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

Most employees are recruited informally, notably by word of mouth, or
contacting known individuals to write, produce or direct. In film
production 81% of employees were recruited by word of mouth, with
half being approached by a producer or director (Skillset and UK Film
Council 2005, IES 2006). The sector is also risk-averse, producing
films that are similar to the last ones which were successful at the box
office, so known people are recruited and newcomers find it hard to
break in.
Good contacts, the ‘old boy network’, thus remain an important way to
secure a job (Holgate 2006). Many people take on internships or
unpaid work to develop their contacts and secure work. In the 1980s,
only 5% of the total workforce had done unpaid work in the industry,
compared to almost half in 2000. A report on ethnicity indicates that
47% of minority ethnic people had undertaken voluntary work to
secure a job. Clearly people from lower income backgrounds are
disadvantaged as a result of this practice. During qualification courses,
over half of white students had work experience in the sector,
compared to 28% of minority ethnic students. In research into minority
ethnic groups’ independent production companies, one third of the
organisations had used unpaid workers, this being more common
among minority ethnic employees (IES 2004).
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