CharacterBased, Confronting Inequality in Film

New York, NY, September 21, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Lynnese Page couldn’t get any auditions, so with a friend, Victoria Miller, they produced their own content to build an acting portfolio.

With so few roles written for women of color, it can be incredibly difficult to land auditions, particularly without representation and a sparse acting reel.

In the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, they state only four women of color were featured as leads or co-leads in the top 100 films from 2017. Additionally, the findings conclude that “no meaningful change” has taken place in the last ten years when it comes to diverse racial representation on screen.

These bleak statistics encouraged the duo to create CharacterBased: a monologue series that uses preexisting plays, literature, and films, reenacted by Lynnese, produced by Victoria, filmed in New York City.

Drawing on inspiration from various artists that inspired, the duo used social media as a platform to promote each work.

The reenactment of various characters, particularly roles created for men, take on new meaning when performed by a woman. Certain pieces of literature, traditionally read, not spoken, resonate differently when filmed.

What was ultimately something that came out of necessity, turned into a larger project surrounding the lack of opportunities for women of color to have their own creative agency in front and behind the camera.

With a variety of new television series and films featuring diverse casts, some may think the industry is “changing,” but the statistics are contrary to what’s presented on screen.

Victoria states, “We hope we can inspire other actors in the same predicament to follow this model, not only to build an acting portfolio, and garner attention from casting directors and agents, but also as a form of self-empowerment.”