Barriers to Diversity in Film – A Research Review – Aug 07

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5 Portrayal and diversity The portrayal of individuals and groups on screen is an important issue for diversity. Some groups are missing or misrepresented on film, it is argued. This should matter to the industry for two reasons. First, there may be a link between portrayal and audiences – are some potential cinema-goers deterred because they don’t see themselves on screen or are badly portrayed? Second, film should reflect society but at the same time it actively creates it. Film has the capacity to challenge stereotypes, but it can also perpetuate social prejudice and inequality. 5.1 Scope of chapter This chapter considers the debates on portrayal of on-screen diversity in the structured way in which research literature in this area is discussed. The debate is a complex one, encompassing several interlocking strands. The issues concern: • employment and its relationship to portrayal • genre of films, who makes them and who watches them • whether portrayal uses exaggerated and negative stereotypes • ‘ghettoisation’ within film, whereby groups make films related to ‘their issues’ • whether films which express national identity exclude certain under-represented groups. C:\Documents and Settings\mcorless\Desktop\Intranet\Barriers to Diversity in Film_DS_RB 20 Aug 07.doc 110
All these debates are considered below. 5.2 Why portrayal matters There has been very little research on film portrayal in the UK (IES 2006). More has been carried out in the television sector, and there is research literature from the USA. There is also evidence from cultural studies and the academic domain. Film, it can be argued, should depict the real world as it is, as far as is possible, and be unafraid of representing that reality even if it is perceived by some as offensive. It has been argued that a film whose primary function is to entertain will not set priorities in the way it represents reality and truth. If the motivation behind a film is to make money, then the way in which issues are represented may be manipulated to gloss over reality (Cassey 2005). Film also does not just reflect society, but actively creates it and may affect groups in everyday life (England 2004). If UK screens under- represent and stereotype certain groups who face discrimination, this has implications for a number of policy and cultural issues. Films could unwittingly entrench exclusion and discrimination. One author argues that speaking of and representing the ‘other’ ensures community cohesion at a national level and that it is important to have a national conversation about these areas since it involves everyone (Campion 2005). Other authors argue that talking about film, as they did with their focus groups, is a vital component of everyday discourse C:\Documents and Settings\mcorless\Desktop\Intranet\Barriers to Diversity in Film_DS_RB 20 Aug 07.doc 111
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Barriers to Diversity in Film A Res
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CONTENTS Executive summary 7 1 Intr
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3.4 Barriers to progression through
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6.2 The business context 106 6.3 Th
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Executive Summary The review has in
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• Young people need advice on the
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• Disabled people are under-repre
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• Monitor sexual orientation, but
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1.1 Aims 1 Introduction: aims and s
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This review brings together researc
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The Select Committee on Culture, Me
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2.2 Cinema audiences and film relea
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including tackling social exclusion
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2.4 The changing population The UK
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2.5 Diversity and equality of oppor
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The Act also has implications for c
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A new inclusive equalities agenda t
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sectoral and labour market change.
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critical of the failure of equality
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• If the film sector increased th
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3: The film workforce Getting the r
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3.2 Workforce data on under-represe
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Table 3.1 Film and video industry w
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data in these statistics on gender
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London 2006 s 2006 London 2002 e (L
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Other 65 35 All 61 39 Source : 2006
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ecause film professionals from mino
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male respondents earned £50,000 or
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Of 106 applications to the New Cine
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Page 61 and 62: Most employees are recruited inform
Page 63 and 64: and minority ethnic people tending
Page 65 and 66: 3.3.7 Qualifications The 2005 Featu
Page 67 and 68: very small numbers reported going o
Page 69 and 70: over their future finances. They al
Page 71 and 72: women experience ageing differently
Page 73 and 74: stereotyped as working class, even
Page 75 and 76: 3.4.9 Commissioning and ‘ghettois
Page 77 and 78: older than the rest of the workforc
Page 79 and 80: Social benefits from the projects w
Page 81 and 82: for women who have caring responsib
Page 83 and 84: involved in a regular dialogue abou
Page 85 and 86: population, though the regional dis
Page 87 and 88: Table 4.1 Cinema audience by gender
Page 89 and 90: Table 4.3 Cinema audience by gender
Page 91 and 92: Cinema goers 13.1 86.9 PPV buyers 1
Page 93 and 94: general population (perhaps excludi
Page 95 and 96: 4.4 Audiences for film on televisio
Page 97 and 98: Science fiction 1.7 7.1 1.8 7 1.1 3
Page 99 and 100: they were charming and displayed a
Page 101 and 102: ‘Respectable cinema’ including
Page 103 and 104: 4.6 Barriers to cinema attendance B
Page 105 and 106: launched an online Diversity Toolki
Page 107 and 108: • Half of people over 55 never go
Page 109: o initiatives to improve the distri
Page 113 and 114: 5.3 Employment and portrayal Does e
Page 115 and 116: 5.5 Stereotypes The stereotypical p
Page 117 and 118: Russo analysed representation of ga
Page 119 and 120: than homosexual (Cover op.cit.). Ho
Page 121 and 122: ecause she is lesbian specifically
Page 123 and 124: analyses 150 films and concludes th
Page 125 and 126: The reasons for this under-represen
Page 127 and 128: Reasons behind the illnesses and th
Page 129 and 130: In a major report on the black and
Page 131 and 132: national stereotyping such as funny
Page 133 and 134: indiscriminate killing implies that
Page 135 and 136: people who live abroad like to hang
Page 137 and 138: However, a study in Sweden analysed
Page 139 and 140: the ways these film types have deve
Page 141 and 142: and ethnicity, and in any case, mon
Page 143 and 144: • A study of on-screen representa
Page 145 and 146: occupational groups, people from di
Page 147 and 148: Our society has changed dramaticall
Page 149 and 150: 6.3 The business case - an overview
Page 151 and 152: 2007). The Commission for Racial Eq
Page 153 and 154: eing disabled. The importance of th
Page 155 and 156: in Western style holidays, but UK t
Page 157 and 158: this specific audience and making a
Page 159 and 160: Positive actions on race equality i
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For example, women’s presence in
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6.3.7 Legal compliance Companies ha
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• Studies on the business case in
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Access to employment in the sector
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cinema tickets and rental films, an
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have children. Women scientists are
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teams encourage creativity. Recruit
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minority ethnic women writers or pr
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7.5.7 Decision makers’ attitudes
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There is also a need for policy int
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has rarely been evaluated for its l
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The Leadership on Diversity Forum,
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as the key intervention in diversit
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housing management. Trainees felt c
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voice to otherwise marginalised and
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targeted funding for black and mino
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Bhavnani R (1994) Black Women in th
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Cowan K and Valentine G (2006) “T
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European Commission (2005) “The B
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199 Institute for Employment Studie
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Murphy R (ed.) (2000) British Cinem
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Skillset and Equity (2006) “Analy
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UN (2000) “Gender and Racial Disc
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Barriers to Diversity in Film – A Research Review – Aug 07

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