Too Much Too Young

The whole documentary wasn’t faked. The scene where the boys were picked up were faked for dramatic effect, but, having worked as a rent boy, I can tell you that scene shows quite accurately how it would have happened anyhow. It wasn’t so much fake as reconstruction. They merely filmed something they had seen happening the night before with film-crew playing the parts of the genuine clients.

The filmmakers said they felt uncomfortable filming the boys really getting picked up, even though they witnessed it, and thought the general public would complain that they didn’t intervene, so they re-enacted those particular scenes so as not to be accused on being neglegent. As far as I know, the boy who sought compensation didn’t really want to appear in the film, but was talked into it by his friend, the other boy, so was always going to have issues with the production. If I remember correctly, the other boy went against his friend in the case and sided with the filmmakers.

It is very difficult, when filming, to get the shots you want, when you know in the back of your mind the audience is going to be saying: “Why didn’t the director or cameraman stop this?” Sometimes it is safer to recreate events. Most documentaries will use actors in certain scenes and state that it is a reconstruction. It was shows like this that gave birth to the docu-drama.

Becoming a famous rent boy was always going to impact his life. Instead of blaming the filmmakers, perhaps he should have weighed up the odds better before appearing in the show. I’m pretty sure the boy who just appeared in Jamie: Drag Queen At 16 will similarly have his life impacted.