Chair, Department of Media and Theatre Arts and Director of the Graduate Film Program

Sacred Heart University Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

Longstanding problems with diversity and inclusion in the U.S. film industry have been in the news a great deal of late—ever since the social media #OscarsSoWhite phenomenon that began in 2015 and subsequent movements such as #WhiteWashedOUT and Time’s Up. Critics noted that in 2015, and again in 2016, all 20 Oscar acting nominations went to white actors, and all of the directing nominations went to men. If things seemed to have changed somewhat by 2019, when there were 13 Oscar winners of color overall, 2020 presented a more ambiguous result. Only one actor of color was honored with a nomination, and a number of diverse films that were in contention were overlooked. However, director Chloé Zhao became the second woman, and the first woman of color, to take home the award for Best Director. 

The Golden Globe Awards has undergone its own controversy because of the lack of diversity in its awarding body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Public scrutiny of high- profile awards like the Oscars and the Golden Globes has seemingly pushed the industry in the direction of awareness and positive change when it comes to supporting the work of those who have historically been marginalized. However, as the examples above emblematize, this change can be agonizingly slow and subject to pendulum swings. While they can be an important hallmark of change, progress in the industry’s top honors are also the tip of the iceberg, as the film industry remains one of the least diverse professional sectors.

Citing a report by the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company, The New York Times recently reported that “The film industry…is a less diverse one than even typically homogeneous sectors like energy and finance.” The same report estimates that the film industry would stand to earn $10 billion more annually if it improved its representation of minority groups in film.[1] More importantly, given the U.S. film industry’s role in agenda setting and establishing and mediating cultural norms, not only in the United States but also globally, this lack of diversity among those who create the stories that we share is particularly problematic. Much of the path to greater inclusion in the film industry must be paved at the level of production companies, through a commitment to diversity in hiring and by greenlighting and providing greater financial support for productions that feature diverse casts and crews.

Given the important role played by graduate film schools as a funnel to industry careers, universities also have a crucial role to play if diverse voices are to gain traction in the media industries. Breaking into the media industries, particularly without a graduate degree, tends to require participation in unpaid or low-paid internships, and hires are often made on the basis of existing professional networks, perpetuating a ‘good old boy’ culture in the industry. Learning the skills necessary for creative careers is only part of what goes on in film school. This is also where many future film professionals gain cultural capital in the form of knowledge of film history and aesthetics, learn the ins and outs and the specialized language of the industry and gain access to vital professional networks. This is why many film industry creatives get their start in film MA and especially MFA programs.

However, many of the best-known film MFA-granting institutions are located in places like Los Angeles and New York City, where the high cost of living, on top of tuition and required equipment rentals, means that a three-year MFA degree can cost students as much as $300,000 or more. And this is if students can gain access to the top schools that have a notoriously high rate of rejection. All of this presents formidable obstacles for industry newcomers as well as for lower-income students, limiting equitable access to film industry jobs. The availability and recognition of high-quality but more moderately priced film schools, with admissions practices that are supportive of diverse and non-traditional applicants, is thus vital. Access to financial aid, equipment borrowing privileges that are included in the cost of tuition, intensive two-year MFA programs, part-time programs and course scheduling that allows students to hold jobs while earning their degrees, along with the incorporation of internships into the curriculum are other important considerations. Support both for and from recent alumni who are gaining a foothold is also crucial to developing new networks for advancement in the industry.

The contemporary media landscape provides a proliferation of formats and new exhibition opportunities that have the potential to allow more diverse voices and stories to reach audiences. While traditional film MFA programs may focus their attention and resources on a handful of students striving to reach the top of Hollywood feature film production, there is a need for programs that invest as much energy and creativity into students who will start small independent production companies or become documentarians, VR/AR/XR storytellers and television, web series, commercial or corporate video producers. A change in the kinds of stories told in all of these areas can contribute to a diversification of our cultural landscape. Film graduate programs should consider carefully whether all of their practices, from admissions through curricular design and outreach to alumni, perpetuate the status quo or help to create the conditions in which new voices are uplifted and diverse stories can be told.

About the Author:

Sara Ross, PhD (“Sally”) is a film scholar with a focus on women in film. She has centered her research and teaching practice on film aesthetics and film storytelling, both as they apply to film scholarship and also as vital tools for aspiring filmmakers. Ross is the author of scholarly articles on subjects ranging from the Hollywood flapper in the 1920s to contemporary 3-D cinema. She has published in the journals Film History, Camera Obscura, Modernism and Modernity, Aura, and in a number of anthologies. Her interests include silent film and female characters in Hollywood, with publications on these topics including “Screening the Modern Girl: Intermediality in the Adaptation of Flaming Youth”, Modernism and Modernity, “1922 – Movies and the Perilous Future”, American Cinema of the 1920s: Themes and Variations, “The Americanization of Tsuru Aoki: Orientalism, Melodrama, Star Image and the New Woman”, and “‘Good Little Bad Girls’: Silent Comediennes and the Performance of Girlish Sexuality.”  Her most recent work focuses on the history of the romantic comedy. As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools.

Sperling, Nicole. “Hollywood Loses $10 Billion a Year Due to Lack of Diversity, Study Finds.” The New York Times, 11 May 2021. 

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The post The Role of Higher Education in the Diversification of the U.S. Film Industry appeared first on The Education Magazine.

The future of American public higher education is spelled J-O-B-S. Universities must pay greater attention to preparing students for the marketplace that awaits them after graduation. This will better serve both our students and society at large.

We live in a time of constant change driven by technology. For example, the McKinsey Global Institute projects that automation could affect 30 percent of workers worldwide in the next 20 years. Likewise, a World Economic Forum study predicts that machines will perform 42 percent of tasks in the workplace by 2022, compared to about 30 percent today. This will lead to about 75 million jobs displaced. The good news is the study predicts more than 130 million new jobs will emerge in this changing workplace.

Many legislators and policymakers believe higher education is not doing enough to ensure the United States has an adequately trained workforce to meet the challenges brought on by changing technology. The charge has some merit, and some universities are working to make courses of study more relevant to meet marketplace demands.

Universities are under increasing public pressure to report employment outcomes of their graduates as a measurement of success. This is a new level of scrutiny for public universities. It is no stretch to predict that one day in the near future state appropriations for public colleges and universities will be tied directly to these alumni outcomes.

The best argument, however, for public universities to make employment outcomes a higher priority is this: It’s the right thing for our students. Further, it fits with the traditional mission of state institutions.

Public universities have long been the source of trained professionals for America’s workforce, and a successful career is the primary motivation for most students who begin the college journey. Unfortunately, survey data show the general public is losing faith that higher education is keeping this implied promise.

A Gallup poll taken in 2010 revealed 81 percent of respondents were confident that higher education was worth the investment of time, money and effort. By 2018 that number dropped to 48 percent. For the first time in history, a majority of Americans surveyed lack confidence in our colleges and universities.

While there may be many reasons for this trend of declining confidence, I believe it boils down to two key factors:

1. The increasing cost of higher education, including the burden of student debt; and
2. The perception that a college degree is no longer a sure ticket to financial success and upward social mobility.

There’s no doubt that rising student debt is the scourge of U.S. higher education. Such debt now tops $1.62 trillion, more than all credit card debt combined. More than 45 million borrowers are paying off an average debt of approximately $35,000. The average student loan debt in Alabama mirrors the national average of $35,000. I am proud the Troy University average is “only” $18,971, but it is still a heavy burden for graduates just starting their careers. I am also proud that this spring, our Board of Trustees voted to freeze undergraduate and graduate tuition for the second straight year.

At Troy University, we take student outcomes seriously. Many of our most popular academic programs are direct pipelines to employment, including accounting, management, education, nursing and journalism. As we track where our graduates are working, as well as job-placement rates of specific academic programs, we’re discovering a large percentage of our graduates excelling in the workforce.

For example, we identified 14,339 graduates of our College of Business, and determined 92 percent of them are employed in their major field. In our College of Health and Human Services, TROY graduates in nursing and athletic training approach a 100 percent job placement rate, while in fall 2018 23 TROY graduates entered medical school.

In addition, we realize the value of practical experience to prepare undergraduates for the marketplace.  Every academic major at Troy University now offers an internship option. Our ultimate goal is for every TROY student regardless of major to benefit from an internship.

Let me emphasize—we do not overlook traditional areas of study such as English, history, math and fine arts. These disciplines teach analytical, communication and critical-thinking skills that employers seek.  They also prepare our graduates to be life-long learners!

Some in higher education may not welcome policymakers “grading” their institutions based on the financial success of alumni. We believe this is a natural response in an era of declining public confidence.  Moreover, consumers of higher education are more sophisticated than ever before. It’s common for prospective students and the parents who pay the bills to question whether their chosen field will lead to a good job.

While we must continue to educate our students to excel in the world around them, we must also prepare them for the world of work. Accomplishing both missions is not only the right thing to do, it will also help restore confidence in our colleges and universities.

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