Posted by: Matthew Johnson (Media Awareness Network)
What colour is an Airbender? If this question is not at the top of your mind, it’s because you haven’t been following the controversy surrounding the casting of the film The Last Airbender, set to premiere in early July. The question of ethnicity in the film’s casting casts a valuable light on many of Hollywood’s decisions when it comes to race and gender – and the attitudes and assumptions that underlie them.Avatar: The Last Airbender, a cartoon which originally aired on Nickelodeon, was a show with an unusual degree of ethnic diversity for both animation and American television in general. Not only were all of the main characters people of colour but the setting, drew primarily on non-Western culture, inspired by East Asian and Inuit cultures. (The producers’ dedication to cultural accuracy extended to the point of having an official calligraphy consultant to make sure the Chinese writing seen onscreen was always correct.) With its anime-inspired look, deep mythology and epic storyline, the show was tremendously successful, to the point where it was adapted into a live-action film. Live-action being the key word, because when the casting was originally announced it was quickly noticed that all of the lead actors were white. (A later change in casting replaced one of the leads with Dev Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire; the studio denies that this change was in response to fan protests.) Interestingly, the cultural origins of the settings seem to have been retained, with Inuit extras hired to play members of the “Water Nation” even though the lead characters from that setting are portrayed by white actors.
Why make this change? Unlike the casting of Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role of Prince of Persia, it’s certainly not because any of the actors are expected to be box-office draws; aside from Patel, all are about equally unknown. What seems more likely is that the producers and the director, M. Night Shyamalan, subscribe to the standard Hollywood view that white males will not pay to see movies in which they do not see themselves reflected. This applies to gender as well as race; screenwriter Jennifer Kesler has said that when she was in film school at UCLA a number of her instructors – most of them working screenwriters – told her that audiences, and by extension producers would not accept a film with significant female characters unless they served to further the male protagonist’s story. This notion can be found to a greater or lesser degree in almost every part of the entertainment industry; in children’s books, for example, white males are by far the most common protagonists (even animal protagonists are almost always male) and in video games – even those of the first-person shooter variety, where the protagonist is typically unseen – most protagonists are definitively identified as white men. Where women or people of colour appear, they are almost always supporting characters – a phenomenon sometimes described as “the Smurfette Principle,” referring to the presence of a single token female in the otherwise all-male Smurf village. (A 2008 study of children’s television in several countries found 68% of shows had male leads.)
Given how widely held this attitude is, it’s reasonable to ask whether there is any evidence to support it. Unfortunately, that’s an almost impossible question to answer simply because there are so few movies released with protagonists that are either women or people of colour. What’s more, when such films are made a form of confirmation bias sets in where if these protagonists are failures they are seen as evidence to support negative attitudes, and even if they are successful, they are seen as flukes or otherwise explained away. In fact, this attitudes persists even in the face of quantitative data, such as the number of highly successful recent films with female leads and the fact that Will Smith is the most bankable star in Hollywood (with Angelina Jolie being tied for #2). For instance, the relatively poor showing of a Wonder Woman animated film led to a moratorium on films with female leads from Warner Brothers’ animation studio, while an even worse performance by the Green Lantern animated film has not led to any similar ban on male leads.
Despite many protests by fans of the original animated series (most notably organized by the Racebending Web site), The Last Airbender is slated to open on July 2nd with its mostly-white cast. It’s too bad that this film won’t be the one that proves that a movie with non-white leads can be successful, but fortunately we already have such an example. The Karate Kid, whose two leads are African-American and Chinese respectively, is on track to be one of the most successful movies of the summer. Meanwhile, the upcoming movie Salt features Angelina Jolie in an action lead originally written for Tom Cruise. Of course, a few adjustments had to be made to the script – such as cutting a scene in which the hero rescues his/her spouse from assailants, on the grounds that this would “castrate his [the spouse’s] character a little.” And, of course, if the movie flops you already know the reason why…
http://www.media-awareness.ca/blog/index.cfm?catID=11
The movie salt flopped, because it sucked. Undoubtedly i agree with the statement that minorities and women are unfairly portrayed in Hollywood, be it film, television, or books. But is it to the extent in which it says it is? There are tons of films from the past years that have shown how successful strong minority roles can have. Slumdog Millionaire (Best picture 2008), The Hurt Locker (1st female director winner), Sean Penn in Milk portraying a gay politician (winner of best actor in 2008), Sandra Bullock (Best actress in 2009 for her role in the Blind Side), Precious (Staring Monique who won best supporting actress, along with other awards the movie won), just for example. I understand that most films fail to see the potential in minorities, but on the other hand some of the best films from the past three or four years have revolved around just that. One thing that comes to mind is the film Death at a Funeral. Originally made to revolve around a British family in 2007, the movie was re-made in 2010 (same plot and ideas) staring Chris Rock and a dysfunctional cast of other minority leads. While the movie primarily stayed the same, the shift in cultures in which it focused on forced the directors to take a different approach to how the movie was handled. In the British version, the movie focused on British stereotypes, and the newer version (naturally) revolved more around stereotypes of the African American culture. I only bring this up to to make people think about who is to blame. I read all of these articles about how white culture is poor at giving minorities the respect they deserve in the media, but with actors such as Chris Rock, or directors such as Tylor Perry, who is to blame, all or one. I dont know is this has made sense, but what i really want to try and explain is that it is not just white western culture, nor is it any other minority culture. while popular media may portray minority groups poorly, those minority groups are not necessarily making the best name for themselves when they agree to conform to the western stereotypes. I once say Spike Lee give a presentation on campus and much of his talk revolved around this very issue. He said to an extent that until minority cultures begin to portray themselves in a respectable light, they can not expect to portrayed by others in that fashion. I do not intend to put blame on any one dominant or minority culture, but this is 2011. We have an African American president, and two years ago running against him for president was a women. At some point majority blame for this needs to be seen as a all-culture encompassing problem. While white culture may stereotype African American culture, African American culture stereotypes white culture. While popular media may make women seem lesser, tell me why nearly every commercial or early evening sitcom makes men look like stupid, beer drinking, sports watching, womanizing idiots. My point is everyone is to blame, and if anyone really wants things to change (which i know they do, THEN CHANGE IT. Its 2011 not 1900.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that there are more white-male leading roles in movies and T.V shows, but we have to realize that it has not been that long since women and colored rights were given. Even though the expectations of how women and colored people should be treated are not met (which I do not agree with), I think we still have come a long way from where we use to be. For example, look at the 2009 movie, The Blind Side, the two leading roles were a female and black male. Yes, the female is Sandra Bullock, who is one of the leading women in Hollywood right now, but she is still a women. On the other hand, the black male role was played by, Quinton Aaron, who was a struggling actor who could not find work. The statement made that they do not choose actors because they are unknown is untrue. Another leading movie would be Eat, Pray, Love. Once again Julia Roberts is a well-known actress, but she is still a leading female role. Both of these movies had such an impact on the western culture, who knows maybe even other cultures. Even though these are only two movies, I think these are two movies that are going to pave the path of change along with other movies like the Karate Kid and The Pursuit of Happiness. Personally, these movies have had the most impact on me than any other movie that I have watched.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard that they were releasing an Avatar: The Last Airbender movie, I was so excited. I had secretly followed the TV series and could not wait to see how the movie could bring the roles and world of the Avatar to life. I just could not wait to see the movie even though the critics thought that the movie was just okay. But hey who I’m I to listen to the critics, I have liked a lot of movies that they do not. So I went into the movie with an open mind, after the movie was over I was so disappointed with everything about the movie, acting and the parts of book one that they decided to use in the film. Not once while watching the movie did I think they those actors are not of the correct nationality. Actually I thought the main actors aside from Prince Zuko were Native American, or some similar nationality. I am the type of person who really does not pay too much attention to what nationality the lead actors or actresses are. I watch movies and shows based on the acting and plot, not depending on who the actors are. To me I think people have taken the whole “race issue” way too far, but hey maybe I am just someone who thinks people will pick the best people for the jobs no matter their nationality. I am one who hopes and thinks that in today’s world people are judged on whether or not they are the best person for the job, not what nationality they are.
ReplyDeleteIn my last post I mentioned that I saw these social constructions of reality as furthering myself simply because I fall into categories for what is dominant, except for the fact I am not male. This idea that white male characters are being cast in the lead roles isn’t just reflective of the race struggle but also of the lingering gender bias in the media. I can’t deny these producers cast these white actors but perhaps it was because they portrayed what they thought the largest viewing audience would be.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that he mentioned karate kid as poised to be a large grossing film that featured both Chinese and African-American leads but what he failed to mention is that karate kid starred the son of the largest grossing actor in Hollywood, Will Smith. That fact tells me that although the color/race of media stars is changing the idea using your network hasn’t changed at all. The large media corporations will continue to churn out stars that propagate their opinions and network with people like them.
This media bias should not be overlooked but it should be examined and we should create a constructive way to change things, not just complain. For instance, “Sesame Street” was created for lower income children to receive para-social learning even though they weren’t as daycare. These muppets were all colors of the rainbow, just like the cartoon characters of Airbender. I think when they were casting for Airbender they should have been true to the television show, the same way Harry Potter fans want the movies to mirror the books. I’m glad the audience spoke up because we deserve the right to decide was messages we receive.
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ReplyDeleteI do agree that the media in today's society not just movies and t.v shows, but all media is dominated by white males. I think it is only logical to assume that movies ad t.v. shows would potray main characters as white and male, because the people behind the scenes are white and male dominated. If the people who produce the movies are socialized in a way that promotes steryotypes and reinforces steryotypes of race and gender, then these ideas will reflect in their work. While there are exceptions to every rule such as; Salt, that has a leading female role, I am legend, which cas a black male as a leading role, there is no doubt that the white male domanace reigns. Altough I think this fact isn't thought of often, it doesn't make it right because society is conditioned over and over to reinforce steryotypes and gender roles. Even Disney, that is seen as a innocent and instilling family values, promotes a white male, patriarical society. When these issues are brought up often times people act as if the outspoken are taking the issue to far, or making a big deal out of nothing. I don't believe this to be true, people don't want to question traditions that have been in place for a long time. It's better not to question that media we all watch can't have a latent issue. The truth is these are real issues in todays society, but I think people feel uncomfortable with the issue.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree that the media is dominated by white males and that woman and minorities are poorly represented. Producers are so afraid to put someone in a movie that people wouldn’t recognize but look at movies like Precious or Slumdog Millionaire. Yes these movies raised a lot of eyebrows but people watched them. I learned things from these movies that I never knew but I am glad to be aware now. I feel like the media is afraid of showing us the truth. If the original cartoon of the Last Airbender had a wide range of ethnicity then I would want the movie to have that also. I don’t know what the point of changing that is. There are more and more leading female roles in movies today but they are all the same actresses. What drew me to the movie Precious was this no name actress who dominated the screen. Not only was she a women but also African-American. So many people in power are afraid of change but change is something that we desperately need. Women are still treated as less then men. How far has our country really come? Women statically are stilled paid less then men. Our country has come far but I still think that people are ignorant to what is really going on.
ReplyDeleteMdst1187 Hit the nail on the head!!! What an awesome post, to the point where it is hard to write something better than you did! I totally agree with the fact that many if not all cultures, race, ethnic groups stereotypes each other. It is a proven fact, and it is a proven fact within myself! I will say blacks are always late, i will say asian people have a problem driving, and whites have ZERO rhythm! But besides that, when looking in the realm of media, becoming a part of "white appeal", will significantly lead to more popularity and success. Mdst1187 talked about Sandra Bullock and her role in the Blind Side. Awesome movie and ironically it was a true account where a WHITE family took in a BLACK boy. My question would be if the roles were reversed would it have been as a successful story both on the screen and OFF? Will Smith, also has tailored himself to be an articulate, well manored man who plays roles of importance (i.e. a scientist (a successful black ) saving the world, or even a Caddy in Legends of Baggervance, which is labeled as a privileged white sport). Being in the "white" focus is just a stereotype that all need to accept and roll with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are a majority of male leads, but not to the extent that the original blogger believes. I watch a lot of shows with men and women on an equal playing field and even some with women taking the lead. I think the difference has a lot to do with the generation gap. Because I'm watching shows meant for college students/young professionals, I'm more open to women leads. However, when I watch shows or commercials for shows aimed at my parents, there are more male leads and they make a bigger deal out of a show if a woman is the lead. They ads want it to sound innovative. The younger generation is more open to these ideas in broadcast.
ReplyDeleteRace, I think, is still stereotyped. I think the problem is more society. Those seen as a stereotype sometimes confirm them therefore making a character going against the stereotype seem unrealistic. Women have fought to be seen as equals and generally come off as a united front regarding that. However, there are other races that are more often than not their stereotype causing others to continually believe it.
In relation to this week’s readings I realized when I think of minorities on TV I think of shows such as My Wife and Kids, The Cosbys, and George Lopez. If anything, those portrayals of characters stand out to me more than when TV depicts minorities as lower class citizens. I disagree that TV/movies influences how I view minorities. Personally, I don’t watch much TV/movies so there’s no way it could have that much of an impact on me. But, I do know I take my own personal experiences and base judgment off of those. As we mentioned in class majority of us agreed your own personal expierences will indeed influence you much more than simply hearing about a situation. Just because a Latino is shown as a criminal in a show or movie does not mean I would be foolish enough to believe that majority of Latinos are criminals. This study we read about this week was also conducted in 1996; I’m sure much has changed within 15 years. However, I do agree there is still a very low percentage these days of Asian Americans on television still. I agree with Mdst1187 about actors and directors such as Tyler Perry and Chris Rock. We see them making fun of their own culture but then throwing it back in the public’s face when their jokes are laughed out by people not of their culture. It’s very confusing for me to understand if you are laughing at your own culture how is it sensible to call others out when they do the same. To me these issues are not ones of a serious matter. There are people starving, dying of incurable diseases, and crime rates growing each and every day. Its 2011 and I can’t help but wonder when we can ALL get past this stuff and open our eyes to our worlds life or death issues.
ReplyDeletealso agree that white males and women dominate movies and tv shows. i agree also that minorities and women are unfairly portrayed in movies, and tv shows. TV shows and movies only allow people in the world to stereotype even more. Most tv shows and movies us stereotypes for their characters such as Indians open convenience shops and african americans are the ceremonials. i feel like tv shows and movies using roles that are stereotypes allow people to think its ok to judge people based on stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the movie Crash, for those of you who havent seen this movie i think you should! its such a good movie. it is a perfect example of how much people stereotype. The movie makes you take another look at yourself and the world. This movie a great example of the truth.
I think producers use the typical stereotypes in movies because they know it will sell and are sometimes afraid to think outside the box.
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ReplyDeleteAs someone who saw Salt, three things came to mind when I finished this article. The first thing was that I'm glad they changed the star of the movie from Tom Cruise to Angelina Jolie. Secondly, Salt was far from a flop, it almost tripled the cost to make it in what it made in worldwide profits (it cost $110 million and made around $300 million worldwide.) Lastly, I agree with the producers or directors choice to take out the scene of Jolie saving her husband from the bad guys because it would have ruined the movie because (spoiler alert) he eventually does get caught by the bad guys and she doesn't stop them from killing him because she's showing her loyalty to the bad guys at that particular moment in time. If she had saved him in the beginning and then not at the end, it would have ruined the movie in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main topics of this article was the movie The Last Airbender's cast being mainly white and that having something to do with the success/failure. I can't say that I've seen the movie, but from everything I've read, the cast was one of the lesser problems with the movie, the main problem that I kept coming across with the movie was that the plot/direction of the film basically stunk. I guess that would fall on M. Night Shyamalan , because his movies after Signs have left something to be desired (like being watchable.) The Last Airbender made over $300 million worldwide, so it wasn't a commercial flop, but I think that's based on fans of the series wanting to check out the film, as opposed to the cast being white.
I feel that minorities and females are starting to get more love (not equal, but maybe eventually,) especially in the video game world. Metroid M is one of Nintendo's most popular game series and the protagonist, Samus, is female. It's also a first person shooter, so there's that too. A major player in the newest Call of Duty games, Bowman, who is African American, is played by Ice Cube. I believe there will be more equal representation in the future in regards to television and film though, hopefully for everyone, no matter their race, handicap, sexual orientation, or whatever the case may be.
This topic is interesting because I look at it from several different views. First, I think this "white males leads main role positions" might be dramatic. When I turn on the TV when watching the news every Cincinnati news channel has African American anchors. When watching the latest comedies and drama's I always see minorities in them, and some with minorities are leading roles.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I think it's great that United States has able to move past history and come to terms of acceptancing difference and individuality. There are white based cast shows, African American based cast shows, Latino based cast shows, etc. even children shows have Spanish and Chinease learning objectives and main characters. America has grown to diversity; here at UC there are clubs and such minority based, there are tv channels and networks minority based, etc.
I truely believe America has come to a lot of equality. Granted nothing and no one will ever be perfect or equal but it has come a lot way. From regular middle-class jobs to actresses to businessman, to the President of the United States, minorities have come along way and I think I can say have experienced all that
White's have experienced.
For gender, I see this inspiring and frightening. Lately a lot of shows, comedies, drama's are leading with women; and they are the hero's. Just as minorities women have also put their feet in the door to be recognized to experience equality and freedom which is what America has to and suppose to offer.
I tend to agree with Ginger's post. I think the whole "race issue" is being taken way too far. There are many people who see everything as a race issue which is unfortunate, but I don't believe race is a problem for the majority of people. When I decide to go see a movie, I don't go to movietickets.com and go "Alriiiight, let's see if I can find a good old fashion movie with a white male protagonists and possibly a person of color or maybe even a woman as the supporting role." Instead I might say "Hey Will Ferrel has a new movie, well he's funny!" or "Will Smith is in this movie, well it's gotta be good!" and even "Oh man Adam Sandler's in this one... I think I'll pass..." As far as "What do you think about casting decisions where the preference for lead characters are white males?" I don't work in this industry so I don't know that this is 100% true. I'm not saying that it isn't true; I'm just saying I don't know if it is. I see many different movies coming out with different minorities and I also see many movies with white males, but I don't have an answer about casting "preferences." All I know is that if it is a well written movie then it will get good reviews and people will accept it, no matter who is picked as the lead role.
ReplyDeleteI do slightly agree that there is still a white male dominance in tv/movies today. However other races and ethnicities are being increasingly shown and portrayed. I feel like everyone is so stuck on the past that we arent able to let times change gradually. The show Grey's Anatomy on ABC has a wide variety of races on their main cast, consisting of white, african american, and chinese both male and female, and each cast member has an equal role. It's shows like this that are breaking the barrior and yet still getting the same viewers as a show with a white male star role would get. The article talked about how white males prefer to see a movie where they see themselves reflected, however i guarentee they would go see any action movie with Denzel Washington as the lead role. Beyond gender being an underlying issue, it always seems as if race oversees it all. Which i will never understand because times have officially changed, starting with our first black President. There will always be stereotypes unfortunately, but we as a society need to start looking past them and embracing the cultural shift in media today. I also agree with previous comments when they said it also depends on our generation. I believe the younger generation is open to a wide variety of things where as the older generation has their set interests in movies they would be willing to go see whether they are male or female. For example Black Swan which recently came out, starred 2 females as the leading roles and was at number 2 in the box office, and i know it wasnt only females going to see that movie. So its almost as if this "white male dominance" is getting played out a little too much, and if you really think about it, it isnt as extreme as this article has it come off to be. As things may not be seen as equal as far as race and gender go, they are still progressing, and as a society we need to focus on the positive progress and growth happening in our media today.
ReplyDeleteI do think that there is a white male domination in the media but I don't know if it were a male of a different race that the white males would really care. I mean look at "I Am Legend" Will Smith is the only person in 90% of the movie and it did amazing in theaters. I'm not a white male and I could care less if Will Smith played it or Brad Pitt did. I think it's the insecurities of the screenwriters coming out in the movies. I have a feeling most screenwriters aren't that attractive or they would be the ones acting in the movies, so they write the parts for the actors they want to be like. From being very good looking, to being the "ladies man" to being the hero all in one person. I don't think I've ever watched a movie and thought, "Would it really make a difference if the main character were of another race?" And I really don't think it would, if the writing is good and the acting is good then race and color isn't really that big of a deal. The only time it is made a big deal is when the movie didn't do good. Well then that's on the writers' hands because they're the ones who wrote the movie and maybe next movie they go to write will have the main character either be a female or a male of a difference race.
ReplyDeleteGiven the fact that The Last Airbender received terrible reviews and utterly flopped at the box office, it's safe to say that the white male leads did nothing to draw an audience. The author uses the fallacy of argument of omniscience when he says that white males will not pay to see a movie in which they are not reflected. This begs the question, are the majority of moviegoers white males? No evidence of the rate of individuals who watch movies across race and gender is offered. Furthermore, the author uses an excluded middle in claiming that white males will not go to movies with black, female, Asian, Hispanic or other lead characters. It certainly is a false assumption that white males are racist in their film preferences. But that is practically what the author espouses.
ReplyDeleteI am not denying the fact that white males are seen prominently on television and in movies. However, the author's logic must be applied to the other groups in question. If white males are seen so often in the media, why do women bother watching television or movies? After all, if 68% of shows feature male leads, women should be disinclined to concern themselves with such media. The same logic can be applied to members of different races, regardless of gender.
On a side note, do certain programs feature white male leads because they're geared toward that particular demographic? The author makes it sound as though it is difficult to find shows with black or female leads. It is understandable that each ethnic and/or gender group prefers a certain type of media. After all, blacks have an entire channel (BET) dedicated to their demographic. Women, as well, have WE and - perhaps this is a stretch - Lifetime. By contrast, white males have Spike. The same holds true for movies. Simply because a film is not tailored to every group out there does not mean that it is pushing a particular agenda. As the adage goes, when you try to make everyone happy, no one is happy.
Wow, where to begin. Personally when I go to a movie or watch T.V I am not focusing on who the leading character is, is it a male, female, black or white, a different culture. My main concern is whether or not the medium will be entertaining. I think people as a whole are looking into something that may not exist to the extent the article has portrayed it. I think Hollywood is a popularity contest and they ride whomever is "it". Meaning that race, sex, etc has very little to do it. They want to make money on films so they want a recognizable character, who is going to bring you the consumer to the theater or block the 1/2 hour or hour in front of your TV. One of my favorite movies is "Men of Honor" with Robert Dinero and Cuba Gooding Jr. A movie about Social Injustice, Military Life and Race Relations.
ReplyDeleteIn general I think we need to change ourselves, everybody has done somewhat of racial profiling and until that ends nobody is going to be truely equal. I mean when you watch Oprah who and what do you see. OK a Black woman, but she also has alot of entertaining and factual topics which has brought her tremendous success.
we have come a long way and when will continue to so but it's up to us to see it though and change whatever perceptions are brought upon us.
This is very interesting to me, but very sad at the same time. This reminds me of one of my favorite movies of all time Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. I’m sure at the time of this got a lot of slack. Though it did consist of some all-star cast members, i.e. Brandy, Whitney Houston, Whoopi. Sometimes I wonder if this movie would have had as much success without these leading actresses. Another thing to point out in this movie was all the characters were minorities in their own ways. We had African Americans, the prince was Asian, one of the sisters is chubbyand the other sisters is a redhead. They completely broke away from the “norm” in the movie. Which I loved, who would have thought that we’d see an interracial couple for a Disney movie? But it’s been years since I’ve seen something like that. The interesting thing is now if you watch a movie with minorities the whole cast is full of minorities. We never intertwine actors and actresses. Think about it, if you watch a tv show, its either an all black cast or a all white cast. Its either full of women or full of women.Either the screenwriters feel like they can’t write something that could appeal to different audiences or these actors are just putting up with whatever they can get. Our society has turned into a money hungry out for ourselves type of environment. We fought for rights and change in the past and have left that in the past. We don’t fight for anything anymore; we don’t see dramatic changes because no one is willing to put up their personal success for the benefit of others and the future of our country. This avatar issue does not surprise me at all, it shows a lack of responsibility we hold and as a society what we deem to be acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI think that while some movies and producers might give out roles based on race or gender, it is not a huge issue for fans. When I go to see a movie, I don't base whether or not I like it off of how many men or women or different ethnicities are being portrayed in the movie. I focus on the acting whether the story is interesting or not. I used to watch the Last Airbender on Nickelodeon with my little siblings and liked it, however I never noticed that the race of the characters. Instead I noticed their position and importance in the plot line. For example, the people representing fire or people who could control fire, were kind of the villains or were unusually mean. I heard the movie had poor acting and that was why people I knew who went to see it didn't like it, and it had nothing to do with the race of the characters. For me I don't necessarily see a race sometimes - I see someone's accomplishments, character and personality traits that are usually contributing to something like a story line.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of race/gender is often being taken way too far and people are reading too far into things and taking things personally. When we discussed The Lion King in class I couldn't believe some of the accusations being made by the author used in the study. Personally, I think a children's movie is a children's movie - there aren't any underlying messages or themes except maybe good morals like forgiveness (for when your uncle kills your father so he can take over the kingdom). There are several successful males of different races as well as females. Some men are more successful than some women, but some women are also more successful than some men.
I have garnered the same amount of respect for actors/actresses that I like and admire, regardless of their gender or race. For some movie goers, we don't care about race or gender, we care about talent and character which is usually what makes us enjoy a movie.
This is my first time hearing anything about The Last Air Bender. I don't watch a lot of television, but when I do it is common to see the main characters as a white male. Personally the movies and television shows I watch are not based off the gender or race. I watch what I think is entertaining to me and not by the gender or race. I believe that white males are more dominant on television because they are thought of to have more authority over any other gender or race. Within the black movie industry I think it is equal between black males and females, but the movies and television shows are only put in certain movie theaters and showed on limited channels. The black movie industry has grown a lot, but I think it's only to build media, television, and movies as a whole. When bringing different races and genders together this creates more money for the producers because it is open for everyone to watch and relate rather than focusing on one dominant race, gender, and culture.
ReplyDeleteOkay....
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is that there is a serious double standard and/or status quo and/or "norm" that exists in today's society. We have been seeing this so called "white supremacy" or "male gender supremacy" that has been plaguing this society since the days of slavery and it's something that we seem to not be able to escape from. I believe that this is the reason for Hollywood;s focus on casting of white males in prominent roles. Although Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors, I still see that white males are still the main ones winning Oscars, Golden Globe, etc. I have this attitude that people need to accept how the world works, but at the same time it is frustrating that stereotypes of people of color are still exist and are still being utilized. I mean don't get me wrong, we have came a long way, but it is my belief that it is obvious that it is up to us to change our own history, because no one is going to do it for us.
As far as the blog that I'm responding to, I agree with it completely! Most movies are full of a cast that is majority Caucasian and although I want to be mad, or insulted, it is what it is. We (African Americans) have had many triumphs, from Tyler Perry getting into the film game to Barack Obama getting into office. We just need to keep pulling ourselves up by our own boot straps, that's the only way, it seems, that we will write a successful history for ourselves. We are on the right track as of right now, we just have to keep pushing harder! I hope that I didn't go off on a tangent..lol...Until next time ~Stay pretty
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ReplyDeleteOh yea...Shoutout, to JazzyLive ;) and The Realist and Professor Banjo!!! (Am I allowed to do shoutouts???)
ReplyDeleteNow I do agree with reading think back of all the movies I have seen do be full of all white cast. I feel that society for years has place whites on a pedal chair when it Comes to movies and even tv shows as well Now here a question I would like to ask Do you think they will be a time where everyone will be placed on the same palying ground across the board for everything for jobs to entertainment and business Or that's a fully out of the question for our society today?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Mdst1187! This post very effectively sheds some light on the occurrence of unfair and inaccurate portrayals in hollywood. But in order to add my own thoughts, I want to point out that, when all is said and done, the main reason for these unfair portrayals is once again money. The truth is ignored in order to please the audiences and make the biggest buck. I know this is no revelation, but my question is, is it even possible for our society to change this pattern? Money is such a huge concern for so many individuals. And once again, I am not blaming any one group...not minorities, majorities, or whatever... I am simply blaming human individuals. The person who makes the decision to hire someone that will bring them the most profit. Maybe we shouldn't look at this as an issue to typecast to one group. Rather it is something that simply "people" need to approach from another angle. No labels, no groups. Instead, I think every individual should work to bring truth into the spotlight... pushing money aside.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this movie “flopped” another multi-racial movie that came out this year did exceptionally well. While the movie is animated, its cast is predominately African-American and the lead role is a female. Disney’s “The Frog Princess” has come under criticism though because it’s taken Disney nearly a century to have their “first black princess”. They have a Middle Eastern princess (Jasmine from the film Aladdin) and a Native-American princess (Pocahontas from the film Pocahontas) but Tiana is their first African-American princess. Some say that Disney made this movie because they had to; because people want to see characters in their children’s movie of different races.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this article, this movie immediately came to mind. Not only because of the movie itself but how I have personally seen it perceived by the young girls in my life. My boyfriend has a 2-year-old niece, Lilly, who desperately wanted the Disney Princess Barbie set for Christmas. The set includes Jasmine, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Tiana, Snow White and Ariel; I have to wonder if Tiana has taken Pocahontas’s place as the racial minority but that is another story. Lilly knows every doll’s name and movie except Tiana whom she refers to as the “dark Barbie”. Her mom claims it is because the movie is the newest and she does not know it yet but I am pretty sure (because I sat down with her on Christmas and talked about all of her dolls) it is because she doesn’t think Tiana is a pretty as the rest of the dolls. Lilly told me that she is “too tan”. Obviously, you cannot blame a 2-year-old for thinking this way but who is to blame? The media that she watches everyday? Her parents who’s responsibility it is to teach her about diversity? Disney because it has only had 1 black princess in nearly a century? Probably a combination of the first two questions, but it definitely an interesting observation.
When I was reading this article I felt that they were spot on with the article when it comes to minorities and women not getting the respect they deserve. I believe that Hollywood is still a business and minority actors are not seen as primary actors to carry a movie. Besides Will Smith I cannot think of a minority that has quite the star power that he does. I agree with some of the people above that not much time has past since minority rights were giving and I believe that this has set things back but not excluded minorities. I think that as generations keep coming up in an environment that is heading towards equality the more people will start to accept a minority or woman in the main role and have it be a great movie. I also believe that acting is not something that has been characterized as a minority profession. I think that minorities thrive in other areas such as music and or athletics then come over to acting. For example 50 cent, Michael Jordan, and Big Pun to name a few who have made their livings elsewhere and come over to movies, and even within these movies they are playing themselves.
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ReplyDeleteI would definitely have to agree with the notion that people are far less likely to view movies in which they are not reflected in. The Hollywood producers have one goal at the end of day; they are trying to make the most money possible. Since producers know that people like seeing themselves reflected in movies, they are going to limit minorities to sidekick or stereotypical roles. Unfortunately, this results in a glass ceiling of limited roles for minorities. It is a shame that the producers decided to recast the actors differently to sell more tickets instead of going against the grain, because the original Avatar cartoon was such a groundbreaking cartoon for featuring a wide variety of diverse characters. There are very few shows and animated cartoons that feature minorities in non stereotypical roles. Decisions like these send strong messages to minorities that there is a glass ceiling out in Hollywood. Due to the fact that Hollywood has such limited roles for minorities such as the sidekick, the comedian, or the gangster, minority actors are forced to take these roles that perpetuate stereotypes or get out of Hollywood. Until minorities owned their studios to green light their own projects. Consumers will continue to see all white protagonist and female sidekicks and stereotyped minorities.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of roles in Hollywood are for the white male. Even though people worship the women of Hollywood they are always seen with a white male role. That being said, a lot of the minority roles in Hollywood are targeted toward that minority. Shows like The Game are targeted for the specific audience of African American. This show features an almost all African American cast and is shown on an African American television channel. So, even though there is a show that is the exception. Most media is for the white audience. The media outlets try to appeal to that white audience and will probably always be like that. They choose a white cast because it is a safe choice. A recent TV adaption of "The Dirty Girls Social Club" replaced the minority roles with white women and made the one that remained into the white stereotype of them. The author of the book, which originally featured lots of minority roles, called the TV adaption “racists”. The author of the book thought that by having a Latina screenwriter adapt the book it would stay to its original character, but instead most of the minority characters are gone. I think that this speaks volumes to the way Americans think of what they should watch. They think that they should watch only whites.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the fact that most movie roles have lead white male roles, as well as white supporting roles. This is a controversial topic because many ethnicities are being offended by the lack of differation in these roles. In relation to Avatar the last airbender yes I do agree that the main character should reflect the original cartoon, however the question as to what color he is exactly is a valid one. How is Hollywood supposed to act when they in turn may not be 100% correct on the issue. In seeing the reviews and noticing that the new male lead is not a caucation male is slightly refreshing since the cartoon/show is not really geared toward the white cacation male, it is geared toward a younger crowd who is indeed familiar with the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteAlso (sorry comment posted on accident before done)
ReplyDeleteSince this is supposed to be a huge blockbuster by making these changes for the first firm they are creating a chance for sequels to also reflect this ethnic change in main characters allowing our younger generation to be able to relate more to other ethnicities.
Now that the idea comes to mind, the white male does dominate the film and T.V. industry. While there are some exceptions like Will Smith, there are very few big named actors that are not white. A lot of times, when there is an actor in a movie or show that isn't a white male, they are put into the stereotype that goes along with their race. For example, many black males that are in movies are almost always antagonists and always someone who gets into a lot of trouble. I don't want to say that this is the reason but I do believe that films and shows are made this way because majority of an audience is going to be members of the white demographic. You can even go back to Will Smith and look at his previous roles before he became a huge actor. He was "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and his role in that made him look like a trouble maker who was only interested in woman and anything that benefited him. The film and television industry doesn't make the white male look like a bad person in many movies they're in although they're are just as many troublemakers in the white race as there are black. America has created this idea of how and why different races act the way they do. Going with the idea of females in the industry, they are few and far between. While some do play major roles like Jolie, most are side characters in a movie in which the main character is a white male. Most of the time, the women also are made out to look like they're are inferior to their white male counterpart as well.
ReplyDeleteLike Md said in the beginning, their have been many successful movie's that haven't starred the lead character as a white male. I also followed the cartoon series, and was to believe that The Last Airbender was of Asian descent. The fact that they starred a white guy doesn't matter as much to me. The movie wasn't that successful anyway. I feel that people put too much emphasis on race sometimes, and create these controversies. I could do the same and question why all of the bad guys in the movie were of Arab/Indian descent. It's easy to pick out little things to stir up controversy, but I don't consider this critical thinking at all.
ReplyDeleteLike most people have posted, I too feel that there is an obvious lack of minority characters in the media. However, as a minority myself, I have never expected there to be a complete balance of minority to white characters depicted on television and in films. Although, I do feel like this bias by casting directors stems from racial stereotypes; part of the unbalance falls on us the audience. It is up to minorities to support films and television shows that depict their people in a positive light. Money is the bottom line in media, networks will play what people will watch.
ReplyDeleteWhen I watch T.V. movies, or anything else that is represented by the media I don't even realize that minority characters are not being portrayed. It was not until it was directly pointed out to me, that I realized the true lack of diversity in the media. Since I am Caucasian and considered a majority, I don't realize how prominent whites are in the media because to me it's just "normal." Now if I was a minority, I can definitely tell you I'd realize how ill-portrayed those of other races and ethnicities are in the media. I'd be more aware because it would directly affect me, and I would take notice when my specific race was not being seen anywhere. My freshman year in college I took a class where I read an article called "Unpacking your Invisible Knapsack" This article was talking about how whites have so many ascribed rights that minorities don't have. My eyes were really opened by this article as the list of all the privileges the majority had, seem to never end. I remember one specific point on the list being that we as whites, can open the newspaper and see our race being represented everywhere, and usually in a fairly positive light. People of different race of ethnicities don't have this luxury, as their race is not appropriately represented. This is unfortunate, as all people should have equal representation of their race. However, I don't think that this ordeal is intentional. It's not like people are not trying to put those of other races and ethnicities in the spotlight, they just don't think of it when writing shows and movies. They go off of what they've grown up with, and if they're the majority and they're going to play that out in the media because it's what "they know."
ReplyDeletei've been a fan of the show since its release in 2003 and can say that the movie was a complete failure in comparison. yes there is a little difference in skin color that, in my opinion did fairly well less key fact of things. it really bothers me to people tried to contribute race to a live-action adaption of a western cartoon basing it off the chinese culture and japanese animation, because if you watch any shows or movies from china or japan, you will notice about 99% (not a real stastice) are of asian decent. this is especially true in japanese animation (anime) that the only noticeable difference is an occassionaly black guy.
ReplyDeletei know that america is different from these asian cultures and we have a more vareity in the type of people trying to please but a good thought is maybe we are going a little overboard in our hyper senstive country and looking for ways to complain. when i go to a movie, i don't go, "oh man, they have a little asian dude playing aang when he looked just as white as the other people from the water tribe village," I went wow, these are some terrible actors, who message up the make-up and wardobes.
if race could be attributed to these, i would of been more upset that the majority of the fire nation was middle eastern looking and were the evil empire of the live action movie which is much more relevant than a simple casting call of who can play the part better which is a lot more important than maintaining a color balance which is more racist than picking a better actor over the next.
when people go to the movies, whether its good or bad, no matter how cliche, we want stereotypical actors playing the rolse they have. if i go to see a kung fu movie, i wanna see an asian, if i see action packed movie want to see a huge guy who can mess things up not a white english nobleman flying through the air or a 135 pound steve ercle.
but just like the lion king, this seems to be scholars trying to put more into a television show for kids than it needs to be. I graduate in 5 months in a degree in communication and contribute this at all to race, or gender for that matter, so why would a 5 year old kid who just wants to see people hurling fire, water, air, and earth at each other and trying to bring the 4 nations of the world together?
it has a positive message that is trying be changed to a racial matter.
The video in class was one of the realist things that we ever experienced in so far in the course. “Although the article on Friends was just as relevant, I doubt that half of the class read it” The youtube clip was one of the most un-sugarcoated moment thusfar. Why does it matter what race we perceive people to be as long as we don’t perceive them to be one of the races at the bottom of the barrel ie: Black. And how come we didn’t discuss how many blacks in TV shows that we could name? Is it because the issue is TOO racially sensitive to institutionally oppressive whites or other races? If it embarrasses us to talk about the issue, I wonder how it feels to live the issue as a Black person daily.
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating to me to see people say that things are seen as a race issue far too often especially in media, because those are the narrow minded views that reinforce stereotypes and bigotry in our society. America as a whole is a giant race issue. The building blocks of America were not set by our “forefathers” but by the slaves that they inhumanly brought to this land. African Americans slavery was a crude market that did not simply stimulate the economy, but it created it and kept it running. Granted there were a few whites who stood up and spoke out for the rights of these people, but in many cases they are the people who we are taught to idolize in grade school in our history books. We are taught to love Lincoln because he freed the slaves. But those who know the truth know that It was not out of the kindness of his heart, but as purposeful slap in the face to the South. Lincoln owned slaves himself.
We idolize Lewis and Clark for their bravery, and over look all of the deaths that they caused for native Americans. We ignore the African slaves that aided them the entire way and the Native women that not only lead them but kept them alive. We lynched blacks simply because the color of their skin, and took home body parts as souvenirs. We exploited Asians as we built our railroads.
And when we read things like these we blush in guilt. We refuse look deeper into the things that are presented to us, and accept such things on a shallow level. No I haven’t seen Air benders, BUT I have seen Avatar and how the White man attempted to take over the natives and exploit them. While the plot may be fictional, the message is reality. It is nothing new, and will remain a staple in not only the media but where it matters the most: REAL LIFE!
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little kid my mom only made my peanut butter and jellies on white bread. Everyday, white bread. I loved it. When I reached junior high she began slyly packing me peanut butter and jellies made on whole wheat bread. When I discovered this I was up-in-arms. “Mom, how can you put disgusting wheat bread in my lunch!” I would ask. “It’s healthier for you.” She said. “You should eat it.” I was intolerant of this change and I traded out my sandwich with classmates every day for the rest of that year. Over the course of the next year I found fewer and fewer classmates with white bread sandwiches with which to trade so I begrudgingly began eating the wheat bread my mother packed. I later embraced whole wheat’s nutritious value and today, will never purchase white bread.
ReplyDeleteAre White American audiences intolerant of TV programs and movies with a diverse cast like I was with wheat bread? Is it just a matter of force feeding them diversity for them to change their attitudes? Personally, I think it is. My mother took a risk when she packed me food I didn’t like. What if I threw it away? What a waste of money that would have been. Is this how movie producers feel when they have an opportunity to release a film that would appeal to more than white male’s preferences. One recent example of a film without any white characters at all was the movie Precious (2009). This movie was about a poor, uneducated, unattractive 16 year-old black girl and the horror she faced in her life. This movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival but did not have a distributor. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry offered to pay for promotional efforts on the film. The movie was a box office success and received two Academy Awards. This movie would have never been as successful as it was if Oprah and Perry, two African American media moguls, had not taken it upon themselves to be sure that the public was exposed to this film.
Watch the trailer at this link if you have not seen the movie. It's pretty amazing.
Precious http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UeJD031qRc
Although I believe it is fairly obvious that people other than white males aren't portrayed as often I do not think the casting of white males/females in roles that are of a different race should matter all that much. It is a little strange and funny to see Tom Cruise play the last samuri however whenever I was in theater or had taken any sort of theater class if there was a role that was suppose to be played by a certain race they always told the students "don't worry about it, it's not about the race, it's about the character and how you play it". Those words always stuck out to me because it shouldn't matter that much especially in hollywood films. These hollywood films are being made for entertainment, not education or historical accuracy. If they were made for education or their accuracy then yes, it would be a shame that they aren't casting the people accordingly to what the character is supposed to be. However, that is not what these Hollywood movies are for. As said before they are for entertainment and if people can't get past that this race or that race or this gender or that gender isn't being portrayed in this or that role then what's the point in even going to see an entertaining film? They're just analyzing and critisizing it anyways...
ReplyDeleteI haven't myself seen this movie. Mostly due to the fact that I don't really care about this particular genre of movies. But regardless of how I feel about it, I have friends that have seen this movie and all of their reviews have the same thing in common, they all thought it sucked. Funny enough none of my friends ever referred to the fact that the main cast and even the lead character were white. I honestly think that sometimes people are so cynical about being politically correct that it bothers me. Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of instances in film and television where "white-type" casting has occurred and made blatant and obvious attempts to appeal and reflect on the general white audience. But what is most to keep in my mind is that this Airbender movie was directed by M.Night, who is a person of colour. If anything, this should be a reflection of him as well. The way I see it is that if he isn't strong and confident enough in his own work or artistic drive to say "hey, let's stick to the roots of this original show and keep everything authentic because that's what made it so popular," then he just needs to give up. The fact of the matter is this movie was terrible not because the cast was all white, but more because it horribly written and the overall reviews on this film were horrendous. It just goes to show that sometimes even making a film in the all "whiteness" sense can blow up in your face too.
ReplyDeleteI agree to some extent that minorities are miss/underrepresented in the media. I believe that this assumption is in the eye of the person making the judgment because it all depends on how one looks at it. I feel that some of the best movies have African American leads such as Will Smith in I Am Legend and Denzel Washington in every movie he plays in. I agree that these men may not be acting/portraying the average African American male, but can you really put a checklist on the way a group should behave. I don’t think so; therefore it is hard to make the assumption that the media is dominated by white males.
ReplyDeleteIn recent TV shows and commercials I think that minorities have become more incorporated. For example in a favorite show of mine called flash forward starred the Asian from Harold and Kumar as a police detective. Also I have noticed that most commercials now usually always have a person of a minority in it. In the end I believe that this issue that can be easily changed as long as it is demanded. We are the consumers of media and it will be tailored to our demands, if we only watch shows that represent all races and ethnicities appropriately, then those are the type of shows that will be produced.
I believe that ones belief of this racial discrepancy is up to the beholder of the thought. I have never gone to a movie theater to see a movie by the color of the actors skin. My decision to go see a movie usually depends on the "hype" of the movie and the cast, but not by race. Reading a few of the blogs in the class made me think of the film "I Am Legend". I went to view this film for the reason that the film looked great and because of the actor. I am a male caucasian and went to see a film with the main character who was an African American. In my eyes people will always look at things in a "racist" way because of the world we live in today. This film was marketed correctly, had great characters, and was an exciting movie. This is why I believe that this film did very well. I do believe that white males do dominate the film industry but there could be a few ways to look at this. Some people could view this as just the world being "racist" or some people could think that it is just because white males are better actors? In recent television I have seen many African American films, television shows, and soaps.
ReplyDeleteI believe that television shows are not just white male dominant on today's television markets. The television and film industry will always be the way it has been I believe because of the large success it has had for so many decades.
I think that if we take a second and look at everything we would notice how things are in the entertainment business. White males are the most portrayed in the industry. A lot of these actors and films get awards and good ratings all of the time. When sometimes these movies don't be good or the actor did not do good at all. The fact that white males get a lot of the lead roles is evidence of what still exist in our society today. Now it's just being covered up a lot more for the naked eye not to see. There have been many movies with minority leads and many minority actors that were great. Like Will Smith as this article used for example,he along with other minority actors like Denzel Washington and Jamie Fox has showed that movies with minority leads come out great. The industry is full of a lot of negative thoughts on things and if it continues to stay that way we will continue to see movies and shows being cast with most white leads.
ReplyDeleteIt think Mr. Johnson brings up a very interesting observation. As we have discussed in class numerous times the facts and data do show that the main characters of the majority of films are played by Caucasian actors and actresses. I'm not sure if I agree with the fact that the characters were chosen to be Caucasian because of some racial agenda the people responsible for producing and directing the film secretly possess. Perhaps there are studies out there that would suggest more Caucasian people attend movies than minorities. This would suggest that the selection of Caucasian main characters was for business reasons in order to do what they thought gave them the best chance to make the most money. This may not even be true, but my point is quickly jumping to the conclusion that there is underlying racist meaning or message within this movie is just as extreme as people saying there are no problems with race equality in character selection at all. They're both extremes.
ReplyDeleteIf I am only considering the information from the original post I am not sure how to feel about the idea that racial minorities are unfairly portrayed in light of dominant white film and TV characters. Even in considering the prompt, I am not sure I understand that either. I have never understood the majority of films I was watching to be “dominant” white films. Where the intellectuals of America are seeing a misrepresentation of entire classes of people, excluding only white males, I have always simply watched movies I felt were worth paying the high premium they charge now at theaters. With that said, I don’t really see how the article makes a strong case that minorities (based on the article women would be included as minorities as well) are experiencing the effects of an unspoken rule to be excluded from feature films. In this sense the article defeats itself by listing the highest paid actor as Will Smith and the second as Angelina Jolie. Furthermore, on many of the hyperlinks provided the supporting evidence seemed rather weak and the sources biased or at least insubstantial to back the claims made. Though I did read most of them, I did not read all of them so I guess some of them could have been more substantial than others.
ReplyDeleteIn my own personal experience I cannot attest to the idea that there is some hidden agenda by an unidentified, mystical elite in Hollywood that is apparently pulling strings to further a white male agenda. Many of the movies I have enjoyed in recent years have included significant roles, including main roles, for minorities as the leading character(s). Movies are about making money for those that finance them. It would not make sense to jeopardize making millions to propagate an ideology that would alienate a large percentage of viewers (and in other words, money). When “Big Hollywood” decides to make changes to the ethnicities or scenes in a movie, my guess is that there is a perceived monetary benefit to those changes, and this perceived monetary benefit is based on empirical evidence not ideology. Consider the comment in the blog about the movie scenes being altered in Salt because Tom Cruise backed out. When reading the hyperlink it appears there is some anger that a man can rescue a women but a woman cannot rescue a man. That’s one way to look at it. Another way may be that Tom Cruise is a highly identifiable actor, and at this point in his career there is an audience association with him as the savior. It would make sense, if not be expected by viewers, he would save the girl. To any women reading this I am curious how you would feel of a Tom Cruise that looks his love in the eye and lets her get shot in the head instead of rescuing her? How would that affect you perception of him in future films?
As I said, my belief is movies are produced to make money. If there are markets underrepresented, maybe it is because “Big Hollywood” doesn’t know it exists. With all the focus on blame and discrimination a lot of energy is focused on “pointing the finger,” but to what avail? It is critically important to find areas in our lives we are unsatisfied with, but to act on it is just as critical. If you take issue with “dominant white film” then propose a solution. I am not saying a movement is necessary, but if you see the truth in the original blog’s words then send a letter to the studio(s). In fact, we don’t even have to do that anymore; just send an email. We can start movements and have and effective impact on our world from the comfort of our own homes. Write the studios what you want to see represented, not what you’re disappointed with. How would it be appropriate to portray your race, gender, or lifestyle? What would you identify with or pay to see? How could your ideology be included in a way that’s respectful and not stereotypical? Like I said, “Big Hollywood” may not know another market exists, but when they do I’m sure they will be there to take your money too.
If you made it this far thanks for reading, I hope it makes sense and I look forward to any comments