One of the biggest topics in the film industry at the moment is that of gender gap. The fact that only 4.4% of the directors across the top 100 box office films were women, that from 2002 to 2012, 23.9% of the directors at Sundance have been women (both according to Forbes) and so on so forth. Now simply looking at those numbers raises many problems. The main one being why isn't it 50/50?
To be honest, I hadn't thought much about the subject until I attended the Bristol International film festival Encounters as part of my Media course at Bath College. One of the key focuses of the festival was on 'females in film' and 'portraying them right'. While I was there, I attend a table discussion entitled "widening the lens" hosted by Joanna Coates. Our tutor thought it was a talk about cinematography but what it ended up being was all about how much it sucks to be a woman in the film industry.
It got me thinking and a little rustled up but not enough to actually say what I was thinking. However, after the creation of the F rating, used to exclusively highlight female-led films, I feel like I need to say what no one else seem to be saying.
Before I do however, I need to make a few things clear. Men are not better filmmakers than women, but woman aren't better filmmakers than men. If we are to believe in a society that promotes equality, then the idea that men and woman can be equally talented is key. Next, some of the most talented people I have ever worked with are women. This article is not about the argument over equal pay because quite frankly that shouldn't be an argument. Pay people the same damn amount for the same job!
Right now the part which is probably going to piss people off. The problem with women in the film industry isn't the industry anymore. It's young people. Particularly, young girls. Why? Similar to politics there is a huge divide in boys and girls who are interested in making movies. Coming from two different media classes one thing has become very clear, there is a male female divide. This isn't in talent but simply numbers. To every 1 girl there were 2 or 3 guys in the class.
Lets say that the average is that 1:3 ratio. Now lets take a pool of 100 students. 25% female, 75% male. Lets suggest that 10% (if they're lucky) actually make it in the industry. So that's 10 students. Only 2.5 of them will be female. So how do we fix this issue?
In thinking about writing this I thought a lot about what inspired me to pursue this career path. For me it stems all the way back to when I was 6, making a terrible horror film called "Hookman" with my cousins as they wanted to be filmmakers. After that I was obsessed with putting together old home videos and turning them into fun trailers and short films. My oldest cousin Dan was inspired to get into film by watching the classics (Hitchcock, Spielberg etc).
To up those ratios, we need to be inspiring the next generation of female filmmakers from a young age and we are actually on the right track. Young girls need to have those female legends to look up to and aspire to be like. Yes figures show a divide at the moment but such names like Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow and Ava Duvernay are paving the way for the next generation of female filmmakers.
A great oak tree can take up to 3 decades to grow fully. But nothing will grow without a seed first being planted, feed and watered. Right now we are in the feeding and watering stages of woman in the industry, but with more time, and care, it can grow to be a great oak which all will be able to see.
However, the thing that really bugged me about the widening the lens table discussion, mentioned earlier, was this: They put across the idea that women were some how entitled to jobs on a film set and if there was only a few women on a majority male set that somehow it was 'disgusting' and appalling. When here is the hard facts, when I am picking a crew I pick the best. If it's a toss up between a guy and a gal and the guy is better, I will hire him, simple. On the flip side of that, if the gal is better I will hire her. I think I speak for many when I say we want the best for the film and that means picking the most effective crew.
Finally is the introduction of the F rating. Personally, I feel this is hurting female filmmakers. Why? Well you have to ask yourself, "what does the average person want to see at a cinema and how often do people turn up to a cinema and then pick their movie". The majority of people outright don't care who made a movie, they just want to be entertained. If it's a toss up between Avengers and an F rated movie, do you really think people will go "Hell I won't go see that popcorn blockbuster and instead support women in film". Unfortunately that isn't how the world we live in works as much as I wish it did.
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