Friday, October 21, 2005

Bill could make TV Shows and Films into Porn

Now this is an interesting provision stuck into the new Children's Safety Act. It says that:

Currently, any filmed sexual activity requires an affidavit that lists the names and ages of the actors who engage in the act. The film is required to have a video label that claims compliance with the law and lists where the custodian of the records can be found. The record-keeping requirement is known as Section 2257, for its citation in federal law. Violators could spend five years in jail.

So the filmmaker will have to file this 2257 record or spend 5 years in jail. Now this article goes on to say this:

Industry executives worry that the provision, which is retroactive to 1995, will have a chilling effect on filmmakers. Faced with the choice of filing a 2257 certificate or editing out a scene, a filmmaker might decide it's not worth getting entangled with the federal government and let the scene fall to the cutting-room floor, the executives said.

Um, if the scene is crucial to the filmmaker vision then just file the 2257 certificate. Why is it chilling to have to file the same form as porn movies do? It seems pretty routine because the porn industry has had to do it for years and it isn't cutting into their business any. They still make billions a year. I guess Hollyweird is just chilled to have to be lumped in with those hideous porn purveyors. Hey come to think of it if they file the form they can be as graphic as they would like. They could conceivably have this Bush White House Porn Bill create more pornography in mainstream movies instead of less. Ah, unintended consequences.

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