As sexual assault allegations directed at prominent Hollywood figures continue to pour in, a common question arises: how did no one speak up when they knew this was happening? Men like James Toback, Brett Ratner and Kevin Spacey perpetrated these crimes, but they were allowed to continue because of a culture of complicity in the film industry. It is a culture where careers are valued over safety and monstrous individuals receive affluence and awards. This silent majority of unpunished perpetrators is the real problem identified by the recent surge in allegations — its existence allowed these crimes to happen and to continue on for decades. To prevent this from happening again, the entitlement and careerism so pervasive in the industry must be purged. To do this, we need to begin with changing how film is taught to aspiring directors, writers and executives — including here at NYU.

Film students at the Tisch School of the Arts are told again and again to do what is necessary to achieve their vision, whether it is getting a shot, getting a job or getting a performance out of an actor. Networking is prized, and so is any opportunity to break into the industry. Safety is taught, but more to protect equipment and prevent legal accountability. Film ethics at NYU is not taught, nor is it impressed upon students that their careers are never as important as doing the right thing. Environments lacking education on these subjects make it clear why someone would prioritize status over the lives of innocent people. Contrast this with the medical profession, where learning about the principles and importance of ethical behavior is mandatory and a foundational aspect of the work. No one would trust a lawyer, politician or scientist who was not versed in the ethics of their field, so it should be a requirement that film ethics be presented alongside film production and film criticism as vitally important to the craft.

Many fields have the potential to create this sort of environment of competitiveness and unethical behavior, but film occupies a unique position that makes it more likely to create them. The film industry is fueled in large part by personal favor and requires that celebrities and executives prize their relationships with each other over all else. Film also demands intimate relationships between people which may be conducive to abuse. Many film crews stay in hotels together during shoots, and it is, after all, the industry that originated the disturbing concept of the casting couch, where a person of power requires a person of lesser power looking for a casting position to take part in sexual acts in order to obtain the role. More fundamentally, being behind a camera in the first place is a privileged, powerful position that puts control in the hands of the filmmakers. Actors, like those abused by these celebrities, have comparatively little control over their image and over how it is presented in film.

This is all the more reason for film students to be trained in ethical behavior before they enter the industry. NYU needs to offer a Film Ethics course, or else it will continue contributing to the culture of silence that has already permeated hundreds of lives.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them. A version of this appeared in the Monday, Nov. 6 print edition. Email Henry Cohen at [email protected].