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Alright I have more shit to say about the film program especially in terms of filmmaking students working with actors and peers in the theater department.
We start creating films our freshman year and don’t really stop until we graduate. (1/x)
We start creating films our freshman year and don’t really stop until we graduate. (1/x)
We are allowed to makes films and create stories with very limited restrictions. Basically the only “censorship” was on showing weapons like guns, knives, etc. as a safety concern.
There isn’t truly a strong bond in the world of COPA at Point Park. (2/x)
There isn’t truly a strong bond in the world of COPA at Point Park. (2/x)
Cinema is kind of the sad, ugly step-child in comparison to theater and dance departments. This is a larger problem and a bridge that could be gapped through faculty programming. However- we would use actors in those programs consistently for over 100+ projects a semester. (3/x)
The set etiquette we are taught only revolves around things like how to set up a light safely, why it’s important to wear closed toed shoes, etc. What is NEVER covered is how to interact with actor’s, our peers, when dealing with intimate or sensitive subject material. (4/x)
So much of our actual production happens behind closed doors. It’s you, a crew of two others, and a handful of actors. These recent stories of abuse and pain have made me consider what has happened behind these doors. (5/x)
Being the director of a film instantly gives you a “power”. When you create a power dynamic between two people who with out it would be on the same level (student - student) things can become weird. Actors don’t want to speak up and be “bothersome” or hard to work with. (6/x)
They’re excited to have the chance to work and do what they love. It’s art school! However, I can only imagine the situations actors were put in and felt they had to be silent or endure some sort of consequence. (7/x)
I remember we had a cattle call audition for our Sophomore P2 films. the majority of my class sat in a large screening room- upwards of 30 people- and a lone actor would walk into the room and audition. (8/x)
The majority of these actors who auditioned were young women who would perform a monologue and then be asked a barrage of intrusive questions in front of an audience of primarily men demanding a quick response. “Are you okay with wearing lingerie?” (9/x)
“How do you feel about sex scenes?” “Would you be okay with making out with another woman on camera?” (10/x)
Even my sophomore year film revolved entirely around a blowjob. I was never taught in class how to create a safe and consensual environment so my actors and crew felt comfortable. They never really asked me what the logistics were for me shooting a blow job scene. (11/x)
I didn’t have a gun in my film so I was approved to film with no oversight. This was a concern and priority for me making “Pop Rocks”. However, I know there are ways I could’ve done better, been smarter, and enforced a culture that uplifted my talent’s safety above all. (12/x)
What frightens me is what happened on the sets of less “conscious” people. I’ve made actors do so many strange things on camera and I know others have as well. But Im sure people got to sensitive moments and just “winged it” on set. (13/x)
Or they wrote intimate situations for their actors to perform specifically for the ability to have control and power over someone else. When we allow these lines to blur- people get hurt. Lives are affected. (14/x)
IT goes beyond just actor’s. It’s about upperclassmen behavior towards freshman PA’s and female crew members. So much gets exploited in the process and it must be vanquished. It’s again this re-enforcement of “The Boy’s Club” that dominates Hollywood and PPU Cinema (15/x)
A good director is someone who takes accountability, listens, and leads with inclusion, clarity, and creativity. If I haven’t been that director to you, let me know. If I have abused my position to cause your discomfort and distress, let me know. (16/x)
There must be mandatory intimacy training (not only relegated to sexual situations but also those involving race, gender, ability, etc.) for freshman filmmakers and rigorous discussions on plans for how filmmakers with tackle sensitive subject material- AND (17/x)
make their sets a safe space physically and emotionally among their talent and their crew that continues and is enforced throughout the course of a student’s three/four years in the program. (18/x)
