scholarly journals Representations of Racial Minorities in Popular Movies: A Content-Analytic Synergy of Computer Vision and Network Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Musa Malik ◽  
Frederic R. Hopp ◽  
René Weber

In the Hollywood film industry, racial minorities remain underrepresented. Characters from racially underrepresented groups receive less screen time, fewer central story positions, and frequently inherit plotlines, motivations, and actions that are primarily driven by White characters. Currently, there are no clearly defined, standardized, and scalable metrics for taking stock of racial minorities’ cinematographic representation. In this paper, we combine methodological tools from computer vision and network science to develop a content analytic framework for identifying visual and structural racial biases in film productions. We apply our approach on a set of 89 popular, full-length movies, demonstrating that this method provides a scalable examination of racial inclusion in film production and predicts movie performance. We integrate our method into larger theoretical discussions on audiences’ perception of racial minorities and illuminate future research trajectories towards the computational assessment of racial biases in audiovisual narratives.

Author(s):  
Lisa Nanney

Dos Passos’s adaptation of cinematic methods to literary style beginning in the mid-1920s emerged further in his work after he visited Russia in 1928. Tepid public and critical response to New Playwrights dramas motivated Dos Passos to explore how the revolutionary state-supported Russian theater and film productions had engaged the masses, united them politically, and produced groundbreaking artists. In dramatist Meyerhold’s avant-garde theater, Constructivist industrial sets and “biomechanical” acting techniques created successful dramas about and for workers. Dos Passos observed that cinematic innovations emerged from the Soviet-controlled studios despite the state’s use of film as its primary tool of mass ideological education. Though Lenin, then Stalin increasingly controlled film productions and artists, Soviet filmmakers nonetheless evolved theories of montage that became foundational in filmmaking and informed Dos Passos’s modernist novels and his 1936 independent film treatment “Dreamfactory,” with its meta-filmic exposé of the Hollywood film industry. In particular, these works registered the formal and conceptual innovations of two directors: Eisenstein, whose films combined fiction and history to effect political action through art; and Vertov, whose films acknowledged the artist’s vision as controlling the camera “eye” and who embedded in one short film an auto-critique of movie-making.


2020 ◽  
pp. 83-108
Author(s):  
Moon Hwy-Chang ◽  
Wenyang Yin

Although North Korea is one of the most closed countries in the world, it has long been pursuing international cooperation with other countries in order to upgrade the quality of its film industry to international standards. Preceding studies on this topic have mainly focused on the political influences behind filmmaking in general and very few studies have exclusively dealt with North Korea’s international co-productions. In this respect, in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the internalization strategy of North Korea’s film productions, this paper uses the global value chain as a framework for analysis. This approach helps understand the internationalization pattern of each value chain activity of film co-productions in terms of the film location and the methods for collaborating with foreign partners. By dividing the evolution of North Korea’s international co-productions into three periods since the 1980s, this paper finds that although North Korea has shown mixed results with different aspects of the film value chain, it has generally improved its internationalization over the three periods. This paper further provides strategic directions for North Korea by learning some of the successful Chinese experiences in the film sector regarding collaboration with foreign partners—to foster a win-win situation for all involved parties.


10.28945/4613 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 433-460
Author(s):  
Devasmita Chakraverty

Aim/Purpose: This study examined experiences related to the impostor phenomenon among Black doctoral and postdoctoral scholars in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Background: Research on the impostor phenomenon is usually focused on undergraduates, especially for Blacks, with sparse research on Black doctoral and postdoctoral scholars. This phenomenon was originally investigated among Whites. Due to fewer studies on Blacks, culturally-relevant understanding of the impostor phenomenon is limited. Methodology: This study used surveys and interviews (convergent mixed-methods) to examine the impostor phenomenon among U.S.-based doctoral and postdoctoral scholars (together referred to as “trainees”) in STEM. Participants took a survey (that used the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale or CIPS to individually compute impostor phenomenon scores) and a one-on-one, semi-structured interview. Survey (with CIPS scores) and interview data were converged from the same participants, who were recruited from a national conference focused on minorities in STEM (convenience sampling). Using constant comparative method and analytic induction, interview-data were categorized into themes. Contribution: Findings documented race-based impostor-experiences, possibly culturally relevant to other groups of underrepresented minorities (URMs). Findings have implications for research, policy, and practice. These include future initiatives to broaden participation in STEM careers among the underrepresented groups, support those who might experience this phenomenon and transition challenges in academia, and create greater awareness of the challenges trainees face based on their background and life experiences. Findings: Surveys indicated moderate to intense impostor phenomenon among 15 participants at the time data were collected. Interviews with the same participants found six themes linked to the impostor phenomenon: 1) Being the only-one, 2) Lack of belonging, 3) Stereotyping, micro-aggression and judgment, 4) External appearances, 5) Feeling like the “diversity enhancers,” and 6) Complications of intersecting identities. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners should consider the tensions and complications of Black identity and how it ties to training experiences in STEM as well as how race-based impostor phenomenon could shape an individual’s interaction with faculty, mentors, and peers. This knowledge could be helpful in designing professional development programs for Blacks. Recommendation for Researchers: Study findings could have research implications on the way doctoral and postdoctoral training is reimagined to be more inclusive and welcoming of diversity across multiple axes of gender, race/ethnicity, class, first-generation status, ability, sexual orientation, and country of origin, among others. Impact on Society: Black trainees could be vulnerable to leaving STEM fields due to their underrepresentation, lack of critical mass, racial discrimination, and other unpleasant experiences. Conversations around training, development, and means to address psychological distress could focus on culturally-relevant experiences of the impostor phenomenon. Future Research: Future research could look at the experiences of other underrepresented groups in STEM such as Native Americans and Hispanics as well as among faculty of color and individuals from other fields beyond STEM.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-182
Author(s):  
Deven J. Patel ◽  
Nirav Bhatt

Research in agriculture is increasing quality and quantity, but pest reduces it. To prevent the effect of these pests, insecticides are used. But excessive use of pesticides is very harmful to production and environment. So initially pest detection is necessary. We work on nocturnal pests because that can be easily attracting using night trapping tools. The purpose of this review article is to analyse the popular techniques and find the right technique for the initial diagnosis and early detection of major nocturnal flying pests like Pink Bollworm, White Grub, Helicoverpa and Spodoptera. The importance of early detection can be in identifying and classifying the pests in a digital view. We have concluded our results with the various methods and the prospects of future research.


Data ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan

Deep learning, more specifically deep convolutional neural networks, is fast becoming a popular choice for computer vision-based automated pavement distress detection. While pavement image analysis has been extensively researched over the past three decades or so, recent ground-breaking achievements of deep learning algorithms in the areas of machine translation, speech recognition, and computer vision has sparked interest in the application of deep learning to automated detection of distresses in pavement images. This paper provides a narrative review of recently published studies in this field, highlighting the current achievements and challenges. A comparison of the deep learning software frameworks, network architecture, hyper-parameters employed by each study, and crack detection performance is provided, which is expected to provide a good foundation for driving further research on this important topic in the context of smart pavement or asset management systems. The review concludes with potential avenues for future research; especially in the application of deep learning to not only detect, but also characterize the type, extent, and severity of distresses from 2D and 3D pavement images.


2013 ◽  
pp. 1111-1123
Author(s):  
Moi Hoon Yap ◽  
Hassan Ugail

The application of computer vision in face processing remains an important research field. The aim of this chapter is to provide an up-to-date review of research efforts of computer vision scientist in facial image processing, especially in the areas of entertainment industry, surveillance, and other human computer interaction applications. To be more specific, this chapter reviews and demonstrates the techniques of visible facial analysis, regardless of specific application areas. First, the chapter makes a thorough survey and comparison of face detection techniques. It provides some demonstrations on the effect of computer vision algorithms and colour segmentation on face images. Then, it reviews the facial expression recognition from the psychological aspect (Facial Action Coding System, FACS) and from the computer animation aspect (MPEG-4 Standard). The chapter also discusses two popular existing facial feature detection techniques: Gabor feature based boosted classifiers and Active Appearance Models, and demonstrate the performance on our in-house dataset. Finally, the chapter concludes with the future challenges and future research direction of facial image processing.


2022 ◽  
pp. 257-279
Author(s):  
Árpád Ferenc Papp-Váry ◽  
Tímea Zsófia Tóth

The Hungarian film industry has undergone a huge change recently, becoming a pull sector and repositioning the country in Europe. The economic performance of Budapest's film industry is growing steadily, which has also been facilitated by the strategic steps of recent years, making the capital a key player on the film map of Europe. In the case of Budapest, the diversity of the city is clearly outlined, as it primarily serves as a backdrop for various film productions. Using primary and secondary sources, the research focuses on the supply elements of film tourism in Budapest and the changes in the economic environment affecting the film industry. In the analysis, different types of film tourism are explored through interviews with the actors of film tourism. The research seeks to highlight factors that can boost film tourism in Budapest and make the city even more prominent on the film map of Europe.


2020 ◽  
pp. 016344372096092
Author(s):  
Clive James Nwonka

This article addresses the role of data in the analysis of racial diversity in the UK film industry. Due to the prolonged poor representation of racial difference, academic researchers increasingly identify the UK film sector as a particular site of multi-dimensional structural inequalities. This article will assess the impact of data-led interventions made by the UK film industry to increase the presence of BAME individuals within the sector. It will do this through an analysis of the policy approach of the UK’s lead body for film, the British Film Institute, examining how one major policy initiative, the BFI’s Diversity Standards launched in 2016 as an industry intervention into prevailing sector inequalities, has sought to achieve racial diversity and inclusion across its Film Fund-supported film productions between 2016 and 2019. Analysing cross-sectional data from 235 films which is aggregated across differing film genres, budgets and regions, the study assesses how the outcomes of the Diversity Standards have offered a representation of racial diversity across these production areas.


2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Siemiatycki ◽  
Theresa Enright ◽  
Mariana Valverde

Over the years, many studies have documented how the negative impacts of infrastructure investments are disproportionately borne by women, the poor and racial minorities. In this paper, we focus on the ways that unequal gender dynamics are a key feature of the production of infrastructure, a topic that has received far less attention. In particular, we show how masculinity is deeply embedded in the organizational structures, employment practices, symbolic narratives and systems of power that create the vast arrays of infrastructure globally. We discuss the implications of a masculinist network of infrastructure development, and point to directions for future research.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document