This is a very important question. One that doesn’t have a straightforward answer. It’s easy to slap together statistics to paint the dire picture of what is transpiring with women in the television and film industries. However, generating a solution or corrective action plan isn’t quite so simple. With the creation of Women in TV and Film, I was extremely cautious not to make this a finger-pointing, blame-game or pity-party because no one is rolling out the red carpet for us to access the boys club. I wanted to highlight positive attributes and micro-level methods to evoke change that both you and I can implement NOW. In the introductory stages of conceptualizing the project, I asked myself two fundamental questions:
- What can I do to help?
- How can I build awareness and change perception?
I don’t have money. My career is still in infancy stages. I don’t have the power to create macro-level change.
Do I delve into why things are the way they are, or do I paint a picture that visualizes HOW IT COULD BE? I chose the latter.
My approach with this project was to:
- Actively work in a filmmaker capacity
- Work alongside other women in TV and Film
- Showcase various women in TV and film through my social media and web platforms
- Document the innerworkings of film sets with exclusively female cast and crews
- Attend events, conferences and screenings that support female filmmakers
- Network and build relationships with experienced women actively working in the industry
- Develop a rolodex (contact list) of women that can fulfil various above and below-the-line roles for future usage, reference and recommendation
- Show the world WOMEN MAKE MOVIES and WE ARE BADASS
Now, it’s YOUR TURN.
Companies: You should HIRE female filmmakers.
Filmmakers: You should recommend female filmmakers and take steps to ensure you have an inclusive work environment.
Consumers: You should support, watch and buy diverse and inclusive projects.
We can talk about corporate big-wigs but the reality of the matter is CONSUMERS HOLD THE POWER. When you buy food, you read the label. Similarly, when watching shows and films … you should research the credits. You should know about the content you are consuming. Female filmmakers know about the problems that exist, however, a large chunk of the TV-watching and movie-going population are completely oblivious. The program you love:
- Did a woman write it?
- Did a woman direct it?
- Did a woman edit it?
- Did a woman shoot it?
- How many women were involved in the production?
The population is 50/50 and women represent roughly half of movie-goers but we have less screen-time and less control of the narrative. YOU have the power to decide and evoke change.
