BLOG #4: Production (March 26th)

TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault on production set 

A few years ago, I watched a video on how the cast of American Horror Story records its sex scenes and how they create its special effects makeup. I was completely fascinated by how one of the best shows to exist went to extreme methodical lengths to minimize cost. As Dr. A taught us about production, all I could think of was how boring it must be. A lack of creative space for actors and the film crew to improvise takes the fun out of production. If I were working in the production of a telenovela, I think I would feel drained to think about the cost-benefit of production rather than allowing my creativity to flow. Per our assigned reading, I am glad to learn that telenovela authors have an active role in hiring staff (Tufte, p.130) and that some directors still defy their network even if they feel them "breathing down their necks" (Tufte, p.135). Anyone working in film is an artist and they should feel supported to explore and expand their work. I honestly believe telenovelas should be subsidized -though it might create a lack of autonomy within networks among many other issues. However, robust access to resources might provide much more freedom to production staff. 

As I think of telenovela production, I can't help but relate what I've learned to the current Nickelodeon scandal. A new documentary called "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV". While I haven't been able to watch the full documentary, I have watched several clips detailing how film production abused its power to make children do unkind things. It is unfortunate but in the US there is a well-known public perception of sexual abuse towards children and women in the film industry. However, as a bicultural Latina woman, I don't often hear the same comments being made about the film industry -especially not regarding Telenovelas. This makes me think, has pedophilia and gender violence been normalized in Latin America or does telenovela production's methodology prevent an abuse of power within its set? For example, when I was a child I loved to watch Florencia or Patito Feo, children's telenovelas. Out of my two favorite children's telenovelas, the lead protagonist of Patito Feo was a victim of sexual assault by an older male actor.  

Patito Feo lead protagonist on the left and the accused perpetrator on the right. 

In the future, I need to research more about how gender dynamics influence the power structure of a telenovela's cast. I did learn that actors and production staff will fight to show the order in whose name is displayed on the credit section. I wonder how much ratings, gender, and industry seniority play into these power dynamics.