Presentation Script- DRAFT 3

                                                       
                                                                Presentation Script

PRESENTER       Good morning everyone, I'd like to welcome you all here today for my presentation. A reflection on 'whitewashing'. A term that perhaps not everyone has heard but a concept you will all be familiar with. Have you ever read a book, which has then been made into a film? A popular choice for a lot of film makers. Have you ever sat down to watch that film only to notice the character in the book you fell in love with or hated, doesn't quite look how the book portrayed them? Today I am specifically going to look at the change of race, particularly hiring white actors for other racial roles.

PROJECTOR          Change slide (Image of Mr Yunioshi )



PRESENTER         Some of you may recognise this famous character 'Mr Yunioshi' from 'Breakfast At Tiffany's'.  (Item 1) Played by Mickey Rooney, who actually looks like this.



PROJECTOR          Next picture (Image of Mickey Rooney)



PRESENTER          So definitely quite a difference. In trying to create the Japanese character, film makers used facial prosthetics such as taped eyelids, buck teeth and mocking accent. This is without a doubt full frontal evidence of racism. How film director Blake Edwards thought he could get away with such blunt discrimination is beyond me!



PROJECTOR          Change slide (Image of film poster for Annie 2014)



PRESENTER       The 2014 remake of Annie (Item 2) sparked much controversy in the media. All because Annie no longer looks likes



PROJECTOR         Next picture (Image of the 'classic' Annie)



PRESENTER         This. Some couldn't believe that Annie was no longer a little white girl with ginger hair. Instead, this remake features Quvenzhane Wallis, a little black girl playing Annie. (Item 8) This is an example of a film director trying to present a more recent portrayal of a famous character by using different ethnicities. The shock set in with the response of the public, perhaps reflecting a societal discrimination.



PROJECTOR          Change slide (Image from World Trade Centre)



PRESENTER          Here the man upfront plays Marine Sergeant Jason Thomas who rescued people from the World Trade buildings after the 9/11 attack.



PROJECTOR         Next picture (Jason Thomas)



PRESENTER          Here is the real Marine Sergeant Jason Thomas. Now although Oliver Stone was not aware of Jason Thomas's race whilst casting for the film, it reinforces the stereotype that a 'hero' must be a white man. This was in fact not the case. (Item 3)



PROJECTOR         Change slide (quote)



PRESENTER         "The practice of casting white actors in non-white roles is still prevalent in Hollywood- despite widespread condemnation and protest." A quote from the BBC in 2015.  (Item 10) The past years has seen a huge revolution for racial equality, however unfortunately we have not fully achieved this. 

PROJECTOR           Change slide (picture of article)



PRESENTER            Asian-American actors such as Constance Wu and many more are 'fighting for visibility' (Item 7)  Nowadays although less frequent, it is alarming that actors have to do this to get a role and make a living.

PROJECTOR            Change slide (why is whitewashing still happening?)

PRESENTER             But why is it that 'whitewashing' is still prevalent in the film industry? Well we can't know an definite answer but there are many possible suggestions as to why.

PROJECTOR           Transaction (lack of non-white actors)

PRESENTER           Perhaps the main reason for this many years ago was due to the lack of non-white actors in America. Film directors may have found it easier to cast white actors rather than searching for a longer time for other ethnic characters.

PROJECTOR          Transaction (racism)

PRESENTER          Or a taboo that many film makers don't like to talk about, racism. Is it that some directors are bias in their decision to hire white actors, do they believe white people are better actors? This idea will always inevitably be denied, despite maybe not being the truth.

PROJECTOR         Transaction (feeding desires of the audience)

PRESENTER         Another possibility is that are filmmakers just feeding the desires of the audience. Is it them who subconsciously would rather see Bruce Willis on the screen than Denzel Washington? If so, can filmmakers actually be criticised for giving the audience what they want?

PROJECTOR         Change slide (what have we learnt?)

PRESENTER          A reflection on 'whitewashing'. This presentation only gave a short overview of a huge and important topic, but we have learnt cases in which it has happened, how it is still happening today and some possible reasons as to why. A final comment that should not be dismissed- 'whitewashing' is not as prevalent in todays industry. 

PROJECTOR         Change slide (picture of Denzel Washington and Halle Berry)

PRESENTER         The fact it is less common shows development and improvement. Take Denzel Washington and Halle Berry being amongst some of first African-American actors to win Best Actor/Actress at the Oscars. (Item 11) 

PROJECTOR         Change slide (thank you)

PRESENTER         Let's hope that if I were to present this topic again in years to come, I will be able to say 'whitewashing' is no longer a problem. Thank you all for listening, have a good day.