Tyler perry and Crossing over to the mainstream....

I was surfing the blogospher looking for interesting topics and blogger and I come across Inside Urban Hollywood an Insider Blog for the African American Film Industry. Which outlined an interesting point, stating, "While Perry has consistently deliverd $20 million plus openings for his string of Lionsgate features, his overwhelmingly black audience demographics have not crossed over to the mainstream movie-going audience."

In response to that there was a reader that made a comment on the posting over there pertaining to Tyler Perry and his current status as a producer of films, that are geared towards the black film goer which is a response to the Inside Urban Hollywood and Hollywood reporter. Which poses the question. "How black is too black for broader acceptance?"

So I commented and I realized as I was writing that I had a little more to say than I thought. So I am posting that here for you my readers to get a sense of my Point of View of African American having to cross over into the mainstream film industry.

Here is my response slightly edited for fluidity:

Empress makes a point that is very clear to African Americans as one that should not have to take place; every time success becomes the goal, in respect to whatever you do in life. In that dimension of thinking she is correct. African American of course need to know that they can build their own financial community from within.

However I think the formula that offends is the watering down of the actual work in production being tainted by images that do not coincide with the African American Community. This is infuriating if not demeaning to Black American life. Also I get the feeling that Empress does not see that possibility of incorporating the reality of what African American life has to offer, by extending the welcome arm to show the true color of American life. This topic alone should lead you to Debra J. Dickerson's book, THE END OF BLACKNESS, which make for a great read.

This topic is one that is more intricate than a simple yes and no answer. There are elements and ideas at play that are not in alignment with true artistry. In order for Blacks to tell the story and whites for that matter, all racial and culture backgrounds should have representation, depending on the demographic of the films location. You are not going to find 500 black people in Russian cities, but you will find some doing significant things in reality, so that should cross over into film. That goes the same for stories based on the African American Experience or African Experience as a whole. You must know your position. Nothing irritates movie goers more than a film that does not represent correctly and that feeling is universal amongst all races.

Tyler does not need to cross over he has the power to make universal films at this point. I am sure that his world is not black alone without shades of white. Their is black person that can tell you that they do not know, live or work with whites. So it is time that the entire story begins to see the silver screen, and Tyler Perry has that wealthy position in film that is very rare to pull it off. The studios will listen to him.