animal abuse and student film legality?

Question

I know you people like to guess the motive behind these questions, i'm going to tell you straight up it is hypothetical (im not even a film-maker,dont know a thing about it) so can all the do-gooders please keep their theories to themselves and those with brains read on;

Suppose a person making their own film decided to make one which included what looked like animal cruelty.
It might cause controversy. If someone thought it was real and reported it (somewhere?) could the film..person be investigated?

How would someone be able to prove that it was just clever camera work or something like that?
Suppose you used what appeared to be a metal pole to beat a dog. A prop.
This film could be around for years, long after the prop is gone, so how would you prove it in that case without the prop?

Or I even ask what are the legal issues, if any, if you used parts of a clip showing actual cruelity. This is not concerning copyright- would you have to prove you didn't make the beating?

Answer 1

The burden of proof is on the prosecution. However if this is a realistic dog-beating then I imagine it could be a messy deal in court. You would have to prove it somehow that you used a prop. As far as the legal issues animal cruelty is a big crime and the fines and jail time are not nearly strict enough.

Answer 2

Interesting question. personally I've never seen animal control under- react. Often they over-react. So in this situation I'd do a few things. 1. toss the dog a sandwich, maybe bring it some water. 2. confront the guy nonaggressively - well actually I wouldn't - I'd have my husband do it. But basically offer the guy some help. ie: I noticed you're having some trouble with your dog, I know a guy that works with them - I bet he'd help you train him for free - shall I have him give you a call? If that doesn't work then you have to go through the right channels 3. Call Animal control or the local animal abuse hotline. Seriously, if there is abuse that is obvious going on, they will handle it. 4. Call the police - if animal control doesn't help and you still think there is abuse going on, call the police - most places have animal abuse laws. They will prosecute. 5. if ALL these things are done, and NOTHING helps then you have a serious problem, and I'd probably encourage you to find a better neighborhood to live in. As a last resort, you could call the paper and see if they would do a story about the abuse you've seen. It's possible that that would make a difference. Taking the dog yourself is theft. Doing it would require that you 1. be absolutely sure that this is ABUSE not just neglect 2. Pay the owner for the animal - perhaps anonimously, but if you want to avoid #4 below you need to come to an agreement with the owner. That may not be possible 3. Be able to care for this animal long term - don't take it and then abandon it at a shelter. 4. be willing to go to jail, be fined, and possibly have the dog end up back at this guy's house. - the truth is that might very well happen.

Answer 3

It has happened, but not a movie, just a fake product. See the link below. There are plenty of articles available out there in a google search about bonzai kittens (sorry if you hate the obvious being pointed out).