Like white, there are different shades of black.

In many movies, blacks are portrayed in prisons and ghettos, with boisterous attitudes, slick motives and other most commonly associated situations.

"Barbershop," "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Bad Boys," to name a few, all have a limited view of blacks.

MSU Assistant Professor Jeff Wray, who is directing a film called "The Soul Searchers" this summer, is trying to move away from such hackneyed roles in the movie.

"We rarely see black folks depicted in a way that's expansive about humanity," Wray said in Thursday's story in The State News. "It pisses me off and inspires me at the same time."

In three separate plots, he explores instances in human activity that display black people in everyday occurrences.

The first plot involves a boy coming of age and beginning to like girls while having religious-conscience conflicts. The second is about a young girl's pregnancy, and the third shows marital difficulties of a married couple.

All are depicted as normal, everyday situations.

When you think about all the films with a strong black influence without drugs, gang violence and sports, there are few that come easily to mind.

Where's Disney's black princess?

It's not realistic to have people of a certain race, ethnicity, religion or nationality to only play one, stereotyped role.

Italian mobster.

Nazi-ish German.

Black rapper.

Caucasian suburbanite.

In reality, they're all interchangeable, but it's what viewers expect to see because they've been conditioned by Hollywood.

All hail the formula film. That's what sells.

Films such as this summer's "Crash" are providing viewers with a more accurate and appropriate view of humanity, which isn't defined by color, religion or heritage.

More films, like Wray's "The Soul Searchers" need to show the less commonly known side of not only race but other sensitive societal issues.