Inspiration and Fair Use: How This Film Is Not Yet Rated Directly Inspires My Documentary

This Film Is Not Yet Rated was a documentary that has had a big impact on me and how I think about media and its impacts. For those who haven't seen it, the doc is an expose on the MPAA's rating system and the effect it has on American culture. It thoroughly examines the types of films that get the NC-17 rating and through that examination, shocking trends emerge. The disparity between sex and violence, sexuality, and sexual orientation and the ratings these depictions receive is astounding.

Through clips of media footage and interviews, I aim to illustrate the deep rooted problem in how the media reports on transgender individuals. Through my research, focus has been spent on the bodies of transgender indivdiuals and a complete disrespect for identities. I'm not saying that there are some reportings that are better than others, but how transgender individuals are treated in the media is repulsive. Just take a look at Caitlyn Jenner. Before coming out the media completely invaded her privacy and focused on how her body was looking different. For a transgender individual, how they transition and the timeline through which they transition is an incredibly personal decision, and that is completely disregarded through the media.

Apples To Oranges: Tangerine's Interesting Use of Camera Equipment and Transgender Inclusiveness

As per recommendation by Walker, I watched the film 'Tangerine' to see a fresh narrative with transgender characters. From a plot line standpoint alone, I was amazed at seeing the film not only having central, rich transgender characters, but also seeing these characters played by transgender actors. We are quickly seeing more and more trans characters displayed on film (Transparent's Maura played by Jeffrey Tambor; The Danish Girl's Einar played by Eddie Redmayne) but the bigger question is: why aren't many of these productions employing transgender talent? Yes, there is Laverne Cox, who is currently at the forefront of popular culture, but as 'Tangerine' actress Mya Taylor said in her Spirit Awards acceptance speech (for which she was the first transgender actor to win a major film award) “There is transgender talent. There’s very beautiful transgender talent,” the 24-year-old actress said. “So you better get out there and put it in your next movie.".

So that leads me to one of the bigger questions I aim to answer in my documentary: what problems arise when cisgender actors are hired over transgender ones? If there is so much talent out there, why is Hollywood not employing them? On a further note: what are the benefits to being more inclusive in media? I'm not saying that Eddie Redmayne and Jeffrey Tambor aren't talented actors who have put their all into depicting their characters, but I do think that the lack of representation in film, tv, media, etc does have a negative impact on both social perceptions of transgender people and impacts on individuals who are trans or gender questioning viewing this media.

On an interesting production note, not only did Tangerine have talent that both worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes, but it was also completely shot on an iPhone. It just goes to show that you do not necessarily need fancy equipment to make a meaningful, amazing, and visually appealing production. The filmmakers go into greater depth at how they achieved a visually interesting film in the video below:

Transgenders in the Media

Over the years, there have been controversies with depicting transgender people in the media. Many people are not accepting of the fact that some people cannot strictly identify with being male or female, and people are very discriminatory against this. In the media, transgender people have hit many milestones and have been celebrating their acceptance coming to life. Teen YouTube star, Jazz Jennings is getting her own TV show called "All That Jazz" which will give us an insight through the eyes of a transgender youth. This teen drama will be appearing on TLC, according to an announcement made last week. Jazz may be young, but she is an author and an activist for transgender people that is turning heads to how people view them. Even though Jazz was born a boy, she knew from the beginning that she was meant to be a girl. Having gender dysphoria at such a young age was obviously a struggle but Jazz made the most out of her childhood by not letting the teasing get her down, and became a very important advocate for the debate on transgender youth. She was even signed on as Clean & Clear's face for the "See the Real Me" campaign which shares a touching video describing the trials of being a transgender youth.

In addition to Jazz's incredible accomplishments, transgender people have been portrayed significantly more often on television than in the past. There are many shows that feature transgender actors such as Orange Is The New Black, and Discovery Life's New Girls on the Block. There are also shows where actors play transgender people such as in ABC Family's My Transparent Life or the Golden-Globe winning comedy, Transparent. Even though there has been a significant shift in the way some people view the lives of transgender humans, there is still a long way to go. There will always be hateful comments against people that are seen as different or out of place, but they deserve just as equality as everyone else does. The shows where actors are playing transgender people are great, but there are plenty of real transgender actors in the field that could have taken on those specific roles. Overall, the advocacy campaigns that have been pointed towards transgender awareness should be taken seriously, and even though they have completed certain milestones, there are many more mountains to climb for equal representation in the media.