Westworld, HBO and Nudity

Skanky Vamp

Skanky Vamp

Sniffin' the Slayer
Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
26,460
Black Thorn
I am not a prude. But sometimes I wonder if HBO does things just because they can.. it may have come back to bite them on this one.

The casting sheet declared background actors "may be required to perform genital-to-genital touching, simulate oral sex with hand-to-genital touching, contort to form a table-like shape while being fully nude, pose on all fours while others who are fully nude ride on your back [and] ride on someone's back while you are both fully nude,"

With other cable channels AMC, Showtime, Cinemax, Stars, all providing now the same 'quality' that HBO was known for, it seems they are trying to push the boundaries with more nudity (sometimes cough game of thrones cough just for the sake of nudity). When does trying to push the bar lessen the story?
 
EVIL UU said:
People who like that sort of content will watch it, people who don't will watch something else. What's the problem?
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There is not a problem, but a question. Hence the question: When does trying to push the bar lessen the story?
 
They might get a few porn actor applying for those jobs 😛

But seriously I personally couldn't care less, I'm not bothered by nudity. If the show is good, I will watch it. I feel like no one ever questions violence on TV but we question sexuality, I just don't see nudity as anything controversial.

Is it a publicity stunt? Maybe. But again if the show is good, I don't see the issue. And obviously neither do the actors presenting themselves at those auditions.
 
Dammit, HBO, don't ruin this now with unnecessary crap. I could imagine the kinds of scenes that would make sense in this series, but there's no reason to push it.
 
Blaze said:
I feel like no one ever questions violence on TV
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Well, that's the other thing. For instance, Fear of Walking Dead, fans of The Walking Dead are complaining that it's not violent enough and there isn't enough action. So it's not just nudity, its the every increasing bar. The need to always one-up yourself.
 
Porn on TV in America, leave it out, soon they'll be debating about violence and shooting people.
 
Maybe when it puts off certain types of actors from taking on projects in the first place. Some actors just aren't going to comfortable being, in their minds, exploited in that way for simple titilation- they'll go elsewhere and the show will lose potential talent.

I don't think fans care one way or another to be honest. If the show warrents it I don't have a problem- context is the thing. Does it fit the show?
I mean, Game Of Thrones (the books) were gritty and did describe things like incest and same sex relationships and brothels being a big money maker- but they didn't have sexposition in scenes (I'm pretty sure that show invented it) where characters are shagging and explaining plot points- it was ridiculous.
Luckily then seemed to calm down now that their assured ratings, and that's what this is about at the end of it- ratings.

Does Westworld need/warrent it? Well I guess part of the 'fantasy/escapist appeal of Westworld' would lend itself to that kind of thing, just as long as they don't neglect little things such as plot, characterization and the subject material.
 
Overall I don't mind nudity, however there have been a few times when I did think that HBO was including as much nudity as possible just because they could. There is a point at which it distracts and takes away from the story....and HBO loves flirting with that line.
 
Mr. Pole said:
Well, that's the other thing. For instance, Fear of Walking Dead, fans of The Walking Dead are complaining that it's not violent enough and there isn't enough action. So it's not just nudity, its the every increasing bar. The need to always one-up yourself.
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That's kinda funny, I always thought The Walking Dead was super boring and didn't have any action (I don't mean violence, but just action in general...nothing every happened on that show. For a zombie apocalypse you would have thought they were taking a stroll through the park).

thetopher said:
but they didn't have sexposition in scenes (I'm pretty sure that show invented it) where characters are shagging and explaining plot points- it was ridiculous.
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From what I remember, there were a few scenes in the book like this. A few with Tyrion, and some with Dany. So it started in the book, but it did get a lot more prominent in the show in the later seasons especially.

I remember loads of people complaining at the time that they were adding too many sex scenes in the show that weren't in the book, and that weren't really necessary. But I never really thought it was overboard. But again I'm French, and if anyone's ever seen a French movie, our sex scenes are much more realistic and gritty than what you see on American television.
 
Skanky Vamp
Skanky Vamp
That's what alot are complaining about it now.. that they are too focused on characters and not enough zombies.
Blaze said:
they were adding too many sex scenes in the show that weren't in the book
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and that's exactly what I meant with the Westworld thing.. if they just had sex and nudity there would be nothing newsworthy as Game of Thrones has been there.. so now they have to have genital on genital contact to make the news. That's why it's hard to tell what is done for the sake of the story, and what is done for press. They (HBO) have said they want to 'push the mature content as far as they are allowed'

Another example of always pushing the bar higher and higher is American Horror Story.. they always seem to have to outdo the previous and add unnecessary story elements.
 
Aw GAWD. I didn't know Game of Thrones was HBO til just now. That's a shame.
 
Fuffy
Fuffy
Do you live under a rock or something ? :P
Mr. Pole said:
That's why it's hard to tell what is done for the sake of the story, and what is done for press.
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Why not both? If it works for both than I'm all for it! Even if they show something for press, if it fits into the story than it's okay. But for example you couldn't just include a scene like that in BtVS, that would be way out of place. But a show like GoT where the book's content was already graphic, sure, it could work.

Mr. Pole said:
Another example of always pushing the bar higher and higher is American Horror Story.. they always seem to have to outdo the previous and add unnecessary story elements.
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Perfect example on how not to do it. In this case, less is more. And well more...it's just garbage. They put shock value over quality, and it ruined the show. But if you have both quality and shock value, than it's okay.

As for TWD, I like plot driven and character driven shows, but in this case the plot and characters are boring as hell. Maybe I just haven't seen enough of it but it just seems there's no depth to the plots.

Mr. Pole said:
have genital on genital contact to make the news
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Again, the French did it first 😛
 
thetopher said:
Maybe when it puts off certain types of actors from taking on projects in the first place. Some actors just aren't going to comfortable being, in their minds, exploited in that way for simple titilation- they'll go elsewhere and the show will lose potential talent.
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But for most of the actors who work on those shows, either new to the profession, or are on Hollywood's "B" list, those are the only jobs available. An actor has to just about achieve star status before they can stipulate the things that they will or won 't do in a part.
 
These things tend to find their natural audience and level out eventually. If people think a show is pretty much just an excuse to get some porn on TV and that's not what they're interested in then they'll turn over.

Game of Thrones gets criticised from all corners about the nudity, violence, treatment of characters and so on. These people need to learn how to operate their remote. I don't like soaps, so I don't watch them and my problem is solved.
 
It's weird for me how everybody keeps saying that people how dig this semi-porn will watch it and those who don't won't. What about people like me, who love the source material and don't want it to be ruined by HBO senselessly pushing the boundaries of what they can show on TV?
 
JCoatsworth said:
It's weird for me how everybody keeps saying that people how dig this semi-porn will watch it and those who don't won't. What about people like me, who love the source material and don't want it to be ruined by HBO senselessly pushing the boundaries of what they can show on TV?
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It's like BtVS porn parodies. You don't have to watch them.
 
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