Quite some confesions difficult to understand

chrischmchris · 2013-08-29 18:37:41

Dear BA, being mainly interested by the testimonies (I have listened to all of them), I regret that quite a number of them are in part or at all hardly understandable, either because of the surrounding rumours and noises, or because of some expressive difficulty in prosody, articulation or tone. Without asking anyone to first go through the Actors Studio (;-), would it be possible to give forthcoming artists some recommendations about how to basically communicate their confession with clarity? First of all, for instance, not to record it in the middle of the traffic, in a noisy cafeteria or in the middle of a windstorm in the microphone but rather choose a quiet place; then, maybe to grant some effort to articulate rather than speeding out their speech. This sort of recommendations would certainly notably improve the quality of these nevertheless highly interesting and informative testimonies. And last, but not least, please excuse me for my English, which is not my mother tongue.
Sincerely, ChMC

lauren · 2013-08-30 00:02:14

Thanks for your feedback.

There are basic guidelines for submitting to Beautiful Agony which include making sure the background noise isn't too loud by switching off any appliances that make noise such as computers, fans, aquariums, fridges etc. And to close any windows to limit outside noises.

As for street and cafe sounds, those have been less and less for some time now. I'm also happy about that!

Our submissions often come from far and wide and in a multitude of formats and are filmed with a variety of camera equipment, the majority of which is often old and not pro gear. This does means that the recording quality of these submissions also varies greatly.

I actually often hear from our contributors that they find the harder part of submitting to Beautiful Agony to be the confessions and we offer as much support and feedback as we can.

I have a lot of respect for our Agony contributors baring themselves in conversation on camera in the way that they do, occasional awkwardness and all.

chrischmchris · 2013-08-30 01:39:00

thank you very much Laureen for your prompt and detailed answer. I do understand very well the difficulties experienced by the contributors in "opening their hearts" publicly in front of the camera. Acting out is one thing - though as many of them confess, not an easy step to cross in itself, some having hesitated for years before they finally eventually sent their Agony. But exposing one's intimate life and thoughts publicly is yet alltogether another thing. And you have all my sympathy and respect for the...respect you express for these courageous persons. Nonetheless I may, though with care, "insist" upon the value and importance of theses testimonies and the therefore great interest in supporting and helping them to be as clear as possible. The testimony is probably one of the breaking points that makes all the difference in B.Ag with any sort of "neo-porn" entreprise. The testimony brings alltogether a sexological informative and an sex education dimensions justifying the stance taken by the majority of the performers; it is a great contribution to demystification of taboos and understanding the hows and whens and the ins and outs of the universal and necessary experience of pleasure in humans. The testimony brings a lot more to "it" - to the acting out: through the number of them come out some "regularities": the naturality, the generality, the necessity, the simplicity and finally, the simple humanity of the search and access to pleasure.
Yet a doubt I want to share with you: don't you think that calling the verbal contribution a "confession" carries a somewhat "christian-culpability-related" emotional content that may unconsciosly contribute to the difficulty to express oneself? Wouldn't it be preferable to simply call it a testimony? This is only a suggestion - but based upon my very long Professional experience in psycho-sexual questionning...
Kindly,
ChMC

lauren · 2013-08-30 04:38:36

Perhaps the term confession could, as you say, carry a somewhat 'christian-culpability-related' emotional content, and that 'may' unconsciously contribute to the difficulty to express oneself.

But, it might not.

I guess that comes down to what the individuals relationship is with the term 'Christianity'. The term Testimony as you suggested, also has roots in Christianity. Many different people, from many different backgrounds, with many different religious or non religious followings. One word can mean a multitude of different things to different people the world over.

I think for us at Beautiful Agony, the term is indeed a little bit of a play on words in relation to the use of the word 'Confession' in a religious sense, but more importantly a reference to the sharing of the details which people often keep hidden rather than anything that anyone should feel 'sinful' for.

And we like the word Confession, that simple really

chrischmchris · 2013-08-30 12:14:21

All right, then. My point was in relation to the fact that, within Christianity, you confess your sins, whereas if you testimony in whatever context, you'd do it either pro or contra, which releives it from the strictly "negative" content or sinning. And since we know how deep rooted the feeling of sins and culpability is within sexuality, I would imagine that "confessing" may awake unconscious fears or mental barriers... But it is a point of view and I quite understand yours. Thank you for the nice exchange and your concern.
ChMC

#1 2013-08-29 18:37:41

Quite some confesions difficult to understand

#2 2013-08-30 00:02:14

Re: Quite some confesions difficult to understand

#3 2013-08-30 01:39:00

Re: Quite some confesions difficult to understand

#4 2013-08-30 04:38:36

Re: Quite some confesions difficult to understand

#5 2013-08-30 12:14:21

Re: Quite some confesions difficult to understand

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