Running Head: FILM INDUSTRY 1

Africans Americans and Diversity in the Film Industry: A Review of the Literature

Nia M. Brevard

Hampton University
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Abstract

The film industry is a well-known entertainment business that has so much history behind it. The

industrys acceptance of African Americans and diversity is a huge problem though. This

literature review is here to help inform the issue Hollywood has and the things being done to

resolve it. An interview was conducted and a graph was demonstrated to get a better

understanding and different perspective on the topic. Diversity analysis over the years and other

information is presented throughout the review.

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Africans Americans and Diversity in the Film Industry: A Review of the Literature

As of right now the film industry is a billion dollar business and it is growing heavily each year.

The industry has become so diverse in the field of actors, directors, screenwriters, producers, and

many more. But unfortunately it was not always like that. The issues that were present in the past

are still present now. The movie business started out in black and white; no color. Although the

movies were shown in black and white, the business was mostly white. Like everything in the

1800s, the film industry that was being created was all white males, which was to be expected.

Because slavery had just ended in the 1860s and segregation was well alive, many African

Americans probably had no type of knowledge of the film industry. That wasnt until that

1900s

This topic serves as a purpose to address the issue of how Hollywood has publicized African

Americans and the lack of diversity in the business. This issue has always been a major topic but

was swept under the rug and not broadcasted enough for many Americans to become aware

and take action. To grasp a full understanding of the past and present issues of black people and

diversity as a whole in the film industry, these four questions need to be deliberated:

1. How did the film industry come about? When? Who started it?
2. What was African Americans role in early film? Stereotypes? Portrayal?
3. How has African Americans impacted the film industry? Who was affected?
4. What is being done to resolve the issue of diversity?

By knowing how the film industry started, the role and portrayal of African Americans in early

film, the impact that they made in the industry, and what steps are being taken to resolve the

shortage of diversity will give a better greater awareness of the issue to many Americans.

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 How did the film industry come about? When? Who started it?

The idea of entertainment has always been a big deal in the world. As humans we want to be

entertained by something that catches our eye and keeps our attention. And the movie business

was the solution to it all. Beginning in the early 1800s, motion toys such as a thaumatrope and

zoetrope gave the illusion of seeing still frames in a quick series. This invention was the start of

motion pictures and how the idea of movies can come together. But in 1872, Edward Muybridge

became the person to create the first motion picture when he set up twelves cameras moving

them on a racetrack so that it would capture shots in speedy sequence of a horse.

In the early 1900s, as time went on and more inventions were being created the idea of

backdrops, editing, and visuals began to arise. The Great Train Robbery, for example was one of

the famous films made during that time by Edwin S. Porter. As America started to transition to

this new technology, Nickelodeons also known as 5-cent movie theaters made watching

movies easier and affordable. The movie theaters in addition helped make money for the

filmmakers. This helped build an industry known as: Hollywood.

Hollywood was the place to be; it was well known as the scene of luxury and leisure. Hale

(2014) stated, Hollywood was the birthplace of movie studios, which were of great importance

to Americas public image in the movie industry. Two important roles: the star and the director

also began to be recognized in the industry. The term movie star flourished as hundreds of

movies were made, as well as a film companies like Warner Brothers Pictures, RKO, 20th

Century Fox, and so on. In the 1930s a new addition to movies, introduction of sound, helped

bring about genres such as; musicals, comedies, and horror movies making it the Golden Age of

Hollywood.

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With World War II quickly approaching it had a huge impact on the film industry. Technology

uses like special effects, audio, and color gave a more modern feel to movies. As the war was

going on, Hollywood was a major source of American patriotism by generating propaganda,

documentaries, educational pictures, and general awareness of wartime need (Hale, 2014). This

increased movie attendance and profits in the year of 1946.

The growth of families influenced American culture in a way that shifted towards new societal

trends and music. With many families owning television sets, movie theaters started to see a

decline in attendance resulting in money lose. This motivated Hollywood to enter the world of

television. This era also saw the advent of VHS video players, laser disc players, and film on

videocassette tapes and discs, which greatly increased profits and revenue for studios(Hale,

2014). Despite being able to watch movies at home now, the special effects idea in films was in

full swing now and putting the success of several movies including Batman and Terminator at

the top.

Towards the 1990s, movies could now be seen on DVD. This gave interactive content and better

quality. Meanwhile, the millennium age brought new technology that helped bring inventions

such as IMAX theaters. As technology advances more and more, the film industry is likely to

keep improving.

What was African Americans role in early film? Stereotypes? Portrayal?

African Americans were always thought of as entertainment. Even during slavery blacks were

nothing more than property, not a person. And in the film industry things were the same. African

Americans did not appear in the movie business until the 1900s. Very early blacks were limited

in the film industry as belittling the stereotypes of people of color.

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Starting with the 1910s and 1920s African Americans were not in movies, but instead portrayed

by a white actor using blackface. Blackface is when the use of stage makeup is seen by applying

show polish or burnt cork to darken the skin; as well as putting heavy emphasis on the features of

black lips and hair. Movies at this time were solely based on the Old South and war zone scene.

As a result, the depiction of blacks was known as villains, servants, dangerous, and stupid.

African Americans also were classified as, incompetent, child-like, hyper-sexualized, and

criminal (DUE, 2014). The films that had an all color cast were said to be positive portrayals

of African Americans calling them race films. These race films made blacks the good guy

creating movies specifically for the black audience.

As the 1930s and 1940s began to approach change was near but still hard to achieve.

Opportunities for African Americans were restricted and set to only a few jobs. Films such has

Gone with the Wind and Show Boat displayed blacks as the role of butlers, maids, mammies,

drivers, and laborers. These roles also showcased how urban households and the setting were

common. Despite the servant roles, change was happening and many Americans noticed. The

NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) had a huge impact on

this change and how the portrayal of African Americans should be different. Although little

change was made, black musicians started to hit the big screen as well.

The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s influenced the films with all black cast and

screen time shown between black and white actors. Roles for black actors appeared to be more

diverse and similar to the white actors. For examples, black movie stars like Dorothy Dandridge

and Harry Belafonte were very popular. This period was marked as, a greater push back

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against racial status quo, greater cast integration, and greater engagement with the meaning of

race in the U.S.( DUE, 2014). The evolution of film dealing with African Americans drastically

improved as time went on.

How has African Americans impacted the film industry? Who was affected?

A well-known black actor named Sidney Poitier is a great example of the change being made in

Hollywood and how African Americans impacted the industry. His talent for acting made him

one of the best black actors. He was able to have earned many opportunities in the world of film

that opened up doors for other black actors following in his footsteps. In the 1970s the term

Blaxploitation quickly surfaced making a significant change in blacks were portrayed in film. So

many opportunities for black directors, actors, producers, and writers opened up as well.

The 1990s showed that as many films were being created depicted the life of black people. A few

of the film include; Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and many more.

These movies let the audience into the life of African Americans. Erin Paul told her opinion on

how African Americans impact the industry by stating, Black directors actually take time to

show the true us and when they produce it isnt always a slave movie. They make sure the

history we dont know from textbooks are portrayed and they speak on topics the black

community as a whole dont like to speak about. They give us diversity in the movie business

(E. Paul, personal communication, March 19, 2017).

Many break through black films had hip hop and the white audience interested in being a part of

it. Rose (2016) commented, For the first time, mainstream cinema and TV audiences were

getting honest, intelligent portrayals of both modern African-Americans life and US history from

a black perspective- the type of stories only black filmmakers could tell. The revolution was

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being televised, dramatized, publicized and eulogized. Many African Americans gained real

power; they had leading roles and won numerous awards for their work.

With change being made questions in the industry still needed to be answered. Trey Ellis, a black

screenwriter said, Whats weird about black films is that all the decisions are being made by

white people 50 years old. They dont understand what they are looking at, and sometimes they

are so impressed merely to see motion pictures made by black people like it couldnt be done that

they lose their critical abilities( Colour of Money, 1991). Black films should be created by black

people so that the point of view is coming from people who experienced the situation. The

impact being made was unbelievable but work was still to be done.

What is being done to resolve the issue of diversity?

Hollywood since the birth of the industry has always shown little diversity with the actors and

the film themselves. Nikesh Shukla, a British blogger and writer commented on the issue and

said, I realized that white people think that people of color only have ethnic experiences and not

universal experiences (Santhanam & Crigger, 2015). People of color ability to work hard and

preform has been underestimated for a long time.

Supporting directors, in addition to the actors is extremely important. Directors are just as

important in the industry as well as the actors. Most people only look at the movie but never the

behind the scenes of it. Having diverse directors really helps bring in diversity as a whole in the

films. This is just one of the ways this issue can be resolved.

The phrase whitewashing actors of color is another problem in the industry. White actors

portraying characters that should be people of color is a huge issue. The truth behind the film is

being limited to all white people who have no idea about the story behind it. Furthermore, the

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racial diversity is not including all of Hollywoods diversity. We are sorely lacking in disabled

and transgender characters, and even more lacking in disabled and transgender characters

portrayed by actual disabled and transgender actors. Behind the scenes, our director and writer

pool still lacks in racial minority, female, transgender, or disability representation (Oluo, 2017).

Diversity among every group is crucial to the movie business and the future it holds.

Figure 1 illustrates the top-grossing films from 2007 to 2014, not including 2011. This graph

examined the race and ethnicity of about 30,000 characters to show the diversity in films. For

almost a decade, filmmakers had not changed the role of casting from white actors.

Figure 1: Percent of Characters by Race/Ethnicity in Top-Grossing Films: 2007-2014

WHITE BLACK ASIAN HISPANIC OTHER

Conclusion

The issue of African Americans and diversity in the film industry has been present for years.

How people of color and different groups managed to still succeed in an industry that constantly
tore them down is incredible. The knowledge of this topic will help Americans take action and

inform them of what is happening now. In the world of film, so many diverse things are needed

to help take the industry to the next level.

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References

Ball, Ed, (1991). The Colour of Money. New Statesman & Society, 4, 29.Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/abicomplete/docview/

DUE. (2014, March 11). From Blackface to Blaxploitation: Representations of African

Americans in Film. Retrieved from http://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/

Hale,B.(2014, March 14). The History of the Hollywood Movie Industry. Retrieved from

http://historycooperative.org/

Oluo,I.(2017, March 12) Oscars Arent So White This Year, But That Doesnt Mean Theyre

Diverse. Retrieved from http://www.indiewire.com/

Rose, S.(2016, March 14). Black films matter how African American cinema fought back

against Hollywood. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film

Santhanam L, Crigger, M.(2015, March 10) Out of 30,000 Hollywood film characters, heres

how many werent white. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/