Are You Allowed to Drink Beer in a Beer Commercial?
The question of whether actors are allowed to drink beer in beer commercials is a bit more nuanced than a simple yes or no. While it might seem straightforward, legal and ethical considerations, along with practical filmmaking choices, play significant roles. Let's delve into the complexities.
The Legal Landscape: It's Complicated
Legally, the depiction of drinking in a beer commercial is subject to a range of regulations varying considerably by country and even by state or region within a country. Most jurisdictions have strict advertising standards designed to prevent the irresponsible promotion of alcohol. These regulations often dictate:
- No visible intoxication: The actors cannot appear visibly intoxicated or impaired. The aim is to avoid glamorizing excessive alcohol consumption.
- No encouragement of underage drinking: The advertisement cannot, in any way, appeal to or encourage underage drinking. This is a critical aspect of most alcohol advertising laws worldwide.
- Responsible consumption messaging: Many regions require responsible drinking messages to be included, either verbally or visually, often in small print. This might include reminders to drink in moderation or to never drink and drive.
- Specific restrictions on content: Some regions may have specific restrictions on the type of content, setting, or target audience for alcohol advertising. For instance, advertisements might be banned during certain times of the day or on specific channels aimed at young people.
The Practicalities of Filming: Fake Beer is the Norm
Even when legally permissible to depict drinking, actual beer is rarely used in commercials. This is due to several practical reasons:
- Multiple takes: Commercials require multiple takes. An actor drinking real beer for every take would quickly become problematic. The actor might become intoxicated, affecting their performance and potentially delaying filming.
- Consistency: Maintaining consistent levels of beer in the glass throughout the filming process would be extremely difficult with real beer.
- Hygiene and health: Using real beer introduces hygiene concerns.
Therefore, most beer commercials employ non-alcoholic substitutes that closely mimic the look and feel of beer. These substitutes are carefully chosen to match the color, consistency, and even head (foam) of the actual beer brand being advertised.
What Happens if Actors Do Drink Real Beer?
While actors aren't usually drinking the real product, if they were to drink actual beer on set, there would be significant implications:
- Health and safety risks: The potential for alcohol-related accidents or injuries on set increases dramatically.
- Legal liabilities: The production company would be responsible for ensuring the safety of its cast and crew. If an accident occurred due to alcohol consumption, legal ramifications would be severe.
- Contractual obligations: Actors are likely bound by contracts which detail their responsibilities and prohibit actions that might jeopardize production. Drinking real beer could be a breach of contract.
