Montag, 3. Februar 2014

Nudity, Sex And Graphic Content In American Cinema

The film Consignment (Slice of Americana Films) was my take on New Jack City (The Jackson/McHenry Company) produced on a independent budget. After finishing the script I had two choices as a filmmaker. Water down a gritty story inspired by true events to fit a PG-13 audience or deal with showing strong subject matter including nudity and simulated sex. After some soul searching I knew it would be impossible for this movie to resonate with any true realism going the PG-13 route.

In order to give movie viewers an honest portrayal of characters involved in illicit drug deals, street violence, and the fast life some creative elements would have to be uncensored. This script wasn't written to be produced as a feel good family movie. Consignment was inspired by true events that were not clean and proper.

New Jack City director Mario Van Peebles with screenwriters Barry Michael Cooper and Thomas Lee Wright caught heat in 1991 from a few critics for showing the scene where drugs are being packaged by topless women. What those critics missed was that scene was based on true events. To leave it out of the movie or depict it censored would have taken away from the impact of the story they were telling. I respect their choice to include that scene.

I was going to take the same creative path for Consignment then reality hit. Including nudity, sex, and graphic content in a movie wasn't taught in any film class or workshop I had heard of. I've rea d a lot books on making movies, but none I remember covered those hot button topics. The only I recall was one my favorite filmmaking books. Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director by Lloyd Kaufman gave the advice to shoot your nude scenes first in case an actor got cold feet later. That makes sense. Outside of Lloyd's book a great majority never touch on the subject.

They read more like a technical manual full of camera positions, lighting set ups, or the best equipment to shoot and edit your movie with. I learned first hand to include nudity, simulated sex, and strong subject matter in a movie boils down to communicating with actors. I dedicated a full chapter in my recent book The First Movie Is The Toughest to this subject from casting to filming. Here is a sneak peek for interested readers -

When casting starts for roles that require an actor to appear nude be upfront to potential talent. It's not fair to say to an actor they might ha ve to appear nude in a scene if you know that might really means they will. Reinforce this point at casting calls by highlighting specific roles and scenes in the script that will require nudity. Keep sides (not a full version of a script) available for actors to read. This allows an actor to read the context in which nudity plays a part in a scene.

I've been asked many different kinds of questions when casting roles that require nudity. Usually it's "can you shoot the role without the nudity?" or "what will exactly be shown on camera? It's helpful to have this dialogue with potential actors early on. I have found as a filmmakers that when actors ask questions it helps tighten my vision of how I will shoot those scenes. Be clear and direct on what will be expected of actors and how you will shoot each scene. Share your creative vision for these scenes. Remember to be respectful and answer all the questions an actor might ask you about scenes involving nudity. Strong communication is important.

During the casting of Consignment there was a difficult role of a female gangster that gets raped and murdered by her sadistic drug connection. I needed someone with real acting professionalism to take on a role that dealt with such a strong subject matter. Mimi Moss (I Tried featuring Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony) reading for the part had a great audition. She was offered the role on the spot, but before she would accept it she wanted to talk to me as the filmmaker in more detail about the role and what was expected. We had a discussion and open dialogue on what my expectations were and what she felt about the role. When we were done talking she wanted to do the role.

There wasnt any doubt it was going to be a challenging scene for her as an actor. The nudity wasn't the focal point or at the heart of the scene. My goal was to reel in the emotions of viewers by showing this powerful female character at her most vulnerable. She ended up delivering a griping performance. The camera was focused on her eyes and facial expression drawing viewers in to experience her pain. Without open dialogue between us this creative collaboration wouldnt have been possible.

I've always viewed sharing real life experiences making movies as a positive. Every filmmaker from Jam es Cameron to Uwe Boll has different insight into making movies. I've never felt you can pattern yourself after another filmmaker. Look at each story you're going to tell and do it justice from your perspective.





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Sonntag, 2. Februar 2014

Hate Story Hindi Movie Review

Satisfy the newest avatar of Maa Kali! The fascist avenging woman happens to be a favourite figure of fantasy fashioning for the films. Who can forget Nargis gunning down her very own son in Mehboob Khan's "Mother India"?

The motivations for revenge in "Hate Story" are not quite those that impelled the woman protagonist to rise up in arms in "Mother India" or for instance in "Bhavna", a film directed by "Hate Story" maker Vikram Bhatt's father Pravin Bhatt, where Shabana Azmi killed her very own husband.

Really, who needs a gun to get even if you have sex?

Paoli doesn't give a damn if her bare back or flesh flash over the screen. She displays a healthy attitude of disdain for that camera, letting it swoop down on her vulture design, never allowing her vengeful character's hot journey to obtain sleazy, cheesy or lurid. The camera violates the woman's character's privacy with her consent.

"Hate Story" is really a tale that invites provocative measures of counter-argument. Once the protagonist Kaavya (Paoli Dam) gets right down to revenge, she spares no one, least of just about all herself. She announces she wants to be the sex worker, and thereafter, there's no looking back again.

And quite a comely back it is.

Paoli's Kaavya utilizes her physique to lure her enemy into the woman's trap. Director Vivek Agnihotri cuts into her journey of self-destructive vendetta just like a knife.

The episodes sometimes stretch the limits associated with belief. But what the heck! No one is creating a statement here on the politically correct conduct from the Indian woman.

In what can be regarded among the most defiantly unconventional debut performances, Paoli lets herself opt for the furious flow of her character's vendetta.
The episodes hammer into each other with scarce room to breathe. The pace is dizzy the majority of the way. And when it slows down, you have the protagonist's vendetta is losing its steam.

Steamy lovemaking scenes are strewn over the narrative's stricken landscape. The soundtrack suggests there's a good urgent tragedy nudging the hot content. The dialogues by Rohit Malhotra don't shy from telling it like it is.

Vikram Bhatt's script is Sidney Sheldon territory. It doesn't shy from showing the heroine in an unflattering light. This really is new-age cinema with no room for conventional story devices or apologies for what the protagonist sets out to complete.

If in 'The Dirty Picture', Vidya Balan wore her sexuality on her behalf sleeve, in 'Hate Story', Paoli uses her sexuality just like a favoured currency in the stock market.

Mint-fresh as well as shock-proof, Paoli interprets her character with vigorous confidence. As her ad versary Gulshan Devaiah (so watchable within "Shaitan" and "That Girl In Yellow Boots") careens in between rage and anguish quite effortlessly.

"Hate Story" isn't quite the tale of the simpering wronged woman we have been seeing in our films since the time Adam impregnated Event.

"Hate Story" pushes the envelope so hard, all of the contents spill out in a torrential tumble of tantalising power-play set inside the world of corporate battles and gender conflicts.

This can be a most riveting and aesthetic saga of a woman's revenge from the man who's wronged her since R. K. Nayyar's "Inteqaam" -- except for the truth that Paoli does things Sadhana in Nayyar's film might have never imagined.





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Samstag, 1. Februar 2014

Having Sex With Your Husband Again After the Affair

Because of my personal experiences and the articles that I write about infidelity, I often get a wide range of questions about healing after an affair. One of the more common deals with intimacy and sex with a husband following his cheating. Often, I hear comments like "I'm just repulsed at the thought of him having sex with someone else," or "I just don't even want him to touch me," or "I want to be intimate again, but I just can't get over this," or "I can't get the images or him and the other woman out of my head when he's showing me affection."

All of these thoughts are absolutely normal, but you must eventually move past them if you want to share a close and intimate bond in your marriage again. In this article, I'll discuss some tips that may help you to eventually be comfortable with intimacy again.

Don't Rush It: An affair is so painful. There's no doubt about that. There is often an inclination to do whatever it takes to move on as quickly as possible as being present in the aftermath of the affair feels too painful and awkward and most people want this over as quickly as possible. So, many couples will brush past the tough questions and issues, hoping that they really don't need to delve into the whats and whys.

But, the problem with this is that if you don't address these things, they will always be lurking in the back of your mind, causing you doubt and pain. And, if you rush intimacy before you are really ready, you're likely to have a bad experience which many couples will see as "proof" that the marriage and the passion is really dead, or that there is too much distrust and distance between you. This can sometimes be made worse by the fact that the wife doubts that the husband still finds her sexy and attractive. So, it's best to wait until healing is accomplished and self esteem is restored.

On the flip side, some couples find that their sex life actually accelerates after an affair. It's often a way to "prove" that things are fine and that you can still connect. If there are no unresolved feelings, my advice would be different, but this is almost never the case. Most often, in the days or weeks following, the negative emotions and doubts will start to rear their ugly heads and you're left even more confused.

Make Sure You Don't Feel Pressured Or Any Unresolved Issues: In order to restore a healthy sex life after an affair, both parties must be willing participants going into this with their whole hearts. This can't happen if there are any unresolved issues or doubts. For this to be and feel right, both parties must understand why the affair happened and fix whatever issues are needed to ensure that it won't happen again.

If there are still issues in your mind that you can't move past, be honest with your husband and tell him exactly what you need. Don't expect him to read your mind. So often, husbands are desperate to do whatever it takes, but they don't know what this is and they are so afraid of doing something that is going to make you feel worse. So, they make the mistake of doing nothing and you often read this as their indifference or distance when it is really neither of these. Have patience and understand that this is often a marathon and not a sprint. Healing comes in little pieces rather than big chunks and that's OK. It's better to wait until you can go into this unburdened than to rush it and feel worse.

Make Sure Your Self Esteem Is In The Right Place: Probably the biggest obstacle that I see after an affair is that the wife doubts that the husband really still finds her desirable or sexy. She fears that, if he were honest, he'd rather have the other woman instead. You should know that statistics show that men who cheat only find the other women "more attractive or alluring" than their wives about 10% of the time. So, you can put that fear to rest. It's so important that you don't set yourself up for what you perceive as pity sex or forgiveness sex. What you want instead is intimacy between two people who want to share the positive feelings that they continue to feel for one another.

If you need to work on your self esteem or confidence, don't feel guilty or shy about doing so. It's so important to take care of yourself right now. And, if you can't see yourself as vibrant,attractive, andsexy,you will never buy that your husband could do the same and this is going to sabotage your intimacy. Isay this from experience.

When The Time Is Right, You Will Know It:If you're feeling any doubts or little voicesof caution in the back of your head, wait. People who contact me with stories of bad sexual experiences after an affair often also say they knew it wasn't right but went ahead anyway. It's best to wait until you are feeling no doubt. Often, the "right time" will just leave you with no questions or doubts and you will know that this is the time to move forward. Wait for this becauseit will be worth it and afterward, you will feel better, more confident, and close to your husband rather than less so.

Although I never would've believed this two years ago, my marriage is stronger than ever after my husband's affair. It took a lot of work, and I had to play the game to win, but it was worth it. Because of all the work I did on myself, my self esteem is at an all time high. I know longer worry my husband will cheat again. You can reada very personal story on my blog at /





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