The Use of Taboo-Terms in Film

The Use of Taboo-Terms in Film

In order to engage with my target audience, making my thriller opening more adulterated in nature, I have decided to include a refined amount of swearing and taboo-terms within the dialogue. Within this update I intend to justify the use of my swearing within my opening, as some may feel that it is an inappropriate usage within an examined piece of work.

In 1960s cinema, swearing was rarely found in film, with the first broadcast of a swearword on British television causing national uproar. Within my film opening I plan to present a distressed detective who is in the middle of a case which he cannot solve, knowing that every day that the case goes on, someone else is likely to die. The use of swearing within the dialogue in my opening will express the protagonist’s negative view of the situation, conveying his anger. Swearing also adds to the development of the character as the use of bad language connotes a low threshold for handling difficult circumstances and makes it seem like Hudson could just snap at any second. Due to the connotations that swearing carries, this is another subtle hint to the audience that the detective and the killer are in fact the same character. Although Hudson is the protagonist of the opening, his bad language and quick temper insinuate that he has a dark side and is able to switch to a hostile mood in a rapid transition. His temperament would therefore appear to work like a light switch. This allows the reader to develop a more realistic relationship with the character as he appears to have emotions of a real human as opposed to a fictional character. As Baruch and Jenkins said:

“swearing can let workers better express their feelings, to develop social relationships or to signify solidarity.”

Swearing in film is no longer a taboo subject and is a common feature in films with a rating of 15 and upwards with minor swearwords - i.e. “bloody” - often fond in films with a rating of 12A. Another use of these profanities within the script is offend the people around the protagonist. By using foul language I am able to degrade the characters around him, conveying the fact that the detective has a higher status than other characters within the scene as he is able to get away with swearing at them without any repercussions.