Minorities and Film Essay - 1320 Words

Minorities and Film Minorities and the Film Industry It’s September, the kids are back in school, and it’s time for another new season of television. Another round of must see Felicity, Friends, and Frasier, with a side of ER and some Nash Bridges for dessert. Loads and loads of Caucasian males and females making us laugh, and cry. What you do not see are Black, Hispanic, or other minorities making us laugh, and cry. In this day and age, where everyone gets a fair shot at doing what they really love, the same can not be said for minorities in the film industry. More and more minorities are being turn away in favor of Caucasian actors. It’s not only actors that are feeling the pinch, its also writers, directors, producers, and†¦show more content†¦Take these examples from Entertainment Weekly: 1.NBC, the only network to make a profit last year, also boasts the whitest programming. 2.The WB’s Felicity draws similar numbers of 18- to 49- year-olds as the net’s two highest- rated black series, The Steve Harvey Show and The Jamie Foxx Show. But last season, Felicity commanded about $80,000 per 30 second commercial while The Steve Harvey Show and The Jamie Foxx Show each drew less than $40,000 for an equivalent spot. 3.The WB lost 20 percent of its black 18- to 49-year-old viewers last season yet will earn record ad revenue this fall.The facts do not lie and it’s a wonder why none of the ad execs EW interviewed would go on record. Because the position they are defending is borderline racist: White viewers are worth more than black viewers, they won’t talk about it. And the studios share a similarly narrow view: Networks generate less ad money from â€Å"black† shows, so they pay less to the studio. Plus potential revenue from reruns and international sales of black series are smaller. Second excuse is the plethora of networks today. Back in the old days there were only three broadly programmed networks. That all changed in the late 80’s with the launch of Fox, a network that found early success targeting minorities with shows like â€Å"In Living Color† and â€Å"Martin†. WB and UPN followed in ’95, allowing NBC, CBS, and ABC to edge away from the genre.Show MoreRelatedMinority Report Film Analysis1070 Words   |  5 PagesStephen Spielberg’s 2002 science fiction mystery thriller Minority Report, is an interesting commentary on the age old struggle for human beings to find a balance between our desire for freedom and our need for security. 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