#Ucla hollywood diversity report

[biglisbonnews]

Report Shows Hollywood Still Is Struggling With Diversity A week after a GLAAD report warned that nearly a quarter of queer characters are set to disappear from television in the coming year, UCLA’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report has appears to show that the industry is making strides towards being more inclusive on the small screen, while representation on the big screen seems to be falling behind.Separating out their findings between films made for streaming services and those made for theatrical release for the first time ever, representation for people of color in films that premiered on streaming services consistently outpaced those that appeared in box offices. Out of the top 100 streaming films in 2022, 64% had casts that had at least 30% actors of color, compared to 57% for theatrical films. Similarly, out of the top 200 highest grossing box office releases in North America, only 22% of lead actors, 17% of directors and 12% of writers were people of color, all which are below record-high numbers that were recorded by the study before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.As for women in theatrical releases, representation for female actors in lead roles dropped from 44% in 2019 to 39% in 2022, while the share of directors and overall cast members remained relatively consistent with 15% and 41% respectively in 2022 as opposed to 15% and 41% in 2019. By comparison, streaming films saw almost equal representation for women, who made up 49% of the lead roles. Streaming also outshined theatrical when it came to directors, with 25% being women and 23% POC, and writers, 36% of which were women and 20% POC. “As the film industry continues to face unprecedented uncertainty, this report identifies a path forward,” co-author of the report Michael Tran, a PhD Candidate in the UCLA sociology department, said. “The pandemic has normalized diversity on screen, not just in theaters but at home. Audiences tuned in. If Hollywood reverses course on diversity in the theaters, they’ll lose audiences to streaming and to international offerings.”The report also found that audiences have an appetite for more diverse stories and will show up to prove it. Both theatrical and streaming films that featured more than 30% minority casts consistently did better in both the box office and Nielsen ratings overall. Six out the ten top theatrical release last year had a majority minority audience while all of the top ten streaming films had an overrepresentation of audiences of color.The report pointed to films like Disney's Encanto and Pixar's Turning Red as examples of diverse stories can still have mass appeal. “These films were culturally specific yet universally relatable,” said Ana-Christina Ramon, director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA. “With more than half of the current population under the age of 18 belonging to communities of color, these young people will grow up and demand films with protagonists who look like them and who live like them.”However, despite the data showing otherwise, UCLA found that a majority of Hollywood's big budget project are still disproportionately going to white men. The report found that 60% of projects that had budgets of $30 million or more were directed by white men, while 56% of films directed by white women and 76% of films from directors of color had budgets of less than $20 million.There is perhaps no better illustration of this than A24's Everything Everywhere All At Once, which, despite having a budget under $30 million, swept award shows and took home the Oscar for Best Picture. Lead Michelle Yeoh also made history as the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for a leading role.“People of color saved the theatrical industry during the pandemic, and they are key to bringing the theatrical business back to its pre-pandemic levels,” Ramón said.Photo via Getty/Frederic J. Brown / AFP https://www.papermag.com/ucla-hollywood-diversity-report-2659695379.html

[justheretobreakthings]

As an aroace who frequently feels frustrated by the inability to escape romance and sex whereever you turn, it's easy to become very cynical about the state of media and the uphill battle. So it's definitely really encouraging to see that there's a viable market for aroace-friendly content, one that's significant enough that perhaps in the near future we'll get to see more big media companies catering to that market. And that's in addition to the fact that today's younger generation is a lot more aware of queer identities and diversity than those who have been the big players in media creation for so long now, which means it's very likely that soon we'll get to see more creators who are willing to break away from the narrow standards of character relationships that writers often stick to now.

This article is from October 2023, so it's pretty up-to-date, even though being accustomed to Internet Time makes me feel like I'm super late to this. Anyway, have an excerpt from the article for some highlights:

Teens in the US are wondering why they don’t see more platonic relationships on screen. And that’s just one of many key takeaways from the second-annual Teens & Screens report released today by the Center for Scholars and Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. [...] When it comes to the types of relationships shown on screen, teens are tired of love triangles and “will they or won’t they” storylines. A majority of respondents (55%) expressed a desire to see more focus on friendships in film and TV.  “While some storytellers use sex and romance as a shortcut to character connection, it’s important for Hollywood to recognize that adolescents want stories that reflect the full spectrum of relationships,” noted Uhls. More than half (51.8%) of all teens surveyed also said sexual content was not necessary in most series and films. Another indicator of what CSS calls a “nomance” trend is the fact that 38% of the teen sample said they are particularly keen to see more aromantic/asexual characters.  On average, all of the respondents ranked romantic clichés among their five least favorite fictional stereotypes. (And that’s quite a shift from when love triangles reigned supreme in fairly recent teen-skewing film franchises like To All the Boys and Twilight.)

Here's a link to the report discussed in the article for those interested.

[mariacallous]

Hollywood has an inclusivity problem. How is this possible, in 2024, you wonder, when films like King Richard or Sound of Metal or Everything Everywhere All at Once—all nominated for Best Picture Oscars—suggest otherwise. They are films rich in story, dimension, and purpose. They are also exceptions to a long-established rule: White men still run Hollywood. Women remain almost entirely shut out, compared to their male colleagues, while disabled and Black actors are underrepresented in all major employment arenas for theatrical film, according to UCLA’s most recent Hollywood diversity report.

In the face of this, Kamala Avila-Salmon wants better for Hollywood and its storytellers. Avila-Salmon is the head of inclusive content at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, where she began her stint in 2020 and has since leveraged her experience as a marketing savant (she has held top-level roles at RCA, Universal Pictures, Google, and Facebook) to shift how the studio makes movies. At Lionsgate, her main directive is simple: to create a creative economy that allows for more attentive storytelling. Stories of magnitude and conviction, yes, but also ones with as much reach as possible. It begins, she tells me, by having an “audience-first” mindset.

This month she launched Story Spark, an online tool that helps creatives understand the limits of their scripts and hiring choices by pushing for inclusivity in all aspects (it resembles a BuzzFeed-style multiple-choice questionnaire). As AI threatens a shrinking workforce and streaming upends traditional viewership, Avila-Salmon believes Story Spark can be a bridge to a healthier future for Hollywood. “Story Spark isn’t telling you if the movie is good,” she jokes when we chat over Zoom. “I have no idea.” You don’t upload a script. There is no secret counsel of industry insiders judging your work behind the scenes. Story Spark is simply meant to challenge writers and filmmakers to create their most audacious work possible. And, yes, there will be plenty of notes.

[yessadirichards]

Despite 'Barbie,' women not getting movie lead roles: report

LOS ANGELES

The share of Hollywood films with women in the lead role fell last year, new research showed Thursday, despite standout successes like "Barbie."

In the year that the feminist blockbuster starring Margot Robbie blew its competitors away at the box office, just a third of movies had a woman at the top of the bill, according to the Hollywood Diversity Report.

Greta Gerwig's fun-packed feminist satire, which took more than $1.4 billion at the global box office, also garnered eight nominations for this weekend's Oscars, including best picture.

"Even as 'Barbie' broke box office records, the industry demonstrated that it had continued to undervalue movies centering on and led by women, as women lost ground when it came to representation for theatrical leads, writers and total actors," said the report, produced by the University of California, Los Angeles.

The share of films with a woman as the lead character steadily increased over the decade to 2019, researchers said.

That year, 44 percent of films produced in Hollywood had a female lead.

But in the years since, the proportion has dropped, with just 32 percent of movies in 2023 having a woman as the main character.

"This is a wake-up call for Hollywood," said Ana-Christina Ramon, cofounder of the report and director of UCLA's Entertainment and Media Research Initiative. "Studios need to invest in women and their stories. Women creators and moviegoers are integral to the industry's growth."

The report, which is now in its 12th year, also found that films with a more diverse cast, including a greater proportion of non-white actors, tend to do better at the box office.

Franchise movies whose casts are at least half people of color outperformed earlier iterations, the report said, citing best-in-series successes enjoyed by "Creed III," "Scream VI" and "John Wick: Chapter 4."

In line with previous years, the report found that audiences of color underwrote box office returns, with at least six out of ten tickets for those films' opening weekends purchased by non-white customers.

"When the film industry gives them what they want, people of color deliver at the box office year in and year out," said Ramon.

This year's Oscars are being held in Hollywood on Sunday.

[citylifeorg]

New Round of Award Recipients for the NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre

$7.5 Million Presented to Women-Led Projects Since Grant’s Inception in 2018, Making Good on NYC’s Commitment to Bring Equity to Entertainment Sectors Announcement comes as Annual UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report Details Gains and Losses for Women in Film Industry The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), in partnership with New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), has awarded $2…

[goodblacknews]

Films with Higher Percentages of Cast Diversity Earn Top Box Office Dollars in 2020 While Films with Lowest Diversity Earn the Least

Films with Higher Percentages of Cast Diversity Earn Top Box Office Dollars in 2020 While Films with Lowest Diversity Earn the Least

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson) According to UCLA’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report, U.S. audiences spent more money to see films comprised of diverse casts. Although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted movie releases in theaters for the majority of 2020, the UCLA report took that into consideration and tracked online and streaming movie releases as well. The data from those releases…

[news4usonline]

Diverse TV casts connect with pandemic audiences

Diversity in TV make a connection audiences diversity #Latino #hollywooddiversityreport

The latest UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, reveals that television viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic leaned into content that came out of diverse writers rooms and that featured diverse casts. “We have seen this appetite for diverse content repeated over the history of our analyses,” said Darnell Hunt, co-author of the report and UCLA’s dean of social sciences. “The fact that shows with…

[karingottschalk]

UCLA College of Social Sciences: Hollywood Diversity Report 2022, Part 1: Film – PDF

UCLA College of Social Sciences: Hollywood Diversity Report 2022, Part 1: Film – PDF

[popculty]

It took 30 years for “Dark Winds” to be adapted for television. The Tony Hillerman series revolves around the Navajo Nation and two tribal policemen trying to solve the murder of a Navajo woman. The show has already made history for its predominant Native cast and crew, already cinching up a second season.

But this series isn’t alone this summer in presenting Native Americans in a more authentic way. “Rutherford Falls” and “Reservation Dogs” are both returning for second seasons. The Guardian called the first season of “Reservation Dogs” “a stereotype-smashing, Tarantino-esque triumph.” And “Rutherford Falls” is full of “Native joy” and comedy.

It’s a significant moment for a group that has been severely underrepresented in media. Last year, UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report found that indigenous people made up less than one percent of acting roles. They were virtually nonexistent in creative roles behind the camera.

Even though these shows are making more room for these stories to be told, there is still quite a lot of work to do. Diné language and literacy educator Clarissa Yazzie recently spoke out on social media about mispronunciations of the language on Dark Winds despite the predominantly Native writer’s room. 

So, how much has the representation of Native people in movies and TV evolved? And what’s next for Native stories on screen?

[kuramirocket]

The star power of Eva Longoria should never be underestimated. A proud Mexican-American the multihyphenate powerhouse has won the hearts of television viewers since her breakout role in ABC’s Desperate Housewives. 

In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Longoria is all smiles when speaking about how her Mexican heritage. It inspires her perspective on life — from daily activities to the way she runs her businesses, which include several restaurants and a production company, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.

“Being Mexican is who I am,” Longoria says. “For me, it exudes in everything that I do every day from how I style my hair, to putting on my lip liner, to putting on my hoops, to what I make for breakfast, how I have my café con leche. It seeps into every aspect of my life.”

A staunch activist for gender equality, she's also used her platform to shine a light on issues impacting Latino communities, specifically focusing on advocating for more Latino visibility on and off-screen — something she explains is vital in preserving the wellbeing of Hispanic communities.

“The problem is when you don't have a person of color within your community, if your neighbors aren't Latino, the only reference you have of us is the news. And that doesn't do a very good job of portraying who we are,” Longoria explains. “And so, representation in TV, in film, in music, in art, it matters because it educates the community about who we are.”

Her concern is warranted. According to UCLA’s 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report, Latinos accounted for only 5.7 percent of all film roles in 2020 — up slightly from 2019 when it was 4.6 percent. While the uptick is promising, she says it’s not enough.

She also stresses the importance of having Latinos behind the camera and in other positions of power. "That's why I became a producer and that's why I became a director. It was to make sure that our stories are told because it's important,” she says. “It educates people about who we are. It educates our community about who we are, and that is even more important. If I am a Latino watching, literally, the erasure of my culture, then I think, ‘Oh OK, I am not worthy. My stories don't matter.’ And that's way more dangerous. We need to make sure that we share our own community, our worth — and celebrate it.”

Despite her strong will to make it in business, Longoria admits she suffered from impostor syndrome when she started directing television. “I was terrified on set,” she explains. “I remember driving to the set with knots in my stomach going, ‘I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know why I said yes.’”

Longoria’s film directorial debut, Flamin’ Hot, is currently in post-production, adds to her 17 director credits, per IMDb, so she has clearly gotten the hang of it. “I learned that I was more than prepared," she says. "I learned that I had all the tools I needed. I was enough.”

Still, she warns other young Latino artists to be aware of the challenges the Hollywood industry might throw at them.

“Go into [the business] knowing there are systemic barriers,” she advises young Latinos. “There is a systemic culture that is taught not to let you in. Just know that you have to work twice as hard.”

Or, put more simply: “I did work my ass off and that is my advice: work your ass off.”

Longoria’s latest venture is one that has seldom been chartered by Latina celebrities: the tequila industry. This month, the actress and entrepreneur announced the launch of Casa del Sol, a Mexican-owned and operated tequila brand inspired by the legend of the Aztec goddess of agave, Mayahuel.

The star admits she had little knowledge about the process of making tequila before diving into the business. But that ended up being a good thing.

“I didn't know it's aged and I didn't know the tradition and the craftsmanship behind it. I didn't know it could have notes of vanilla," she admits.

Learning about the process was “eye-opening” for the star, who was quite studious early on as she began building the seeds of the brand. After all, the celebrity tequila market today is mostly dominated by white men, which makes her launch especially significant. 

"I've been approached by many brands to be the face, but every time I was approached by a tequila brand, it felt like they wanted to be celebrity forward," she explains. "Casa Del Sol was the first time where it was female-led and tequila forward. They were all about the tequila, the craftsmanship and the traditions." 

“With tequila, it has to be rooted in Mexican heritage. It just has to be," she adds, “I read so much once I got involved in Casa Del Sol about the soil and the overproduction of the agave plants, and how tequila is in so much demand that people are cutting them down sooner than they should be cut down. It takes about seven years for an agave plant to mature.”

She is making sure the brand is giving back to communities in Altos de Jalisco, the region where Casa Del Sol is produced, by developing programs that level the playing field for women.

“I love giving back in the process,” she explains. “It's important to build community initiatives for the people of Jalisco and the people who give us this high-quality tequila. For me, it’s making sure workers are guaranteed a fair living wage and taking care of the agave not only to assure the quality in our bottles, but to make sure that the growth technique is natural.”

[tepkunset]

What do you think about actors having to confirm their identities/native-ness(?)before taking a role?

My friends and I auditioned for a local play and one of the mains is said to have "distant blood" and is required to confirm as they didn't grow up with that culture(according to them). As some1 who is interested in producing plays and hopefully movies in the future I'm interested in hearing Native's voices

I think that people in the entertainment industry have a right to privacy as much as the next person. However, if you are auditioning for a role of a Native character, and therefore (if the casting people are actually doing their job responsibly) it is part of the role requirements is that you are Native, you should be expected to back this up in some way. It is no different than if you were applying for any other specifically Indigenous job. For example, NS Health recently hired the province’s first Indigenous Health Consultant. Part of both this job and that of an actor is bringing in your perspective and experiences and knowledge as a Native person. A non-Native person is incapable of bringing this to the role. They could be the most talented person on the planet and give what is on the surface deemed a fantastic performance, but it cannot measure up to that which an actual Native actor can give beyond that surface level, and what they can also contribute to the creative process on a larger scale! And what’s more, the amount of Indigenous representation in mainstream media is so little it is practically microscopic. Literally, statistically speaking, 0.3% in 2020 and 0.4% in 2019, per UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Reports.

PS: This person with ‘distant blood’ and also has no cultural connection whatsoever sounds about as Native as J*hnny D*pp.

[aci25]

TV is failing Latinos. The latest study of Hollywood diversity shows how badly

UCLA’s latest Hollywood Diversity Report confirms that Latino representation in Hollywood remains abysmal in the television industry.

Released Tuesday, among the key findings of the TV-focused portion of the annual study is that Latino representation in key TV jobs remained stagnant since last year’s report, despite gains made by people of color overall in most of the employment categories tracked by researchers.

According to the study, Latino actors accounted for only 7.1% of lead roles, and 6.3% of all roles, on broadcast scripted shows during the 2019-2020 season. Latino actors fared no better in scripted cable and digital TV, where they played 5.7% and 5.5% of all roles, respectively, and fewer than 5% of leads. These numbers fall far short of reflecting the U.S. population, 18.5% of which identifies as Hispanic or Latino.

The data about those behind the camera is even more damning. The study estimates that Latino directors helmed just 5.4% of episodes on broadcast TV, 3.5% of those on cable and 3% of digital TV episodes. And, given that TV is considered a writer’s medium, the lack of Latino representation among credited writers is particularly glaring: Latino writers accounted for just 4.8% of those credited in broadcast, 4.7% in cable and 4.3% in digital TV shows.

Authored by UCLA professor and dean of social sciences Darnell Hunt and Ana-Christina Ramón, director of research and civic engagement for social sciences at UCLA, the television-focused Part 2 of “Hollywood Diversity Report 2021: Pandemic in Progress” examines 461 scripted series from the 2019-2020 season across broadcast, cable and digital platforms (Part 1, which focused on 2020 films, was published in April). Researchers look at both on-screen and behind-the-camera roles — including the lead actors, creators, directors and credited writers of scripted broadcast, cable and digital shows — to document how women and people of color are represented in the industry.

The study found that overall, people of color have made gains in nine of the 12 job categories examined since last year’s study, including among leads on digital scripted shows; creators on cable and digital shows; directors on broadcast, cable and digital shows; and as credited writers on broadcast, cable and digital shows. While overall representation remained unchanged for people of color compared with their white counterparts among broadcast scripted leads, fewer people of color accounted for leads of cable scripted shows and creators of broadcast shows compared with last year’s study.

The biggest gains for representation have been on screen, with people of color accounting for 33.6% of cable and 31% of digital leads during the time period examined.

Overall, people of color accounted for 43.4% of all roles on scripted broadcast shows; cable and digital series were close behind with actors of color accounting for 40.5% and 38.4% of all roles, respectively. (42.7% of the U.S. population identify as people of color.) Despite positive trends for on-screen representation, specific racial and ethnic groups, including Latino, Asian and Indigenous people, continue to be severely underrepresented on TV.

The Hollywood Diversity Report also tracks the representation of women in the same key TV jobs. For the 2019-2020 season, the study found that women made gains in six of 12 job categories, including among leads on scripted digital shows; creators of cable shows; directors of broadcast, cable and digital episodes; and credited writers on cable shows. Despite these gains, women remained underrepresented in nearly all categories during the time period examined.

Read the full report here.

LATimes: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-10-26/ucla-hollywood-diversity-report-latino-representation-television

[denofgeek]

Why aren’t there more Asians in Cobra Kai?

Since Cobra Kai first premiered on YouTube, The Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and other publications have called out the series for its lack of Asianness. The series also scored poorly on UCLA’s 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report. Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) and Carmen (Vanessa Rubio) are the only non-white main characters. This was exacerbated when the recently-released season 3 excluded Aisha (Nichole Brown), a major character of color who was a fan favorite...

[Read more at Den of Geek]