What can we find from a sociological analysis of American blockbusters in 2014?

A study entitled "inequality in 700 popular films" released on Wednesday found that the report carried out statistical research on gender, nationality and race. Stacy L. Smith, one of the researchers, talked about the lack of diversity reflected in the film and described it as an "epidemic infectious disease" From 2007 to 2014, among the 100 feature films with the highest box office in the United States, only 30.2% were played by women with lines or names, which can be shocking. That is to say, for every 2.3 male actors on the screen, only one actress can speak in front of the camera

from left to right: Jason sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Charlie day and Jennifer Aniston in the 2014 film" bad boss 2 "

picture provided: John P. Johnson / Warner Bros.

this is the findings of a study entitled" inequality in 700 popular films "published on Wednesday. This report conducted a statistical study on gender, nationality and race. Stacy L., one of the researchers Smith talked about the lack of diversity reflected in the film and described it as an "epidemic infectious disease". The report was written by the "media, diversity and social change initiative" of the Annenberg School of the University of Southern California

the whole figure in the report explains the social situation that the film shows is divorced from reality. Take films such as Captain America 2: Winter fighter as an example:

White: among the 100 films with the highest box office, 73.1% of the characters with lines and names are white

heterosexuality: only 19% of the characters are gay or bisexual - there are no transgenders

younger: only 19.9% of female characters are aged 40 to 64

masculinity: only 1.9% of films are directed by women

even casual observers can see the current obstacles faced by female directors, especially in their efforts to enter large film studios. And this report confirms that these are only part of a larger problem. Among the 100 films with the highest box office in 2014, none was starred by women over the age of 45. One reason is that Meryl Streep, Hollywood's most dedicated actress, has only played some supporting roles, including the Disney Musical into the woods. In this fairy tale adapted by the group, at least several actresses have played key roles, which is impossible in most films, whether it is family movies or other types. According to the "inequality report", in 2014, "minors or adult women accounted for less than 1/3 of the screen roles and less than 1/4 of the main roles driving the story line." For example, in action, adventure and other male dominated superhero films, women account for only 21.8% of the roles

Jennifer Lawrence, film hunger Game 3: Mockingbird (Part 1);

pictures provided: many information in Murray close / Lions Gate film

report, although newsworthy, is not new. In addition, some research results are frankly reminding people: women lead the hot films starring or directing, such as" hunger game "and black themed" Selma " It is still a special case in a large number of homogeneous film production. Art can be a mirror to reflect life, but in mainstream American films, it is often a distorted mirror

although women account for half of the population and contribute half of the film box office, they are always a minority on the screen. The same is true for some races, except in the Utopia of movies like speed and passion. The study found that in 100 films, the "Spanish / Latin" ethnic group accounted for 4.9% of the lines and names. The report points out that such a low proportion is far from the on-screen demographics: 17.1% of the total U.S. population in 2013 was Latino. At the same time, in 2014, Latin Americans also accounted for 25% of the frequent movie viewers

< /p >

Chlo? Grace Moretz and Denzel Washington, the equalizer.

image provided: scottgarfield/ Columbia film company

" inequality report " This report provides empirical support for these legitimate complaints at a time when the film industry is increasingly critical of on-screen and off-screen operations. In May, the American Civil Rights Union wrote to the state government and federal agencies requesting an investigation into the employment practices of major Hollywood film studios, websites and agencies. In the same month, California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer and four other female senators sent letters to large film studios asking them how to respond to the earlier research report of the school of Journalism and communication of the University of Southern California that only 4.1% of the high box office films in the past decade were directed by women

"inequality report" is part of the growing data on the practice of the film industry, which promotes change through research on a case by case basis. Dr. Smith has also participated in other related studies. She and several scholars, marcchoueiti and Katherine Pieper, have done a research published for many years. They cooperated with the Sundance Film Festival and the women in film to investigate the career crisis faced by female directors. The research team of the "inequality report" was later expanded to 70 to 80 people, mostly undergraduates. Dr. Smith said on Friday that it was one of her students who inspired her to pay attention to the performance of gay, bisexual and transgender film characters. This shows that young Americans tend to be liberal in their views on politics and society. (for privacy reasons, she didn't tell the student's name)

< /p >

Jack reynor and Nicola Peltz, 2014 film transformers 4: extinction and rebirth

pictures provided: andrewcooper/ Paramount Pictures

as the outspoken student said, the role played by the movie audience is like a social activist." every single word " An example: This is the Tumblr homepage established by actor and screenwriter Dylan Marron, which emphasizes the (usually very few) movie lines of non white actors through video clips. "Every single word" emphasizes that the roles that non white performers can play are often perfunctory assignments - think of the ubiquitous black friends, Latino waiters, and Asian Supermarket clerks. This is not an accusation of racism or sexism deliberately expressed by mainstream film studios. As Marron said in an interview with the Washington Post last month, "I don't mean which film is racist, nor do I mean that these filmmakers are racists. What I mean is that the industry system they are engaged in has deep-seated racist practices."

for movie audiences, the question now is obviously: what will happen next

editor: vian