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Changes in the Film Industry

With many important figures helming the forefront of great social change

throughout the 20th and 21st century, film has been a great medium to translate

personal experiences and bring societal issues to light. With current films like ​Black

​ nd ​Moonlight ​with a large African American cast and crew, it seems like the
Panther a

film industry is moving in the right direction. However, the history of the film industry

did not begin on this path. Films largely reflected the lives of the people who made

them. In the case of film, white people have been leading the charge. However, as social

standards evolved, film evolved with it. No longer were African Americans reduced to

demeaning roles and no longer were women only one-dimensional characters. Viewers

like to see films that reflect their reality and certainly Hollywood has picked up on this.

Films have a been a big part of my life growing up and have been used to instill moral

lessons and teach people right from wrong. Films have evolved greatly in response to

social changes and more and more people are getting their due on the silver screen.

Films reflect society but can also influence the way people perceive others. It is also

important to note that films are also a product of their time. They may depict the

prejudices of society at the time but as people evolved, so did film. Film is a relatively

new medium to tell stories but they are powerful in the way they convey visual

information because that is entirely their purpose. Ultimately, I arrived at the question:

How has the film industry changed to reflect evolving social standards?

At the beginnings of the American film industry, many films reflected the society

and worldviews of the filmmakers making them. In the beginnings of the film industries

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in America, people of color were treated as concepts and tools in the background to

move along white characters in their stories. “Many movies that featured white casts

included musical segments of black artists… ‘Integration,’ even at this level, was still too

disturbing for white censors in the segregated South” (Jones 31). A good example is the

film ​Birth of a Nation ​(1915) directed by D. W. Griffith depicts the South during the Civil

War and “reflects narrow world-view based on the director’s limited social experience”

(Dixon and Foster 24). This film has and still remains a large source of controversy for

its depiction of African Americans as rapists and thieves. “It’s important to note that the

African American community responded to the release with urgency, consistency, and

organization. One African American filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux, made a film entitled

Within Our Gates (​ 1919) as a direct response to Griffith” (Dixon and Foster 25). This

film alluded to the white-on-black violence that was so heavily present at the time.

These films represented a way to translate world views and messages to people in a

more stimulating fashion. White men wore blackface in ​Birth of a Nation ​depicting

African Americans as monsters. These films reflected society but also as well influenced

it. President Woodrow Wilson remarked about ​Birth of a Nation ​that “it is like writing

history with lightning, and my one regret is that it is all so terribly true” (Dixon and

Foster 25). Ultimately, this film inspired the reformation of the Ku Klux Klan in 1915 as

they were displayed as a heroic force in the film. In the Oscar nominated film

BlacKkKlansman ​(2018) directed by Spike Lee reflects on the Klan’s worship of this

film. Films like Spike Lee’s ​BlacKkKlansman ​push the envelope of films with social

commentary and aim to make people see the reality of the racial divide in America that

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is still prevalent today. For the young minority groups, films that depict them and

connect with them are what’s needed in today’s society. Films like ​Moonlight ​(2016)

which depicts a young, gay, African American growing up in the world and ​Roma ​(2018)

which depicts a young Mexican maid living in the midst of the Mexican Civil War. Films

can make people more culturally aware and can open their eyes so that they can reflect

on their prejudices.

As the film industry, different people of different genders and races both starred

in and created the films, though still there was a long way to go. According to a UCLA

report, people of color accounted for 13.6 percent of the leads in top films for 2016

(Hunt et al.). It is clear that though large strides have been made moving away from a

totally white-centric industry. It is important that when translating social issues to film,

that the people with first-hand experience get to be involved in its creation. A good

example of this is Alfonso Cuarón’s ​Roma​. This film is deeply personal to Cuarón as it

was part of his life he was translating to screen. The characters in this film are based off

of people from his life. The film was shot in México and the cast and crew were all

Mexicans. A film like this would not nearly have the emotional resonance and personal

touch if not for Alfonso Cuarón’s life experience and his cast and crew. When speaking

with Arthur Thrower, an independent filmmaker based in Oakland, I asked him about

the importance of diversity and inclusion in films, he has this to say. “The more people

you can have on set, the more eyes you can have on your script, the more different

personalities and backgrounds you can have leading your departments, it’s gonna make

for a better product” (Thrower). As a person with experience making films, Throwers

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stresses the importance of a diverse group of people not only starring in films, but also

creating them as well. As well as from a viewership standpoint, Thrower notes that

Hollywood tends to release the same stories that do not really reflect reality. “It’s super

important because the less homogenous we can make these stories, the more we realize

that we as people are different and we are not sort of forcing this generic blanket

narrative in which everyone’s life is supposed to relate to what Hollywood is saying as

opposed to the reality” (Thrower). Films in the beginning were largely homogenous and

reflected the reality of the people who made them. The racial and social prejudices in

films reflected the society at the time. Women were often one-dimensional characters

giving support to their male counterparts. However, woman in filmmaking went far with

feminist film movements to rally for social change. “Women documentary filmmakers,

in particular, conceived of cinema as an instrument for social change. Filmmakers

collaborated to create new distribution networks through which non-fiction films were

mobilized in tandem with women’s political activism, and particularly

consciousness-raising, as a way to incite reflection as a precursor to action” (Warren). In

today’s society, with films like ​Wonder Woman t​ o inspire young girls everywhere, it is

important to remember the effects media has on the mind and how films can introduce

and reinforce prejudices.

“While a number of early films make overt statements on such issues as

women's right to vote, race relations, pacifism, or birth control, and these
statements were undoubtedly part of the purpose in making these films, many
other films express attitudes toward woman's proper role, racial equality, or the
nature of war or the family without proclaiming a position. Reflecting these

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attitudes was not the central goal of films, but the attitudes themselves may have
had a great effect in shaping a realm of common assumption (Gunning).
important to remember the effects media has on the mind and how films can

Films can shape how people think and if reinforced from a very young age, certain ideas

can be hammered into them. Films and other media for children can be used as way to

instill moral lessons. In this way media literacy is key to know how to wade through the

different media.

Media literacy is a tool to help the average person be more aware of what

surrounds them in their everyday lives. Though this is not a skill that everyone

possesses. The average person consume copious amounts of content and media per day

and with no real way to wade through the false narratives, people can become lost in it,

especially when it comes to news. “It is commonplace to assert that popular media

representations not only reflect but also impact what societies remember, when they

remember, and —most important— how they remember. But the compound social and

political role that media plays in disseminating, as well as perpetuating or subverting

dominant ideologies and historical narratives, is often overlooked in formal education”

(Bellino). Media literacy is a skill that allows for deeper understanding of how the world

works. As mentioned before, film can reflect society but also influence it. Learning to

view films and other forms of media with an academic lens can teach people to have an

understanding the important role the media plays in today’s society. I met with Ami

Zensius, the media and film teacher at Las Lomas, at Starbucks for an interview and she

had this to say about the importance of media literacy. “Well as a teacher, I think media

literacy is super important. We live in a world where you can’t escape it, so you better

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learn how to deal with it. You better know how truth can be bent. I think it’s important

that you know where your media is coming from so you know who you’re supporting”

(Zensius). I think that now media literacy, whether that be through films or other forms

of media, is beginning to be an important part of education because of how dependent

society is on it. As well, as knowing where the film came form, the intention behind the

piece of media is also very important. Hollywood seems to be going to the right direction

but some question if the motives behind it are genuine. Ami Zensius had this to say: “I

think that’s it’s a benefit to have the films out there. Why they’re doing it? I hope they’re

doing it because they feel like it’s the right thing to do, but they’re probably doing it

because it’s starting to make money and because audiences demand them” (Zensius).

Ultimately, Ami found that independent films on the edge are the ones doing the most

change for the film industry. I think it’s important because by nature of doing an

independent film, there is more creative freedom. Independent filmmakers will

continue pushing the envelope and those that get noticed will influence the rest of the

industry.

Attitudes regarding the inclusion more diverse inclusion has shown that for many

people, they are still unable to let go of the past to move towards the future of

filmmaking. Recent reactions to popular mainstream movies like ​Star Wars ​and

​ ave shown this in their extreme reactions to female leads and diverse
Captain Marvel h

character casting. Many argue that diversity in Hollywood is forced and part of an

agenda and that films suffer artistically because of it. When asked about extreme online

reactions, Ami Zensius had this to say: “I think some of it is just internet trolling.

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Anything these days gets a big reaction. The stronger the reaction from either end… I

think the truth lies somewhere in the middle” (Zensius). In today’s internet culture,

extreme reactions are very commonplace as the people who have the loudest voice on

the internet are often the ones who get the most attention. In this way, with the

emergence of the internet, it has forever changed the film industry and it caters to those

who yell the loudest. I think these reactions come from ignorance to different cultures

and types of people. Going back to media literacy, the media perpetuates the cycle of

fear and animosity towards minorities and being able to sift through the garbage and

look at different perspectives is a necessary skill. People living in very homogenous

places do not have a lot of interaction with people outside of what they know and that

contributes to fear and misunderstanding of other people. Films have catered to the

white demographic for most of its history so many are angry with more pushes in

diversity. A good way to introduce and disseminate different cultures to as much people

as they can is through the medium of film.

“Films chosen for the purpose of learning or teaching a foreign or second

language may enable us to observe varying patterns of human behaviors,

including thoughts, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of

interacting, etc. Thus using movies with rich content describing different aspect

of culture of different people seems to be a very appropriate tool to enhance the

understanding of cultural diversity and to get the sense of cultural awareness and

the sense of the humanity of other people” (Yalcin).

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People need to be exposed to other cultures and ideas instead of feeling animosity

towards people they do not understand. This way, diversity in films and other popular

media will not be met with extreme reactions.

In conclusion, film, while a relatively new medium, has soared to be one of its

popular forms of entertainment. People want to see what connects to them personally

and I believe that the less homogenous films are, as the current trend seems to be, the

more connections these film create. While conducting my interviews and doing my

research, it became clear to me that people do not want the same story again and again

with the same people. Diversity is America’s strength and for much of film history have

ignored diverse leads and more diverse crew for what is safe. People have shown the

film industry who it is they want to see in the films they watch and who it is that they

want to see making the films that they watch. Though many films might be met with

certain hyperbolic reactions, many accept and welcome diversity because the world is

not just made up of a single group and something as expressive as film should never be

limited. Films can teach us many things and can reflect history back to us. They offer

lessons to be learned or errors to avoid. When looking back at film history, we can say

that we made great strides.

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Works Cited

Bellino, Michelle. “Historical Understanding and Media Literacy: A Dispositional

Alignment.” International Journal of Social Education, ​International Journal of

Social Education,​ 2010,

search.proquest.com/centralk12/docview/847561510/264F9FF1D77A438CPQ/11

?accountid=193803.

Dixon, Wheeler Winston, and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster. ​A Short History of Film.​

Rutgers Univ. Press, 2010.

Gunning, Tom. “Who Made the Film and Why?” ​HISTORY MATTERS - The U.S. Survey

Course on the Web,​ historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/film/question3.html.

Hunt, Darnell, and Ana-Christina Ramon. “Hollywood Diversity Report 2018.” ​UCLA

College Social Sciences​, UCLA, 2018,

socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/UCLA-Hollywood-Diversi

ty-Report-2018-2-27-18.pdf.

Jones, K. Maurice. ​Spike Lee and the African American Filmmakers: A Choice of

Colors.​ The Millbrook Press, 1996.

Thrower, Arthur. Personal Interview. 27 Feb 2019

Warren, Shilyh. “By, For, and About: The "'Real'" Problem in the Feminist Film

Movement.” ​UCLA School of TFT,​ Media Scape, 2008,

www.tft.ucla.edu/mediascape/Fall08_Warren.html.

Zensius, Ami. Personal Interview. 6 March 2019

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Yalcin, Nafi. “Using Movies in Language Classrooms as Means of Understanding

Cultural Diversity” ​Epiphany: Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies,​ 2013,

oaji.net/articles/2014/1507-1417510920.pdf.

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