● Is a violent scene necessary for the story?
● Is the depiction of sexualized violence necessary?
● Is the scene of violence told from the perspective of the perpetrator or the victim/survivor?
● Has the topic of violence against women and its depiction been researched? Have relevant
data and facts and, if necessary, specialist advice from experts been included? This applies to
narratives of violence in the main and subplots.
● Was the victim's/survivor's perspective actively taken into account during the research?
● Have the results of research and expert advice been integrated, even if they lead to the story
developing in a different direction?
● Is there a vision agreement between the author and the production in which, among other
things, the handling of depictions of gender-based violence and other sensitive topics is
stipulatedi? If no vision agreement is drawn up: Do the author and production have a common
stance?
● Has a sensitivity reading been carried out by a professionally qualified person?
● Are myths and stereotypes about (sexualized) violence against women avoided or repeated,
e.g:
○ Is the victim assumed to be complicit?
○ Is the victim portrayed as helpless and unable to defend herself?
○ Is the crime committed by anonymous perpetrators in public spaces?
● Are impulses for new narratives found, e.g.:
○ Does a victim/survivor of violence seek (and find) competent support so that she is not
left alone and therefore "broken"?
○ Do victims/survivors talk about their experience of violence? What attitudes do the
interviewees adopt and what perspective is chosen for the scene?
○ Is the structural dimension of violence against women addressed? Do the characters
verbalize structural elements of violence?

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● Are costs for research and the involvement of experts included in the budget?
● With regard to a responsible approach to the topic of violence against women, has a conscious
decision been made as to whether or not to include a content notice / content warningii?
● Are references to support services for those affected shown during or after the broadcast, as
well as on the online platform or in social media posts iii?
● Is the conscious handling of the topic of (sexualized) violence against women considered as
quality criteria in the evaluation of submitted projects?
● How are the quality criteria checked iv?

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● Is it a conscious decision to show the act of violence? Is an alternative possible in terms of
storytelling and dramaturgy?
● Do all those involved have a common understanding of the implementation of violent scenes,
and if not, is it possible to make changes to the scene with the authors or even cut the scenes?
● Were the violent scenes actively discussed with all head of departments during preparation,
e.g. as part of a look and feel discussion?
● Were the actors' contractual agreements taken into account?
● Is an intimacy coordinator and/or stunt coordinator consulted?
● Has the shot list been discussed with the director before shooting?
● Has it been discussed how the agreements can be implemented on set despite time pressure?
● How can the staging of scenes of violence be prevented from having an aestheticizing,
glorifying or sexually arousing effect?
● Has the shot list been chosen in such a way that stereotypes about (sexualized) violence
against women are not reproduced?
○ For example, is the fragmented depiction of female bodies and body pan avoided v?
○ Which POV is chosen? That of the perpetrator or the victim?
○ Is the character portrayed as a helpless victim who is unable to defend herself through
the positioning of the camera (lower/upper perspective)??
● Is the use of costume and makeup/special effects (e.g. film blood) appropriate in the scene?

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● Does the editing have the possibility to break through stereotypes, e.g. about sexualized
violence or assumed complicity of the victim/survivor, which may have been unconsciously
reproduced during filming?
○ Does violence have to be shown in order to tell the story? Does the editing work even
if images that glorify or trivialize violence and/or reproduce stereotypes are omitted?
○ Is it possible to drop scenes that have been filmed, in consultation with the director, or
is it possible to carry out a reshoot?
○ If different perspectives were filmed: Which one is chosen in the editing: the
perpetrator’s, victim’s/survivor’s or a neutral perspective?
● Can a viewing be carried out by people who are not part of the industry but are experts in the
topic depicted?

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● Can the perspective of the victim/survivor be strengthened by the choice of sound design?
● Can, for example, the sound on an off-screen narration strengthen the perspective of the
victim/ survivor?
● Are there scenes of violence that are trivialized by the choice of sound?
We are convinced that good films can only be made under good conditions. With this in mind, the
following questions are aimed at commissioning networks and employers of filmmakers (i.e.
production companies) on set.

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● Is there a clear and unambiguous position against sexual harassment on the part of the
commissioning network and the production company, encouragement of self-reflection in the
team, provision of information material and other preventive measures?
● Are all employees informed about who victims/survivors of sexual harassment and violence
can turn to? If available, an internal contact point is advisable, and/or the independent and
confidential advice center Themis, which offers psychological and legal advice for those
affectedvi.
● When depicting intimacy and/or sexualized violence: Was an intimacy coordinatorvii involved
from the beginning of the process?
● If there are scenes with nudity and sexual content, are the ICDA best-practice casting
guidelines for nudity and sexual contentviii applied?

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i A vision agreement is a written agreement on a content vision for a series or film. Components include basic plot and
stylistic elements, handling of depictions of gender-based violence and sensitive topics. It can be part of a screenplay
contract. The vision agreement can also be used to align the other departments with the common vision of the project and to
sensitize them to certain topics contained therein.
ii see e.g. BBC Editorial Guidelines Section 5 Harm and Offence Content Information
(https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidelines/harm-and-offence/guidelines/); FSF Fachmagazin Mediendiskurs 103,
1/2023 „Warnhinweise - Schutz vor belastenden Inhalten“ (https://mediendiskurs.online/heft/warnhinweise-ausgabe-103/)
iii e.g. Violence against women helpline in Germany: 116 016 | www.hilfetelefon.de; Sexual abuse helpline in Germany: 0800
22 55 530 | www.hilfe-portal-missbrauch.de/hilfe-telefon ; A table of the national women’s helplines available in 46 European
Countries: https://wave-network.org/list-of-helplines-in-46-countries/ ; international list of country help lines, provided by UN
Women: https://www.endvawnow.org/en/need-help; cf. also BBC Action Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/
iv cf. the approach of the Austrian Film Institute in the context of the feature film inclusion checks – see
https://filminstitut.at/foerderung/projektkommission
v cf. “The Menkes List: 5 Camera Techniques That Objectify Women In Film”: https://intheirownleague.com/2019/11/05/the-
menkes-list-6-camera-techniques-that-objectify-women-in-film/
vi https://themis-vertrauensstelle.de/
vii cf. BECTU guidance for shooting intimacy: https://bectu.org.uk/news/bectu-launches-guidance-for-shooting-intimate-
scenes; professional networks: https://www.idcprofessionals.com; Germany: https://b-ik.art/infomaterial#Verband
viii https://the-icda.com/protocols/2020/icdn-best-practice-casting-guidelines-for-nudity-and-sexual-content/