Selective sensationalism?
Some time ago from poking around /b/ I found a video from the Ukraine that was shot by some teenagers as they physically destroyed a living human being with hammers and screwdrivers...easily the most horrible thing I have ever seen... after looking into it more I found out they killed 21 people in a month summer 2007... I thought it was ODD that there was NO news stories about it anywhere in English and why not? Mass media LOVES to sensationalize EVERYTHING so why were they avoiding this? The only organized kinda press place that covered it in English was at boingboing. Immediately when I saw the video I thought of the "torture porn" films such as Saw and Hostel and they various sequels and spinoffs... these kids did exactly what has been portrayed in the films but in real life... What disturbed me about those "torture porn" films when they came out is that I knew that people would copy them... As a filmmaker you have a great responsibility...you need to choose carefully what you portray in your films and how you portray it... Since the Hollywood filmmaking system is only concerned with the $$$ they could give a fuck about actual people and how they multimedia trash affects them but YOU have a choice when you make your films....
About the Ukraine killers...the reason the video of they murder was online was that because they filmed all the murders with a mobile phone camera...
But oh yeh why did I write about this now and not back then when I first saw that video... I stumbled across some movie called "Eden Lake" and flipped though it... Its about a group of teenagers who torture and murder some couple and guess what? They film it all with they mobile phone camera... It came out after the murders...
I could go on and on about this... but all I have to say is that films are not just films... and if you wield the imagery without considering what it might do to men, women and children then you might be in for some surprises later on... When you watch someone being destroyed physically in a film or game...it does something to you... to your mind they are just images and as games and films get more realistic how are the core parts of your brain supposed to know what is real or not? I have some friends that are psychologists and I talk to them about these things now and then... You hear a lot of desensitization... Now if you've watched thousands of graphic murders in films and games your whole life does it make it easier for you to commit such acts in real life? Its interesting in the Ukraine snuff video...they put plastic over they hammer cause thats really the only difference in real life.. you get your hands dirty.... if you can get over that its pretty much the same.
Last year I talked to a woman who worked in marketing at Sony Pictures I think it was... we got to talking about the focus groups she does... ya know test screenings of films... She said they do polls where they ask people what they want to see more of in films... She said that it disturbed her that the biggest request was for more "Torture" Why would people want to see more torture? I think the more desensitized you become the more you desire more and more shocking imagery etc because it gives you a little jolt that makes you feel like your still alive... and when you don't feel it anymore... congratulations you are a psychopath!!! AND since the Hollywood system is only interested in $$$ and not the well being of people..what did you think they did? Well look at your new cinema releases...
What I'm saying is that as a director its your choice what you put in your film...NOT your audiences! NOT a boardroom of executives! NOT FUCKING FOCUS GROUPS! If thats how you decide what is in your films your not a director your just a little batcH and thats all you'll ever be! Are you being the person you know you are? Or are you being a person other people want you to be?
After saying all that... remember that the tagline to my new film is "You will die... inside"
Physical pain eventually subsides but psychological and emotional pain is eternal.
People say they want more torture? They can watch physical torture all day long... but start to torture THEY mind and they run away screaming.
Yes yes your a very attractive human... but I'd rather fuck your mind.
So when speaking about my new film I must quote Combichrist in saying "THis shit will fuck you up"Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.