Film Making Industry Analysis

The American Filmmaking industry has such a vast history. Currently, the industry grosses over $47 billion and although Hollywood has progressed some from mostly being an “all-boys club”, there are still those that can barely get inside. Minorities make up many important parts of the United States, and Films and Television make up a large part of the entertainment that many of those people across the United States consumes however, this industry fails to represent many of those consumers—both on and off screen, and when these minorities are somewhat represented, they are reduced to stereotypes. According to Alex Nogales, "The problem is the agencies, the casting directors, the film studios — the executives in all parts of the entertainment

Griffith, influenced directly by the Lumiere’s. Griffith began his career on the common route—as an extra for a film entitled Professional Jealousy, which saw virtually no commercial success, and due to this the Film Studio decided to make Griffith the director of the next film they were planning to produce. The Adventures of Dollie was a success, and he ended up directing nearly fifty more films for the studio, all of which added credibility to his reputation. Griffith moved from studio to studio to try and replicate his previous successes, but without much luck, mostly due to the limited budgets that said studios were offering him. Griffith decided to form his own company, Reliance-Majestic Studios with his friend and Majestic Studios owner, Harry Aitken. The first film produced at the studio (and coincidentally, the first feature length film ever produced), The Birth of a Nation, was regarded by many as one of the best films of the time —in fact, it was considered one of the best films ever made. It generated upwards of $10 million. Although the film garnered much praise, it also (understandably) garnered a great deal of criticism for it’s portrayal of African

To summarize the plot, the eldest Cameron son, Ben, a solider in the Confederate army became injured and was eventually captured by the North and was nursed back to health by the eldest Stoneman daughter, Elsie. In this sort of parallel universe, the Stoneman Patriarch “assumes power” after President Lincoln’s assassination. Just before this transition in power, The Cameron family experienced the loss of the younger sons, and had their property invaded by black soldiers. This incident enraged the Cameron patriarch and prompted him to create the Ku Klux Klan. This film is problematic for a number of reasons, but most importantly for its portrayal of minorities. Firstly, the black characters were just white actors in blackface, whilst engaging in stereotypical “coonish” behavior (for example, lounging around while eating fried chicken and drinking liquor). The most harmful stereotype, though, was how the black men were depicted “as “subhuman,” possessing “vicious bestiality” and “primitive sexuality. (Washington Post)” In one scene, the youngest and most virtuous of the Cameron daughters was being chased by a black farmhand, and to avoid being raped by him, she jumped off the ledge. This harmful narrative of these sexual predators was not the only narrative these majority white audiences perpetuated, but certainly