Files.emailmeform.com



Race, Media, and Storytelling: The Making of Black Excellence in the face of AdversityAn Educational Love Letter ? (Naiya J. Campbell, 4/24/2020)ABSTRACTRace, Media, and Storytelling: The Making of Black Excellence in the face of Adversity is a short documentary film that encapsulates the love, respect, power, and need for black media and black creatives. The objective of this film was to answer one fundamental question: “Why is it important for black creativities to incorporate black culture into mainstream media, and what role does it play in transforming the content that is being produced?” The purpose behind my research question is to understand the perspectives of black producers, directors, playwrights, etc. as to why they feel the need to emphasize black culture within companies like the Big Six, all the way down to independent production studios; Thereby analyzing its effects and benefits for people of color and the industries they serve. This film as allowed me ask some of the leading black creatives in the industry, mostly SU alumni, on how they have seen the involvement of black creatives in the professional maker space and how it affects the image of media as a whole. I wanted to take a deeper look into the benefits they believe they have seen within company culture and its effects to the people that consume their media. Ultimately answering the question “What does black culture in media do for the world and for its people?” But more importantly, this project is an education love letter to all the black creatives that have paved the way for next generation of us can soar. Executive Summary I had always been fascinated with storytelling, but I never thought of it in the academic context. It wasn’t until after the premiere of Marvel’s “Black Panther” that I really started to think about the effects of black culture in the media. Black Panther’s movie release was so successful that it beat Titanic’s Box-Office record as the third highest-earning movie ever (back in 2018). I thought to myself how powerful the narrative of that movie must be, in order to bring all types of people to the movie theatres. It even became the first movie to be shown in Saudi Arabia after their 35-year ban on cinema, ground breaking.There is a movement behind ethnic movies that have been the catalyst for many black creatives like Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Issa Rae to name a few. Companies are just now starting to realize the importance of diversity in cinema storytelling. For so long there as only been one narrative with many of the same faces. With the rise of black creatives, the world has been introduced to a world of multiple possibilities, perspectives, narratives, and truths. Media conglomerates now see the importance of social responsibility and are making an effort to support the myriad of voices in our community. If they don’t, they’ll get left behind; because the future is all about diversity. My topic is important because it doesn’t only answer the current status of black creatives in the media but the future of cinema altogether. This is the perfect time to address issues like the lack of diversity in the Oscars in addition to mainstream media as a whole, because big companies like Warner Brothers are catching on and taking advantage. Warner Bros. just made a $100 million deal with Ava DuVernay to curate dramas, comedies, and documentaries for cable, streaming services, and broadcast outlets. Issa Rae even signed a deal with Columbia Pictures for them to have access to new diverse writers through her company ColorCreative. The time is now! This thesis will get a head start on the future of cinema and what that means for the exposure of black culture both on and off the camera.Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………..p. 2Executive Summary …………………………………………………………………………..p. 3Chapter 1: Introduction ……………………………………………………………………...p. 6Chapter 2: Who gets recognized? (#OscarsSoWhite) ………………………………………p. 7 Chapter 3: #BlackExcellence ………………………………………………………………..p.10 Chapter 4: More Than Just a Movie ……………………………………………………….p. 12Chapter 5: Breaking Down Hollywood ……………………………………………………p. 16Work Cited …………………………………………………………………………………..p. 19Chapter 1 IntroductionThe seed of this documentary was planted in and around me my entire life, and I didn’t even know it. My love for storytelling and media goes back to as far as I can remember. I studied theater all throughout middle school and continued my studies at a drama magnet high school. It was during that time in my life that I realized my world was about to change forever. When I was a junior in high school, I received a casting call to be an extra in a film that was being shot in Miami. I had no clue what the movie was about, but I didn’t need to. This was an opportunity to get real-world experience on a movie set. I was excited to be gaining tangible experience in an industry I only dreamed of being in. To my amazement, that film went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture film in 2017, that movie was “Moonlight”. For me, everything leading up to that moment was in preparation for that experience and this documentary. Being on set of that movie taught me two major things: being an extra can be quite boring when you’re waiting for your scene, and the production process is about blood sweat and tears, not glitz and glam. After winning the Oscar for Best Picture, I learned two more things: extra’s don’t get a trophy but we do get to carry the lifelong experiences we did create, and that black voices, our voices, our stories, they mattered… and I didn’t want that experience to be my last. So, I made it my mission to continue to highlight black stories because not everyone can win an Oscar, but that doesn’t mean their narratives shouldn’t be honored. It was then that I finalized what I wanted to do for my senior capstone thesis, but I didn’t want to just talk about the problem… I wanted to fix it. But first, I needed to address the people that are directly involved, but how? Thankfully I had an amazing faculty and staff that helped me get a list of people that would be perfect for my documentary. But then another problem appeared…finances. I was very adamant about doing in-person interviews and most of my interviewees were either in Los Angeles or New York City. So, I had to find a way to compensate for travel, housing, and transportation for my thesis. Thanks to the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) I was given the grant to fund my research on the importance of black creatives in mainstream media. Now it was time to put in the hard work.Chapter 2Who gets recognized? (#OscarsSoWhite)I remember what it felt like to “win”, to be honored at the Oscars. Even though I wasn’t physically there, most of the cast where friends and mentors of mine, and I felt the energy through their spirit. Watching and waiting for our category felt like an eternity. When our category finally did come, I could feel the room stop. I was holding my breath for so long that I started to hear the buzzing in my ears. “And the winners for this year's Best Picture Film goes to… LA LA Land.” “LA LA Land!!!!!”, I cried out to myself in thought. But in reality, I was stuck, frozen in time by my disappointment and disbelief. I just sat there, empty because this movie was a winner…regardless of how anyone else felt about it. A long four minutes went by, after we had already expected defeat, we were told that there had been a mistake. “A mistake????!!!!!!!”, I thought. But indeed, they did make a mistake. “Moonlight, you guys won. Not us.” Those words shook every core in my body. We did! We won an Oscar! I saw all my friends rush to the stage as they accepted their award and Barry Jenkins gave an amazing speech. He said, “For the people out there who feel like there’s no mirror for you that your life is not reflected… the Academy has your back, we have your back.” Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney were just two boys from Liberty City, but they were on stage representing our area code the 305. “This goes out to all those black and brown boys and girls and non-gender conforming who don’t see themselves we’re trying to show you and us. So thank you, thank you, this is for you.” That moment was both inspirational and traumatizing for me. I’m sure no one else read into it as deep as I did, but this occurrence was baffling to me. For as long as the Oscars have been in production, I have never seen a mistake like this. People watch a whole 3-hour program just for the Best Picture nomination category; it is the pinnacle of the entire event! With that being the last category of the evening, I can’t quite grasp how there could have been an additional winning envelope. It was the carelessness that saddened me. They stole that moment of victory for them and shamelessly handed over the trophy. But it was the disregarded comment that frustrated me; Jimmy Kimmel, in light of the situation stated, “I think you guys should keep it anyway” to the cast of LA LA Land. As if it wasn’t enough to have been misnamed as the winner, now we didn’t even deserve to get our own award. Even humor can be inappropriate at times, and that statement was no joke, and it wasn’t funny either. I was very offended by the comment because I was a product of that movie. I carried a lot of pride and admiration for that film, and I wanted others to give it the same respect and appreciation. But my displeasure with the Oscars goes far beyond that specific experience. The Oscars have been known for having a lack of diversity when it comes to award nominations; the inclusion part is a whole different conversation. When April Reign, a former lawyer and inclusion consultant, started #OscarsSoWhite in 2015, the Academy membership was 92% white and 75% male. The Academy has improved those numbers a bit, and now its membership is 84% white and 68% male in 2020 (Reign, 2020). And for this year’s nominations she had this to say, “[It] did not come as a surprise. When I saw the nominations, I was disappointed that there were so many talented filmmakers who were not going to be acknowledged and recognized by their peers.” The push back for the movement has been met with comments like “Well, there just weren’t enough diverse films to nominate.” But that clearly was not the case in 2019, with films like “Just Mercy,” “Us,” “Luce,” “Clemency,” “The Farewell” and so many others (Reign, 2020). When we have this wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera, and they are still not recognized by what is considered the pinnacle in the industry, then we need to pay closer attention to who has Academy membership, what the voting process is, and see where we can make systemic change. A lot of the problems with diversity, like many other institutions, is systematic discrimination. The biases are built into the formalities on who has access to membership and how voting is structured. Form what I know, the voting process is highly classified and we’re not even sure of the criteria to win an Oscar. Essentially, the votes are subjective. Subjective voting only favors those who are in the room, and from the statistics I just provided, everyone definitely is not included. Nominations should be based on the most talented and qualified people. If only certain films are being viewed, then how can we be sure that we’ve actually seen the most talented and qualified. My explanation for this “phenomenon” is that most of these nominations are films that reflect the experiences of straight white men. Since the majority of the Academy are white males, and the nominations are viewed through their lens, which could very well explain why we are seeing the nominations the way we are. Also, the Academy’s voting membership is not required to view the films before they vote, so it really becomes a popularity contest — a popularity contest among mostly straight white males. The Academy is not some big evil machine, but the lack of diversity in membership and participation (the inclusion component) reflects heavily on the lack of representation among their peers.This year’s nominations only included 2 African-American nominees, including now Oscar-winning short film “Hair Love” & Cynthia Erivo for her role as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet”. Out of all the black actresses who have been nominated for best actress or best-supporting actress, the vast majority of the women played roles that dealt with trauma: women in abject poverty, women who were enslaved, or women who were subservient to others. What does it mean to live in a world where Lupita Nyong’o can win for her performance in “12 Years a Slave,” playing an enslaved woman, but is completely shut out when she’s playing not just one, but two fully realized characters in “Us”? Those are the questions we should be more concerned about. Not to mention all the female directors who were not nominated, like Kasi Lemmons for “Harriet,” Lulu Wang for “The Farewell” , Olivia Wilde for “Booksmart”, and Lorene Scafaria for “Hustlers” for their amazing work behind the camera. #OscarsSoWhite has always encompassed all traditionally underrepresented communities, not just race and ethnicity: It’s also gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, First Nations status, and age (Reign, 2020). “And in the 91-year history of the Oscars, only five women have been nominated for best director, and only one has won. The Academy cannot stand for the idea that there’s only been one woman worthy of being named best director in over 90 years” (Reign, 2020)Chapter 3#BlackExcellenceOut of hundreds of nominations throughout the history of the Oscars, only 38 (and counting) are African American black actors, musicians, writers, producers, sound mixers and other artists who have taken home gold, with 2020 being a three-year low on black nominations and wins (Lang, 2020). The first African American to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel, who won for her role as head slave “Mammy” in the Civil War epic “Gone With the Wind”. Hattie had to accept her 1940 best-supporting actress trophy in a segregated hotel. In her speech, she said, “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry” (Lewis, 2016). And she, sure enough, she is to this very day. Hattie excelled at the only role open to black actors and was proud of her achievement within her role. I think it's stupendous in how every speech, we pay it forward to the next generation of black creatives. We are always representing and advocating for our race in these spaces, even when we’ve made it; but there’s just not enough seats at the table. After Ms. Hattie, many deserving candidates were nominated but only so few in history have actually won. Among that amazing & talented yet shortlist of people includes Sidney Poitier, Isacc Hayes, Irene Cara, Prince, Steve Wonder, Lionel Richie, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, and others (Lewis, 2016). But now more than ever, black creatives, especially black women, have been dominating the industry with their beautiful, compassionate, and relatable storytelling. As mentioned previously, multiple outlets reported that Ava DuVernay signed a massive multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television worth as much as $100 million (Judge, 2018). The production and development deal gives DuVernay and her Forward Movement production house (Array) the freedom of creating drama and comedy series, documentaries, digital content, event projects, and long-form projects for distribution over broadcast, cable, premium cable, streaming services, and other platforms. Just to attest to her many qualities, Peter Roth, Warner Bros TV Group president and chief content officer, had this to say in a release announcing the deal “Ava DuVernay is one of the leading lights in our industry, a brilliantly talented writer, producer, director and entrepreneur whose ability to inspire with her art is exceeded only by her ability to entertain. We have had the great pleasure of working with her on Queen Sugar and The Red Line, and we are extremely excited about the new stories she has to tell” (Judge, 2018). Not only that, but original YouTube now Hollywood star Issa Rae has signed her company, ColorCreative, to a multi-year production deal with Columbia Pictures to promote emerging diverse writers (Lang, 2018)*. ColorCreative will function as a mentorship program, under which selected participants will work with Issa and the studio to develop and write features based on their original ideas. “Issa is a force of nature and a magnet for talented people,” said Sanford Panitch, president of Columbia Pictures, in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to join her in her mission to pave the way for fresh and authentic voices” (Lang, 2018)*.The entertainment industry is under pressure to develop films and shows that feature underrepresented talent both in front of and behind the camera. Films such as “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” have demonstrated the commercial appeal of movies with minority leads, but they remain the exception, not the rule. A recent USC study found that only 29.3% of characters in the 100 top-grossing movies of 2017 were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (Lang, 2018)*. Soon the entertainment world is going to look a lot different, especially with young moguls like Marsai Martin, a 14-year-old African American woman, who is the youngest person in Hollywood to ever executively produce a studio film…#BlackExcellence.Chapter 4More Than Just a MovieFilms are nothing without their narrative. Before the amazing VFX graphics and CGI animations that are used today, all movies had was a storyline. It was in the stories that we told that made the movie special, the emotions that those stories evoked, and the lessons we learned from them. While growing up I realized that black movies usually have a more meaningful undertone in the movies messaging. I would even argue that the more notable African American films have been recognized because of this very fact. Usually, the films are based on true events referring to our traumatic historic experience as African Americans, or the war on drugs, or other negative stereotypes. These are not the only narratives depicted of black people, but it is the recognized majority. What the industry fails to realize is when they honor or recognize movies like The Color Purple, Greenbook, The Help, and not The Photograph, Queen & Slim, or Sorry to Bother You, a very clear statement about what narratives are more valued than the others is made very apparent. More than anything, I appreciate the work of black creatives because they make the average black person, as represented on TV, multi-dimensional. To see a show on TV and actually be able to recognize and relate to a story happens a lot less for someone like me more than one would think. That’s why I have so much appreciation for shows like Black-ish. “Black-ish” is an American sitcom based on an African American family that deals with family struggles, cultural identity, all while raising kids in a predominately white, upper-middle-class neighborhood. Unlike many previous narratives, this black family has two hard-working parents, no drug problems, but that doesn’t mean they’re problem-free. Their struggles related so much more to the issues I saw in my life growing up. These characters were multi-dimensional and inspirational, which we don’t see often portrayed in the media. This show, however, tackles issues that every family may face while also being authentic to true cultural experiences. I believe these very reasons explain the box office sensation that came from the premiere of “Black Panther”. Black Panther made more than $738 million globally in the first 10 days of its release, a cumulative worldwide gross of $1,346,913,161(Reed, 2018). They made their $200,000 budget back just in their opening weekend (“Black Panther”, 2018). “The response from the African-American community and society, in general, has been “unbelievable.” It shows that if movie studios put a compelling story together, everyone comes on board and they really enjoy it” (Reed, 2018). This is important to mention because assumptions remain concerning the myth regarding sales. “[Black Panther] will forever end the myth that a black superhero action character written by a black writer, directed by a black director, starring a majority black cast ... won’t sell outside the black community,” said Jesse Holland, a journalist hired by Marvel to update Black Panther’s back story. “The myth that they won’t sell to mainstream America, that they won’t sell internationally — that myth has been forever shattered” (Reed, 2018). As mentioned previously, those of us who are not white have considerably more trouble not only finding representation of ourselves in mass media and other areas of public life but also finding representation that indicates that our humanity is multi-faceted. Relating to characters onscreen is necessary not merely for us to feel seen and understood, but also for others who need to see and understand us. When it doesn’t happen, we all are worse off because of it. What’s beautiful about Black Panther is that it’s a movie about what it means to be black in both America and Africa --- and more broadly, in the world. Rather than dodge complicated themes about race and identity, the film grapples head-on with the issues affecting modern-day black life. It is also incredibly entertaining, filled with timely comedy, sharply choreographed action, and gorgeously lit people of all colors. The history of black power and the movement that bore its name can be traced back to the summer of 1966. The month after Carmichael’s Black Power declaration, the character debuted in Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four No. 52. Supernatural strength and agility were his main features, but a genius intellect was his best attribute. “Black Panther” wasn’t an alter ego; it was the formal title for T’Challa, King of Wakanda, a fictional African nation that, thanks to its exclusive hold on the sound-absorbent metal vibranium, had become the most technologically advanced nation in the world, which wasn’t all that hard to believe as Africa was once one of the richest continents in the world. “Black Panther” was a vision of black grandeur and displayed power in a trying time, when more than 41% of African Americans were at or below the poverty line and comprised nearly a third of the nation’s poor (Smith, 2018). The movie cannot coexist without relations to the Black Panther Party, which was a revolutionary organization founded in Oakland, Calif., a few months after T’Challa’s debut, was depicted in the media as a threatening and radical group with goals that differed dramatically from the more pacifist vision of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Lewis. Marvel even briefly changed the character’s name to Black Leopard because of the inevitable association with the Panthers, but soon reverted (Smith, 2018). For some viewers, “Black Panther” may carry misunderstood connotations, but the 2018 film reclaims the symbol to be celebrated by all as a vessel for change. This is not just a movie about a black superhero; it’s very much a black movie. It carries a weight that neither Thor nor Captain America could lift: serving a black audience that has long gone underrepresented. For so long, films that depict a reality where whiteness isn’t the default have been ghettoized, marketed largely to audiences of color as niche entertainment, instead of as part of the mainstream. Think of Tyler Perry’s Madea movies, Malcolm D. Lee’s surprise 1999 hit The Best Man or the Barbershop franchise that launched in 2002. But over the past couple of years, the success of films including Get Out and Girls Trip have done even bigger business at the box office, led to commercial acclaim and minted new stars like Kaluuya and Tiffany Haddish. Those two hits have only furthered an argument that has persisted since well before Spike Lee made his debut: black films with black themes and black stars can and should be marketed like any other. No one talks about Woody Allen and Wes Anderson movies as “white movies” to be marketed only to that audience. Some of the film’s early success can be credited to Nate Moore, an African-American executive producer in Marvel’s film division who has been vocal about the importance of including black characters in the Marvel universe. But beyond Wakanda, the questions of power and responsibility, it seems, are not only applicable to the characters in Black Panther. Once this film blows the doors off, as expected, Hollywood must do more to reckon with that issue than merely greenlight more black stories. It also needs more Nate Moores. A black superhero is rare, and very far in between, Black Panther is more than just a movie, it’s a movement.Chapter 5Breaking Down Hollywood The landscape for Hollywood is changing, and I honestly believe it’s for the better. Young creatives are reengineering the way we create, identity, and execute content through the web to create revolutionary user-generated content. This outlet has allowed for millions of creatives to express genuine, relative, relatable content to views around the world. Entertainment is no longer just for watching, we are now allowed to participate in the conversation, with each other. These experiences inherently reflect and change the way we see the world. Creating more beautiful and diverse stories and perspectives to tell. The biggest mistake we can make is to think that we’ve done good by everyone by telling their stories for them. Diversity doesn’t always mean inclusion, but without it, the real stories aren’t being told. And real stories can be just as entertaining as the fictional ones. It’s true, have you seen “Tiger King”?And it’s not just me who seen this coming. Researchers Teresa Correa & Sun Ho Jeong quantitatively investigated the different uses of participatory technologies (i.e. the web, YouTube, etc.) among diverse racial and ethnic groups of college students. Using qualitative techniques, they also explored the different discourses and meanings these social groups attach to these tools. A survey showed that among online users, minority groups – African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians – tend to create online content more frequently than white students (Correa, 2011).Four focus groups with different racial and ethnic groups revealed that the meanings attached to these participatory tools differ. But three main principles emerged when organizing discourses and that was – connecting, enacting the self, and struggling – and the themes were framed differently for each person (Correa, 2011). For instance, social connections with friends and family were mentioned across all groups but connecting with niche communities emerged among minorities; “they valued these tools as an opportunity to connect with communities to which they share identities and their voices are relevant” (Correa, 2011). The ability to access such a powerful and self-affirming platform is something that many people have not experienced before. “These user-generated applications open a space for representation, connection, and participation for racial and ethnic minorities that have been traditionally excluded from traditional media and public spaces” (Correa, 2011). These participatory tools were also found to enact the self by suggesting the reality of an open dialogue on who someone is and sharing their struggles in a commanding yet vulnerable space (Correa, 2011). So how do we do it? How do we work together to dismantle the entertainment patriarchy? Well, after my short film documentary I decided to go with my fellow young creatives and bring my voice to the online space, at least for now. I might not be able to walk into Warner Brothers and demand diverse programming tomorrow, but I can do my part to encourage and create spaces for others who feel the same. During my interviews, I asked each of my guests to give advice to young creatives like myself trying to enter the entertainment industry. Each of their answers can be wrapped up into three important steps: always be your most authentic-self, celebrate your own successes, and be relentless when it comes to your mission. With these three goals in mind, I will go far, and I’m bringing everyone with me.Work Cited“Black Panther.”?IMDb, , 13 Feb. 2018, title/tt1825683/.Correa, Teresa, and Sun Ho Jeong. “Race and Online Content Creation.”Information, Communication, & Society, 2011. 14:5, p. 638-659, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2010.514355Judge, Monique. “Ava DuVernay Secures the Bag With $100 Million Warner Bros. TV Deal.”?The Grapevine, The Grapevine, 27 Nov. 2018, thegrapevine.ava-duvernay-secures-the-bag-with-100-million-warner-b-1830691446.*Lang, Brent. “Issa Rae, Columbia Sign Multi-Picture Production Deal Promoting Diverse Screenwriters (EXCLUSIVE).”?Variety, Variety, 11 Dec. 2018, 2018/film/news/issa-rae-columbia-insecure-1203086709/.Lang, Brent. “Number of Black Oscar Nominees Hits Three-Year Low in 2020.”?Variety, Variety, 28 Jan. 2020, 2020/film/news/black-oscar-nominees-2020-1203479474/.Lewis, Hilary. “Hattie McDaniel - Oscars: A Look Back at the African-American Winners.”?The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2016, lists/african-american-oscar-winner-oscarssowhite-870533/item/hattie-mcdaniel-african-american-oscar-870535.Reed, Americus, and Henry Boyd. “Why Marvel's 'Black Panther' Is Resonating Globally.”?Knowledge@Wharton, 1 Mar. 2018, knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/marvels-black-panther/.Reign, April. “#OscarsSoWhite Creator: With a Mostly White Academy, What Could We Expect? (Column).”?Variety, Variety, 15 Jan. 2020, 2020/film/news/oscarssowhite-nominations-diversity-april-reign-1203467389/.Smith, Jamil. “How Marvel's Black Panther Marks a Major Milestone.”?Time, Time, 2018, black-panther/. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download