Urban movies and graphic content. Not PG-13 filmmaking

When I got serious about writing and directing I knew I wanted to make urban crime movies that were authentic, intense, and hard-hitting. The plots had to feature authentic characters and situations and deal with heightened urban situations, crime and action. Slice of Americana Films was created to fullfilll this filmmaing dream.

I had no desire to make watered-down urban crime movies to make people feel relaxed and comfortable as they watched. I've always felt true urban crime movies reflect what is happening on the streets. Case in point. It's a known fact various drug dealers have had topless women packaging narcotics to cut down on theft.

Filmmakers that depict that type of situation in their movies are only being honest about the story being told. In a watered-down version a scene like that would be not shown or so toned down as to show no nudity. An authentic urban crime movie cannot be PG-13.

National Geographic Channel posts a warning on some of their shows  "This program contains indigenous nudity. Parental discretion is advised." They do that because they want to give viewers an authentic look at what they are showing. Asking a local tribe to put on clothes so viewers are not offended would be ridiculous.

After writing a treatment for my first feature Consignment there was nudity, sex, and graphic content that would need to be shown. It's a fast moving urban story of crime, love, sex, revenge and crystal meth. Tommy Jones is a veteran East Coast dealer that lives for the game until he meets and marries his soul mate Yolanda.

The street instincts that have kept him alive fade quickly with thoughts of a legitimate life. The notorious drug kingpin he deals for orders a gangland hit on Tommy that fails. See how this powerful urban story ends. Now on DVD.

Picture a gritty urban crime inspired by true events that avoided nudity, sex, and graphic content. I had never directed a feature before and I had no idea on how to shoot these type of scenes. So I started reading book after book on directing and producing movies. None I read dealt with shooting nudity, sex, and graphic content on set.

I learned a lot directing my first feature Consignment and second feature In with Thieves. Both movies contain nudity, sex, drug use, strong language, and violence. I decided to write a book The First Movie is the Toughest. It's packed with no nonsense advice, help, and entertaining stories about making movies outside of Hollywood on limited budgets. This book is for aspiring Screenwriters, Directors, and Producers along with the casual movie viewer with their own great story idea for a movie. No hype, no bull on making and selling movies.

I thought "Chapter 8 Filming Love Scenes And Nudity" might help other filmmakers that have not dealt with shooting those type of scenes. Here is a snippet from the chapter.

If your script calls for actors to appear nude and/or in loves scenes handle it with tact. Filming these types of scenes requires trust between the actor(s), director, and producer. Be aware that including nudity in your movie can be controversial because viewers and critics have different opinions on the subject.  

Is The Nudity For Artistic Purposes Or Is It Gratuitous?

One of the debates you’ll need to anticipate if you plan on having nudity in your movie is this. Was the nudity shown artistically to impact the story or was it completely gratuitous? That is often what viewers and critics ask themselves. One movie that has been viewed as the later is Showgirls directed by Paul Verhoeven. The original version of the movie received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) because of the nudity and simulated sex scenes.  

A NC-17 rating limits a movie’s theatrical release to persons 17 and older. That narrows down a movie’s potential audience and ability to make money. The story is about a woman down on her luck that comes to Las Vegas to make a name for herself. She ends up working as an exotic dancer in a strip club. Then she gets discovered becoming a Las Vegas showgirl. It was later edited to secure a more appealing “R” rating.

In my personal opinion screenwriter Joe Eszterhas is a tremendous talent with a knack for writing edgy material. If he would have wrote a script about a Las Vegas stripper that did not contain nude scenes it would have been watered-down. The story wouldn’t resonate with any realism. It’s ultimately up to you to decide what content you will show in your movie. Not every viewer will agree with you choosing to depict nudity, sex, and graphic content.

A majority of smaller budget independent films are not submitted to the MPAA to receive a rating. They are labeled as “NR”, which isn’t an official MPAA classification or as “Unrated.” Both my previous films Consignment and In With Thieves are listed as “Unrated” and include nudity, sex, and graphic content.

Casting Notices For Filming Nudity

When putting out casting notices for actors clearly state which roles require nudity. Double check casting notices before they are circulated. Some actors will not take any role that has nudity. Being clear in the casting notice helps eliminate the awkward moment when an actor at an audition says, "I didn't know there was nudity involved." Listing “nudity required” will still be vague, but at least potential talent is aware that nudity exists for certain roles. You can only include so much information in a casting notice. Whoever is handling casting for your film should be available to interested actors to answer questions about what type of nudity is involved.  

Be Upfront And Honest About Nudity

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” have to appear nude in a love 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 director 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.   

Get the big picture on writing, directing, producing and selling movies from Sid Kali's book The First Movie Is The Toughest. A Filmmaker's Story Of How It Was Done.