Cultural industry bears risks from artists' private lives
A representative of a film producer shared: "If you use stimulants, don't be a film actor. A film project is an investment asset of about one million USD (average price). The film is also the effort and dedication of hundreds of film crew members. If calculated by time from the idea to the audience release, it is equal to 1-2 years".
For the private life scandal of an artist to affect millions of USD in investment and the entire crew of hundreds of people trying hard is something no producer is willing to accept.
This representative recounted that he once fell into a state of tension lasting nearly a year after discovering that an actor was using banned substances in the filming stage, only dared to ask acquaintances to intervene to stop that person and only really breathed a sigh of relief when the film was released safely in theaters.
In Miu Le's case, although it is under investigation and there is no final conclusion yet, the impact of the incident happened immediately. The crisis escalated rapidly on digital platforms. As a result, the number of screenings of "Blood Moon Party 8" decreased significantly.
Before Miu Le, the scandal of beating the female doctor by Trung Quan Idol took place close to the music night of musician Duc Tri. The crew immediately had to find a replacement singer. The series of programs with Trung Quan Idol's participation then had to be canceled and postponed indefinitely.
When a scandal occurs, the truth may not be clear, and more verification time is needed - but the impact of the scandal on the box office, music nights, and brands... happens immediately.
The cultural industry is making strong breakthroughs, in which the performing arts industry and the film industry receive great expectations.
However, through a series of cases, it can be seen that the scandal of an individual (an artist) can have a major impact on the entire value chain of the industry.
A movie that is still being commercially exploited outside the cinema, a concert that has been invested in on a large scale, a reality show that has been filmed, an advertising contract with a brand... can completely "collapse", or suffer huge losses because of a scandalous individual.
Contracts with artists need to tighten "responsibility
Talking to Lao Dong reporters, a brand representative said that contracts signed with artists always have specific clauses on image preservation, and compensation requirements when artists allow scandals to occur.
However, through a series of events that have occurred, from Trung Quan Idol beating a female doctor to Miu Le being arrested with a group of friends while illegally using drugs, it has shown that scandals can happen in "many ways".
It can be distorted speech, illegal acts, impulsive acts, acts that occur while drunk...
Lawyer Hoang Ha (Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association) gave his opinion: "In my opinion, producers should not only sign contracts in the style of recording fees, filming schedules, performance schedules and image rights. For artists, especially those who play main roles in movies, concerts, reality TV shows or advertising campaigns, contracts must have a separate group of terms on ethics, compliance with the law and image risks.
According to Lawyer Hoang Ha, producers need to pay attention to how to write clauses on contracts, they need to be detailed and specific. It should not be just general, such as "artists must maintain their image".
It is necessary to clearly state the group of prohibited acts, criteria for determining damage, the producer's right to handle, the time of activation of the clause, the obligation to prove damage and the dispute resolution mechanism.
If writing vaguely, when a scandal occurs, it is very difficult for the producer to claim compensation.
The lawyer suggested the terms to consider when signing a contract with an artist, it is necessary to be clear: The artist must commit not to commit illegal acts, not to use drugs, not to be violent, not to be fraudulent, not to advertise falsely, not to make offensive statements to the community, not to have unethical behavior or seriously damage the reputation of the project, producer, brand, and distribution platform.
Artists are obliged to immediately notify the producer if they are invited to work, accused, fined, prosecuted, investigated...
The contract needs to clearly stipulate that artists must compensate for reasonable damages arising from violations, such as re-recording costs, re-staging, scheduling cancellation, ticket refunds, compensation for brands, crisis communication costs, damages due to loss of sponsorship or being fined by partners...
