Kevin Blatt, consultant and public relations specialist for the adult industry, recently co-produced and starred in a documentary titled American Cannibal, which is set for a nationwide release on March 16.
Filmmakers Perry Grebin and Michael Nigro spent two and a half years twisting real life itself, resulting in a gripping story. They strived to push beyond Fahrenheit/911 and Supersize Me to break new ground in documentary territory.
The filmmakers began American Cannibal in 2004 as a bold social experiment with reality. They set in motion real events that allowed them unlimited access to the results, pushing their cameras deep into the "glitter-dome of reality-TV production to emerge with an equally bold exposé."
They watch as struggling writers earnestly pitch TV ideas, eventually selling out to the man behind the Paris Hilton sex tape, Kevin Blatt. The sadistic, shameless reality show they churn out is documented from start to finish: from throwaway pitch to manic auditions through train-wreck production.
Alongside the drama, the filmmakers interview prominent producers, psychologists, network execs, celebrities, and "D-listers," who offer candid insight and scathing judgments on our society.
American Cannibal is a documentary as wild as the story behind it: a shocking, hilarious, bona fide portrait of our celebrity-driven culture and the appalling lengths one will go to, for entertainment, according to its producers.
"American Cannibal was a painful and often times a very surreal experience that plunged me into the depths of reality television," said Kevin Blatt, co-producer and co-star of the documentary. "It was a real eye-opening experience for me to see how the business works over the hill. Reality television is not what it is billed as. There is no such thing as 'reality TV.' When you realize that places and people can be manipulated to make them look completely different—and when you see how someone changes their demeanor when a boom drops in front of them or a camera turns on—you then realize that this is one giant experiment on the human psyche. Reality TV appeals to the lowest common denominator that we all share. It's that rubberneck fascination we all share when passing the horrible car wreck, or watching a horrific event unfold in front of our eyes. We are starving to be entertained, even if often times the entertainment comes at the cost of making others look bad.
"There are a lot of people out there who watch reality TV to make themselves feel better about their lives...watching how complicated and horrible a lot of other people's lives truly are...," he added. "[However], there are a lot of people out there who are feeling good about themselves when they clearly should not be."
