Media Survival Guide for Sex Workers
from Alexandra Beesley
(submitted for distribution via newsletter re the Olympics in Australia, Sydney 2000)
(Diese Seite ist leider seit langem nicht mehr im Internet, daher jetzt hier archiviert.)
The sudden invasion of Australia by print, television and radio media
due to the impending Olympics, all looking for a different angle on the
games, has made my phone and e-mail run hot. The current trend amongst
the producers and journalist from media organisations world-wide seems
now to be focusing on the "steamy" side of the Olympics ... everyone is
looking for a story on the anticipated boom that will supposedly occur
in the Sydney sex trade due to the sudden influx of tourists, athletes
and officials from around the globe.
As a documentary maker and sex worker I have worked with such people as
Sky Television, Granada, ABC, BBC, SBS and ITV, and have experienced
first hand how easy it is to manipulate, titillate and use footage and
sound bites out of context.
The media's power to influence our culture is obvious, and mainstream
media's tendency to gravitate towards the superficial and sensational
means that people who work in the sex industry are generally portrayed
under a negative light, enforcing and perpetuating stereotypes.
I know first hand the impact of my "outing" by the media - it changed my
life.
If you've been approached by any media organisation or representative to
do a documentary or interview...
Here are a few tips that may help you decide whether you will participate or not:
- Establish who the Producer, the Director, Broadcaster and
Production Company are. - Find out how long the Broadcaster holds the Rights to the program,
in which countries or territories it will initially be shown, and
how many times. - Will there be video or cable distribution of the program?
- Will the program ever be shown on the Internet?
[The Internet never forgets.] - Will your image be used to promote the program?
- Make sure you see a treatment or draft of the program, or list of
questions if an interview. Establish the premise behind the
program, and if possible, ascertain the motivation of the
program's creators. - If you feel you must remain anonymous, don't participate in the
program. Wigs don't work, and promises of "fixing it in
post-production" or "fixing it in the edit" should not be depended
upon.
[Texte die eingeblendet werden sollen vorher schriftlich festlegen
bzw. ausschließen was tabu ist.] - Armed with this information, see if the production company or
program makers have done any previous work, and if so, locate or
request a copy to view. If it is an Australian production company,
try contacting the Cinemedia Film Library in most capital cities,
or look up the production company / program maker in the
Australian film & TV who's-who, "Encore", published yearly and
available at all good libraries. Overseas production companies or
program makers can perhaps be researched on the Web. - Payment: It is not unreasonable to request payment. Remember,
without your participation there is no program. As a documentary
film maker, I make sure everyone gets paid, but most Australian
media do not pay documentary participants. American and European
pay rates vary dependent upon how much time is involved. I pay
$1,000.00 (Australian, heute ca. 800 EUR) for a 5 day shoot, for a 4 hour maximum
day. This takes into account loss of wages and covers other
incidental costs such as catering and transport. Payment for
interviews varies from $150.00 - $1,000.00, depending upon who you
are, what you're saying and who the production company is,
sometimes known in the trade as "cheque book journalism". The
British tabloid press are a classic example. - Asking for part payment up-front for programs in which you are
going to be used for an extended period of time (a week or two),
is also not unreasonable. - Release forms: By signing a release and consent form, you are
signing away all your rights to the work you have just done for
the program in perpetuity. Once you have signed a release and
consent form, there is usually little you can legally do to then
prevent your likeness being used in any way by the broadcaster /
production company. Also be aware that any production company /
broadcaster will usually insist that you sign such a document.
[Eigene Ergänzungen schriftlich hinzufügen.] - This is often tricky, my suggestion would be to try and sign the
form after you have completed your role in the program (ie. at the
end of the day), and only sign if you feel confident that the work
you've done for the program maker, combined with the integrity of
the program maker themselves, will not cause you any adverse
effects at some future date. You may also attempt to request to
view the final cut, though often program makers will agree to
almost anything in order to obtain your release and consent, and
if you really want them to follow through, ensure that your
requests are actually included in the document you are signing.
This also applies to any payment that may have been offered, and
the release and consent form could also possibly include such
inclusions as requests for a copy of the finished product. Always
make sure you get a copy of the release form, as well as a copy of
the finished program at the end of it all.
a lesser extent, radio, print media and Internet) are forever. Who knows
when and where the program will be shown 5, 10, 15 or even 20 years from
now. How will this program going to air, going to video, going to cable
or being endlessly repeated on late night television impact upon you.
Think about where you may be at in your life at this time and how it
could impact upon it before making any decisions.
Alexandra Beesley www.beeworld.net.au
"I run fun media workshops in which I show examples from films and
documentaries and how the subject matter or characters have been 'media
manipulated', then workshop how to manipulate the media!"
SWIMW
Sex Worker's International Media Watch
(2001-2010)
wayback.archive.org/web/[*]/http://SWIMW.org
(Zum Wiederfinden und Weitergeben an Newbies ist dieser Sexworker-Selbsthilfe-Text auch am Ende vom 1. Posting auf Seite 1 in diesem Thema verlinkt.)
Sexworker Forum macht heute teilweise genau dass, was SWIMW sich schn damals auf die Fahnen geschrieben hatte.
Deutschsprachige Tipps für Mitarbeit bei TV & Filmproduktion
www.sexworker.at/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=943&start=32
Musterverträge für Foto
www.sexworker.at/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=124550#124550
Medienarbeit oder "Medienhure" kann zum Geschäftsmodell werden.
Es muß clever geplant und nachhaltig verfolgt werden.
Dann ermöglichen evt. Eigenproduktionen oder der Verkauf von
Verwertungsrechten ein sog. "massives passives Einkommen".
Eine Form der Zukunftsabsicherung oder Rente.
