Diversity In Hollywood

The 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report, published by UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center, said that while minorities account for more than half of frequent US moviegoers, the representation of those minorities has dipped since 2013. The report describes that year as a “breakout year” for black films, including 12 Years a Slave and The Butler. In 2015, Straight Outta Compton made over $60m, which was $20m higher than expected. (Hollywood Diversity Report). The report says black audiences are repeatedly undervalued. What the report is proving is that the lack of diversity in the film industry is actually costing Hollywood money. The problem and solution seem almost obvious when looking at these specific examples – do not underestimate minority audiences and how much money they will collectively spend watching movies with diverse

“White Americans will be a minority by 2045, maybe sooner. It makes good business sense for companies to diversify their workforce.” (Newsone, 2017). Lee brings up an important point. America is not ‘white America’; it is a melting pot of cultures and languages and ethnicities that are growing and expanding--and according to Lee--eventually outnumbering their white counterparts. Hollywood is currently not diversifying as fast as America is, and that’s a problem. During the years that the UCLA conducted a diversity report, and found during the years surveyed--2012 and 2013--audiences were more fond of shows that depicted moderate diversity. (Hollywood Report, 2017) According to co-author of the report, Ana-Christina Ramone, “audiences, regardless of race, are clamoring for more diverse content. The problem then does not lie with the masses watching television, it lies with the producers, directors, studio heads, and other department chairs, that ignore minority actors in favor of sticking to the same song and dance of white people, white people, white people. Although it is shown that studios benefit from diversity, there is a lack of motivation to change

Television still doesn’t completely represent the diversity in America. Roughly three-quarters of film actors were white in 2014. There was only 12.5% African American, 5.3% Asian, and 4.9% Hispanic actors while there was 73.1% white actors. Studies also show the majority of actors are male. According to the annual 100 top grossing films 2007-2014 only 30.2% of speaking or named characters were women, while 73.1% were male whites.

Therein lies the first criterion in why modern television lacks diversity. In the New York Times article, “Why Diverse TV Matters,” there are examples of TV shows that are given that have a scarce amount of white actors, such as ‘Friends” or “The Big Bang Theory’. In these shows, it is apparent

#OscarsSoWhite is definitely one of the most talked about topic since the nomination for the 88th Academy Awards was announced on January 14th. At about an hour before the ceremony started, the hashtag gained 3.3 million impression on Twitter alone this number continued to increase during the main show as many has declared a boycott towards the lack of diversity that the academy had showcased with the nomination. Looking from a non-American perspective, diversity is definitely something new to be openly discussed in my daily conversation. My understanding on why does diversity matters in the Academy is because movie is a form of art and therefore it has to not only be accessible for many, it should also need to represent the audience from

In the American world of entertainment, there are thousands of famous actors, musicians, and comedians. Despite the large number, how many of them are Asian? How many Asian entertainers can you name off the top of your head? Of course there is Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Lucy Liu, and Brenda Song, but that is only four performers. Now count how many Caucasian entertainers you can name. It is probably significantly higher than the first number. Does the ratio of people reflect the diversity of America? Today there are hundreds of Asian performers that go unnoticed to the public eye who need to use alternative media because they cannot find a position that fits them. In this essay, I will be discussing the issues and solutions surrounding Asians in the entertainment industry. I will be

Racial stereotypes in films have typically reflected societies reality. How individuals are able to come to understand what it means to be a black in America is shaped by the social construct of cultural identity. As both reality and social construct shifts, so does Black representation in film. What has not shifted is the fact that we are still living in a white dominated society, where much of the narrative belongs to and is determined by Rich, White Males and where black stereotypes still exist and are continually reinforced in films. Hollywood has typically followed this trend through the use of white directors, discussions of diversity, or even in its selection of Oscar nominees (Donnelly 2016). As a result, many “mainstream” films look to target young males and females, for example, films like The Avengers or the Twilight vampire series. Taking all of this into account, Black film has transcended over time to change the way African Americans are viewed and take control of their own narrative. However as independent Black films seek to influence this change and look to challenge the dominate of White Hollywood, directors of Black films have may find themselves controlling the conversation by either doing the work of talking to a black audience or are looking to talk to general (mainly White) audience about black issues.

I’m writing to you because your agency is one of the many that has produced a significant amount great and talented people. However, there is sadly just an altogether too reoccurring trait in your clients. One can't help but notice just how many of your clients and Hollywood’s A-list stars are caucasian. It also seems to be what the majority of every popular film has consisted of. Some examples are The Hunger Games, Divergent and recently The Fifth Wave. All of the mentioned are set in dystopian worlds and were books before movies. The characters are described as having a darker skin tone, yet the actors chosen were caucasian. The actors that are chosen for major lead roles to represent someone in a story should also be a representation of

Today, the entertainment industry has been amplified due to cinema emerging through the combination of new advancements in technology and has broaden the media and film industries horizons, the entertainment business has opened up the “opportunity gates” and has taken a turn for many minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, Asian, etc.) to live the dream and be a part of the uncontrollable whirlwind of entertainment. However, in some cases the media does not always shed the best limelight equally for each minority. For example, by looking at the past motion pictures and television shows that stared African Americans such The Fresh Prince of Bel Air- Mistaken Identity Episode, Will and Carlton getting pulled

In a study of 414 films and television series, only 33 percent of all characters were women, and only 28 percent were of racial minority status (Associated Press). Casting diversely in entertainment has been an issue for years and has recently spawned many controversies such as the 2016 Oscar Controversy where an outrage occurred due to a lack of minority Oscar winners. Many cultures and races fell underrepresented and cast aside by film and television. The entertainment industry should cast more diverse actors because it increases viewership, provides a broader perspective, and creates a more realistic setting.

There is an unmistakable lack of diversity in Hollywood. There are much more white actors to actors of color. In a study of 800 films from 2007-2015 Smith et al found that non-minorities outnumbered minorities 3 to 1 for film leads (2). This statistic contrasts with the current diversity of America. Per Darnell Hunt, 40 percent of Americans are in a minority (Hunter-Gault). These statistics should be the same. Hollywood needs to address and fix the lack of diversity.

Lack of diversity in Hollywood creates a huge problems. It really reflects those long remaining dialog regarding people of different groups. Not long Oscars highlighted those issue more importantly in absence of representative and commendation of people of color. For the second years in the raw, there may be no people of color in the twenty nominees with acting classes notwithstanding those great execution films. For example, “straight outta Compton” and “beast of no nation”. People of all race within Hollywood are speaking out against lack of diversity and demanding changes. Prior to the eighty-eight academy award a number of well-known member of the fill industry such as Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will Smith announced boycott

This paper informs the lack of diversity from current events in Hollywood. Articles that conducted online and off-line relationships to the lack of diversity in Hollywood. The articles discuss the lack of diversity from films that are produced in Hollywood so the reader can have a better understanding. This paper also informs the opinion of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Each article has a different topic but they all have the same theme dealing with the lack of diversity in Hollywood. (Rodriguez ,2007) Article tells how Latinos came to America to become actors. Their opportunity for fame in Hollywood became harder throughout the decades. Choi (2016) Discuss how African Americans are not recognize at the Grammys. How they release some

Films have the power to both influence and reflect society. The stereotypes prevalent throughout American culture are reflected in most films. While the United States is becoming an increasingly diverse country, this diversity is not portrayed within American cinema. Minority figures often occupy

During the semester, race is a big part of the lectures. In class, we talk about how race is distinguishing physical characteristics used to place people in different racial categories (Jensen). The biggest concern with race is racial inequality. Racial inequality is the inadequate or unfair treatment of minorities in areas like income, education, employment, health, the criminal justice system, and media. The article written by Rebecca Keegan from the Los Angeles Times newspaper discusses the inequality of race in media specifically movies. This article relates to the unfairness in films because minorities are poorly portrayed in the majority of films. More often than not, minorities are the “bad guys” in films. They are caught up in