Solving “Separating the Art from the Artist”
When talking about the question of separating the art from the artist, you will hear opinions from all ends of the spectrum. Some people fall far on one side, some land somewhere in the middle — there is no uniform way to talk about the topic. Despite the differences, I believe there is a general consensus, particularly within my generation, that times have changed for the film industry, and abuse is no longer something that can hide behind an “open secret”, no matter your response to it. In looking at the question of separating the art from the artist, it’s important to consider the final goal: ending abuse within the film industry. Now that’s an extremely lofty goal, particularly since it depends on the compliance of everyone involved, but it is still a goal worth striving for.
There are many issues in the film industry, but one in particular that is worth the tiring fight is sexual abuse in film. It’s a tale as old as the film industry itself, even today you can find back rooms in the oldest production studios that were originally built for powerful directors or producers to bring hopeful young actresses to to have sex with (Rogan). For many years, important men in the industry have used their positions to take advantage of those trying to break in, promising them fame and riches for compliance or to have their whole career taken away should they not. It is a disturbing case seen time and time again in which these men get gratification from using their status as a sexual advantage. In recent years we have seen the highlighting of hundreds of names associated with this sick behavior: Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, Charlie Rose, Bernardo Bertolucci, Andy Dick, TJ Miller, Roman Polanski, Harvey Weinstein. And that’s only to name a few of the cases that the public are aware of. It has only been in recent years that the internet has given us the ability to call these men out on a mass scale, it is now possible for victims to share their story with hundreds of people and yet despite this new stage, it still falls on deaf ears.
Although the current film industry is beginning on the path towards progress through heightened awareness and discussion, there are still many things holding us back, particularly the fear of acknowledging abuse that has taken place. For many victims, there is an immense hardship to even find validation for their abuse. In cases like Maria Schneider or the victims of Harvey Weinstein, many of these abused artists had to live amongst peers that knew and ignored their struggle, not feeling comfortable to speak up until the conversation became public. One example of this can be seen in Quentin Tarantino, a director who worked closely with Harvey Weinstein for many years, and although he cites to have known that Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances at women it was only after Weinstein’s arrest that Tarantino publicly spoke about the subject (Rogan). As simple as it may sound, acknowledgement does bring around change, and yet it has become so hard to do.
From personal environments, educational environments, to within the industry, there is a taboo nature to talking about abuse, even though it has become a much more accepted conversation in recent years. For survivors of rape and sexual assault, there is a trauma attached to them forever. To be made to feel powerless, unprotected, and to be exploited in the most vulnerable way possible, that’s not something you can easily get over. By not acknowledging the trauma of victims, we make their healing process harder: “Society bombards us with myths and messages blaming survivors for the trauma they have endured. But no action excuses a person hurting someone else. Violence and abuse are never the victim’s fault. That responsibility and shame lies with the perpetrator. By reminding a survivor they are not alone and they are not to blame, you may help reduce their depression, anxiety, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress” (Zambuto). And imagine being in this situation combined with the fact that the perpetrator is a high profile, beloved by many artists, who millions of people talk about all over the world. By acknowledging mal-action when we discuss these men, not only do we respect the recovery of the victims but we also make it easier to discuss the issue, and what we can do to protect future victims. To begin the baby step process towards our goal of change, there are few ways in which acknowledgement can be implemented into the film world.
As someone entering the film industry, there are three platforms that I have noticed the separation of art and artist discussion taking place: in film education, the film industry, and the public stage. There are very different tones to the discussions in these areas, but they all influence each other equally. The film industry influences who and what is discussed in film school, and specifically the tone of that discussion, film students go on from education to influence conversations in the industry, and whatever public conversation is taking place puts pressure on both the industry and education systems to address a particular issue. It works in almost a weird food chain type of way. Making changes in even one of these areas has the potential to bring great progress, but by introducing changes to all of them there could be a much faster route to creating a safe and acknowledging artistic environment.
The first place that I want to look at acknowledgment is in film school. I began film school in 2017, right before the emergence of the #MeToo movement. By winter break of my first year the film community had seen an extreme increase in accusations against high up members of the industry, each that came with strong media coverage. However, I quickly found that many of my professors were less than willing to bring up the subject, often criticizing students who attempted to start the conversation, myself included. More than simply not addressing a topic that was now national news, there were many instances in which my teachers would bring in content that was made by a man who had committed assault or rape, and use it as curriculum. They would only discuss the works and their creators for artistic value, never allowing the class to discuss any crimes associated with the artist. Any sense of acknowledgment for the victims was thrown out of the window.
Aside from the personal disrespect I perceived and the disappointment I felt for these supposedly great teachers, more threateningly I felt that the actions of these educators, to ignore rape and abuse in the industry, was doing an immense disservice to the future of our industry. As a figure of authority, these professors are directly molding the opinions and knowledge of the young adults in their classes. And although the cases we all wanted to discuss appeared to be detached from us, the truth of it is that the people sitting in that classroom could end up being a victim or perpetrator of abuse when they ultimately enter the media workforce. It is reported that 94% of women who work in film have experienced sexual harassment or assault while working in the industry, it’s such an overwhelming majority that it would be naive to think that one’s female students will not be part of the statistic (Pulver). For a professor to not use their knowledge to spread awareness and create a safer future for their students, is unprofessional and hypocritical. How can you claim to love an industry if you don’t participate in its betterment?
I very fully believe that film school institutions have a responsibility to educate their students on the history and prevention of abuse in the industry, and there are some realistic ways in which they can implement that. One method is requiring a class for all film majors that entails the history of abuse in the industry, including not only sexual misconduct but every which way the film industry has caused oppression or abuse. This will give students an opportunity to learn from wrongdoings and understand how they can contribute to progress and kindness in the future. I also think that these institutions should implement disclaimers and open discussion policies when they are showing work that has involved sexual abuse, the professor should fully disclose all abuse before the content is shown and allow any students to speak on the matter or excuse themselves from the screening. This will teach students that members of our industry will not be excused from their actions, and all abuse will be validated. By starting acknowledgment at this developmental college stage, professors will truly be able to impact the industry by sending them prepared and sympathetic artists, who have been taught that abuse is something to be acknowledged and fought against.
It’s a little harder to implement acknowledgement once someone enters the film industry, because that’s when power comes into play. Members of the industry feel the need to keep the community very inclusive and private, through open secrets or literal NDAs there are countless ways in which higher ups in the industry attempt to keep problems quiet. It’s so difficult to gain power in the industry, so when someone achieves it they will do anything to protect that status, which is easily achieved by sweeping all issues under the rug. Hopefully by sending more aware students into the industry a small part of this power hunger will be dismantled, but more needs to be done for actual change to occur.
The first way that I believe the industry could validate abuse on a wide scale is by bringing the issue up at the beginning of the film process: the contracts. When signing a contract to work on a film, everyone involved should agree that any reported sexual harassment or abuse will result in the perpetrators removal from the project, and this applies to everyone regardless of how important their role is. This immediately lets the workers know that the industry understands the severity of abuse and will make a legal obligation to protect victims. Furthermore, production companies should take it upon themselves to add disclaimers and offer abuse victim resources to films that have involved one of these perpetrators, even if that means going back to a film made 50 years ago. This will bring up audience awareness of abuse while still offering them the choice on whether they want to watch the content or not. Obviously it will be difficult to start these policies across a very wide industry but in the grand scheme it’s a small change to make in regards to actual progress. A huge part of my journey in writing about this issue is understanding that the industry will not change overnight, it will take small action over many years until we finally see abuse in the media industry become a rarity. Knowing that, the method I listed above still offers the increase of acknowledgement that I believe is so needed, without completely getting rid of tainted content. If the end all be all of this subject is the film industry, then we must at least be willing to make the small changes.
When it comes to the public sector of the separation of art from artist conversation, that’s where I feel the most exhausted. Film schools and the film industry at least have a responsibility to make the situation better, the public has no such obligation. When I read about this discussion online and witness the amount of people who don’t care about and even don’t want progress, there’s not many solutions that I can see. You cannot implement any of this in the public. This takes me back to the defensiveness I felt coming into this 3 part project on separating the art from the artist, because you can’t appeal to those who are unwilling to listen. But if I’ve learned anything during my journey in this writing it’s that while my opinion may not cause immediate change, it can be a small addition to overall progression. For those who are willing to listen and speak, this conversation could lead to personal reflection and small but ultimately mighty changes. So for those who feel open to the conversation, I really want to impress that there are ways in which you can bring validation into the public conversation. You can acknowledge abuse, even if you love an accused artist, you can still acknowledge the wrong doings and be open to learning from them. As individual parts of the public sector, we can take lessons from these cases and at least fodder a more understanding space on an individual level. From your private conversations with a friend or loved one to your online discussions with a total stranger, it’s a very easy thing to implement and it could even inspire others to do the same. It’s a task only you can decide if you have responsibility in.
A part of the reason that separating the art from the artist has appeared too controversial in the last few years is because it ultimately comes down to personal responsibility. How much of a part do you feel obligated to play, and for those who profit off of the industry I believe that that obligation should be expected from those around them. If you work in the industry then you should golf yourself to a higher standard, and be a beneficial part in its future. For those are only audiences of the industry, the contribution is up to you. The reason for this project is to show that separating the art from the artist isn’t a rhetorical question, it has worthy and severe context that has practical solutions that we can’t fear implementing.
Coming out of this project, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. What began for me as a fear and a threatening statistic now feels like something I can contribute to, because I no longer feel the weight of having to change minds. The obligation I have is to myself and the industry I love, and there are ways in which I can honor that without taking on the unwinnable task of making everyone agree with my opinion. As someone who identifies with the threat issue, I have every right to my strong response but there is a way to move forward in this question without bringing my tension to those who disagree, I can still bring support but combine it with more beneficial emotions and methods.
By truly understanding our role in acknowledging the actions at the question of separating the art from the artist, we can give a little back to the victims, because that’s who is really at the center of this topic. No matter which opinion we take, victims and future victims are those who will be most impacted. As much as this conversation revolves around the perpetrators it is the strength of victims willing to speak up that leads this discussion and always will. Going forward I, and hopefully you, will give them as much acknowledgement as their abusers.
“To be rendered powerless does not destroy your humanity. Your resilience is your humanity. The only people who lose their humanity are those who believe they have the right to render another human being powerless. They are the weak. To yield and not break, that is incredible strength.” — Hannah Gadsby
Works Cited:
Carlsen, Audrey, et al. “#MeToo Brought Down 201 Powerful Men. Nearly Half of Their Replacements Are Women.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/23/us/metoo-replacements.html
Pulver, Andrew. “94% Of Women in Hollywood Experience Sexual Harassment or Assault, Says Survey.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/21/94-of-women-in-hollywood-experience-sexual-harassment-or-assault-says-survey
Rogan, J., 2021. #1675 — Quentin Tarantino. [podcast] The Joe Rogan Experience. Available at: <https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cdu4y60lq6QXyUbhMpVWH> [Accessed 26 July 2021].
Zambuto, Maile. “Show Survivors Support By Validating Their Experiences.” Joyfulheartfoundation.org, 4 Oct. 2017, www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/blog/show-survivors-support-validating-their-experiences
