The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes changes to its board in an effort to diversify. We talk with two members of the Academy about what's to come. Then composer Laura Karpman talks about her Grammy-winning composition "Ask Your Mama" and how she's working to get more women into the scoring stage.
Composer Laura Karpman's quest to get more women in the film and TV scoring stage
We all know about the lack of women directors in Hollywood, but there are jobs in the film biz where the lack of gender diversity is even worse.
Take the composer category, for instance. According to a Los Angeles Times study of voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the academy’s music branch is 92-percent male. What's worse is women comprised just 1 percent of all composers working on the top 250 films of 2014, according to a study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at SDSU.
But if composer Laura Karpman has her way, that's about to change. Karpman is a 25-year veteran of the industry and the co-founder of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, a group that offers resources to women working in composing.
"It is a man's world and we're changing it. I think that what is different now is there's a conversation," said Karpman on The Frame. "That's the beginning of a difference. For the past 25 years no one's even been asking that question, there has been a tacit assumption that there are no women composers out there working."
But there are women working in the composing world, even if they're not writing music for big, tentpole movies.
Karpman is currently the composer for the WGN series "Underground" and her composition "Ask Your Mama" just won two Grammys. "Ask Your Mama" takes the Langston Hughes's poem of the same name and sets his poetry to music.
Karpman joins The Frame to talk about "Ask Your Mama," the Alliance for Women Film Composers and how she's working to get more women in scoring stages in Hollywood.
Interview Highlights:
Tell us about the genesis of "Ask Your Mama."
It started out with rejected cues by CBS, basically what happened was I had written this...they probably should have rejected it, this super cool neo-noir jazzy music and I had these wonderful cues [for a TV show] a number of years ago and I was looking for something to do with this music that had been rejected so I went to the bookstore, I know that's kind of a crazy idea, and I came across the collected poetry of Langston Hughes looking for jazz poetry.
When I came across "Ask Your Mama," I just went nuts because as probably people don't know, in the right hand margins in this poem, which is in all caps, are very explicit musical directions and they go from everything from the most specific reference to more general guidance and as a film composer, I thought, Oh My God, this would be like having the most esoteric, erudite film director telling me what to do with the music. So I thought this is something I have just got to do some day.
Do you think the combination of poetry and jazz illuminates the poetry in a way that hasn't been illuminated. Or does it make people listen to jazz in a new way?
One of the most mind-blowing experiences of this journey is the way people perceive the piece. Everybody sees and hears it differently and I think this is the case with the poem, too. Some people see it as jazz, some people see it as classical music, we were nominated in three classical [Grammy] categories. We were thrown out of the jazz category by the recording academy...it morphs, it changes, it evolves and it's continuing to evolve and that's one of my favorite things about this project.
Women are grossly underrepresented in the composing world. What do you think is behind this and how are you working to change this?
I've been doing this for about 25 years, and it is a man's world and we're changing it. I think that what is different now is there's a conversation. You asked the question, that's the beginning of a difference. For the past 25 years no one's even been asking that question, there has been a tacit assumption that there are no women composers out there working. There are quite a few of us, actually who are working at a high level. I've really perceived in the past two or three years that there's a real shift. I'm a new member of the motion picture academy, I'm pleased to say. I'm actively recruiting women to come into the music branch. The academy is very much supporting that effort...I think the very fact that they let me in indicates that they're open and willing to look at this issue.
Do you think there is an unconscious bias by film directors against hiring composers who are women?
I think that you can't look at our numbers and say there is not an unconscious bias, at this point it's ridiculous to say that. But I can also tell you in meetings that I have had at studios, in various places, that there is an openness and willingness to look at why this is the case. That's what we're talking about. A lot of us have gotten together and we now have a directory of women composers. It seems like a little thing, but it means you can go to that directory and there are 100 people there.
I think the issue for women composers is the same as women period. Visibility, are we getting out there, are we making enough money to hire the publicists to get us in the conversation, is there a consciousness about putting us on panels, is there a consciousness about including us in concerts. I think that the more advocates that we have...the better it is, and we need men, frankly, to advocate for us.
Two Asian American filmmakers react to Academy's plans to expand membership
Following a board of governors meeting yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced has appointed key people of color to leadership positions. It is expanding the size of its Board of Governors to include three new members from underrepresented groups and a number of branch committees will also have new members. The intention behind all of these appointments is to include filmmakers of color in all aspects of the Academy business -- from outreach to young filmmakers, to the new museum and everything in between.
This news comes after months of controversy over the lack of diversity and just a day after a group of 25 Asian American members of the Academy -- including Oscar-winning director Ang Lee -- signed a letter complaining about offensive jokes about Asians at this year’s Oscars. That letter was sent to Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s chief executive, and Cheryl Boone Isaacs, its president.
The Frame’s John Horn spoke with two Asian American filmmakers who both signed the letter, Marcus Hu and Freida Lee Mock, to hear their reactions to the changes and to how the Academy responded to their letter.
Marcus Hu is a producer and co-president of the independent film distributor Strand Releasing. He was just asked to join the Academy’s Education and Outreach Committee.
So you were just named to the Academy’s Education and Outreach Committee, can you tell us a little about what that entails?
... Educational outreach is probably going to include the schools in the area and nationwide and so forth. The directives haven’t been set yet but we’re looking forward to having our first meeting shortly.
Is part of the outreach to make sure that people who are eligible become members of the Academy and that you are cultivating new members who might broaden the Academy’s makeup.
I think that this is going to start at a much earlier level. I mean, I think we’re talking about high schools, we’re talking about colleges we’re talking about doing that kind of outreach for education. It’s to cultivate talent in school level for the industry. And to do specific outreach for those in areas who might not be able to have access to the Academy or know about the Academy and what we do.
In your career, how would you assess the progress -- or lack of progress -- for movies made by people other than straight white men?
I mean, that’s really a hard one. First of all, I’m not in the studio system. I’m only kind of a viewer. I’m more in the independent field of film. So, in the independent side of film, you do see a lot of diversity incorporated. When I look at studio films it is kind of odd because there are some years where you do see diversity on the forefront and other years are completely dry... You know, there were some performances in this past Academy season that should have been maybe recognized more, like “Straight Outta Compton.” And that was produced by Universal. But at the end of the day... you look at the how many Asian Americans are there in the acting branch -- and it’s so few. There’s so few opportunities given to people of color... There are Asian Americans in things like “Fast and the Furious 7,” and we are getting those kinds of roles and we are getting those kind of directing jobs -- Justin Lin gets his opportunity to direct. But those aren’t the films necessarily that are ones that are going to be acknowledged by the Academy other than in maybe a technical category.
Freida Lee Mock is the director, producer and writer of the Oscar-winning documentary feature “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision.” She’s also a former Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
We now know that there will be three new members added to the ranks of the Academy’s Board of Governors who are all people of color. What power do the Governor's really have and how can they change the way in which movies are honored and recognized in the Oscar show itself?
I think they have a lot of power in decision making on how they want the show to be. And certainly this year there was a really loud commitment to be inclusive and diverse in the way the Oscars show was to be presented. To the extent that the leadership under President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has made a commitment to lead the industry as opposed to follow.
I want to ask a little bit more about the Oscars ceremony itself. Chris Rock did talk about Hollywood and racism but there were a couple of jokes made at the expense of Asian Americans. You were one of the signatories to a letter that was sent to the Academy complaining about these racist jokes. What was your impressions of the Academy’s response to the letter?
Well the Academy -- immediately through CEO Dawn Hudson -- wrote a response saying they recognized some of the issues and that our letter was welcome. We felt that the one issue that we wanted noted was concrete steps. That specifically was not addressed in the apology letter from the CEO. And I think we who wrote and endorsed the letter look forward to something more concrete.
And what might those concrete steps look like?
I think we would like to see that they are aware of and sensitive to cultural differences. And that what some of us thought was very tone-deaf -- the fact that they would even do a skit with three children playing into a stereotype that was rather shocking to most of us.