As we’ve already explored, we’ve seen a disappointing drop in female protagonists and female-focused films for the 2020 period, sending us back to pre-2016 levels. How does this play out for the representation of BIPOC people, specifically, in film for the same period? BLAKE & WANG P.A Entertainment Lawyer dives deeper into the issues revealed by an exciting new study.
The study, funded by the Center for the Study of Women in TV and Film, focuses mostly on the representation of women in film. What does it have to say about the roles for women of color?
Sadly, not many good things. In 2019 we saw 20% of characters in this demographic. This has declined sharply, by 15%. And of those roles, only 13% were ‘major characters’- appearing in more than one scene and playing a key role in the narrative.
Latina representation did see a meaningful uptick of 20%, although in cold, hard figures that accounts for a move from 5% to 6%. Asian women, however, declined from 7% to 6%, a 14% loss. Speaking specifically of major roles, it was neck and neck at 6% each for Asian and Latina women. 74% remained white, and 1% fell in the ‘other’ category ethnically.
So what’s the verdict? Certainly, those aren’t entirely the signs of progress we’d like to see in the industry, especially with more and more consumers keen to get their eyes on diverse content. All the same, there’s some very promising progress here. 2020 was not the easiest year for any film-related activities, so perhaps it’s not all that surprising there would be no major steps forward in that period.
With luck, the results of the study can be carried forward to help create an even better industry as we go into the next year. BLAKE & WANG P.A will be keeping an eye on developments as we go, of course.
Film and Television 