SPINE WRITER JAYDE EMERY GRAPHIC DESIGNER OLIVIA ORTIZ
Trigger Warning: This article deals with sexual assult and violence that may be upsetting to some readers
“Y
ou want this, slut? Turn around.” Unbeknownst to Sam, these were the thoughts running through Liam’s head as she sat next to him on a stranger’s bed. Her own thoughts drowned out the background noise of the house party they’d both ended up at that night. This was it, she realized. Their first kiss. This was it, he determined. His first time. That was the premise for the project that screenwriter and director Keith Rivers proposed to me. It would be a PSA for Thorn, an organization that targets child sex trafficking and abuse, he explained. The PSA was geared to encourage parents to start positive conversations with their kids about sex in the digital age, in which young children and teens encountering pornography without initial guidance could form misinterpretations about healthy sex and fail to understand the importance of consent and respecting boundaries. Keith wanted to convey this message through the inner dialogue of two teenagers with juxtaposed expectations. Sam’s thoughts exposed her nerves and naivety. She was a figure of innocence, putting her trust in the respected, well-liked boy-next-door. But Liam harbored ulterior motives, which were
expressed through a series of vulgar and objectifying thoughts that showed little concern for Sam’s agreement or comfort level. As his vision unfolded over the phone, I could hear the slight tremble in Keith’s voice, betraying his otherwise confident pitch. He had already given this spiel to his fair share of actors and received an equal number of rejections. “It was part taboo, and it was also risky,” Keith said. “Not that risky, but risky enough where a lot of actors that I approached turned it down. They didn’t want to step into this territory. They didn’t know if it was inappropriate.” It was an intimidating concept and one that was certain to be controversial. To risk taking on a role in this project, our reasons behind it needed to go beyond pure ambition. It required an understanding of what our purpose was as creators and as individuals. If you’ve taken a class in acting or film, you may be familiar with the concept of a character’s “spine.” The spine is the force that drives a person and influences their behavior. The spine is what makes that leap into the unknown worthwhile. In her book, Directing Actors, directing and acting coach Judith Weston provides three methods to find a character’s spine: Consider common desires—love, success, revenge, etc. Think about the descriptive words you would use for the