Activity 1 film Activity 2

Spike Lee has said that white people can’t make films with black people taking the main role. This is my opinion:

I feel like Spike Lee does make a valid point, however, personally I think that a person of any color can produce a film about anything, if they make sure that everything is historically accurate and non-offensive towards anyone. Everyone alive today has as much experience of the times that “Django Unchained” (A film Spike Lee refused to see because it was directed by a white person) as each other. Because no one was alive back then, that still is today. Spike Lee can’t say that black people are the only people who can make films about black people struggling, because he has as much experience as anyone else. This suggests that Spike Lee is trying to bring back segregation, as he is saying black and white people can’t mix. He’s also suggesting that he himself can’t make films with white people in, limiting his ability to cast actors who may be perfect for a role. 

However, there is another example of who can play what role in the BBC show ‘the elephant man’ in which, the main character is disabled. But that character is played by an abled body person, which has caused uproar among disabled actors who could have played that role. I think that this is wrong that an abled body actor played him, because someone who’s disabled in real life has felt the struggle that this character has. However, when it comes to Spike Lee, he hasn‘t been around when his ancestors were enslaved. If he wasn’t there during these events, he has as much experience as the rest of us. Someone like the Elephant man that’s around today, has the experience, and so they can really show it in their acting. That would also open the acting world to disabled people, meaning that many more jobs and dreams can be created for that demographic of people, which struggle to fund jobs, as even simple jobs like working in a shop are blocked off to some people because they don’t have disabled access. 

Box office data analysis    Ayisha Audrain

Many of the top films at the Box Office are from franchises like Marvel and Jurassic park and this shows that people like to watch franchise films because they form a complete story and there are a few Chinese films on the list and this suggests that Chinese films are becoming more widespread because there are large Chinese communities all around the world and this will fuel demand for Chinese – language films and this means that the Chinese film industry is becoming more and more prominent on the world stage.

Opinion on Spike Lee’s viewpoint

To a certain extent, I agree with Spike Lee’s opinion that you cannot properly create a film reflecting  a certain experience of a gender, ethnicity, religion or culture if you are not of that particular group. I think this because despite the extent of research, you cannot truly experience what the person is going through because it is not the same as your experiences. It is hard to put yourself in their shoes despite what you think that you know, especially with a sensitive topic.

Topics such as race or gender can be sensitive to make, since there is typically a large audience for these specific films; they can be extremely hard to get right. Personally, I think these films should be wrote or directed by someone who understand and experience them to a certain extent because I think they are able to relate to the topic well enough to offer a valid and interesting representation

There can be serious issues with films trying to express sensitive views if they have not experienced it first-hand. Sometimes despite research, a director or screenwriter can misinterpret any part of the film. This can feel disrespectful to the audience, usually those linked in with the gender, ethnicity or religion that the movie is expressed.

On the other hand, I can understand the topic of diversity and why experienced directors or screenwriters would want to produce films with sensitive topics. Some of the best films express sensitive topics and not necessarily all are directed by directors who reflect these experiences. This shows that some directors can approach these types of films with such sensitivity and maturity that they produce excellent work which represents the topic positively

There is also the issue of subjectivity, which suggests that we can only direct or write films which reflect us. This is such a problem because it implies that we understand the whole genre. For example, stating a black man should only direct films about a black man limits his potential and suggests that all he knows is retelling himself in a different format. In this retrospect, I think everyone should be offered equal opportunities because this ensures that a wide range of films are covered as much as possible

Inquirers: Should inquire about learning new things and trying new things out of curiosity.

Knowledgeable: To research and explore issues and current affairs.

Thinkers: To go deeper into detail and notice the finer things in film such as sound.

Communicators: Students should be great communicators with others and their teachers, great communication is very important as it helps with knowing what you want to do, what you should do to improve etc.

Principled: is respectful towards peers when working together in group work

Caring: They show empathy and compassion towards others in the project and help to brighten the mood in the environment and ensure that everyone is working happily on the project.

Balanced- You need to be balanced in this subject, so that you can balance how and when you’re doing work, with what the audiences what, but also with what you want to make in a film.

Open-Minded: Students should be Open-Minded; they must be open to different options and techniques that could help them with their work.

Inquirers – Film requires you to take a deep look into films and how they’re made.

Knowledgeable – You need to know a lot about films, more than just the mainstream films.

Thinkers – They apply themselves to the film and might think of unconventional

Communicators – You’re going to be working a lot in groups, so you need to be able to communicate well.

Principled –  They have a clear set of values that they stick to and use as a guide

Open-Minded – It’s likely you are going to find someone who doesn’t agree with your opinion, so you need to be considerate.

Caring – You should care for other peoples opinions and how they might want to do things

Risk-takers –  They apply themselves to the task and take risks even if the results aren’t clear

Balanced – Film Students shouldn’t go too heavy in one direction and try and try things from various categories

Reflective – You’re going to have to reflect on your own work and be fair on yourself.

Activity 1

Inquirers: Actively enjoy learning and this will drive them to seek out more knowledge about the subject.

Knowledgeable: Explore concepts that will shape how understand certain aspects of film and they are encouraged to experiment.

Thinkers: Can apply their skills to approach complex problems and can make reasonable decision. They can make for great directors.

Communicators: They can express ideas and information confidently and as with thinkers, they can also make for great directors.

Principled: They act with integrity and honesty as well as having a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the group. This can help them be extremely passionate about the project.

Open-Minded: They are open to different perspectives, cultures and traditions of other communities which allows them to experiment with many themes during the project.

Caring: They show empathy and compassion towards others in the project and help to brighten the mood in the environment and ensure that everyone is working happily on the project.

Risk-Takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and are willing to experiment with new aspects of film such as music or sound design as well as direction.

Balanced: They help achieve personal well-being of themselves and others and much like caring people, they help to brighten the mood in the workplace.

Reflective: They can understand their strengths and limitations which gives them a basic guideline on what they are capable of during the project.