Bumfights
Encyclopedia
Bumfights is a film series produced by Indecline Films. The videos feature teenagers, homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah
and Donnie Brennan) in the San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas
metropolitan areas fighting and attempting amateur stunt
s in exchange for money, alcohol
, and other incentives. The first video, Bumfights: A Cause for Concern, was produced by Ryan McPherson, with friends Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, and Michael Slyman, as Indecline Films. Shortly after sales began to escalate, Indecline Films allegedly sold the rights to two investors, who went on to produce three sequels.
The videos immediately gained criticism from mainstream organizations. The US-based National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has stated that the Bumfights videos disseminate hate against the homeless and dehumanize them. In April 2006, the four original filmmakers agreed not to produce any more "Bumfights" videos or distribute videos already made, and to pay three homeless men depicted in the videos, under a settlement announced as a lawsuit was to go to trial.
, and New Zealand
. The internet auction site eBay
routinely cancels listings which contain copies of the video, citing their policy which prohibits the sale of materials which promote or glorify violence. In the state of California
, both felony
and misdemeanor
charges were filed against the producers, as well as civil lawsuits; in 2005, the producers were sentenced to six months in prison for having failed to complete the community service
to which they had previously been sentenced. The filmmakers maintain that the production of the video was a mutually beneficial arrangement and that the homeless people depicted freely chose to participate.
The films have likewise been blamed for inspiring a number of violent teenage attacks on the homeless, both in the United States and other countries. A group of suburban Nevada
teenagers, who called themselves "311 Boyz
", also faced criminal charges, including attempted murder, after filming several violent exploits inspired by Bumfights. The suspects attempted to make a profitable video by instigating fights around their neighborhoods, in some instances imposing on unwilling participants.
Indecline also acted as a record label for a few underground acts, most notably the abstract hip-hop duo Ninth Cloud.
Rufus Hannah
Rufus Hannah , also known as Rufus the Stunt Bum, is an American advocate for homeless rights who became known for his role in the early Bumfights videos: in 2000, while himself a homeless alcoholic, he was paid $5 to be filmed running headfirst into a stack of milk crates.Hannah has fathered five...
and Donnie Brennan) in the San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
metropolitan areas fighting and attempting amateur stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s in exchange for money, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, and other incentives. The first video, Bumfights: A Cause for Concern, was produced by Ryan McPherson, with friends Zachary Bubeck, Daniel J. Tanner, and Michael Slyman, as Indecline Films. Shortly after sales began to escalate, Indecline Films allegedly sold the rights to two investors, who went on to produce three sequels.
The videos immediately gained criticism from mainstream organizations. The US-based National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has stated that the Bumfights videos disseminate hate against the homeless and dehumanize them. In April 2006, the four original filmmakers agreed not to produce any more "Bumfights" videos or distribute videos already made, and to pay three homeless men depicted in the videos, under a settlement announced as a lawsuit was to go to trial.
Controversies
The videos have been banned in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The internet auction site eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
routinely cancels listings which contain copies of the video, citing their policy which prohibits the sale of materials which promote or glorify violence. In the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, both felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
and misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
charges were filed against the producers, as well as civil lawsuits; in 2005, the producers were sentenced to six months in prison for having failed to complete the community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
to which they had previously been sentenced. The filmmakers maintain that the production of the video was a mutually beneficial arrangement and that the homeless people depicted freely chose to participate.
The films have likewise been blamed for inspiring a number of violent teenage attacks on the homeless, both in the United States and other countries. A group of suburban Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
teenagers, who called themselves "311 Boyz
311 Boyz
The 311 Boyz were a teen gang in Las Vegas, Nevada who committed or were suspected of a number of violent acts beginning in the summer of 2003. Estimated at 40 members in 2003, the gang consisted mostly of young males who attended Centennial High School and lived in affluent neighborhoods in...
", also faced criminal charges, including attempted murder, after filming several violent exploits inspired by Bumfights. The suspects attempted to make a profitable video by instigating fights around their neighborhoods, in some instances imposing on unwilling participants.
Indecline: Vol. 1 - "It's Worse Than You Think"
Ryan McPherson, who sold the rights to Bumfights after the first installment, moved on to produce a similar reality video called Indecline: Vol. 1 - It's Worse Than You Think. Though controversial for its fight footage and acts of elaborate graffiti art, legal troubles did not hinder the sales of this video, although the website went offline in June 2008. The Indecline web site went back online on November 2008. As of May, 2011, the Indecline Films website is down and has been down for several months.Indecline also acted as a record label for a few underground acts, most notably the abstract hip-hop duo Ninth Cloud.
Popular culture
- In 2005, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, had a segment featuring BumvertisingBumvertisingBumvertising is a form of informal employment in which a homeless person is paid to display advertising.The Bumvertising website publicizing this form of advertising was launched in August 2005 by Benjamin Rogovy, a 22-year-old entrepreneur who hired homeless men in the U.S...
, in which they made a comparison to Bumfights, showing a video clip of two bums fighting. The episode of The Daily Show was titled 'Face For Rent'. - In one episode of the 2003 remake of DragnetDragnet (series)Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, the case investigated is strongly based on the Bumfights videos (called "Bum Wars" in the episode). - In the episode of American Dad, Threat Levels, Stan begins a Bumfights Federation for himself, staging Bumfights on his own street, in a wrestling ringWrestling ringA wrestling ring is the ring stage on which professional wrestlers wrestle.-Configuration and construction:The configuration and construction of the "traditional" ring is very similar to that of a boxing ring, though the wrestling version has three ring ropes...
and giving the competitors professional wrestlingProfessional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
-style personas and nicknamesRing nameA ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
. - The December 12, 2006 episode of Dr. PhilDr. Phil (TV series)Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
featured Bumfights producer Ty Beeson. Dr. Phil McGrawPhil McGrawPhillip Calvin McGraw best known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality, author, former psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil, which debuted in 2002...
, the show's host, had stopped the tape and requested that the producer leave the set (though he was taken off the set by uniformed Paramount Studios security guards), stating he refused to "publicize" the subject because he claimed the short video was despicable. - The episode "Return of the Kane" of Veronica MarsVeronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
features the character Logan EchollsLogan EchollsLogan Echolls is a fictional character on the UPN/The CW television series Veronica Mars, which debuted during the fall 2004 season on UPN.He is portrayed by Jason Dohring.- Background :...
staging Bumfights. - In episode 2 of the TV series Nathan Barley, Nathan finds a web site parody of Bumfights called Tramp Racing.
- In the mockumentaryMockumentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
LolliLoveLolliLoveLolliLove is a mockumentary co-written by, directed by and starring Jenna Fischer. The film satirizes a hip, misguided Southern California couple who decide to make a difference in the lives of the homeless by giving them lollipops with a cheery slogan on the wrapper.-Production:The film stars...
, about giving lollipopLollipopA lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
s to the homeless, James Gunn writes in his diary about wanting to see Bumfights. - In the film Hobo with a Shotgun, a minor character is a young man filming homeless persons hurting each other in return for money, a reference to Bumfights.
- In episode 17 of Workaholics, Adam says "I've been watching a lot of Bumfights lately..."
Bumfights videos
- Bumfights: A Cause for Concern (2002)
- Bumfights 2: Bumlife (2003)
- Bumfights 3: The Felony Footage (2004)
- Bumfights 4: Return Of The Ruckus (2006)