Zach Caldicott
The Diversity Crisis in
Film
As we all know, Hollywood has recently come under fire for
being discriminatory when it comes to race, gender, and sexuality. After the 2016 Oscar
nominations were announced and only white actors and actresses were chosen in
the top four categories for the second year in a row, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite resurfaced and gained momentum on social media.
Jada Pinkett Smith announced
that she would not be attending or watching the awards after there were no
black actors nominated, including her husband, Will Smith, who was passed over for
his lead role in Concussion. She immediately took to Twitter and
Facebook to share her thoughts on the lack of diversity in film. "At the
Oscars, people of color are always welcomed to give out awards ... even
entertain," she tweeted. “But we are rarely recognized for our artistic
accomplishments. Should people of color refrain from participating all
together?" she said.
According to a
study done at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism through
their Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative, the
film business is “a straight, white boys’ club.” Their study found that of
the top 100 films of 2014, nearly three-quarters of all characters were white.
Only 17 of the top movies that year featured non-white lead or supporting role actors.
The
study also showed that the lack of inclusion goes beyond just race, but is also
obvious when looking at gender. Only
30.2% of the 30,835 speaking characters evaluated were female across the 700
top‐grossing films from 2007 to 2014 which is a ratio of 2.3 to 1. 
So, why is there such a lack of diversity in a country that
is supposed to be the melting pot of the world?
According to many who weighed in on this topic, including Chris Rock who
hosted the Oscars, the problem is system wide and affects people in front of
the camera and behind the scenes. In the December 12th issue of Hollywood
Reporter magazine, Rock wrote about many of the problems affecting Hollywood’s
race problem. He talks about the fact
that Hollywood is pretty much a favors game. White actors get favors because most of the
people with power in Hollywood are white. Blacks are a minority in Hollywood
and have to help each other out, especially the older actors with the younger
actors in order to help level the playing field.
He also talked about casting, and that roles are scarce for
black actors because Hollywood decides whether or not they are going to cast a
black actor or not. “When there’s a hot
part in town and the guys are reading for it, that’s just what happens. It was never like, “Is it going to be Ryan
Gosling or Chiwetel Ejiofor for Fifty Shades of Grey?” If more storylines were
created that were suitable for minorities and women, then we would see less
inequality in Hollywood.
For the most part, the black films that get the most buzz
are about people who are heroes or those who have brought about great change in
the world like Martin Luther King or Malcolm X.
However, there aren’t a lot of films made just about everyday issues
that cast minorities in them. In order
to avoid what we saw at the Oscars this year, everyone involved in the industry
from the studio heads to the casting directors need to broaden their ideas so
that more black actors have the chance to be nominated.
Even though the film industry is experiencing
a diversity crisis, there is hope for improvement. The
Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science has already made changes to
diversify its membership which up until now was over 90 percent white and more
than 75% male. And, the fact that research is being done
about diversity in media is key in raising awareness about these issues. There are even special programs like “Project
Involve” whose mission is to increase diversity in the film business. “Project
Involve” trains the next generation of filmmakers and makes sure that the people
selected for the program come from a diverse background, including minorities,
women, and gay, lesbian and transgender people.Will this trend continue to take place across the film industry so that we will begin to see more equality in race, gender and sexuality in films? And, did all the buzz and social media surrounding the Oscars help to bring about those changes?
Article Links:
References:
Bernardin, Marc. "#OscarsSoWhite:
Why Black Films Have to Be About MLK and White Movies Can Be About a Mop
Inventor." Hollywood Reporter 28 Jan. 2016. Print.
Rock, Chris. "Chris Rock Pens
Blisterin Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: "Its A White
Industry"" Hollywood Reporter 3 Dec. 2014. Print.
Lang, Brent. "Hollywood Is a
"Straight, White, Boys' Club." Variety 22 Feb. 2016. Print.
Smith, Stacy. "From C-Suite to
Characters on Screen: How Inclusive Is the Entertainment Industry?" USC
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Feb. 22, 2016 Web.
Anne Noordsy
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that there is a lack of diversity within the film industry. I can see why people of a variety of ethnicities would be offended by the deficiency of many of these ethnicities in the Oscar nominations. When the Academy is made up primarily of white men, we can see why most if not all of the nominations are of that same demographic.
The actress Kimberly Elise summarized the controversy effectively. Elise said, “I hope it becomes a non-discussion and we can grow to a place where we are cast just as human beings and remember that we are all just having life experiences and you don’t have to be a certain color to click into something that a character is going through” (Gardner 1). I agree with this statement. Why should race or gender or any other factor have to be considered so much when considering who should win an Oscar or any other award? If the role was carried out well, then so be it.
A study from the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found that the film industry is “male-centric, monochromatic, and overwhelmingly heterosexual” (Lang 1). Gender and race discrimination are most certainly apparent within the industry. So, how can we eliminate this inequality?
The report suggests how the industry can make improvements. I believe that improvements need to be made within the film business in order for us to see change and success for an array of sexual orientations, genders, and ethnicities. They suggest that the industry creates goals of inclusion as well as building “lists of directors and writers to consider that are 50% women and 38% people of color, and weigh the strong financial performance of films with female or minority leads and directors when making decisions about future productions” (Lang 2).
Noordsy Continued
ReplyDeleteI am not sure whether or not much change has been brought about since the beginning of this controversy. However, I believe that the trend of bringing about change for the industry in including more diversity needs to take place and it needs to be discussed more often. I feel as though the buzz surrounding the #OscarsSoWhite social media frenzy faded out. The issue of the lack of diversity within the industry seems to be swept under the rug. While the social media buzz was popular for a certain amount of time, eventually the hashtag died out and other current events were discussed more.
When Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith said they were boycotting this year’s Oscars, this brought the issue of the lack of diversity in the film industry to light. It is true that people of other ethnicities besides Caucasian are rarely recognized for their artistic accomplishments. What will it take for people of other ethnicities to be recognized? What will it take for more women to be included in leading roles and award nominations? I believe that change needs to be made. Many other entertainment industries have made changes and included all demographics and the time is now for the film industry to get on board and make changes as well.
Works Cited
1. Gardner, Chris. "Lee Daniels On #OscarsSoWhite Controversy: "If You're Doing a Job for an Oscar, You're Doing the Wrong Job"" The Hollywood Reporter. 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
2. Lang, Brent. "Hollywood Is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds." Variety. 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Michael Corigliano
ReplyDeleteThe film industry has seen many issues since its origin. One issue that has noticeably stayed around is the issue of race in film. In the early 1900’s people would even see blackface (A white person impersonating an African American) in some films. Now, in our day in age people have started to take more action when they see racism in the entertainment industry, which is a positive and one of the only ways we can shed light on the subject. Social media efforts such as “#OscarsSoWhite” is a 21st century way of protesting a problem in our society, especially for celebrities that have taken offense to the current discrimination in the film industry.
The social media buzz around the Oscars definitely helped show people that Hollywood has a major issue at hand. The problem has always been one that everyone knew was there, but never got the proper attention that it should have. Now with technology and social media, the world is able to easily share their opinions on matters, no matter how controversial they get. Sanaa Lathan who was in the film The Perfect Man said, “The Oscars controversy is great because it’s giving light to something we’ve known all along” (Gardner). I definitely believe social media has been an integral part with the beginning stages of change in Hollywood. Although it is not the main answer, it is a great platform to bring attention to worldwide issues such as race.
According to the actor Chris Rock, Hollywood has “an acceptance that there’s a slave state in L.A” (Rock). He goes on to talk about how he makes sure he helps young black actors get into the industry because he knows that no agency is going to give them any chance compared to a white actor. The fact the Hollywood is becoming a segregated industry is inexcusable. We live in the year 2016 and a talented black actor is still looked at as nothing compared to an average white actor.
I believe that we can change this issue in Hollywood, but it seems as though the problem is also generational. The individuals who hold high positions in any agency might have different beliefs then a young film enthusiast looking to get into the industry. That is why I think a program such as “Project Involve”, which you mentioned, is so important because it allows us to teach the next generation about racial equality and keeping an open mind for people of color while writing screenplays and scripts.
Work Cited:
Gardner, Chris. "Lee Daniels On #OscarsSoWhite Controversy: "If You're Doing a Job for an Oscar, You're Doing the Wrong Job"" The Hollywood Reporter. 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Rock, Chris. "Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: 'It's a White Industry.'" The Hollywood Reporter. 3 Dec. 2014. Web.
After the lack of diversity in Oscar nominations sparked a furor for the second year in a row, including decisions by Spike Lee, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith to skip next month's ceremony amid the #OscarSoWhite social media conversation. To me, it’s funny that Jada Pinkett Smith was one of the leading voices of this controversy because I don’t think she would have been invited to the Oscars this year anyway, especially after her best role this year was in “Magic Mike XXL”. It also made her anger seem less about actors of color getting snubbed and more about her husband not getting a nomination. Any other year it would be justified (in my eyes) but this year it seemed more personal to her.
ReplyDeleteTo quell this displeasure the Academy vowed to make changes. Each new member’s voting status will last 10 years, and will be renewed if that new member has been active in motion pictures during that decade. In addition, members will receive lifetime voting rights after three ten-year terms; or if they have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. I believe these changes were made with the best intentions in mind and I can see them having a positive impact on voting in the coming years.
I think the #OscarsSoWhite controversy is going to be very helpful. I think it brings about a conversation that a lot of people are uncomfortable having. But I also think that it’s just putting a Band-Aid over a larger problem that the United States is having. Racial issues are not going away just because the Academy Awards are changing their voting and becoming “more inclusive”. The world expected things to “change overnight because Obama got elected president. Of course it's changed, though, it's just changed with kids” (Rock 2016). Our grandparents and some of our parents grew up in a society where we had segregated schools and bathrooms. I am not saying our parents and grandparents are racist but it’s hard to undo that type of thinking for 2 whole generations. But this generation of kids grew up in a more inclusive world where race was less an issue, so I’m sure once they grow up and take over this country, race will not be such a problem. It’s just going to take some time to happen. In the meantime, we should take the advice of actress Kimberly Elise when she says, “I enjoy great art and great performances and I leave with my own sense of satisfaction after having seen a film and I like to personally tell people how I felt about their work. Art is so subjective; it's so very personal” (Gardner 2016). Lets keep it about the art and the entertainment it brings us, and hopefully going forward no industry will see these kinds of problems.
Works Cited:
Gardner, Chris. "Lee Daniels On #OscarsSoWhite Controversy: "If You're Doing a Job for an Oscar, You're Doing the Wrong Job"" The Hollywood Reporter. 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Rock, Chris. "Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: 'It's a White Industry.'" The Hollywood Reporter. 3 Dec. 2014. Web.
Hollywood is predominately made up of white male actors leaving little room for any other race or gender in the industry. This ongoing diversity issue within the film industry has finally received the attention it deserves due to past Oscars in February 2016. Numerous actors and actresses that boycotted the award ceremony made statements that resonated with fans and even the academy. The recognition of this issue brought about by actors and actresses as well as all the buzz on social media certainly have helped the start of changes the academy is taking to resolve the diversity crisis in the film industry.
ReplyDeleteGender inequality is relevant in almost every industry and throughout the world. This issue really stands out in the film industry. According to a study from the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism the issue with the diversity is prominent all around, especially with the people in charge. “The issues with a lack of diversity start at the top. Women made up less than 20% of entrainment companies’ corporate boards, chief executives and executive management teams” (Lang). A push to make changes in the film industry has already been started. With the help of special programs that you previously mentioned, such as “Project Involve”, hopefully females and other minorities in the industry can gain the presence in the business that they desire.
I do feel that this diversity issue is a problem but I also feel that if a actor or actress is not nominated for an Oscar than clearly they were not deserving of the potential award regardless of their race or gender. Just because there were no black nominations for the academy awards this year does not mean that the Oscars themselves are racist towards blacks. There were many other ethnic groups and genders that felt they deserved a nomination but didn’t receive one. Even so actors and actresses should not be in the industry just to get an Oscar. Actress Kimberly Elise gave her perspective on the issue, “I am not an awards-oriented person…I hope it becomes a non-discussion and we can grow to a place where we are cast just as human beings and remember that we are all just having life experiences and you don’t have to be a certain color to click into something that a character is going through” (Gardner). I think that she has explained her opinion quite clearly and personally I agree with the statement she has made. It shouldn’t matter what color you are when trying to cast for a role. What should matter when casting a part is the credibility that the actor carries and the effort that they bring to the part or how hard they try to make the movie and role the best to their abilities.
Works Cited:
Gardner, Chris. "Lee Daniels On #OscarsSoWhite Controversy: "If You're Doing a Job for an Oscar, You're Doing the Wrong Job"" The Hollywood Reporter. 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
Lang, Brent. "Hollywood Is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds." Variety. 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.