A more pressing problem than who is sitting in the director's chair is the empty seats in the movie theaters.
We ought not be afraid of change, as its the only thing that doesn't change. Women are gaining momentum, and there is no force that can change that. And all for the better.
9
I suspect these beliefs about women being less capable than men is what is bringing Hillary's numbers down. The constant rhetoric about Hillary being so corrupt is corrupt. Yet the media never corrects this.
I laughed out loud when Trump said if Hillary were a man she would have only 5% of the vote, thinking IF Hillary were a man she would have 95% of the vote and if Trump were a woman he would have been laughed off the stage as soon as he claimed he was running.
I laughed out loud when Trump said if Hillary were a man she would have only 5% of the vote, thinking IF Hillary were a man she would have 95% of the vote and if Trump were a woman he would have been laughed off the stage as soon as he claimed he was running.
21
Will the NYT EVER join the 21c and stop classifying people by race, sex, sex orientation etc...????? What a bore. Wonder why the author did not visit women and get women to fund women directors if lack of women directors is such a "problem." Talk about 1st would problems. Oh brother (or if you like oh sister!)
13
I understand the need to address and redress gender bias everywhere and in every profession. I also believe that when discrimination occurs in "closed-door" and high level executive suites, the conscientious objector should out the closeted patriarchs - you have an iphone or whatever, so secretly film/record them airing their medieval views.
However, I would cringe to be hired on the basis of my gender as opposed to my abilities. (Full disclosure: I belong to the fairer sex.) Some abilities might be shaped by my gender but I would hesitate to attribute all. I don't know what a "female imagination" is nor would I be interested in classifying the imagination as such. One of the most brilliant and vastly underrated films on "women's issues" for me is Robert Altman's 'Three Women'. It will be an entertaining although idle exercise to speculate on how a woman might have directed this film- but it would be utterly stupid to deny Altman's imagination its due.
Similarly, much ink was spilled over the absence of "strong female characters" in the first season of 'True Detective'. This was again utterly superficial because it takes some good, patient interpretation to see that the show was far more nuanced in its representation of "feminine strength" (whatever that is). Moreover, the critic assumes that female spectators largely identify with female characters. This again ignores the surprising ways by which audiences tend to transcend gender in their response to the work.
However, I would cringe to be hired on the basis of my gender as opposed to my abilities. (Full disclosure: I belong to the fairer sex.) Some abilities might be shaped by my gender but I would hesitate to attribute all. I don't know what a "female imagination" is nor would I be interested in classifying the imagination as such. One of the most brilliant and vastly underrated films on "women's issues" for me is Robert Altman's 'Three Women'. It will be an entertaining although idle exercise to speculate on how a woman might have directed this film- but it would be utterly stupid to deny Altman's imagination its due.
Similarly, much ink was spilled over the absence of "strong female characters" in the first season of 'True Detective'. This was again utterly superficial because it takes some good, patient interpretation to see that the show was far more nuanced in its representation of "feminine strength" (whatever that is). Moreover, the critic assumes that female spectators largely identify with female characters. This again ignores the surprising ways by which audiences tend to transcend gender in their response to the work.
8
I'm so happy you are moving from awareness to action. Two years ago, we interviewed Rosemary Rodriguez, one of the few female directors of episode TV to find out some of the root causes of the lack of female directors (other than the usual ones for the lack of women in the highest decision-making positions in most industries.) http://redshoemovement.com/male-dominated-industries-rosemary-rodriguez-...
Your suggestion of reverse the job shadowing process is fantastic! But you're being too soft on the second suggestion. If you hope to just improve the previous year benchmark, it can take 50 years to reach parity. Even 1/2 a percentage would count as an improvement. We need a quantum leap of global consciousness to reach a new place where it's unthinkable to have the lack of diversity and inclusion at the highest levels. I'd love to talk to you about it. #RedShoeTuesday
Your suggestion of reverse the job shadowing process is fantastic! But you're being too soft on the second suggestion. If you hope to just improve the previous year benchmark, it can take 50 years to reach parity. Even 1/2 a percentage would count as an improvement. We need a quantum leap of global consciousness to reach a new place where it's unthinkable to have the lack of diversity and inclusion at the highest levels. I'd love to talk to you about it. #RedShoeTuesday
5
Not enough female directors in Hollywood?
This just strikes me as touching on a much larger problem which is relevant to a number of fields: How do we get people practiced as rapidly and safely as possible at this or that art or science or necessary activity in society to be able to separate the best people at this or that from the rest? Especially how do we find the best people at high risk and/or dangerous activities when to even practice such activities can be dangerous to people?
A lot of money is at stake in making a Hollywood film, how to get people best rehearsed, practiced at actually making one? Any boy can watch a Western and see that it might be possible to get really good with a gun, but how many people possessing firearms in society find it impossible due to simply the danger of it to REALLY practice to be able to be really good at it except maybe a Navy SEAL sniper? Most people are good at their guns like a guitarist who never really plays carrying a guitar around.
The point is that in many ways society does not encourage much less make possible a person getting practiced at much of anything to be able to really tell the best people from the worst, so we just default and pick the people we think might be best and this probably is a default in favor of men. I think one of the biggest reasons I took to things like writing essays and playing guitar as hobbies is that one could REALLY practice and therefore not just be acting as if one knows what one is doing.
This just strikes me as touching on a much larger problem which is relevant to a number of fields: How do we get people practiced as rapidly and safely as possible at this or that art or science or necessary activity in society to be able to separate the best people at this or that from the rest? Especially how do we find the best people at high risk and/or dangerous activities when to even practice such activities can be dangerous to people?
A lot of money is at stake in making a Hollywood film, how to get people best rehearsed, practiced at actually making one? Any boy can watch a Western and see that it might be possible to get really good with a gun, but how many people possessing firearms in society find it impossible due to simply the danger of it to REALLY practice to be able to be really good at it except maybe a Navy SEAL sniper? Most people are good at their guns like a guitarist who never really plays carrying a guitar around.
The point is that in many ways society does not encourage much less make possible a person getting practiced at much of anything to be able to really tell the best people from the worst, so we just default and pick the people we think might be best and this probably is a default in favor of men. I think one of the biggest reasons I took to things like writing essays and playing guitar as hobbies is that one could REALLY practice and therefore not just be acting as if one knows what one is doing.
2
Flipping the shadow program is an excellent, possibly game changing idea.
22
Please explain why this is important when there just might be more worthier causes and issues to focus on.
I very much doubt that if more women were directing block buster movies, this would change the pay for women in other more common place careers and jobs.
I very much doubt that if more women were directing block buster movies, this would change the pay for women in other more common place careers and jobs.
9
So - your plan to get directing gigs was to initially direct - write for other folks for quite a while - write a book - hang out - and then waltz in and say give me a directing gig again.
This whole idea of taking time-outs and then trying to step back into some of the toughest-to-get gigs in the world is distinctly and absolutely wrong and plainly silly.
You wanna direct - you had better be prepared to sacrifice your soul to direct and stick with it.
This whole idea of taking time-outs and then trying to step back into some of the toughest-to-get gigs in the world is distinctly and absolutely wrong and plainly silly.
You wanna direct - you had better be prepared to sacrifice your soul to direct and stick with it.
8
What does gender have to do with directing? To prove that a woman can also make Hollywood blockbuster junk?
10
While planning our autumn film programme last week for our rural community cinema here in the UK, our committee realised that five of our selected titles, "Mustang," "Florence Foster Jenkins," "Learning to Drive," "Love & Friendship" and even "Tale of Tales," all had very strong female leads and storylines. Reluctantly, though with a triumphant smile, we filled the remaining three slots with films that star or are about men.
There ARE intelligent, female-driven films out there, also made by female filmmakers, but they're often independent or foreign-language films -- and thus need more support from filmgoers everywhere. Look beyond mainstream fare!
There ARE intelligent, female-driven films out there, also made by female filmmakers, but they're often independent or foreign-language films -- and thus need more support from filmgoers everywhere. Look beyond mainstream fare!
13
I don't have any experience in the movie business. But I did work in live entertainment, on the business end. All anyone cared about was making money. If we could make money with Jews, Blacks, Gays, Women, Men, that was fine. Maybe the big movie studios care about politics and gender more than money. But not the little guys.
12
Thank you - while I suppose "awareness" is a first step, so often we get caught up on being "aware" without any drive toward data or solutions. Witness breast awareness month. Most people are already sadly rather aware of breast cancer. instead of distributing pamphlets on how to examine your breasts in the shower, which typically only catches already advanced cancers, how about direct funding of studies of preventative measures, gene research and improved medical treatment. Rinse and repeat for any social or physical ill.
1
You needn't look any further than the vicious comments to Ms. Dargis's review of Ghostbusters to understand how entrenched gender bias is in our culture. Ms. Dargis dared to acknowledge the significance of four female leads and the "average joe" commenters went on the attack. Hollywood, perhaps rightly, gages that their target demographic of males doesn't want to see female driven films. However, I do! I want to get a sitter, call my girlfriends and go out to see a movie that speaks to me! X-Men #13 does not. I've watched countless tv series and films targeting women without having any women's voice. And it shows in the lackluster final product. If you want to to speak to women, market to women, connect with women - try having some women in the writers room and behind the lens.
41
G.Busters broke no new ground: the EVIL person driving the plot (making the ghosts) was male, not female.
If they wanted to make the plot interesting (and funny), the evil person would have been female.
But if they did that, then, the female ghost maker would likely whine "But a MAN molested me 10 years ago and that made me evil."
Please, when women are at the helm, the Wicked Witch of the West would claim she is only evil because her ex husband beat her.
Women: get off the pedestal, realize you are no better than men and then your characters will have more than 2 dimensions
If they wanted to make the plot interesting (and funny), the evil person would have been female.
But if they did that, then, the female ghost maker would likely whine "But a MAN molested me 10 years ago and that made me evil."
Please, when women are at the helm, the Wicked Witch of the West would claim she is only evil because her ex husband beat her.
Women: get off the pedestal, realize you are no better than men and then your characters will have more than 2 dimensions
4
Your comment is what is so infuriating with dialog about gender in Hollywood. Have you actually seen any of the "X-Men" movies? You do realize they are all produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, right? A woman.
The movies star some of the strongest (quite literally) female characters in Hollywood history, played by Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Anna Paquin, Jennifer Lawrence January Jones, just to name a few. At comic-con events all over the world you see young girls "Cosplaying" to their favorite female heroes. Female voices are being heard, loud and clear.
This creative, passionate energy will surely drive many young women to the Director's seat, which is what we all want.
The movies star some of the strongest (quite literally) female characters in Hollywood history, played by Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Anna Paquin, Jennifer Lawrence January Jones, just to name a few. At comic-con events all over the world you see young girls "Cosplaying" to their favorite female heroes. Female voices are being heard, loud and clear.
This creative, passionate energy will surely drive many young women to the Director's seat, which is what we all want.
4
May be a digression, a strawman at the very least...but I can't remember the last time I heard about a woman driving a truck through a group of people, mowing them down, or a woman randomly shooting police officers dead in the streets. Some of the worst horrors I have witnessed this summer have been perpetrated by men. So tell me again how women aren't better? Because I'm having a hard time believing that noise right now...
2
your mentor was right: it's all in your head. the guys who actually run Hollywood - even if they're women, and especially in TV - make careful, proscribed decisions. women could get weepy, have their period, become pregnant, realize that working at the expense of family and sanity until felled by a heart attack isn't the best plan... iow, they are. not, as a gender, stupidly dependable like guys.
also, have you heard of the approved writer list which does not exist except in reality? in that invisible document everyone in town has memorized, you cannot sell a TV movie script unless and until you already have a movie credit; it is an issue when it comes to the people who put up the Bucks.
as they say in new Hampshire, you can't get there from here.
also, have you heard of the approved writer list which does not exist except in reality? in that invisible document everyone in town has memorized, you cannot sell a TV movie script unless and until you already have a movie credit; it is an issue when it comes to the people who put up the Bucks.
as they say in new Hampshire, you can't get there from here.
3
Apart from the flagrantly self-serving nature of Scovell's column, there is her premise, that she doesn't even bother to defend: That it is a priority to get more female directors.
I can understand why it should be a priority to get the best person for the job, but prioritizing them because they have got vaginas? How does that entitle anyone to direct a movie?
Scovell talks glibly about hitting "equality" -- apparently meaning that half of all directors should be women. Excuse me? When did we agree that equality was an "awesome" goal? Equality of opportunity, yes. Non-discrimination, yes also. But equality? What is magical about 50/50?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided that it was an unlawful employment practice to discriminate against any individual on account of a number of attributes, one of which was sex. True, courts immediately began to try to hijack the Act. But the law did not promise that every occupation should "look like America." It said you had a right not to be discriminated against. So if hiring the best directors results in a ratio of 90:10 favoring men -- or women -- that is fine.
Who ever heard of a social movement to, say, mandate that there be the same number of women chess champions as men? Or require that Nobel prizes be awarded equally to men and women. Though that day probably isn't far off if Scovell gets her way.
If you believe in diversity, why are you shocked that the differences you celebrate lead to different outcomes?
I can understand why it should be a priority to get the best person for the job, but prioritizing them because they have got vaginas? How does that entitle anyone to direct a movie?
Scovell talks glibly about hitting "equality" -- apparently meaning that half of all directors should be women. Excuse me? When did we agree that equality was an "awesome" goal? Equality of opportunity, yes. Non-discrimination, yes also. But equality? What is magical about 50/50?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided that it was an unlawful employment practice to discriminate against any individual on account of a number of attributes, one of which was sex. True, courts immediately began to try to hijack the Act. But the law did not promise that every occupation should "look like America." It said you had a right not to be discriminated against. So if hiring the best directors results in a ratio of 90:10 favoring men -- or women -- that is fine.
Who ever heard of a social movement to, say, mandate that there be the same number of women chess champions as men? Or require that Nobel prizes be awarded equally to men and women. Though that day probably isn't far off if Scovell gets her way.
If you believe in diversity, why are you shocked that the differences you celebrate lead to different outcomes?
31
"I drove to my mentor’s home in the Hollywood Hills. It was the day after Easter and there was still a faint whiff of miracle in the air."
Dog-whistling.
Dog-whistling.
3
"So when EMPLOYERS hesitate to hire a less-experienced female director, it feels rooted in an aversion to risk when it’s actually a surrender to bias."
Let me fix this for you...
So when INVESTORS hesitate to hire a less-experienced female director, it feels rooted in an aversion to risk when it’s actually a surrender to bias.
And that would probably be correct. If I am going to invest in an Jurassic Park or Avenger movie, I would want a man directing. Men have better visualization skills (likely derives from Hunting, or math). And this translates to knowing where to place all four or five cameras to catch the plane parts disintegrating or people falling after a crash. For the recent Avenger movies are poor on dialogue and plot but are artistic when it comes to spatial displays of motion.
Men are better at this. I will invest when a man directs such movies. Women seem to be OK w- rom.coms; but men are better at that, too.
You don't like it?
OK... I won't invest in your movie; and you can't make me.
(Most of H'wood would likely agree, but they'll never say it)
Let me fix this for you...
So when INVESTORS hesitate to hire a less-experienced female director, it feels rooted in an aversion to risk when it’s actually a surrender to bias.
And that would probably be correct. If I am going to invest in an Jurassic Park or Avenger movie, I would want a man directing. Men have better visualization skills (likely derives from Hunting, or math). And this translates to knowing where to place all four or five cameras to catch the plane parts disintegrating or people falling after a crash. For the recent Avenger movies are poor on dialogue and plot but are artistic when it comes to spatial displays of motion.
Men are better at this. I will invest when a man directs such movies. Women seem to be OK w- rom.coms; but men are better at that, too.
You don't like it?
OK... I won't invest in your movie; and you can't make me.
(Most of H'wood would likely agree, but they'll never say it)
6
You cannot be serious. There are women surgeons, rocket scientists, military pilots, and astronauts, to name a few professions requiring special skills. I think they probably can manage to stage a car crash or two.
19
Are u seriously considering these 4 women as
Superstars actresses??
Seriously??
Superstars actresses??
Seriously??
4
Why do you need your mentor's approval to get your movie done. Find a director and make it happen. I'm not sure if that conversation was metaphorical or real, but it didn't engender much sympathy.
7
KS - reading comprehension is key. The author is a Director as she plainly stated "as member of the Directors Guild" visited her mentor for recommendations for a PRODUCING partner. Don't comment unless you know what you are actuality commenting about.
14
What is the point of running op-ed pieces that make many claims but offer no facts whatsoever in support of those claims?
If as the writer states the paucity of female directors is not a pipeline problem, then tell us how many (more or less) equally qualified male and female up-and-coming directors (say by citing something about graduates of leading film schools with good grades) and then showing how much higher the percentage of young male directors there are.
Or _something_. The complete absence of any statistics except for ones that indicate almost nothing is very striking. The only thing that the absence of such statistics seems to indicate is any evidence to support the writer's claims.
If as the writer states the paucity of female directors is not a pipeline problem, then tell us how many (more or less) equally qualified male and female up-and-coming directors (say by citing something about graduates of leading film schools with good grades) and then showing how much higher the percentage of young male directors there are.
Or _something_. The complete absence of any statistics except for ones that indicate almost nothing is very striking. The only thing that the absence of such statistics seems to indicate is any evidence to support the writer's claims.
11
There are nearly 1300 women DGA directors. Perhaps 100 have worked in the past 2 years. So, 1200 available. Then thousands more women directors who are not in the DGA but have directed a lot on their own.
16
Who cares?
When will we stop counting heads and insisting everything be even?
The world doesn't work that way.
When will we stop counting heads and insisting everything be even?
The world doesn't work that way.
16
Idiotic. If female directors were good they would get hired. It's really that simple.
20
Headline sounds silly. Who's going to "get" more women anywhere? Men?
The article focuses on trying to break into the movie establishment, the studios. If the mainstream film industry is anything like the music industry - what's left of it - most people of either gender will fail at that. It's why independent production has exploded in the last 20 years. The lack of opportunity forces other options.
If somebody wants to direct, they'll probably have to figure out how to fund the thing themselves. Depending upon how successful the thing is they will end up either being co-opted by the establishment, or not.
The article makes it sound like it would be desirable to have some system in place where anyone who wanted to inflict something on the public as a director would have a nice, well-lighted path from film school to do so- as if they were trying to become a pharmacist, or a cop.
Film-making is still considered an art, isn't it? Artists make things; they're not often handed the tools or wherewithal to do so by others. They "get" themselves into the director's chair one way or another, in the mainstream or out.
The article focuses on trying to break into the movie establishment, the studios. If the mainstream film industry is anything like the music industry - what's left of it - most people of either gender will fail at that. It's why independent production has exploded in the last 20 years. The lack of opportunity forces other options.
If somebody wants to direct, they'll probably have to figure out how to fund the thing themselves. Depending upon how successful the thing is they will end up either being co-opted by the establishment, or not.
The article makes it sound like it would be desirable to have some system in place where anyone who wanted to inflict something on the public as a director would have a nice, well-lighted path from film school to do so- as if they were trying to become a pharmacist, or a cop.
Film-making is still considered an art, isn't it? Artists make things; they're not often handed the tools or wherewithal to do so by others. They "get" themselves into the director's chair one way or another, in the mainstream or out.
4
" gender equality " is a slogan which does not belong in an intelligent newspaper, but alas, slogans tend to have their own power and I am no longer convinced that the NYT IS an intelligent newspaper.
Of course, I am entirely in favor of more women movie directors unless in the name of " gender equality " they bring the same number of guns in their movies which men bring. If they bring fewer guns, surely someone will complain?
Incidentally, apparently in that "backward country" Iran, the proportion of women directors is higher than it is in the US and somehow Iranian movies seem to think that there are more interesting things to film than people shooting other people and car chases.
Naturally, given the traffic in Tehran, car chases are not easy, but Iranian directors do not even seem to try! Will women help? (smile).
Of course, I am entirely in favor of more women movie directors unless in the name of " gender equality " they bring the same number of guns in their movies which men bring. If they bring fewer guns, surely someone will complain?
Incidentally, apparently in that "backward country" Iran, the proportion of women directors is higher than it is in the US and somehow Iranian movies seem to think that there are more interesting things to film than people shooting other people and car chases.
Naturally, given the traffic in Tehran, car chases are not easy, but Iranian directors do not even seem to try! Will women help? (smile).
3
Didn't a woman direct "Frozen," the biggest animated feature ever? There's no problem. If there is, then is the cause something as simple as discrimination? Not only is it incredibly hard to become a director in Hollywood, it also takes a colossal amount of risk. According to Wired Magazine, Justin Lin borrowed $100K on credit cards to fund his first movie. I read a story in the L.A. Times about a young filmmaker who used $50K of his own savings to make a low budget zombie picture at the site of an abandoned mine. Why do I never read stories of women borrowing huge sums on credit cards to make a movie? Probably the same reason women (mostly) weren't responsible for the Crash of 2008--they aren't as reckless as men (for better or worse). If that's a stereotype then Sheryl Sandberg or somebody should finance a remake of "Winner Takes All", the 1979 Shirley Jones movie about a compulsive gambler.
4
How to get more people to care about who sits in the director's chair? I don't care, and I don't know anyone who does care. Male or female, black or white, straight or not, down here on the ground where 99.99% of people live, those of us who have functioning brains don't care!. Those of us who have responsibilities and live up to them don't care! We follow the rules of civilization; we go to work and take care of our children, pay taxes and keep our yards looking nice, clean our houses and do laundry and buy and cook food.
We don't care about over-paid show business people.........we might care about the worker bees in show business, those in the background, the hundreds who work to make it possible for the handful at the top to look good, but no one knows who they are. The light shines on those who make millions for a few months' work. And we should worry about these people??
Excuse me. The world is in a mess. We worry about the price of milk, losing our job because of imports, whether we will be able to take a vacation, the education of our children, whether we will ever be able to retire, a million other things. Now we add worrying about an 18-wheeler mowing us down as we celebrate Independence Day or Christmas. We had to add worrying about pressure-cooker-bombs after Memorial Day in Boston a couple of years back.
We don't worry about you millionaires. And by the way, have some expensive, imported cheese with that whine.
We don't care about over-paid show business people.........we might care about the worker bees in show business, those in the background, the hundreds who work to make it possible for the handful at the top to look good, but no one knows who they are. The light shines on those who make millions for a few months' work. And we should worry about these people??
Excuse me. The world is in a mess. We worry about the price of milk, losing our job because of imports, whether we will be able to take a vacation, the education of our children, whether we will ever be able to retire, a million other things. Now we add worrying about an 18-wheeler mowing us down as we celebrate Independence Day or Christmas. We had to add worrying about pressure-cooker-bombs after Memorial Day in Boston a couple of years back.
We don't worry about you millionaires. And by the way, have some expensive, imported cheese with that whine.
16
You clearly didn't read the piece. The writer says there are more pressing problems.
5
I went to see "The Infiltrator" last night. Dialogue was bad. Most of the female roles were strippers and hookers. Same with most of the trailers. Cowboys. Cops. Men blowing up stuff. The theater (which had all these big recliners in it) was empty. On a Saturday night.
From what I can see of the trailer of "The Secret Lives of Pets," even the animated pets are virtually all male. On "The Voice," three of the judges are male, one female. Same with most news shows and the composition of most edit staffs.
Someone green lights these productions, and doesn't green light others (presumably in which more women are involved).
Along with the discrimination factor, the fare served up by these white, male-driven enterprises isn't fresh, or insightful. It's stale.
Those empty, recliner, $17.00 seats at the movie theater do not lie.
From what I can see of the trailer of "The Secret Lives of Pets," even the animated pets are virtually all male. On "The Voice," three of the judges are male, one female. Same with most news shows and the composition of most edit staffs.
Someone green lights these productions, and doesn't green light others (presumably in which more women are involved).
Along with the discrimination factor, the fare served up by these white, male-driven enterprises isn't fresh, or insightful. It's stale.
Those empty, recliner, $17.00 seats at the movie theater do not lie.
32
If Hollywood was honest about making money, they would call in their bean counters, and just stand there and take it like a man. The truth is they've alienated half of their audience by shutting out the POV of 51% of their audience, most of the time.
How about making movies that people want to see? What's in theatres most of the time? Movies people don't want to see.
How about making movies that people want to see? What's in theatres most of the time? Movies people don't want to see.
8
Ms. Scovell neglects to mention one crucial fact: jobs in Hollywood disproportionately go to relatives of other Hollywood executives, or to children of the well-connected wealthy. Ms. Scovell should know about the latter; according to her Wikipedia bio, she hails from Newton, MA, is the daughter of a corporate head, and was formerly married to a member of the Tisch family, the owners of Loews Corp, with with longstanding connections to the film industry
I agree with Ms. Scovell's admission that "Compared with these issues [climate change, gun violence, race relations], getting more female directors is a low priority."
Considering the whole global film industry is smaller in annual sales than one single company like Procter & Gamble, I would agree there are MANY MORE higher priorities.
Might I suggest that one of those priorities would be training and promoting the hiring of low-income Americans in industries in which "real people" get jobs on their own merits -- vs. helping a few already-wealthy female Harvard grads attain better credits on their IMDB listings?
I agree with Ms. Scovell's admission that "Compared with these issues [climate change, gun violence, race relations], getting more female directors is a low priority."
Considering the whole global film industry is smaller in annual sales than one single company like Procter & Gamble, I would agree there are MANY MORE higher priorities.
Might I suggest that one of those priorities would be training and promoting the hiring of low-income Americans in industries in which "real people" get jobs on their own merits -- vs. helping a few already-wealthy female Harvard grads attain better credits on their IMDB listings?
29
Great comment, Peter. Probably futile, but great nonetheless.
4
Know why we have so few female movie directors?
1. Most women make less effective, less respected bosses.
2. Most women are markedly weaker in two skills especially important to the camera-pictorial elements of movie-making. In three-dimensional (especially in/out), and navigational (left/right discrimination) aptitudes. (Just ask Aunt Tillie for directions somewhere.)
3. Most women relate better to people close to them – relatives and neighbors. (Just ask Uncle Charley when somebody’s birthday falls – and if he wants to see her.) Most men relate better to community and business people – employers, associates, and employees. This distinction, often making the shooting, editing, and other filming processes move faster and more predictably, is one reason most movie producers prefer to employ male directors.
4. In a word, men make better directors.
1. Most women make less effective, less respected bosses.
2. Most women are markedly weaker in two skills especially important to the camera-pictorial elements of movie-making. In three-dimensional (especially in/out), and navigational (left/right discrimination) aptitudes. (Just ask Aunt Tillie for directions somewhere.)
3. Most women relate better to people close to them – relatives and neighbors. (Just ask Uncle Charley when somebody’s birthday falls – and if he wants to see her.) Most men relate better to community and business people – employers, associates, and employees. This distinction, often making the shooting, editing, and other filming processes move faster and more predictably, is one reason most movie producers prefer to employ male directors.
4. In a word, men make better directors.
7
There have been incredible movies made by women directors such as Kathryn Bigelow which by most measures would be considered mainstream. However for the most part most films directed by women have been either "high art" style with limited releases, children focused fare, or "for woman by woman" stereotypes. Very few if any have really crossed the 300 million dollar mark. The real glass ceiling it seems to be broken is not to thus create incredible films - women already do that - but rather be willing to create movies that hit that magic billion dollars. Unfortunately as many recent releases will show you, that does mean incredible scripts, and slow burn cinematography. It means getting your hands dirty by picking a superhero and driving cars off cliffs. That may not be the vision many female directors are looking for - but until they start selling those movies - they won't really break into the industry.
10
White guys derive a strong sense of themselves and their superior place in the world by fiat, as they control of nearly every industry and institution in the US.
Attacking their hegemony is attacking their identity.
This is why no one answers the doorbell. Who wants to think less of themselves?
Attacking their hegemony is attacking their identity.
This is why no one answers the doorbell. Who wants to think less of themselves?
28
White guys created nearly every industry and institution that's why they control them.