
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Should be no issue legally. But do you really want to imply robbery and assault as being desirable, normal, or pleasurable behaviour?
 
Are you kidding?! Of course Steve! Robbery and assault are American past times ;) I think pleasurable? Absolutely!
 
JonathanLB said:
Are you kidding?! Of course Steve! Robbery and assault are American past times ;) I think pleasurable? Absolutely!
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Twue twue LOL Actually I realized after posting that I might have jumped to an unwarranted conclusion there. So many music videos, especially the rap and hip-hop genres, tend to glorify "gangsta" and "street" culture that I assumed, perhaps unfairly, that this one did to. IMHO a despicable act like robbery is hardly something to sing and dance about.
 
guess I should have elaborated a little. It's a funny music video in that each band member tries to live a life of petty theft and crime but they're really bad at it, and each attempt results in a really funny failure.
 
If you are shooting in the U.S., the 2nd Amendment is the right to bear arms, so you should go for it. It's not like shows like Law & Order, CSI or any other crime show doesn't have the same thing. For that matter, any movie or even video game shows guns, nothing is shocking anymore.

I don't think the act of robbery is being celebrated but it's pretty common in society these days. I doubt one music video would influence someone from an image of a gun they've seen thousands of times already.
 
dalethompson said:
If you are shooting in the U.S., the 2nd Amendment is the right to bear arms, so you should go for it. It's not like shows like Law & Order, CSI or any other crime show doesn't have the same thing. For that matter, any movie or even video game shows guns, nothing is shocking anymore.

I don't think the act of robbery is being celebrated but it's pretty common in society these days. I doubt one music video would influence someone from an image of a gun they've seen thousands of times already.
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The image of a gun certainly isn't very likely to influence someone to choose a life of crime but the treatment of a criminal lifestyle as being normal, expected, and an acceptable alternative choice, with the commission of criminal acts as being a normal part of the everyday life of the "really cool guys" certainly can plant the seed. I'm glad our OP said his script held the criminal option up to ridicule rather than presenting it as a normal lifestyle choice and an acceptable way to achieve success.
 
When it comes right down to it, music videos, video games, movies, all types of media really, won't influence someone if they were brought up the right way. Nothing replaces strong parents who instill the right values, morals and sense of self-worth and responsibility in society. It's so easy to blame visual influences but when it comes right down to it, parents are really deciding factor. I've seen thousands upon thousands of images of violence over my lifetime and I have no desire to pick up a gun or ever use one because I had really great parents who taught me the right values.

Maybe the video by Chris shows how ridiculous it is to carry a gun and provides a good visual that guns are not the answer, you never know. Having a gun in his video isn't irresponsible at all, he's not endorsing guns. Besides, the onus is on the individual who wants or has a gun to decide to use it or not. 50 cent or Lil Wayne aren't responsible for educating or influencing your kids, that's the parent's job. You can listen to these artists and not want to own/fire/hold a gun and I would say it's because the parents did a great job in raising the kid. However, it's a total cop-out and far too easy to blame an artist/game/movie/book etc. when a kid shoots someone or is in possession of a gun. It always goes back to the root of how the individual was raised... toss out social standing, class, race, gender, family configuration, education and geographic location, it's the morals, ethics, values and lessons the child was raised on which determines whether or not they use a gun.
 
hahaha, I threw that in there to try to put a warm, fuzzy feeling to the post. Yeah, I agree, I think it missed. Point taken :)
 
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