Access, Equity, & Equality in the Film Industry
By Greg Moran
Australian Film Television & Radio School
An exegesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts Screen: Producing
2024
In this exegesis, I am interested in exploring and documenting the major challenges and access barriers that exist for people with disabilities, particularly quadriplegics in the film and television industry. I will also explore what initiatives, support systems and tools are needed and/or are currently available to help enable them to fully participate on both sides of the camera.
As a quadriplegic writer, director, producer and actor in the Australian film and television industry, I’m in a unique position to be able to look at this area both from a personal perspective and to reflect upon and document some of the experiences of others.
My research methodology will be creative practice based research. Consequently I will draw on my own personal reflections and documentation of my experiences as a filmmaker both in front of and behind the camera.
This research methodology is summed up well by Craig Batty & Arezou Zalipour in Research, practice, knowledge: introducing the creative knowledges enabling framework. (2024)
In creative practice research, practitioners become practitioner-researchers and use their knowledge of and/or experience in practice as a way of knowing, expanding knowledge (theirs and/or others’) in and across various disciplines using their art/craft to make discoveries. (Batty, C. & Zalipour, A., 2024, p.2)
As outlined above I will be documenting my experiences and sharing the knowledge that I have gained through the practical experience of filmmaking particularly in regard to the challenges and obstacles that I encountered as a quadriplegic filmmaker during the process.
Since 1998, I have written, produced and directed five short films and produced three others, as well as working as an actor in three of these films and a commercial. I will be reflecting on and relating my accessibility challenges and other insights experienced whilst making these films. I will also be utilising behind-the-scenes photographs to help enable a better understanding of some of the obstacles and challenges that I encountered.
As a quadriplegic writer, director, producer and actor in the Australian film and television industry, I’m in a unique position to be able to look at this area both from a personal perspective and to reflect upon and document some of the experiences of others.
My research methodology will be creative practice based research. Consequently I will draw on my own personal reflections and documentation of my experiences as a filmmaker both in front of and behind the camera.
This research methodology is summed up well by Craig Batty & Arezou Zalipour in Research, practice, knowledge: introducing the creative knowledges enabling framework. (2024)
In creative practice research, practitioners become practitioner-researchers and use their knowledge of and/or experience in practice as a way of knowing, expanding knowledge (theirs and/or others’) in and across various disciplines using their art/craft to make discoveries. (Batty, C. & Zalipour, A., 2024, p.2)
As outlined above I will be documenting my experiences and sharing the knowledge that I have gained through the practical experience of filmmaking particularly in regard to the challenges and obstacles that I encountered as a quadriplegic filmmaker during the process.
Since 1998, I have written, produced and directed five short films and produced three others, as well as working as an actor in three of these films and a commercial. I will be reflecting on and relating my accessibility challenges and other insights experienced whilst making these films. I will also be utilising behind-the-scenes photographs to help enable a better understanding of some of the obstacles and challenges that I encountered.