Behind the Screen: Diversity in Film & TV

There's a long way to go... Over the past few months of writing this blog, it's clear to see that whilst the representation of the underrepresented in our society is less than favourable, there is change coming in the form charters , riders , and initiatives . There is a deeply rooted problem with inequality and a lack of diversity  that t he UK and US film and television industries have only just started to try and solve. There is a long way to go before all of the wrongs have been made right. Nominees at the 2018 Academy Awards were more diverse than usual. ( source ). As a young, working-class, mixed race male who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I hope that my chances of entering these industries aren't hindered by backwards ideas and mindsets, but instead perhaps helped by the initiatives set in place to help people like me find their feet in this world that is lead by straight, white men. Data and statistics from Directors UK , Diamond: The First Cut , a...

In order to gauge an audience's perception of diversity in film and television, I set up a survey which asked questions about their thoughts on racial, gender, and sexuality diversity. Split into two sections, the survey comprised of 10 questions. The first three questions were used to gauge the demographic of the audience through age, gender, and race, followed by two questions each on the subject of race, gender, and sexuality representation. The final question asked whether or not the individuals taking the survey felt as though they themselves were properly represented on the screen. The survey used a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques through yes or no questions and open text boxes. I did toy with the idea of presenting this information in three parts (with one blog post on each of the three main subjects of the survey), however I thought it would be more practical for readers to find all of the information in one place. Question 1 of my survey on Diversity i...

Marvel's Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) has undoubtedly changed the landscape for superhero films. Since its release in February, the film has amassed a worldwide box-office gross of over $1.2 Billion , proving that people will pay to see a film with a majority black cast, despite negative speculation. Not only does Black Panther positively and strongly represent black people on the screen, but does so behind it too. The film was written and directed by African-American men, as well as shot by Rachel Morrison, the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for her work on Mudbound (Dee Rees, 2017). Black Panther has been praised for its proud portrayal of a vast number of African cultures, dark-skinned women, and its inspirational narrative. In his review for Variety , Peter Debruge said : "C o-written and directed by Ryan Coogler, "Black Panther"  is a radically different kind of comic-book movie, one with a proud Afrocentric tw...