With the recent releases of blockbusters such as Pacific Rim and Star Trek: Into Darkness boasting ‘strong female characters’ in their casts, I have seen much online debate regarding the representation of women in film. As a female actor, this is an issue close to my heart, and I share the growing concerns among many of my generation of film lovers and filmmakers, as well as some current industry professionals, about the future of women in the film industry. Indeed, the issue of women in the film industry extends not only to the representation of women on the silver (and small) screen, but also the roles of women behind the camera.
In 2012, 4.1% of directors and 12.2% of writers of the 100 top-grossing films were women, according to a study by the University of Southern California. Given such statistics, the film industry, particularly the world of film studios, appears to be very much male orientated in who produces and makes films for mass audiences. While the independent film industry has shown great promise for female filmmakers, particularly documentary filmmakers, studio films still seem stuck in a male mold. Though many of my director idols are indeed men (such as Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan and the Coen Brothers), such gender inequality is worrying, not only because I am woman interested in following a career in the film industry, but also because of the cultural impacts such inequality entails. What could the impacts be of essentially viewing the world through an exclusively male lens? How does this effect perceptions of gender and personal identity?
These are some of the issues I wish to explore and debate in my presentation to the Future Producers. Hopefully, with the help of Powerpoint, it should be an interesting experience and topic of discussion. Below are the links to some interesting articles and resources I used for research on the subject.
http://www.voanews.com/content/women-independent-films-growing-not-on-par-with-men/1632912.html
Really sorry to miss your presentation Alex. Great research. Would be good if you could do a post about how the presentation went. What was the reaction of the other Future Producers? Did any of their feedback change your thinking?