Oxnard College Multimedia Professor Andres Orozco exposes students to the social damage caused by stereotypes in his “The Use of the Ethnic Minority in Film and Television” class this semester.
Minorities such as women, gays, and ethnic groups are either misrepresented or not represented at all in television and film, said Orozco, who is a successful filmmaker.
“People watch television and films and assumptions are made,” said Orozco. “People are not treated fairly based on misconceptions [perpetuated in the media] and it’s not fair.”
The class, taught for the first time in several years, was designed to teach students to read films and not just passively watch them.
“This way students don’t buy into the misconceptions of the media,” said Orozco. According to Orozco, television and film are two very strong and powerful mediums that heavily influence people’s perceptions about minorities. “It’s important to let people know how minorities are portrayed,” said Orozco.
In his class of 15 students that meets three times a week, Orozco explains the historic past of minorities from the 1920’s to the present.
He also shows movies that portray minorities in both good and bad light. Afterward, the class discusses how to read the message in the movie. Orozco’s goal is to teach students how to read a film and not just watch it. According to Orozco, when students know how to read a film, they also understand what the filmmaker is trying to say and how they are trying to say it. Orozco wants students to get down to the truth and to know what the truth is.
“The misrepresentations might be funny but they’re not accurate,” said Orozco, “and it’s important to get it right.”
Orozco also encourages all minority students to become writers, film makers, and producers so they may take control and make movies that are true to their lives and experiences.
“One benefit of this class is that it makes you realize everything the film industry does to minorities,” said student Erica Gastelum, 21.
Gastelum said she finds the class pulling her in because everyday is a different topic and teaches her how minorities are seen in films.
The class, TV R117, will be taught again next fall semester.
