Final Project Proposal - Brittney Seegers

Proposal: Lack of Diversity in Film in Front of and Behind the Camera

For my convergence project, I plan on focusing on the lack of diversity in media, specifically the film industry. Even with the success of films from this year like Straight Outta Compton and The Perfect Guy, or last year’s critically acclaimed Selma, major studios are still either feigning surprise when a film targeted towards audiences of color does well or ignoring those successes and continuing to whitewash upcoming films (Pan, Death Note, etc.).

2015 Acting Oscar Nominees (Huffington Post)

I’m still in the process of gathering my sources, but listed below are some books that I’ve picked up and articles I’ve come across that address the problem. There are also real world examples of this constantly occurring, including an inside look at the creation of a film via the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck produced Project Greenlight. The issue of diversity in film has come up on the show multiple times already, and it’s also come up in conversations with filmmakers and television producers via roundtables posted on Hollywood trade sites like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

At the moment, I plan on doing either a well-researched paper, essay, or a short video. For both, I’ll start with a look at the lack of diversity from a historical standpoint, but most of the focus will be on today’s film environment. The project is a critical media piece as it addresses the problems with major and some independent studios in Hollywood, the ones who are responsible for most of the visual media we consume. It also comments on convergence because the problem is being challenged head on thanks to the use of social media like Twitter, and the rise in technology that makes it easier for people to create things that have a more accurate representation of what the world looks like.

Sources

Books

·         Classic Hollywood, Classic Whiteness – Daniel Bernardi

·         Reversing the Lens: Ethnicity, Race, Gender, and Sexuality Through Film – Jun Xing & Lane Ryo Hirabayashi

·         America on Film: Representing Race, Glass, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies – Harry M. Benshoff & Sean Griffin

·         Contested Images: Women of Color in Popular Culture – Alma Garcia

·         Cultural Diversity and U.S. Media – Yahya R. Kamalipour & Theresa Carilli

Articles

·         Erfani, Farhang. "Clôtural Sacrifice: Liminal Representation Of Race In Film." Angelaki: Journal Of The Theoretical Humanities19.4 (2014): 37-50. Philosopher's Index. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         King, Justin R. J. "Change Or No Change: Native American Representations Of Race In Disney." Film Matters 5.2 (2015): 58-61. Film & Television Literature Index. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         BOND, CYNTHIA D. "Laws Of Race/Laws Of Representation: The Construction Of Race And Law In Contemporary American Film."Texas Review Of Entertainment & Sports Law 11.2 (2010): 219-265. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Michele K., Gillespie, and Hall Randal L. "The Cinematic Representation Of Race In THE BIRTH OF A NATION: A Black Horror Film." Making the Modern South. 164. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2009. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         "A Resource Review For Diversity Film Media." Academy Of Management Learning & Education 7.3 (2008): 434-439. Business Source Premier. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         David, Gillota. "4. Imagining Diversity: Corporate Multiculturalism In The Children's Film And The Situation Comedy." Ethnic Humor in Multiethnic America. 104. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2013. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Lee, EKO, and MA Priester. "Who Is The Help? Use Of Film To Explore Diversity." Affilia-Journal Of Women And Social Work 29.1 (n.d.): 92-104. Social Sciences Citation Index. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Audissino, Emilio. Hollywood Film Music And Ethnic Diversity. n.p.: Sage Publications, Inc, 2014. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Jackson, Kathy Merlock. "Diversity In Disney Films: Critical Essays On Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, And Disability." Journal Of American Culture 37.1 (2014): 82-84. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Turner, Sarah E. "Blackness, Bayous, And Gumbo: Encoding And Decoding Race In A Colorblind World." Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability. 83-98. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

·         Hoppenstand, Gary. "Editorial: Disney And Diversity." Journal Of Popular Culture 46.2 (2013): 241-242. Literary Reference Center. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Videos

Project Greenlight (available on HBO Go)

Hollywood Reporter Award Season Roundtables - http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/roundtable-ben-stiller-alfonso-cuaron-655343