Il castello dalle mura di gomma - discussione

ETV Team's answer: Dear Fabri, Happy New Year! Your post raises an interesting question: What is perverse and what isn't? Where is the line? Who gets to decide where the line is? What is an unhealthy obsession and what is a harmless fetish? Which desires are playful and aesthetic, and which ones are not? Many people sincerely believe that their own fantasies are the gold standard of healthy kink and anything beyond them is sick, tasteless, or unacceptable. There are people who think that showing nudity on TV the way we do it is sick and perverted. There are entire countries where the things we do are prohibited wholesale. According to those places, the things you call beautiful are morbid and degenerate. There are other people who have fetishes that they think are benign fantasies, metaphors for subconscious psychological archetypes, fantasies that there is nothing wrong with - while you would consider these same fantasies as sick and unacceptable.
It's always been difficult to draw the line. It's not as though there was an obvious precise definition for any of these terms. Maybe the thing to do is stick to the old maxims of tolerance and open-mindedness. I disagree with your opinion, as they say, but I would die for your right to express it.
All those people who believe that their own preferences are the only preferences permissible, that their own boundaries are the only boundaries relevant, that the whole world should cater to their tastes and nobody else's? Maybe these people are the true perverts and the true obsessives.
We believe that, as long as nobody on the team is uncomfortable staging the play some viewers want staged, or feels awkward playing the roles they want played, that game and these roles aren't bad, even if not everyone completely understands the fantasy behind it. As long as it is clear that the games on the show are games and the role playing is role playing, we don't think anyone should feel offended or abused. It's important to us to be open minded and to not judge, so this and this alone is our compass as to what is acceptable and what isn't. There is enough censorship, and there is enough harassment of the media by people trying to impose their personal moralities on everyone.
Do we really all have to share the same tastes?
Over the years, we were forced to dispense with too many things that used to be staples of our shows exactly because of this kind of censorship, exactly because of pressure from people who thought their own ideas are the yardstick that had to be imposed on everybody. We would like to invite you to be more tolerant of the wishes and the fantasies of others, just like you expect others to be tolerant of yours. One final, personal comment: Implying that we are greedy and do everything we do for money alone is a cheap shot. It's a kind of verbal cudgel that's useful to manipulate public opinion but not really conducive of a constructive exchange. The fact that someone wants to make money is supposed to define them, to tell you everything you need to know about them. It becomes an accusation that easily drowns out all other considerations. It may work as a strawman, but it doesn't really do anybody justice. We would like to ask for more tolerance and open-mindedness in this area too. Let's not be too quick to judge others, let's try to accept the variety and diversity of human emotions and motivations. Regards, ETV

ETV Team's Answer: The Premium shows have been so very important to us and we have been focusing on their development for the last two years. This has been an unforgettable adventure. They are as important as before and are still a thing we enjoy doing! However, the Premiums have reached a point which they can’t go much away from. We believe this is not a limit but just a plateau. All the discussions about the Premiums got stuck on the same minor questions, insignificant details: we show/don’t show explicit content, censure/no censure; the models want it but team doesn’t let them do; the art ambitions are pathetic; the theatrical shows are stupid and naďve and so on. All these things are just remote echoes and mechanical attempts to explain the core problem. But all of that is far from the most important thing and that is the spirit of the show, the will the models and the team have, the devotion and the emotional frankness. All of that is needed in order to have a good performance, a good show. The details and the frontal shots are not the most important. If they were, all the viewers would have gone in MetArt. But what matters are other things and they are the reason the viewers love us. Despite all the viewers` teasing and bursts of indignation at the clumsiness we show, deep down your hearts you love us for what we do, for our dreams and for the things we value. Unfortunately, sometimes people get stuck and wonder which path to take. This is what is happening to us. Almost all companies and groups go though such difficult periods. When and how did we let those things slip away? Under what conditions do the teams lose their nature and their most important characteristics? One of our viewers reminded us about Neruda and his attitude to the slow death caused by the routine and the lack of new experiences and challenges. The Premiums are not just an oasis, detached from our system. We realize that the achievements and the results of the Premiums depend on the general level, attitude and involvement of the models and each team member. The Premium Shows rely on the skills of the models and the whole crew. To great extend these skills are formed and developed by the TV program, by the atmosphere in the TV studio and its 24/7 broadcast. Unfortunately, that program was gradually overtaken by stagnation and unproductive clichés. We often have a vague and uninspired performance by some models and teams. It is like a plague which slowly poisons and kills the spirit of the shows. In order to take our Premium Shows to a new level, we must obviously set ourselves to reload our TV program. Both the TV program and the Premiums need to be reinvented in order to find a way for new achievement. We’ve been on air for 10 years now and we know that it is time for a very serious restart. This is the natural evolvement of every enterprise. Probably this is why you have observed decrease of the Premium shows lately. Unofficially and quietly we are undergoing a dramatic change of the core of our production at all levels. Perhaps the most ardent viewers have already noticed signs of this process. We hope this will be soon evident to everyone. The Premium Shows will be back in our regular schedule shortly but they will be different and we hope a lot better. The TV program will not be the same. This is a complex process which spreads over all levels and requires time and effort. We hope it’s for the best. Regards, ETV

ETV: Hello Lionheart. Let's play a game. We love the scripts, we love improvising and fantasizing, this is our job. So..

You are the ETV models' boss. You are having conversation with Alice:

- Hello Alice
- Hello mr. Lionheart
- Alice, I know you are a very talented girl and you have a great potential. The viewers like you, you have a unique expressiveness.
- Thank you for your high opinion.
- The viewers like you. Tell me why you don't mind undressing during the Premiums and refuse doing it in TV?
- I don't feel comfortable doing it in the Premiums as well but somehow I do it.
- Why do you feel uncomfortable?
- It is just how I feel.
- But you still do it in the Premiums.
- Yes, I do it there because the focus is on the artistic performance and it all looks like an artistic show. To me it is more understandable. I feel like an actress in a role.
- It is not the same way in the TV?
- No, I am not an actress with a role there. The context there is different. In the TV I am a person that has to undress because a viewers said I should do it on the phone. I talk with viewers and they want me to undress for them. That is different. It has it's charm sometimes and it attracts me but it is different and sometimes it is not a pleasant thing to do. The things have their shades and differences.
- Is that the reason why you don't want to make full striptease or to go naked on the TV?
- I don't know, I can't explain it, it is just how I feel. I can't explain why but these are my inner feelings.

Now it is your turn dear Lionheart to tell her something more than "I dont accept". Please, try to provide a meaningfull argument and to convince this young lady that she has to do it. Tell her that according a strange logic she has to do it on TV because she did it in the Premium and otherwise is not aceptable. Please lets us see how you will deal with this case and how you will convince her to overstep her inner feeelings and decision about the Night Shifts... It is very interesting how you would deal with the situation. Lets play this fantasy and develop this script. Who knows, maybe we can recreate this conversation between you and Alice in one of our next productions as a play or ETV mini series. It will be a great fun and very edifying to see.

The Director for the show:Per rispondere a tutte le critiche sulla regia dello spettacolo "sala da ballo per 5" voglio condividere la mia opinione in merito a ciň. Ogni spettacolo ha la sua specificitŕ, i problemi e le difficoltŕ, alcune delle quali il regista le scopre solo dopo che lo spettacolo č iniziato. Alcuni di essi posso essere previsto, altri no, come spesso accade negli spettacoli dal vivo. Io, qui, non voglio cercare delle scuse.
Quando si realizza qualcosa c'č sempre la possibilitŕ di fallire o di fare degli errori. La cosa importante č ciň che si fa dopo e come lo si utilizza per tornare sulla retta via. Spero che siate consapevoli del fatto che il nostro ritmo di lavoro raramente ci permette di avere del tempo per le prove - il tempo per provare, fallire, trovare la strada giusta. D'altra parte credo che questo sia una delle principali attrattive dei nostri spettacoli. Tutto ciň che sta accadendo proprio in quel momento, nasce dall'azione non č stata provata. Naturalmente ci sono dei rischi e puň scaturire uno spettacolo buono oppure no. La mancanza di successo di uno show dipende dagli show precedenti e futuri che lo circondano e questo č un argomento completamente diverso. In realtŕ alcuni degli errori li ho visti anche durante lo spettacolo, ma i problemi reali sono divenuti evidenti, per me, dopo aver visionato la registrazione. Principalmente gli spettatori, a volte, non sanno cosa esattamente non gli č piaciuto e non lo possono spiegare chiaramente. Essi, perň, sono convinti di una cosa, che non gli č piaciuto e quindi č stato uno spettacolo brutto.

I principali punti deboli dello spettacolo, come li ho visti io:
Troppo spazio tra le modelle della sala grande, questo rende difficile la ripresa e lascia l'impressione che le modelle siano perse tra loro, con troppo spazio inutilizzato. Inoltre non da' alle persone la sensazione che si stiano divertendo assieme, ma che siano gruppi isolati, troppo distanti gli uni dagli altri.
Lo spazio tra i gruppi di modelle ha fatto perdere la traccia di ciň che stava accadendo tra i gruppi e li ha messi in competizione per avere l'attenzione della camera. Tutto ciň comporta tensioni indesiderate dallo spettatore. Nell'azione mancava la coralitŕ. In zone diverse dello studio lontane le une dalle altre, le cose si succedevano senza unitarietŕ. Alla fine le telecamere seguivano un'azione o un altra, esasperando il pubblico per la mancanza di coerenza. Questo puň essere uno dei motivi per cui alcuni spettatori hanno parlato di censura. Non č stato affatto cosě, le nostre regole, a tal proposito, sono sempre le medesime.
Le modelle sono state distratte. Questo č il risultato di due fattori, lo stato d'animo sbagliato con cui hanno iniziato e la necessitŕ di riorganizzarsi ed il cambiare partner con la ricerca del successivo affiatamento. Proprio quando hanno raggiunto la parte piů emozionante della loro interazione hanno dovuto cambiare partner per compensare il grande spazio della stanza, per ottenere l'inquadratura.
Non siamo riusciti a spiegare, esattamente, alle modelle l'erotismo che ci aspettavamo dovesse scaturire da questo insieme, che non č solo ballare, saltare, bere e parlare, ma č una attenta concentrata interazione. Non capivano il concetto di spettacolo, 5 donne che si fermano dopo la festa per terminare la notte in compagnia.
Cosa faremo per fare meglio la prossima volta:

1. Le Modelle saranno piů vicine tra loro e si muoveranno nella sala in uno spazio piccolo seguite dalla squadra dei cameraman. In questo modo vedremo inquadrature differenti della sala da ballo con tutte le modelle come č stato con la serie "sola nella sala da ballo".
2. Non ci saranno sovrapposizioni di azioni, tutte le ragazze parteciperanno coralmente.
3. Non ci saranno dei gruppi in scena, tutte loro faranno uno spettacolo assieme.
4. Spiegheremo meglio il concetto alle modelle

ETV Team: Thank you for your posts. I was going trough some photos from the reserved shows and suddenly so many memories came to my mind. This year was really full of love and real friendship. All the presents, surprises, the incredible atmosphere that the viewers made for the girls. I remembered some very crazy moments. We were celebrating an anniversary for the first phone conversation between Biffi and Alice. He wanted me to give her the present and I was so exited that I had even prepared a speech. I wanted to say so many things. I learned the speech by hard and when the moment came I told the whole speech (I was so nervous I got sweaty hands) and at the end when I wanted to conclude and say the final words I said: “Today we celebrate the anniversary of Biffi and Rebeka”. I have no idea where the name Rebeka came from. Vicky started waiving from behind the camera: “It is not Rebeka” she was saying, but I wasn’t understanding her, cause I didn’t realize that I have mistaken the name. Apparently the whole anxiety around my speech took its toll and everything ended unexpectedly, but it was funny never the less. Vincenzo also had a good share of fun and even wanted me to give the presents again and again in every next show.

We had some very funny moments with Lauren also. We had a cooking show. We got a recipe from Wulfi, which we had read with Lauren so many times before the start of the show. Lauren was very exited but was also a bit worried because she didn’t know how to cook. We of course, tried to calm her down and told her that the recipe was easy. So, the cooking started, but as soon as she took an onion and put it on the table, she suddenly panicked. “What am I supposed to do now?” was her question. “How should I cut it? In cubic shape?”- she was still unsure. “OK, make cubes”- was our encouragement. She started but soon said it is not happening well and decided to cut it in stripes. After using five times more minutes than the planed airtime just for the onion, we started to realize what the words “I can’t cook” mean. “Lauren, just cut the onion” was the final response. Lauren started begging Wulfi to call earlier than planed and help her to decide whether to put the coco milk ot not. It was so hilarious and we had lots of fun!...

And when we surprised Evah... another unforgettable moment was when we were giving her a gift voucher for car. The voucher was huge, with decoration of flares (something we had done before and was looking so nice). Anyway, I put the voucher in an envelope and the ceremony for the gift begun. Suddenly the flare started smoking and in a second the voucher caught up fire. Vicky was trying to shoot only our faces, while I was trying to put off the fire. Nobody noticed but at the end the voucher was in pieces... at least we didn't burn the studio.

We had a good share of funny moments this year which we remember with joy, but all of them are nothing compared to experience our girls had during most of the time. We often talk with them that the reserved shows gave us an experience that no other place or situation could give us. So we learned to cherish these experiences and enjoy the moment. Happy New Year to all our viewers who made such incredible fairy-tales for their favorite models and we are looking forward to make the new ones in the coming year. Regards, Christine

ETV Team: Dear Anonymous, We know exactly what are you suggesting. Very often we come across the absurd believe thriving in some of the viewers minds that our models have the irresistible urge to make the hottest show possible and to show as much of their private parts as possible without any shame in front of a huge group of strangers. This irresistible urge though is hampered by the evil director who doesn't want the model to express herself. This is a fairy-tale story that we have heard so many times that it is funny now. The truth is that in many cases (if not all) it is exactly the team and the director who fights with the models and insists on hotter and more bold performances and more action in front of the camera. The models and directors are not enemies but a team that works together in the given frame and concept. Our models are ordinary girls with their own path, dreams, education and career. They are not the internet sex stars that became famous in the recent years and formed the stereotype of a slut girl.

It is surprising how the reality about the relation between team and models is distorted in some people's eyes. To tell you the truth, if left alone the girls will most probably never take their clothes off not to mention making hot shows or exposing their most private parts. Your post speculates with the sweet idea of a model whose only dream is to spread her legs in front of you, but there is an evil force that stands in the models way and prevents that to happen. It is true that part of our business is to create dreams and enhance your imagination, but let us correct this misunderstanding that has haunted the wall and messages for a long time.

Our products are the child of a mutual creative art process and often the people that you offend are actually the once that work in your best interest and because they know what you want. We have cases of models going mad with anger at us because the director and the team have let an explicit frame to be shown. We even have models that quit their job because of this. One of the most precious things about our models is exactly this shyness and purity they keep. What we and they want is to provoke aesthetics, mystery and womanly tenderness. These are real women with their romantic dreams and delicate vision for what is beautiful. It is up to you to believe in what you want, but we felt obligated to give you some inside information on how things work around here. Regards, ETV

Si parla spesso di censura e di libertŕ sia di parola che di pensiero. Questo č il motivo per cui vogliamo chiarire che i messaggi che ci inviate sono pubblicati sul “Wall” e noi non interveniamo. E' molto facile dire che noi pubblichiamo solamente le lodi ed i commenti positivi, tralasciando le critiche. Si tratta di una logica un po’ superficiale e non č il modo in cui , qui, funzionano le cose. Uno dei principi che ci guida, nella pubblicazione dei vostri pareri, č constatare che il messaggio non contenga apprezzamenti soggettivi, troppo personali ed irrazionali, provocati da emozioni e pregiudizi personali verso le modelle. Se noi (soggettivamente ovviamente) decidiamo che il messaggio ha valutazioni troppo soggettive ed irrazionali ed espresse in modo aggressivo e / o offensivo, non lo pubblichiamo sul muro. Questo non significa che noi non lo leggiamo e che non lo prendiamo in considerazione.Noi ben volentieri pubblichiamo messaggi che contengono buone intenzioni, anche quando hanno critiche e connotazioni negative, ma vediamo in loro il pensiero razionale e la volontŕ di discutere e di dare suggerimenti costruttivi per un ulteriore miglioramento e sviluppo dei nostri spettacoli e di tutto il nostro lavoro in generale. E’ da tanto tempo che ci siamo fermati per prestare attenzione a richieste piů calde, di spettacoli piů hardcore, di realizzare riprese piů esplicite, di utilizzare luci dirette e richieste simili che sono un desiderio evidente per una diretta eccitazione sessuale. Questo č triste e sbagliato e pensiamo che non siamo e non vogliamo essere parte della industria del porno. Per quanto vogliano convincerci che, riprese dirette tra le gambe delle modelle, secondo i desideri di alcuni, ci porteranno grandi profitti e soddisfazione da parte dei clienti. Queste persone sbagliano e noi abbiamo dei dubbi a pubblicare tali richieste figuriamoci a soddisfare i loro desideri. Noi non stiamo cercando questo, non saremo noi. Altri tipi di opinioni e suggerimenti in merito a problematiche importanti e che sono in sintonia con la nostra visione degli spettacoli sono piů che benvenute e saranno pubblicate anche se contengono critiche. Noi non siamo ipocriti e compiacenti sulla qualitŕ dei nostri spettacoli in tutti iloro aspetti e dettagli. Al contrario, siamo alla ricerca di modalitŕ per migliorare la qualitŕ degli spettacoli e la comunicazione con i nostri clienti e spettatori. Detto questo, ci piace ed attendiamo ansiosi critiche costruttive e con buone intenzioni, date con amore e cura per gli spettacoli e per le modelle. D'altra canto, restiamo assai colpiti quando vediamo richieste taglienti, aggressive ed offensive nei confronti delle nostre modelle, con gambe aperte, con piů scene di nudo od idee ancora peggiori. Saremmo davvero grati se, quanto scritto, si prenda in considerazione e si tenga bene in mente, poiché tutto ciň č alla base del nostro concetto di spettacolo ed č la nostra visione filosofica di come facciamo il nostro lavoro.

ETV Team: Dear friends, You are our viewers for a long time now and we thank you for the long-term support and empathy. In your post, you raise interesting questions and subjects that we probably need to take time to reflect upon and discuss. As you probably now, companies rarely discuss publicly their business strategies and corporate decisions. On the other hand, we are a media where communicating with clients is part of our work and business. That is why we will take some time and energy to explain our plans and point of view.

These are personal thoughts of people that work in this business for a long time and which we share with you here with the purpose of giving an additional point of view, without claiming that this is the official position of the company. Just some unofficial thoughts on the subject:Recently we read too many amateur and shallow opinions and instructive tone from wannabe strategists on the subject of what should we do, what will be the end of us and what is our last chance. They tell us what will make us loose money and what will give us profits. This is not something new. These days, everybody is an expert and is pretty generous with giving advice on what we should do and don't do. We don't know what does everyone of our viewers work, but we are assured on a daily basis that all of our clients has a clear idea what we have to do to survive and to prosper, what will “kill” us and what will be good or bad for our business.

Everyone likes to interfere in the work of others and to give wise advises. We like aviation, because it is an interesting and tough business. We would like to give a couple of advises to Tim Clark and Carsten Spohr on how to run their business. We would insist on the idea that they have to keep free seats in the economy class and to compensate the loses by the in-flight sale of gifts, perfumes and other merchandise...

Leaving the joke aside, our business is one of the fastest developing and turbulent spheres, that make us face many challenges and daily difficulties. The realities of the market are completely different from the ones that were 10 years ago when we started. Everything is so different now that we are in a completely different world. A whole new universe if you'd like. Our survival and development depend on new ways, decisions and a clear understanding of the situation.

You are right that our program is probably one of a kind in the European television horizon and not only in Europe. The content and things that we do are unique enough that it is hard to find similar production on the internet.
We would be very glad if we find others like us, who do things in a similar way, looking to find a balance between erotics and aesthetics with normal “next door” girls involved in artistic searches beyond the tawdry cliches of the skidding erotic industry. We constantly seek new ways and forms to make what we like the way we like it, while trying to keep our vision and concept.

What is the environment that we live in. More and more restrictions from authorities and distributors. Nowadays no one wants to take the risk and dive in to the delicate matter of erotica. Both the distributors and the authorities prefer to take the safe position and forbid everything, so they don't have to worry about us. You say that there are very strict restrictions in UK, but what about the other countries. What can be seen on the TV in Italy?
The viewers want more and more hot shows, but does anyone have any idea about the restrictions and attitude of their country towards the things they want to see? People say: “I pay 4 credits and I must get what I need”. At the same time the society not only doesn't accept and respect the people that have to provide the goods, but they are forbidden and almost forced to go to the gray economy. Do you think that the the models and the teams like this kind of attitude? No one cares and no one wants to think about this. Not only that no one cares, but we often hear the phrase “she works for an erotic TV station, she must do what she is told for the money she is given”

On the other hand, when we insist on being paid for our work, we get critiques and resentment. “How come I have to pay for something that was for free yesterday.” Times are changing, the economical situation is changing, everything is changing, but no one wants to see the truth. Everyone wants the miracle to continue. Everyone want cheap iPhone, but in order for that to happen somewhere some poor Chinese people have to sit 15 hours a day on the conveyor line. And when or if this changes, we all lament how these phones have become more expensive. We will blame corporate greed and will wave finger threatening that we will not by iPhones and that Apple will go bankrupt. There will even be a person that will calculate how much the plastic and the glass on the phone cost and will say that he has been robbed because the real value of the product is 65 cents.

A lot of people started hoping for miracle and for free or cheap things despite every economical or market logic.
The television is the first that felt the consequences of this virus. TV is doomed. And we say it not with gloating, but with the clear understanding that this is our business, the thing we work. We are supposed to be the last to accept this, but we have to see it and be prepared for it. We don't want to be in Kodak's place and refuse to accept that the film is a thing from the past.

Sky's rules today are the rules of all the European countries tomorrow. If we had our license in Italy, would we be able to show even what is allowed in England?
The internet is not so different territory. New rules, new laws, new commissions, filters and fines. England filters erotica, China filters everything, Russia frowns on the web, Germany does sth. ?lse, Hungary something different...

You ask us why we decided to expand our market to England having in mind the many restrictions they have. The answer is obvious. Restrictions are everywhere and the only thing we can do is to reach more potential viewers. Luckily our website and the materials on it do not go under the R-18 category. Many of our viewers would argue that we are not even 18 and we are probably even soft for 16.

Having said that, and avoiding being categorized as R-18, we have the right to advertise our website on our TV shows on SKY during the night. For now! This gives us hope that our shows will still find their way to the public. This is why we try to keep aesthetic and non-pornographic approach to our work. This is why we work with normal, intelligent girls that are far from the typical sex movie starlets. You speak about a new era on ETV. We wouldn't be so bold. Every day is a new era. How many eras changed in the last ten years...

Everything around us changes so fast! Let's not moan for the past and look forward. We don't think that our program will change so drastically. It will probably barely change apart from our ambition to make it more interesting and with better quality. This is our chance and place for development. As much as our viewers accuse us of not being provocative and “hot” enough, you have to give us a credit that we are amongst the few that are left to fight. For better of worse we keep on walking our path and we hope that together it will bring us to new findings and horizons.

Is there someone who doubts that the future of the content distribution is not in the TV satellite transmission but in the internet?
There are enough articles, forecasts and research of influential organizations that clearly answer this question. The other side of the question is: do you have to pay to watch a video or it should be viewed for free and let other mechanisms pay the production (such as advertisement, calls etc.).
For many years, we’ve been trying to pay the content production indirectly with the phone calls. To a certain extent it did work while the satellites were having a big audience and people watched TV like they did before 2010. However, things have changed. People don’t just watch TV. Less people, less often watch TV. Also, the TV regulations are unbearable. You see how the things in SKY are. You don’t know what the real situation there is. We should better not tell you. But these things will be everywhere, very soon, it’s inevitable.
Well, what future the TV could have? Satellites are getting more and more expensive, there are unbearable and restrictive regulations, difficult production and decreasing number of viewers. Please, spare us the explanation that there is less audience because of our bad program and the quality of our work. Let us not deny that a person that in 2004 was watching TV only, todays has hundreds of content sources in the internet and still has the same free time. Let us not mix will and reality. The world develops and one thing replaces the other.
In months you will be able to watch internet shows on your TV with a quality even better than the satellite TV one. We are not saying there will be not satellite tomorrow or we will stop broadcasting our program on the satellite right now. This process can takes years. All we want to say is that there is an obvious and clear trend and we would be fools if we act like we don’t see it and we don’t prepare for it.