Vanmoto Media Equity Plan
Crew
>50%
of all crew should be female or female identifying.
>50%
of all crew should be BIPOC.
>10%
of all crew should identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
>10%
of all crew should have a disability*.
>30%
of key** crew positions will be held by persons of a specific group, if a storyline permits. (Example: If a storyline specifically relates to black women, at least 30% of the key crew positions will be filled by black women).
*“Disability” as self-defined by the crew in the equity survey (as explained in the next section).
**Key crew positions include Producer, Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Artistic Director, Editor.
Cast
>50%
>50%
>50%
>10%
>1
of key characters (including main and supporting) will be BIPOC, if a storyline permits.
of background characters will be BIPOC, if a storyline permits.
of all characters will be female or female-identifying, if a storyline permits.
of all actors will identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
actor will have a disability***.
*** “Disability” as self-defined by the cast in the equity survey (as explained in the next section).
Enforcing the Plan
To be clear, it is illegal to hire staff based on race, gender, sexuality, religion, marital status, and family status. So then how do we legally hire to bring representation behind the camera?
One way is by eliminating certain barriers (i.e.- extensive experience, nepotism, film school background, etc.) to allow more people the opportunity for a job and to give those without prior experience a chance to gain it. This is known as casting a wide net.
Another way is by actively choosing where to recruit. We narrow in on specific communities to garner possible candidates (i.e.- Latine alumni groups, LGBTQIA+ cinema organizations, clubs for people with disabilities, etc.).
For talent casting in the United States, it is not unlawful to advertise or make hiring decisions based on race or other protected characteristic if that characteristic is deemed a “bona fide occupational qualification” (BFOQ). Therefore, it is legally allowable to post casting calls that use terms like “strongly encouraged to apply” and “preferred”.
For talent casting specifically, we start narrow and increasingly widen our search, if necessary. Examples of wording we use is below:
Race, Nationality & Gender: “Asian, Korean preferred”, “Transgender Woman character, Transgender Women preferred”
Sexuality: “LGBTQ+ identifying actors strongly encouraged to apply”
Disability: “Actors with disabilities strongly encouraged to apply”, “Casting call for actors with Down syndrome”
Measuring DEI in Productions
Throughout Vanmoto Media’s own productions, we have learned a lot about measuring the trends of inclusion on our sets. After a person is hired, they are sent a survey prior to work starting. They are asked questions about their identity and have multiple answers to select. After the project is complete, we tally the survey responses and review our results.
Here is how we typically go about it:
1. Create a Google Form or survey to answer questions of identity.
2. Reach all intersectional identities, ask about race, gender, sexuality, and ableness. Include several options. Examples below:
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Race/Ethnicity: “Do you identify as...” Answers may include Caucasian, Black, Asian, Latine, or prefer not to answer, among others.
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Gender: “Do you identify as...”. Answers may include male, female, transgender, non-binary, other, or prefer not to answer, among others.
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Sexuality: “Do you identify with the LGBTQ+ community?”. Answers may include yes, no, and prefer not to answer.
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Ableness: “Do you have a disability?”. Answers may include yes, no, and prefer not to answer.
3. We find it important to specify that their answers are anonymous and will not affect their position or employment status during and after the project.
4. Once all of the answers have been collected, we use the survey software to analyze the data recorded. We are able to see the demographics of each community and how it breaks down into percentages. 5.When analyzing the data, we compare it to the U.S. Census Data which can be found here: https:// www.census.gov/data.html. If the demographic breakdown in all areas matches that of the United States, we consider the production to be diverse. Since the Vanmoto Media Equity Plan has goals based on the U.S. Census Data, the demographics of a project will likely line up with this plan, and be considered inclusive. However, as it’s self-reported information, there is room for inaccuracies
and a possibility for error. Therefore, the compilation of the information may not fully and precisely represent the exact diversity and inclusion metrics, but it gives an overall broad idea of the demographic breakdown of the crew and cast.