The Ethics of Chef Hollywood: Responsible Filmmaking

If America is a restaurant, Hollywood is the Chef.  One of the reasons modern Americans are so sick is that their Chef is feeding them poisoned food.  Americans swallow the food blindly, greedily wolfing it down, all the while unconscious of the fact that they are eating spoiled food.  People need to pay more attention to what they’re eating.  But as a film major, it’s clear to me that it is equally important for the Chefs to be responsible about what they give the people to eat. 

            One of the major poisons in Hollywood movies is an obsession with sex.  Many romantic comedies automatically assume that couples will and should sleep together before marriage.  Many have couples even start out their relationship in this way.  Countless action movies throw in a sex scene just for the sake of it.  Most TV shows sooner or later add some “character development” by adding a romantic relationship that is, you guessed it, sexual.  Playboys are a commonality on shows and in films.  Some writers and directors, however, make a stand: they reject the idea of the player, and suggest that he settle down and stay with one girl.  But marry her? Who ever heard of such a thing?

            Filmmakers are not only irresponsible towards their viewers, but also towards their actors.  Dr. Patton contends that many affairs start in the workplace. Unlike most employees, however, many actors and actresses have to gaze into each other’s eyes, day in and day out pretending to be “in love.”  And on top of that, many scripts demand that they make out or do other sexual acts.  Does it surprise you that celebrities are infamous for affairs and broken marriages?

            The actors and actresses are responsible for their own choices, but the directors, the writers, and the producers are also responsible for what they command them to do.  They are responsible help them protect their marriages, even if it is inconvenient for business.  It is my contention that no actor or actress who is married should be told they need to kiss anyone besides their spouse.  If that means the script has to drop its make out scene, well maybe we could have some actual dialogue instead.

            Filmmakers are particularly disrespectful of their actresses.  Actresses are used largely as eye candy, being objectified on screen.  Often, being mostly or completely naked is part of the job.  Think about it.  Most fathers and mothers would be horrified if they were told their daughter was going to become a stripper.  Most, however, would be proud if they were told she would grow up to be a star actress.  The irony is smothering! At least a stripper is only exposed to a limited crowd.  Star actresses are exposed before millions of viewers!

            Hollywood movies have more poison than just sex for their audiences.  Criminals are often the protagonists in movies.  Yet what they do is rarely portrayed as negative.  Nearly all movies have filthy language: it’s only a matter of how much.  Audiences have swear words hammered into their brain by the preaching of cinema.  And the movies that strive to rise above meaningless violence and offer a message are sometimes the worst.  The message often comes out as, “belief is good, regardless of what the belief is. Believe whatever feels right to you.”  This attitude is meaningless and flies in the face of the Gospel.

            Hollywood doesn’t care about pleasing God.  And as long as it doesn’t, we’re going to be fed the same poison.  What America needs is Christians who will set an example of honorable, responsible film making in a world that does whatever it wants to.