Delta Assault
Member
Makes me wonder about Michael Bay's casting calls...
Racist casting call for "Straight Outta Compton" movie
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Barbacoatl
Banned
Half of gaf is.
I think Ice Cube (and perhaps other members) have admitted they embellished things a bit.
Fuck this. Even if it's a joke I'm out.
lem0n
Member
(Takes what could be an honest post and makes it seem offensive)
are you fucking serious?
Barbacoatl
Banned
Yeah that's what I mean, NWA's Compton was their version, but I refuse to believe that's the only version. In fact, those dudes got rich by their talent and by exploiting and difusing a tabloid cover image of the city. Imo, that's N times worse than a messy casting call.
lem0n
Member
What, do you think he meant that in an offensive way? I took it at face value, man. More jobs for more people.
dream
Member
And I think that's the key. This isn't about being true to Compton. This is about being true to NWA's depiction of Compton, as created by Cube, who pretty much wrote everything.
RukusProvider
Banned
The 2nd fight with he broom is just outright awkward but yeah Group D contestants all the way.
"must look good in an ass shot introduction"
Maybe if your definition of racism is overly simplistic and ham fisted in nature. Yes, they can be black, but only if they're conforming to white beauty standards.
Jesus Christ.
I'm being honest; my tone isn't disrespectful at all so how is it racist? Their casting for a certain look and blacks are represented in group A.
Storm Chamber
Banned
Why are white people inherently evil?
EscoBlades
Ubisoft Marketing
I see the Seanspeed disciples are in here. Okay then.
Sounds like it's going to be a Disney film then.
Who even came remotely close to implying such a thing in this thread, let alone actually saying it?
Every majority culture is "inherently evil".
EDIT: Assuming you mean why does systematic racism happen. Human nature in part (not that it makes things right. Lots of terrible things are human nature). People in the majority not even realizing what they are doing is offensive/wrong is another part.
jadedm17
Member
Does equality work when the movie is about a largely African american city? I always wondered how these casting calls went after watching a movie a few years ago with an offensive overweight child... Can you post "Looking for obese child for movie"? If a script calls for a certain character then shays the "PC" way to go about finding that person?
I don't understand what's wrong with the OP's post? They needed dark overweight people so they asked for dark overweight people to apply? Edit : A reread makes me find 'poor' in bad taste- rest seems fine.
lem0n
Member
Good discussion, man. *fist bump*
Some of y'all must be doing this on purpose.
If you're casting for that character, then cast for that character. Putting out a dragnet for various classes of attractiveness with "super black fatties" in the bottom grade is really gross.
Somehow, the lack of continuous outrage and repudiation by the studios that hire this casting agencies makes me thing that there is probably a better way to phrase a casting call for a character from The Green Mile that isnt " Big ass scary-looking black guy"
GIRL: 18-30. Preferably caucasian or brunette. Must fit Mr. Bay's preferred body dimensions and be just-busty-enough. 5'6 to 5'10 only. Must be open to private lessons from Mr. Bay. No uppity broads wanted.
They are blatantly being racist and creating a caste system for the movie, and you spin it into how black people should be happy about the opportunity despite how shitty it is, because they have a chance at getting jobs. And then you go on to say they should be happy since Group A portrays some of them as pretty.
What are you, 12?
Read what I just said. He was being disrespectful, and you come along and quote him and say he wasn't being offensive.
dream
Member
They ARE casting for those characters. It's an open casting call for extras, which includes a focus on ghetto hoodrats.
lem0n
Member
Explosive personalities preferred.
Okay man, you win. I'm sure you'll be happy to know I won't bother explaining my obviously racist and insensitive points of view anymore. /shrug
Lonewolf_92
Member
Are you shitting me? They could have just said they were looking for "women, age 18-30" and sorted them into the roles they needed to fill, which is how most casting agencies do business. But no, they had to go full retard.
jadedm17
Member
Fair enough, that does seem a little classless when put like that.
Whether he's trolling, joking, or serious, it's ridiculous. This casting call is very detailed and racially divided with African Americans specially being at the bottom. You can say there's some that will be "A tier," but that casting call specially labels African American women as C and D tier. Oh, and if you're not light skin, you're D tier. It's messed up.
Yes people need jobs, but they need one that will treat them with respect. Not someone that says "you're dark skin, you're ugly."
I cannot speak for the verisimilitude of these casting specifics, but I'm surprised that some do not see the issue with this. The problem isn't that they specify certain attributes that they seek; in fact, they do quite the opposite. They use terms like "hot", "classy", and "nice" to describe physical features such as hips or bodies, rather than substituting them with far more accurate, neutral, and less loaded terms (look at Kreed's post for an excellent example of an alternative). This is further exacerbated by the grouping of these attributes together with races and the apparent "progression" from attractive to unattractive between each class.
I do not find this to be semantic nitpicking. Every language has its nuances, and at times, blunt wording that ignores these can be forgivable; it would be arrogant to assume that everybody we meet, especially on the Internet, can fluently speak and write English at the level we do. In this case, however, the words used are axiomatically clear in their intention, and perhaps more importantly, clear in their effect.
I do not find this to be semantic nitpicking. Every language has its nuances, and at times, blunt wording that ignores these can be forgivable; it would be arrogant to assume that everybody we meet, especially on the Internet, can fluently speak and write English at the level we do. In this case, however, the words used are axiomatically clear in their intention, and perhaps more importantly, clear in their effect.
dream
Member
I think the intention is clear too. But this is a business--particularly for extra work--predicated on appearances. They're looking for "hot" and "classy" extras to fill the role of "hot" and "classy" roles. Why mince words?
So? That's probably reflected in the movie, hence why they specified the women into these categories. How do you think they cast movies, "Extras needed, everybody welcome!"? Would we be offended that Tarantino cast pretty, light-skinned women for house maids, and uglier, dark-skinned women as field workers in Django Unchained? It's a movie, you have to cast appropriately.
It's especially funny, since this is a movie about NWA, who I'm certain never categorized women in any way at all. I'm sure this categorization of women won't be reflected at all in the movie either. The women they have around them while poor in Compton will be of the same caliber as the women around them when rich and famous. Yep, what a racist casting call!
It's also funny reading this thread and seeing people worry over fat/ugly actors and how they are cast. You realize that they make money with those roles, and are generally happy to see a casting call that fits their body type, since they can now get some more work. Or should all casting calls just read "human needed", so as not to offend anybody?
There's some weird concepts going around in this thread.
~Devil Trigger~
In favor of setting Muslim women on fire
Not shocked at all
You mean, Burn Hip Hop / RnB industry BURN!!
cuz that's how they cast for their videos too
This kinda racist/self hate attitude is pretty common among Black people unfortunately
You mean, Burn Hip Hop / RnB industry BURN!!
cuz that's how they cast for their videos too
This kinda racist/self hate attitude is pretty common among Black people unfortunately
Because these words, coupled with the categorisation, give off a much deeper implication. If you describe one as classy and "the hottest of the hottest", the underlying meaning is that the other, in contrast, is not classy or hot.
Barbacoatl
Banned
My man.
dream
Member
Yes, but isn't that the point? To establish a hierarchy showing the ways in which NWA's socio-economic status changes, commensurate with their success?
lem0n
Member
I hadn't even seen this post that you quoted. It's exactly what I was trying to say.
My apologies, I cannot say much about N.W.A. as I have not heard of them before this thread, so I probably cannot respond to your point. I find it a bit of a stretch, however, to suggest that this casting call contains some deep thematic parallels with the film's subject matter, but I may be wrong.
Schweinehund
Member
dream
Member
I can't speak to casting calls in general, but having grown up listening to NWA, and having read a decent chunk of biographies dealing with the rise of west coast hip hop, I think the level of specificity in this casting call shows a clear trajectory for the film, as reflected by the characteristics of the 4 groups (one could easily imagine the group being flocked by A girls once Straight Outta Compton blows up).
But I think, more generally speaking, the nature of film requires the type of dichotomy that you decry. There has to be a system of categorization because you're casting people for very specific purposes.
It could help a lot if you posted this Django casting calls that you are so surely think are also problematic. And again saying that this is set on the world of NWA so this denigration is okay is silly, you are suggesting that a contracted agency not related to the studio needed to do their casting call in character consistent with the movie, where they channeling Dre or Yela? And again, the studio itself, being the true visionaries behind the movie, repudiated this, why arent they instead using the same response?
Dictator93
Member
This is completely expected.
Large money making enterprises (especially cultural producers) engage in this shit all the time.
Large money making enterprises (especially cultural producers) engage in this shit all the time.
God Dayumm
Banned
I still think it's wrong. If the director wants to separate between beautiful light-skinned women and ugly black girls to make a point in his movie then the agency does so during casting and sends everyone else home, not publicly announce something like this. They could have called for "African American women who can dance, any physical shape, 18-30" and then put the light rich-looking ones in the roles they want and the others as the poor ones. Can you tell me what information is lost in a more tactful not overtly racist casting call?
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