Essay Example about Priorities of Filmmakers

Throughout recent years, there has been a demand for more representation of minority groups in the film industry. These minorities of gender, race, and sexuality are proven to be included for roles considerably less than the typical white male (Erigha). Society seemingly wants the goal of filmmakers to be including more diversity, but this should not be the case. Before including more minority groups as lead roles, the priority of filmmakers should be addressing the issue of stereotyping these groups.

Stereotypes were introduced in the film industry early on. One of the first stereotypes was blackface, used to dehumanize African Americans. This and many other racist ideals were derived from discrimination in the United States. White actors would also paint their faces yellow and red to portray other ethnicities. They would do this because early films were only meant for white audiences. Although this was banned, such racial bias still occurs in modern films today when white actors play roles of different ethnicities. (Leonard) Stereotyping is rooted from such hatred and human disrespect, and there should be more awareness towards solving it. 

It is recognizable that there is an inclusion problem in Hollywood. There is no valid reason that seventy-five percent of lead roles are played by white actors, while also seventy-four percent being male (Erigha). The more significant and less spoken issue is that, when included, the minorities are often typecast and misrepresented. So even if there were a rise in diverse roles, they would be incorrectly portrayed. That is why we need to solve this issue so that when we do fix the underrepresentation, the roles can be executed in the right way. Representing minorities should be handled with precision because it is a problematic situation. Because they are less common types of people, it is very important to represent them adequately. This is because not as many people are exposed to them. This results in some of the audience’s opinions being easily influenced because they do not know any better. When their roles are typecast, these ideas can spread to society, affecting the way people view these people in their daily lives.  

Another reason why stereotyping needs to be stopped is because, when presented regularly in films, it develops common prejudices. For example, all Asians are smart and know martial arts, black people are thugs or play the best friend, women are sex objects and bossy, and gay men are involved in theater and dramatic. In reality you can not group people based on one personality. Films should represent these minorities in differing ways, depending on each role. There is no certain way to assign a character’s actions based on a group. They should not be defined by others and deserve a unique role.

Not only is it unjust that females, people of color, and members of the lgbtq+ are underrepresented, it also affects the viewers portrayal of these people. Their roles are often stereotyped, which can lead to society having misconceptions. Erigha’s quote stating, “Disportionate representation of racial/ethnic minorities and women translates to the creation of a societal culture with stereotypical images and limited creative visions on screen,” shows how much this practice affects the views of society. Not only does it limit the opportunities of particular actors, but it can also subtly affect the opinions of the audience. The average U.S. citizen spends about fifteen and a half hours each day consuming media (Wang). Over time, this practice greatly influences people’s views of minorities. If the typecasting proceeds to be overlooked, the problem is less and less recognized as a priority.

When growing up, young girls do not have many opportunities to look up to female leaders in films. This feeling can be described as being left to believe, even when grown up, that you will have a childlike role in life and are so incompetent that you hope a man comes to rescue you (Steinem). Females are usually given roles revolving around men which leaves them believing they are of less importance. Women are hardly ever given roles where they are not typecast into being dependent on men. This is misleading because in reality, they are capable of being powerful enough to control their own lives while relying on themselves.While this certain stereotype is presented most obviously in Disney Princess movies such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, it also occurs in modern films. For example, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” depicts the female lead with a strong and intelligent personality, but the entire plot shows her as a damsel in distress. This is a prime example of why films need to put an end to stereotyping as priority over including more representation. 

Another way women are typecast is through sexualization. “Even if women are portrayed in positions of leadership, they are still shown as sex objects in most films” (Mitchell). It is harmful to continue including women in lead roles when they continue to be misrepresented. To prove just how prominent the problem is, “Of the characters in leadership positions, women and girls are four times more likely than male characters to be shown wearing revealing clothing” (Mitchell). This can negatively impact young women into thinking that their body determines their worth. While the stereotyping of women brings them down, it brings men too far up. This is not constructive because it alters men’s perspectives in the way that they feel more superior. This idea is introduced by the biased media creation from white men influences, such as filmmakers. Social behavior and society’s perceptions of women are impacted by these men (Erigha). 

The common racial stereotyping of minority actors harmfully alters society’s judgement. Specifically, the racist portrayal of African Americans negatively affects the mental health of black boys, while increasing the self-esteem of white boys (Wang). This is because white actors are often depicted as the influential characters of the story while consequently, minorities show less significance. This aspect of films make for limited sources of inspiration and role models. When the roles of racial minorities are repeatedly brought down, it does the same to the audience that relates to this group of people. 

In more recent years there has been more inclusion of black actors in the film industry. This had potential to be a positive change but it has resulted to have detrimental effects. “As Hollywood has featured more black characters and cast more black actors, it has also emphasized other stereotypes” (Schacht). This demonstrates the importance of cutting out stereotypes before emphasizing the need for more inclusion. If minorities continue to have more representation, the more stereotypes will be introduced and developed. The more and more we misrepresent them, the harder it becomes to recognize and spread awareness of the issue.

Awareness of the LGBT community has quickly spread through the media in past years. They have been gaining rights and acceptance in society. However, misconceptions of them have been present in films which limits further recognition of this group. When being typecast as extra outgoing and dramatic, this leads to society grasping this misrepresentation (Leonard). These misconceptions will spread because of the growing acceptance of this community. Roles representing LGBT will most likely become more present in films because of this approval. This could be very harmful towards the progress that has been made and could regress when films misrepresent them.

The best way to solve the stereotype issue present in the film industry is to address who is working behind the scenes. When directors, writers, and other film producers are of minority groups it increases the likelihood of correctly representing them. “The employment of women and racial minorities behind-the-scenes positively impacted their quality of on-screen images, while the absence of women and racial minorities corresponded with fewer and less empowered characters” (Erigha). Representing minorities in filmmaking can influence the end of stereotyping. 

It is understandable to want to advocate for more minority groups to represent lead roles. However, if the priority can be shifted to abolishing typecasting presented regularly in films, then these roles can be more adequately represented. If this takes precedence, then more inclusion of minorities can follow. Not only could they have an influential role, but they can also be portraying their character in the right way.