Tag: Op-Ed

What Can People Do to Change Things? How Can I Help Women in TV and Film?

by Briana M. Andrews, posted in Women In TV & Film

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.