Filming Desire, provided substantial insight on the practices of filming sexual encounters. I found the content of the film to be very interesting and relative to some of the discussions that we have had about constructing that (seemingly unattainable) feminist sex scene.

Before I elaborate on that, I found the introduction sequence and and title cards to be a very distinct part of the film. I thought that it was a very bold choice on the part of the filmmaker to use naked human bodies  to provide transitions to the topics of the film. I thought that, as much as the naked bodies were relative to the topic being discussed in the film, I felt that this creative choice neither added or subtracted anything to the overall message of the film. And, in all, the film could have been just as effective without those topic headings. I found myself shaking my head each time I saw a naked man clapping at the camera or text written above a pair of hard nipples. I’m interested in hearing what other people thought about this choice to include those scenes with the bodies.

In regards to the content of the film, I found that a common trend amongst some of the filmmakers being interviewed was this idea that sex is more than just the physical act, and the troubles of using a visual medium to portray these scenes. One filmmaker made a point of saying that sexual sensations are something that are within, but the camera is not. That being said, it seems almost contradictory to use solely a visual medium to portray an act that is compiled of so many more levels.  A few filmmakers noted that they used voiceover to communicate some of the thoughts going through the minds of female characters to display that they are more than just their physical attributes.

Does it seem like voiceover is this the only way that we can have anything close to a feminist sex scene? Since voiceover allows us to understand what is happening underneath the physical aspect of the sex scene, it seems appropriate that it adds complexity to female (and in some cases, male) characters. But in a way, using voiceover can take away from the visual representation. Even if there is voiceover will problems with visually portraying the male or female body still arise? In fact, is it fair to say that voiceover can compensate for any misrepresentation of those images?