SCRIPT DRAFT 1 

*record outside sounds (bed) e.g. traffic, birds…* 

I am outside west London film studios. Here they have filmed iconic movies such as the imitation game, Bridget jones baby and artists such as Charlie XCX and Noel Gallagher have all recorded here. I am a hopeful media student wanting to pursue a career in this glamorous industry, but is it as innocent and exciting as we all think? Is there a darker side? 
 

My name is Piper Lewis and I am here to explore the hidden side of the industry and what’s really happening behind the camera. 

*clips of news stories about MeToo* 

*wrap it up with ‘MeToo’ being said from different news clips* 

*music bed* 

One hashtag, Millions of stories. This hashtag was introduced in 2017 following the several sexual abuse allegations surfacing concerning Harvey Weinstein. That’s when it spread. In just 24 hours, 12 million posts contained the hashtag me too. It was recorded that in October 2018, the hashtag had been used 19 million times. 

But what is this phrase actually? 
 

MeToo are two words used to raise awareness of how common sexual assault is in the work place. Allegations range from people accusing Ted Baker of inappropriate hugs and shoulder rubs to the alleged rape committed by the successful film producer Harvey Weinstein.  

I want to explore this movement. I want to dive into the fake accusations and how one single hashtag could change Hollywood and society forever. 

*bed song change* 

. 

• MeToo 

Most famous hashtags of the decade. Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted #MeToo within 24 hours the hashtag was ‘tweeted more than 500,000 times and over 12 million times on Facebook’ ‘More than 80% of victims did not report their experiences to police’ information from Office for National Statistics. The hashtag gave those affected a chance to make others aware that you are not alone and that there are many others who have felt and went through the traumatic experiences.  In this documentary I will also evaluate the true hidden factors of MeToo and sexual assault. 

 This is ‘the unspoken truth of MeToo.’ 

• How sexual assault allegations and MeToo affect the workplace 

The main place where sexual assault takes place is in the workplace. There are many cases where women have experienced sexual misconduct in the workplace, whether it being inappropriate jokes or being touched. Actor Henry cavill said ‘play audio’ cant approach a women without being prone to being accused. An example is the Ted Baker scandal, it has been revealed that designer Ted Baker hugs his staff, a way to acknowledge hard work and to encourage good work. Ted Baker alleged forced hugs causes outrage, some women say. ‘IT’S JUST DISGUSTING’ 

‘No employee should feel obliged to be hugged or touched in any way. With older men in a position of power – it’s just disgusting’  

From twitter, some voice, “The world needs more people like this who embrace fellow humans with such love,” 

Another person poked fun at the claims, tweeting: “I was hugged once. I have yet to recover from the trauma.”  

This incident cause confusion, Can a hug suddenly be a case of sexual assault?  Another aspect that is now a form of intimation or seen as an insult is referring to a women as ‘sweetheart’ ,‘darling’ or ‘love’ some see it as patronising or inappropriate. I interviewd some women getting their view on why they don’t like being called nicknames. 

Voxpop do you mind being called darling or love by men. 

ay that women find it insulting as women believe that men feel empowered and make women feel small with the use of the ‘patronising nicknames.’  

Sexual allegations have caused major changes in the workplace, an interview with a manager brings to light the reality. ‘As a male manager hiring female college students, I am concerned about the recent wave of sexual-harassment allegations.’  Our interviews are conducted one-on-one in a closed office. If even one candidate accuses me of extending so-called unwanted attention or of making a sexual advance,? What can men do to protect themselves in interview situations?  

In that text it conveys that men are concerned and paranoid that they could be accused of sexual harassment, it’s not because women are coming forward with rape claims, it is because of the accusations of verbal sexual assault, some women can claim that a male colleague, manager or boss said something ‘inappropriate’ and those accused could be suspended or even sacked without any evidence. The male could have many witnesses saying that they are innocent but can still be suspended. Whether a man has been guilty or even falsely accused it can still tarnish their lives and careers. What does this show men? that as soon as a women makes a claim without evidence, that everyone believes them, However if a man did the same about inappropriate touching, everyone tell them to man up and tell them to move on. 

Many ponder about why  women can take years to come forward with allegations. 

• Why Women Can Take Years to Come Forward With Sexual Assault Allegations 

The questions that everyone asks women who waited years to come forward is why didn’t you come forward sooner, why now, why didn’t you leave you the situation, why didn’t you say no, why didn’t you tell anyone, and the biggest  controversial accusation is why did you get yourself into that situation? By r comparing multiple sources it has come to my attention that there are 3 reasons to why women take years to come forward.  

SHAME. Shame is at the core of the intense emotional wounding women and men experience when they are sexually violated. Make author, Gershen Kaufman  stated “Shame is a natural reaction to being violated or abused.  most victims who feel shame blame themselves.  

DENIAL. Many women dismiss the fact they are a survivor of abuse. They convince themselves that “it wasn’t a big deal.”  

The final reason to why women take years come forward is because of fear of the repercussions, the main thing that woman fear is losing their job and not finding another, fear they will be passed over for a promotion, fear of losing their credibility, fear of being branded a troublemaker, fear of being blackballed in their industry. I asked multiple women if they have ever, flirted or made eyes, or used your sexuality to get their way. 

Many sources share the same opinions, is your job so important that you will allow yourself to endure a form of sexual assault?  if you lost it there would be no more jobs for you ever? Does that show to other women and younger females of the public, to get what you want and where you want you don’t have to be driven and hard-working, you have to be willing to not speak up about sexual assault just to keep your job.In the next episode its exploring metoo in the film industrty.  

Voxpop, have you ever, flirtex or made eyes, or used your sexuality to get your way.  

• Why Female Celebrities Can Take Years to Come Forward With Sexual Assault Allegations 

Metoo in the film industry 

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi  describing multiple instances when she was abused. “I was 7 the first time I was sexually assaulted a relative, I told my folks and they sent me away. 

“The second time I was 16 years old and a virgin. He was my boyfriend. ‘Date rape’ I was horrified and ashamed.  

Celebrities who have experienced sexual assault from figures in the tv and film industry who did not report it share a common reason why, Riverdale actress Lili Reinhart, she tweeted ‘i didn’t want to lose my job or make people think I was a drama queen’ 

Matt Damon 

Ben Affleck  

Henry Cavill 

Denzel Washington 

Ann Widdecom  

Olivis Munn  

Dolly Parton 

Jessica Beil 

Have expressed their opinion on MeToo 

Human resource professional had this to say. 

• Harvey Weinstein 

October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women accused American film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. More than 80 women in the film industry have since accused Weinstein of such acts. Weinstein denied “any non-consensual sex”. 

It’s believed that Weinstein’s casting couch circulated Hollywood for years, the term originated in the motion picture industry, with specific reference to couches in offices that could be used for sexual activity between casting directors or film producers and aspiring actors.  

Ashley Judd, and Rose McGowan were the first women openly to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment and misconduct. These women  encouraged and empowered other females to come forward with claims of rape and sexual assault by Weinstein. One of the most famous claims was one given by academy award winner Gwyneth Paltrow.  

• Gwyneth Paltrow Harvey Weinstein 

Paltrow first accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, where she said that after the alleged incident, he rang her and told her not to speak to anyone else about it. “I thought he was going to fire me,”  “He screamed at me for a long time. It was brutal.” she said 

 Paltrow again accused Weinstein of sexually harassing her in the 1990s.  

“We had one incident in a hotel room where he tried to make a pass at me,” she said, saying that he requested she give him a massage. 

“It was weird,” she said. “I was alone in a room with him. It was out of the blue. I was blind-sided. I was shocked.”  

I asked mulitple young people questions about how they would have handled the situation. 

• VOX POPS QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW Gwyneth Paltrow WOULD HAVE HANDLED THE SITUATION 

Why do you think someone would go into a hotel room? 

Do you think it is acceptable if a women has been making obvious passes at you, then goes to your hotel room? 

Why do women go to hotel rooms after a date and expect both male and female? 

Would you report sexual assault if it would jepordise your job or a promotion, and why? 

Why do people go through scripts in a private setting eg a hotel room instead of doing it in a place where you are seen by the public eye? 

If women have committed sexual acts and then regrets why do some sometimes say that it is sexual assault ? 

What do you think about the following statement ‘i didn’t come forward with sexual assult claims because I didn’t want to lose my job or be blacklisted’ 

In our next episode we talk about the unspoken truth of metoo 

This is the unspoken truth of metoo 

The controversial unspoken cases 

Sexual assualt and rape is a serious accusation. But what’s never spoken about is small percentage of false allegation where women have lied about rape, sexual assault and sexual misconduct. 

• The truth about false accusations (Women) 

Over the past 20 years, only 2-10% of rape accusations  are proven to be fake, argue the authors of a 2010 US study.  

 The question is how can you tell if someone is lying? and why?  

 Anyone who spreads false information concerning someone else is commiting deframtiom of character which can be persuded legally. 

 A useful article in Quartz by Sandra Newman points to research from the British Home Office showing that in the early 2000s, of the 216 cases that were classified as false allegations, only six led to an arrest. According to Sandra Newman, every academic study on the issue finds that the most common type of fake accuser is a teenage girl trying to get out of trouble.  

The studies suggest the false accusation can often stem from something as absurd as finding an excuse.  

 Most false allegations were used to cover up other behavior such as adultery or skipping school”. 

Every occasion of adult false accusers who persist in pursuing charges have a previous history of bizarre fabrications or criminal fraud. They’re often criminals whose family and friends are also criminals; broken people trapped in chaotic lives.” 

• Cases where women have lied 

false accusations are quite rare.  False stories typically have a lurid quality, often involving bizarre forms of cruelty that don’t always strictly make sense. An example is the University of Virginia student who accused several fraternity brothers of gang rape in a 2015 Rolling Stone article that was later proved to be fabricated. The accuser said that her attacker jumped her and crashed them both through a glass table to the floor, where he and six other men proceeded to rape her on the broken glass for three hours while calling her “it” and behaving with inhuman brutality. 

In another famous case, a stripper hired to dance at a party at Duke University falsely accused members of the lacrosse team of rape. In her story, the accuser described being suspended from a ceiling in the bathroom while three men attacked her at once. In another version of her story, she said she had been raped by 20 white men. The woman who falsely accused, was found guilty of second-degree murder of her boyfriend. She was convicted of a stabbing death, charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury, found guilty of contributing to child abuse or neglect, damage to personal property and resisting a police officer.  

 Another case includes a woman falsely accused someone of rape for not giving her a ride home. 

 27-year-old Jessica Gallagher was charged with false reporting of a crime. Gallagher told police she was abducted by a man she met on a dating app before being blindfolded and raped. 

Investigators say Gallagher later admitted she fabricated the story because she was angry at the man for refusing to give her a ride home. 

 Adults who make false accusations generally either have a criminal history or have a specific type of mental illness known as a factitious disorder: a personality disorder related to Munchausen syndrome that compels them to say they’ve been assaulted in dramatic ways. 

•  Motivations for false allegation 

Those who lie about sexual assault have various motives. Personal gain, mental illness, revenge, and the need for an alibi. 

Mentally ill false accusers can be people with severe psychosis who genuinely believe they’ve been raped; 

Accusers often compulsively change their stories, adding dramatic details without regard either for the account they originally gave or the physical evidence.  

• How the false accusations can still tarnish the men’s careers 

Victims of false accusation who were  innocent reported that the accusations ruined careers, damaged families, and influenced mental trauma. 

 Even when the claim is proved to be false, it still affects your’ work reputation, and relationships with colleagues and future employers. 

In the final episode of the docu series we speak question if men and women are equal when it comes to sexual assualt. 

• Is Metoo for Men  #MeToo 

  For some male victims of sexual assault and abuse, #MeToo can feel more like #WhatAboutMe? the movement happened to get its start with women only, in a way it furthers my loneliness as a past victim,” said Chris Brown, a University of Minnesota music professor. 

“Men are historically considered the bad guys,” suggested Brown, referring to public attitudes. “If some men abuse women, then we all are abusers ourselves … so therefore when it comes to our being abused, we deserve it.” 

Terry Crews opened up about allegedly being groped by a powerful Hollywood exec Although Crews instantly drew support, he also found himself on the receiving end of skepticism—particularly from other men, who said a guy like him couldn’t be sexually abused, due to his size and physique. (As one comedian put it, “God gave you muscles, so you can say no.”) 

• Are men and women equal when I comes to sexual assault? 

Are men and women equal when it comes to sexual? 

Rape and sexual abuse are devastating experiences for men and women. 

However, male survivors experience some unique challenges that act as additional barriers to engagement and help-seeking. 

One of the most controversial recent events is the Cardi B scandal. Cardi b admitted that when she was a stripper she would in fight men into her room to have intercourse and then drugged them and robbed them. 

Plays audio of her admitting. 

 American comedian Bill Cosby has been the subject of publicized sexual assault allegations, with the earliest incidents allegedly taking place in the mid-1960s. He has been accused by numerous women drug-facilitated sexual assault,drug-facilitated sexual assault, 

Bill Cosby career and legacy has been tarnished, he had gone to court and is hated by the public, but Cardi, was not taken to court, has not lost her following and is still famous. They both committed a illegal act, and one has not been punished. The only reason that can explain why she has not been charged is because she’s a woman as there is no other justifiable reason. I gathered interviews on the publics view on this story. 

• What’s your view on cardi B after saying she’d take men into their hotel room to sleep with them and then drugged them and robbed them.? 
• Why do you think Carbi B wasn’t punsihed after she admitted to drugging men.? 

Due to the disproportionate number of women who are survivors of sexual assault, it is often deemed solely a “women’s issue.” This may be because stereotypes and patriarchy cause most people to be more comfortable with the image of a woman being deprived of her power in a sexual assault than a man. Men and people of all genders also experience this form of violence. Many hospitals are not familiar with or prepared to look for signs of male sexual assault, and even some police departments still do not collect statistics on its frequency. 

In this day women are capable of accusing innocent men of sexual assualt but it is a reality that women and men experience sexual assault everyday whether it’s at home, at work or at a party, and statement that needs to be heard is that both genders require equal support and equal justice. 

SCRIPT DRAFT 2 FINAL CUT:

SCRIPT 

*record outside sounds (bed) e.g. traffic, birds…* 

I am outside west London film studios. Here they have filmed iconic movies such as the imitation game, Bridget jones baby and artists such as Charlie XCX and Noel Gallagher have all recorded here. I am a hopeful media student wanting to pursue a career in this glamorous industry, but is it as innocent and exciting as we all think? Is there a darker side? 
 

My name is Piper Lewis and I am here to explore the hidden side of the industry and what’s really happening behind the camera. 

*clips of news stories about MeToo* 

*wrap it up with ‘MeToo’ being said from different news clips* 

*music bed* 

One hashtag, Millions of stories. This hashtag was introduced in 2017 following the several sexual abuse allegations surfacing concerning Harvey Weinstein. That’s when it spread. In just 24 hours, 12 million posts contained the hashtag me too. It was recorded that in October 2018, the hashtag had been used 19 million times. 

I want to explore this movement. More specifically the unspoken truth. In this episode I want to dive into the fake accusations, the casting couch and how one single hashtag changed Hollywood and the workplace forever. 

But what is MeToo 
 

MeToo are two words used to raise awareness of how common sexual assault is in the work place. Allegations range from people accusing Ted Baker of inappropriate hugs and shoulder rubs to the alleged rapes committed by the successful film producer Harvey Weinstein. But do you think being hugged by your manager should be included in the hashtag among much more serious allegations such as rape?   

First  lets talk about False accusations. It is believed and proven that 8% of rape and sexual assault allegations are false after investigation. In 2000, 216 cases were proven to be false. But who would lie about such a serious topic? Here are 3 Cases in which people did… 

Case 1 : On August 23 2018, Nikki Yovino accused 2 sacred heart university football players of rape. After reporting the incident and after the police looking into it and taking it to court, the event was proven to be a lie and she admitted. After admitting, she was sentenced to have one year in jail. It is believed that she fabricated this story to protect her relationship she was having with another student at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TzTCWfiRew  

Case 2 : Jessica Gallagher. Jessica was a 27 year old who was signed up to a dating app. After matching with someone they decided to meet up. After the night was over, the man refused to give her a ride home and she falsely accused him of blindfolding and raping her. 

Case 3 : Liam Allen was returning home from football in January 2016 when he was arrested by the police on suspicion of rape. He spent over a year on bail and in and out of court fighting his case, when it was then revealed in December 2017, that he was proven innocent. Here is a clip of his mother speaking about the day it all unfolded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAS8MSlDzxo&t=333s 

Why would someone lie?  

Someone may lie as they have regret after committing an action. It could be to protect themselves by making themselves the victim. In many cases, after the accusations are proven to be false, the accuser admits that they are in another relationship and would much rather tear someone’s career down than admit to committing adultery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxThRcJl_AQ  

But do you know what the casting couch is? *insert vox pop* 

The casting couch is a phrase used to describe people using sexual acts to further their career. Many celebrities have used the casting couch and If not, have spoken about their encounters. Here is an interview of Goldie Horn talking about her encounter with this dark side of the business at just aged 19… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHrMyKVhKCA . A prime example of someone who has spoken up about this is Marilyn Monroe. Here is what an interview with Joan Collins, who recounts a conversation she had with Marilyn decades ago concerning the industry… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx-Zs8VXLpc 

After gathering research I want to reveal how metoo has affected society the workplace*Vox pop – how do you think MeToo has changed the work place?* 

In my opinion, MeToo, as much as it has brought about a lot of positive change by raising awareness to an issue that has been swept under the rug too often, it has also brought about many negative changes. 

I think this movements initial creation had all the correct intentions and focussed on very serious cases of abuse of power in the work place, but among those serious accusations lay stories about how a woman felt uncomfortable because a colleuge put his arm around her. These cases of little relevance to the bigger picture of the movement are almost changing the origins of the MeToo campaign. Anne Widdecombe has raised this issue too … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHc5WdVADCc 

Another Negative change is the view on women in the work place currently. I believe that instead of making women seem strong it has portrayed them as more vulnerable and fragile than before. But also means some men might be more unlikely to interact with women in the work place now. This idea is put across in an interview with candace Owens and Roseanne Barr. (link) https://youtu.be/9J-csrBJoxI   

You make me sick, you are the reason women do not come forward, women like you. This is what a  mentor said about my piece. This opinion was voiced fellow women.  

When I was 5 years old  my twin sister, I was sexually assualted, it took until I was 10 years old to come forward and tell my parents. As a 10 year old girl starting my secondary school experience with a court case trying to get a 40 year old predator behind bars, stopped this man from ever preying on a younger individual again. He was not imprisoned due to lack of evidence. This should inform any woman, young or old that if a 10 year old can come forward and face it then any woman can.  

I believe this movement was created in favour of women and the empowerment of them. It exposed many problems that were avoided and uncovered many predators and darker members of not only Hollywood and the industry but also society. But it has made many people including me rethink their career choices. 

Vox pop 

If you were a very successful actor or singer using the casting couch, would you go back and report it if it meant that you lost or your success? 

If the first person who was sexually assualted by Harvey Weinstien came forward as soon as it happened, none of those  80 women would have been assualted by weinstien and his career would have been finished over 30 years ago.