5

I just saw this tweet from Rebbeca Keegan... enter image description here

What is this new policy and what does it state?

I mean sexual harassment was never allowed in Hollywood in the first place (... because its illegal)

Does policy state the film/film cast/producers have to do anything extra that they already haven't done?

Is it just that if you're caught harassing anyone you have extra penalties?

3
  • Early April fools joke...
    – Paharet
    Jan 23, 2018 at 21:00
  • @Paharet not really, it's a serious thing
    – Ankit Sharma
    Jan 24, 2018 at 5:20
  • @AnkitSharma I know, its just what was my first thought when I read the news. But really, I feel this is one of the stupidest thing in 2017 in movie production. We have laws in society. Harassment is violation of that (Hollywood is no exception), PGA guidelines do not extend these rights, it only blurs the water by its new guidelines. Now if I see new movies should I take that as presumption that movies which do not have "Anti-sexual harassment" stamp - someone was harassed on set or the environment on set were not secure nor preventive for the cast? It is wrong to distort rights like that.
    – Paharet
    Jan 29, 2018 at 9:07

1 Answer 1

7

The Producers Guild of America aka PGA has made some new guidelines to tackle sexual harassment due to all the recent controversies and deadline.com listed them here:

The Producers Guild of America has adopted new guidelines designed to combat sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. The guidelines, which were unanimously ratified Wednesday at a special meeting of the PGA board, represent the initial recommendations from the PGA’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Task Force, which was created last October in response to the avalanche of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by high-profile industry figures.

“Ultimately,” the guild said, “prevention is the key to eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace. Through sufficient resources we can educate our members and their teams. Together we must model our commitment to a workplace free of harassment and encourage colleagues to do the same. “

The guild’s recommendations to its members include the following:

  • First and foremost, all productions comply with federal and state laws regarding harassment. If you are uncertain about the nature of the law, please consult with your in-house legal department (if you have one) or with an attorney.

  • Each production, in whatever medium or budget level, provides in-person anti-sexual harassment training for all members of the cast and crew, prior to the start of production and prior to every season of an ongoing production. Effective training should not be simply focused on avoiding legal liability, but must be part of a culture of respect that starts at the top. Such training takes different forms and styles; make certain that the training you utilize is tailored to your specific production and its needs. Producers should ensure that the individual trainer has experience providing training in the area of sexual harassment laws and that all levels of management are present at the training in order to demonstrate the production’s commitment to the policy.

  • Each production continue to be vigilant in efforts to prevent sexual harassment during the production process. Consider taking steps to maintain awareness of harassment on an ongoing basis, such as periodically adding sexual harassment to the assistant director’s safety briefing.

  • Each production offer reporting procedures that provide a range of methods, multiple points of contact, including contacts at different organizational levels and in different geographic workplaces (e.g., a TV series that shoots in New York but maintains a writers’ room in Los Angeles), if applicable. We suggest designating at least two individuals, ideally of different genders, that cast/crew members can approach if they are subject to or witness harassment.

  • Reports of harassment are listened to with attention and empathy. If a cast or crew member reports an incident of harassment, assume the complainant is being sincere until further inquiry can be undertaken, while bearing in mind that the report itself does not predetermine guilt. Reassure the reporting party that the production takes harassment very seriously and that s/he will face no retaliation for reporting. The production should move quickly to address the allegations or engage a third party to do so, allowing for as much transparency as can be provided.

The PGA also provided a summary provided by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces laws that prohibit sexual harassment, which is a type of sexual discrimination. Which is also listed in the mentioned link.

The full guidelines are present on the official site of the PGA too:

Producers Guild of America Anti-Sexual Harassment Guidelines

And as you said in the question itself, Wonder Woman is the first film to follow these new PGA guidelines. From io9.gizmodo.com:

On Friday, the Producer’s Guild of America released a set of guidelines to prevent and deal with sexual harassment on film sets. Yesterday, it was announced that the first film to implement those guidelines will be Wonder Woman 2.

This announcement came at the Producer’s Guild of America Awards on Saturday, as reported by Vanity Fair. This announcement comes after November’s news that that the Wonder Woman production had parted ways with producer and financier Brett Ratner, who was accused of sexual harassment by a number of women, including Ellen Page (who worked with him on X-Men: Last Stand) in a bracing account.

The PGA guidelines, released on Friday, outline a number of ways film productions can stymie the tide of sexual harassment on sets, from the basic—obey local and federal guidelines regarding sexual assault—to more proactive efforts, including designating advocates on set to whom workers can report concerns without fear of reprisal.

2
  • Maybe a silly question, but do these guidelines also forbid sexual harassment on camera (i.e. something that is in the film script)? The guidelines say that they are to "prevent sexual harassment during the production process", and filming is part of the process. I don't see any exceptions for film scripts. Or is it not sexual harassment if both actors are acting out the script? Jan 28, 2018 at 2:28
  • What is in the script (and both/all actors have agreed upon) is not sexual harassment - it may be portrayal of sexual harassment. I do not see anything in PGA guidelines that forbade that. The question I would like to be answered is whether if the portrayed sexual harassment is not in form of disapproval but is encouraging to certain groups in society. Even if scripted would this fall under new guidelines as well. I fear this may be conflicting area even if historical movie.
    – Paharet
    Jan 29, 2018 at 8:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .